The Last Refuge

By: Chris Knopf

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Sam Acquillo is at the end of the line. A middle-aged corporate dropout living in a ramshackle cottage in Southampton's North Sea, Sam has abandoned friends, family, and a big-time career to sit on his porch, drink vodka, and stare at the Little Peconic Bay.

But then the old lady next door ends up floating dead in her bathtub, and it seems that Sam is the only one who wonders why. Despite himself, burned out, busted up, and cynical, the ex-engineer, ex-professional boxer, ex-loving father and husband finds himself uncovering secrets no one could have imagined, least of all Sam himself.

Meanwhile, a procession of quirky characters intrudes on Sam's misanthropic ways, the likes of which you never knew inhabited the hidden corners of the storied Hamptons: the haves, the have-nots, and the want-to-have-at-all-costs, some of them deadly.

©2005 Chris Knopf (P)2006 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Knopf's effortless narrative style and sense of humor bode well for the further adventures of Sam Acquillo." (Publishers Weekly)
"Though the mystery drives the plot, it's Sam's rediscovery of himself in middle age that is the real focus in this accomplished debut novel, which also boasts outstanding dialogue and a vividly rendered setting. Expect to hear more from Knopf; he is definitely a writer to watch." (Booklist)

Great narrator.

Interesting plot and characters. Looking forward to the rest of the series. 5 stars all around.

fantastic

I loved it...Stefan Rudnicki is just outstanding. the story is great!! keep you wanting to hear the rest

Slow

Interesting read but slow and a lot of unnecessary information that could’ve been left out. This is the second book that I have read from this author and both have had a homosexual in it. I’m not sure why unless the author is one himself. Lastly, why the need for all of the foul language?

Great Story

I love Chris Noth, and if this is his story that’s great. What I have a problem with is the editors, just following the English language and the miss use of pronouns. North seems to be unable to pronounce some three syllable words but I love his voice. As a product of the 60s, my mom drilled and drilled and drilled about grammar and how far it would get you. The lack of editing these grammatical errors was painful for my listening.

It's free but

I drive a truck each night for 8 hours and listen to audiobooks to pass the time. I have listened to hundreds if not a thousand or more. Some of the reviews for this book stated it was too long and drawn out. They were correct. If this book had 2,000 words it could have got by with 600. To in-depth in spots, a bunch of spots. Overall not bad, it did keep me awake.

Great story

I enjoyed the unique storyline and look forward to reading more by this author. While the narrator did an ok job, I found myself distracted by his seeming to be out of breath. At first I thought the characters were involved in physical activity because of all the breathlessness, but then realized that it was just the narrator. Hope he can hone the skills because otherwise he’s decent.

a lot of characters

I usually don't mind a lot of characters, but honestly, I didn't take the time to really sort out all of these.

A Very Enjoyable Mystery

I hope the author has written other book equal to this. The Stefan Rudnicki’s reading was excellent as well. Keep them coming Chris Knopf. I’ll be buying the next one.

Slow pace but still interesting

At times this book moved so slowly that I became agitated. After a while I became accustomed to the pace and started to appreciate it. It forced me get away from the news and think about nothing but the book, like meditation. The plot is original and the ending is satisfying, but don’t expect a lot of action. If you need a book to interrupt a steady diet of thrillers but still hold your interest this is for you.

Such a great story!

It’s much more than a murder mystery. I loved all the characters and highly recommend!