The Chopin Manuscript

A Serial Thriller

By: Lee Child, David Corbett, Joseph Finder, Jim Fusilli, John Gilstrap, James Grady, David Hewson, P. J. Parrish, Jeffery Deaver

Narrated by: Alfred Molina

Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

15 thriller masters. 1 masterful thriller.

Former war crimes investigator Harold Middleton possesses a previously unknown score by Frederic Chopin. But he is unaware that, locked within its handwritten notes, lies a secret that now threatens the lives of thousands of Americans. As he races from Poland to America to uncover the mystery of the manuscript, Middleton will be accused of murder, pursued by federal agents, and targeted by assassins. But the greatest threat will come from a shadowy figure out of his past: the man known only as Faust.

The Chopin Manuscript is a unique collaboration by 15 of the world's greatest thriller writers. Jeffery Deaver conceived the characters and set the plot in motion; the other authors each wrote a chapter in turn. Deaver then completed what he started, bringing The Chopin Manuscript to its explosive conclusion.

The Chopin Manuscript was written by:
Jeffery Deaver (Lincoln Rhyme series)
David Hewson (Nic Costa series)
James Grady (Six Days of the Condor)
S. J. Rozan (Bill Smith/Lydia Chin series)
Erica Spindler (Last Known Victim)
John Ramsey Miller (Winter Massey series)
David Corbett (Blood of Paradise)
John Gilstrap (Scott Free)
Joseph Finder (Power Play)
Jim Fusilli (Terry Orr series)
Peter Spiegelman (John March series)
Ralph Pezzullo (Jawbreaker)
Lisa Scottoline (Daddy's Girl)
P.J. Parrish (Louis Kincaid, Joe Frye series)
Lee Child (Jack Reacher series)

©2007 International Thriller Writers, Inc., Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, David Hewson, James Grady, S. J. Rozan, Erica Spindler, John Ramsey Miller, David Corbett, John Gilstrap, Joseph Finder, Jim Fusilli, Peter Spiegelman, Ralph Pezzullo, Lisa Scottoline, and P. J. Parrish (P)2007 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• 2008 Audie Award Winner
  Audiobook of the Year

"Innovative and unique, The Chopin Manuscript, written by masters in the field of thrillers, is far more than the sum of its parts. Here each author shines, blending individual skill and energy, into a riveting, crackling-paced tapestry of murder, mystery, and mayhem. Not to be missed!" (James Rollins, author of The Judas Strain)

"A GREAT story, written by one GREAT author after another, in one GREAT chapter after another. A stellar achievement of collectivity that blows from the starting gate at 100 mph and never slows down. A thrill-a-page from 15 GREAT thriller masters. Don't miss this one." (Steve Berry, author of The Venetian Betrayal)

Enjoyed it, but would not want a Volume Two

It's fun to see what the authors do with this challenge. You immediately will notice and be swept along by the energy level this approach creates. Authors generally follow one of two possible approaches: either they are quite organized and they work out their plot in advance, chapter by chapter, or they are more spontaneous and, with only a rudimentary framework, let their ideas flow. This is a third approach, and as with runners in a relay, each new person seizing the baton is filled with fresh energy and the urgency to not let down their team by being the one who underperforms. The resulting twists are fun for a while, but eventually the multiple characters and story lines and possibilities become confusing - at least they did for me. And I should add that I listen to my audiobooks while driving, or while doing my housework -- if I were just sitting down paying full attention it might have been different. I liked the book - a lot. Just this once.

great fun read

I enjoyed this book very much! I would recommend this to everyone. It was a fun read, I never could tell what way the story was going. I could see each writer ready to take the story off course every time. If you want great entertainment, this is the book! Enjoy!

Fascinating.

I enjoyed this very much. It fascinates me how that many authors can maintain a smooth flow throughout the book without actually collaborating. The interview at the end is worth listening to. I look forward to listening to the sequel.

Very enjoyable -well-paced, compelling

I found this rather unorthodox treatment to be refreshing, original and very much well-worth the listen.

Fantastic!

Wow, 15 writers on one book. Not 15 different books but 1 book! This is a remarkable way to create a story. Each author gets the opportunity to write in a new way. Some of our favorites can collaborate to bring freshness to their voice and it works....

Interesting collaborative work

It was interesting to see how fifteen different authors worked together to create a novel. In general it went well.

The novel is fast paced, full of actions. Every author did his best to create the right atmosphere and deepen the characterisation.

I enjoyed how authors used clues of others and built on them. Sometimes they had to work hard to fit them in the story but they have managed it. It created many twists and turns.

I had the feeling that some authors overcomplicated the plot. In some cases the events didn't fit into the story. For example I didn't like the twist that Charlie lost her baby, I found it out of plot, so to say. Later another author used it nicely, but still...

In every chapter I could see why it's not by chance that these writers are on the top of the profession. Their style was different, like different voices in the choir, but I enjoyed all of them.

Surprisingly coherent

A pleasure to read. I was afraid it would be a hodge-podge of each author's pet licks. Instead, it was a fascinating serial collaboration. I would read another.

Not a Successful Experiment

I really wanted to like this book and in the beginning, I did. Jeffrey Deaver gave it an outstanding start and I liked the way it was organized, with each author delivering one chapter. At first, the hand-off was quite smooth. However, along the way, it started getting confusing. As more characters were added, I found myself lost in trying to figure out what had happened to all of the "old" characters. It really became an exercise in "who's on first." Despite my disapointment, I plan to listen to it again. I was somewhat distracted the first time and that might have contributed to my confusion.
I really like the story theme, a music manuscript that has dangerous secrets embedded into the work. The ending was predictible - or so I thought - until Deaver threw in a completely unexpected 2nd piece to the ending. I would not like to discourage others from listening to this work. I still think it's a great idea and could work very well in the right circumstances. There is no question that Jeffrey Deaver is the outstanding contributor, although I also found Kay Scarpetti's chapter to be interesting and compelling.
You need to try it for yourself. It might be just your cup of tea. And, as much as I did not care for it too much, I did not find it to be a waste of my listening time (about which I am very guarded). It just felt a little too disjointed and I was glad it was not ay longer than it was. Had it been longer, I probably would not have finished it.

:|

I loved the first half! The ending... a wizard did it!

Loved the concept

So much fun to see the twists and turns and realize they were all written by different authors. Can't wait to listen to the sequel.