Paranoia

A Novel

By: Joseph Finder

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Adam Cassidy is twenty-six and a low level employee at a high-tech corporation who hates his job. When he manipulates the system to do something nice for a friend, he finds himself charged with a crime. Corporate Security gives him a choice: prison or become a spy in the headquarters of their chief competitor, Trion Systems. They train him and feed him inside information. Now at Trion, he's a star, skyrocketing to the top. He finds he has talents he never knew he possessed. He's rich, drives a Porsche, lives in a fabulous apartment, and works directly for the CEO. He's dating the girl of his dreams. His life is perfect. All he has to do to keep it that way is betray everyone he cares about and everything he believes in. But when he tries to break off from his controllers, he finds himself in way over his head, where nothing is what it seems and no one can really be trusted. And then the REAL nightmare begins....

©2004 Joseph Finder (P)2004 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

"Is it too early to declare Finder's fifth novel the most entertaining thriller of 2004?....A first-rate surprise ending packs a wallop. This novel is the real deal: a thriller that actually will keep readers up way past their bedtimes." (Publishers Weekly)

"A twisting, stealthily plotted story...as a savvy genre piece with built-in momentum, it works just fine...the book weaves a tangled and ingeniously enveloping web." (The New York Times)

"What keeps the pages turning isn't the suspense, though, as much as it is Finder's detailed portrayal of the Machiavellian world of the mega-corporation and its high-stakes intrigue." (The New York Times Book Review)

"This thriller is engaging from the opening lines and doesn't let up until the surprising end. Scott Brick narrates flawlessly....This great performance is a perfect fit for the writing." (AudioFile)

A good listen

I enjoyed Paranioa very much. the development of characters is well done and believable. Even the "dark" characters have likeable qualities, and create a certain sense of sympathy for their actions. The only part of the listen that I felt was overdone was the author's obvious political views. At times I felt like I was listening to a politician giving a speech. In my opinion, the author would have done better just letting the story unfold in a more natural way. Having said this, I look forward to the next book.

Solid writing, builds tension to the end

The character is likeable, the events Adam are caught up in deliver him from one scene to the next with the consequences that escalate with the tension. As the reader you are brought into the story well, and the fear and dread that lurk around each corner develope a knot in your stomach at times.
The ending is made for a sequel, I do not want to reveal morre than that but it is not necessarily a bad ending as a sequel would be fine but it does finish with a a bit of a surprise.
I liked the story, if you want a book that puts miles behind you in the car this is a great pick, if you are looking for Hemmingway and "The Sun Also Rises" you are in the wrong catagory.

Meh

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The best thing I can say about this book is I made it all the way through it. It's just that good to keep me listening. I think the tension was superficial, and I think I saw the end coming from a long way off.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The twist at the end.

Great Listen!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I picked this up, never hearing of the author before. Usually those are at best, tolerable. I have found a new author to follow though, this book was as exciting as listening to as the early John Grisham novels.

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

One of the reason's I chose this unknown book was because of Scott Brick... although he does a great job of narration, I suspect he is also just really picky and tends to work on the better written novels.

Missed

a whole night's sleep. I rarely give a five star rating. I have over a thousand books in my library and I can't believe this is the first time I've heard of this author . Thanks to a $4-50 sale!

A good read

Corporate espionage is interesting! The title is kind of lame, but apt. This was an engrossing tale, well told, with enough turns to keep you interested. Well read by (I believe) Scott Brick, as always. There is the obligatory love interest but it's not overdone or corny and it's completely relevant. I'm going to look for more titles by this author.

Great story and performance!

This book was enjoyable and kept my attention the entire way through! Plot twists, intrigue, espionage...good stuff! I have been critical of Scott Bricks performances with a number of books, too dramatic...Well, he got it right this time! Great job Mr Brick! Thoroughly enjoyed this audio book enough to see the movie again .

Good book

I enjoyed the author's knowledge, style of writing and flow.

Good read. This is the second book that I have listened to.

Kept me guessing till the end...

I enjoyed this book immensely! While I could guess at some of the plot twists, the ending took me by surprise. This is my first Finder book; I can see listening to more!

fun ride

this was a pretty good ride. a little obvious in places but not too obvious.this was a good listen