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)

Definitely not a page turner

The concept of the book is what drew me to it initially...one book written by 15 different authors. The story was moderately interesting but wasn't given enough time to fully develop. You are left in the last chapter being told what happened instead of the plot twists and turns developing as the story went along. The swearing was unnecessary and detracted from the story. The performance itself was excellent.

Great Read

Truly an exciting story with an incredible approach to writing a story. Each author worked from another's work and made the story connect, come together and find resolution. I'd like to read more about these characters.

Very entertaining.

I was not sure that I would like this stlye book, but I really liked it. It was maybe a bit hard to transition from chapter to chapter, but I really thought the book was interesting and entertaining.

Discordant

ehh.... I'm glad the writers enjoyed the process. I didn't enjoy it that much. It felt too disjointed and disconnected.

choppy

You can tell this book is written by many authors as it seems to ramble with no central plot. I was disappointed - but it was not the worst book I have purchased!

Excellent narration!

I was impressed by Alfred Molina's performance while reading this serial novel.
Personally, I think I would have enjoyed it more had I not known that each chapter was written by someone different.

love the story great fun

knowing ahead of time that each chapter was written by a different offer and the sort of work that it took to pick up from one person's writing and add your own was a wonderful experience for the listener it made it all the more wonderful.

good experiment - too much chrating

fun listen. worth it.

however, too many characters were killed off...that was cheating by the authors of later chapters.

Excellently written & performed!

A smooth storyline transition from chapter to chapter with the 'voice' of the book staying true to the characters throughout. I'd like to see another collaboration from this crew! The classical manuscript was a stellar vehicle to propel the story. Kudos to a group of my favorite authors!

Surprisingly good

I was very reluctant to try this, hating the idea of multiple authors working in any which direction on the same story. But, it worked surprisingly well, perhaps thanks to the skill of the narrator. Anyway, I liked it.