Torture Man

By: Warren Adler

Narrated by: Shawn Saavedra

Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Torture Man is currently in the works as a movie with award-winning Blacklist screenwriter Hernany Perla (Blink; Revelations).

The caller made it clear - $10 million or her daughter's head. The power of unintended consequences sends the privileged life of prominent anti-war activist Sarah Raab crashing down around her. Fear and terror take hold, and Sarah turns to former CIA operative Carl Helman, a man she has only just met and who stands against everything she has been fighting for.

How could this happen? Why would a terrorist group target her family? Confusion turns to fear and anger as Sarah faces the shocking truth lying beneath the surface of her life. And though Carl's interrogation methods violate everything Sarah believes in, they may be the only way to save her daughter's life.

Faced with horrific choices, Torture Man takes the listener on a torturous weekend where Wall Street kickbacks, deceit, corruption, and jihad collide on the Upper East Side of New York City.

©2015 Warren Adler (P)2016 Warren Adler

Makes You Think About Your Own Beliefs

I loved that this book really challenged me to think about my own beliefs, assumptions, and feelings. It's easy to say how you would handle something before you're actually in the situation. This really made me think about how different perspectives and experiences shape us.

The narrator, Shawn Saavedra, was great. His characterization of the main character and accents were wonderful, but what he did best was how he portrayed the various emotions and emotional/behavioral changes of the characters.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom.

Well titled

What made the experience of listening to Torture Man the most enjoyable?

The performance by Shawn Saavedra was excellent. The story was a nice blend of the implications of morality balanced against practicality. Thought provoking while providing a pulse-quickening storyline.

What did you like best about this story?

Classic tug-of-war between morality and practicality.

What does Shawn Saavedra bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Good pacing and inflections.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Never ask for a favor without knowing the consequences.

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom”

Terrorism under the microscope

What did you like best about Torture Man? What did you like least?

The story comes from the headlines and world situation. The language was hard for me to listen to. The kidnapped girl's father urging the Black Ops interrogator to mutilate the Muslim kidnapper. I am fairly hardened to language, this bothered me.

Would you be willing to try another book from Warren Adler? Why or why not?

Yes. I have finished listening to "We are Holding the President Hostage" and have several other Adler audio books in my library to listen to.

What does Shawn Saavedra bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Shawn Saavedra is a very good narrator. He commands a well stocked range of voices for each of the characters. His voice is easily understood and clear. The narration was strong. The writing was okay. Just not an appealing to me personally.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

My understanding is that Torture Man is being translated to film. It may translate very well. I'd give it a look when it is made.

Any additional comments?

Thanks for the opportunity to listen to and review.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com

Easy to Judge until its TOO CLOSE TO HOME!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS AUDIO BOOK AND ITS STORYLINE. I believe it is perfect for everything that is going on in America today. I find it AMAZING how people can complain about soldiers, police, etc. until they need them or find themselves in the situation having to make similar choices. The author was perfect for this book and its characters. I don't usually listen to audio books more than once all the way through but I liked this one so much I think I just might. I highly recommended this book.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you Audiobook Boom.

Thought provoking, exciting and polarizing

As suddenly as it picks-up, this story ends - tied with a khaki bow which contrasts with its more colorful contents.

The narration was fantastic!

I was immediately drawn into the story and did experience many edge-of-your-seat moments, as i enjoyed, with anticipation, where the author takes us. Overall I enjoyed listening to this book though there were some rather painful moments, necessary as they may have been, that affected my experience listening.

One's experience reading this book will vary drastically based on their political and/or moral views. Though I am all for sharing beliefs/convictions; sprinkled throughout the compelling narrative were random, forced sections of dialogue or exposition which felt like a lecture to the reader, borrowing from bad stereotypes and direct, overused arguments. Perhaps the points could have been made just as clearly - more knit into the narrative, workout interrupting.

Intense!

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

I haven't listened to him before. He did a good job with various voices.

Any additional comments?

I was surprised in how engrossed I became in the story. I would recommend this book to my friends. I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom for my unbiased review.

Point, Counterpoint

Torture Man

Warren Alder’s work is both thought provoking and entertaining. As in War of Roses, he utilizes literature as a platform to increase social, cultural, and political awareness and promote collective introspection. Unlike War of Roses, this story is not infused with humor (at least none I recognize). What I admire most about Alder is that he pays attention to human condition in its current state and brings it to the forefront in a way that makes it easy, and even intriguing, to look at ourselves with an objective eye.

In Torture Man, a woman who is against injustices and prejudices finds herself sharing a first class compartment on a train with a man she herself sizes up and judges, and with whom she volleys their political and social divergences. The beginning of the story, the part before the preach-fight on the train, was particularly compelling and alluring. My thought is that the train compartment, in which the two main characters engage in a pretty intense point-counterpoint banter, is a metaphor for the bubble of recurring cycles of argument in which some of our fellow countrymen and women are stuck. Although I get that, experiencing it over and over again in (audio) book-form can grow annoying. In this case though, you may accidentally find yourself engaged in retrospection and self-analysis because the book has a way of encouraging serious contemplation. The book has high potential to stir a strong emotional sense of righteousness; rational point-counterpoint ethos; and perhaps, for some, a certain degree of inner turmoil and confusion. Be careful, you could find yourself reconsidering certain aspects of your own ideology.

Alder’s backstory development is admirably well done. Characterizations of personalities do not come across as cheap generalizations, but rather as having literal and, here again, metaphoric values for polar perspectives. Adler does a good job conveying valid points from each the two main diametrically opposing views/characters and the resulting mixed bag of wobbling balance and arched dividedness. Also, he skillfully demonstrates the yielding elastic band effect that sometimes results when a situation forces countering idealisms to work together in order to achieve a mutual goal.

The writing itself is kind of jerky in terms of time shifts and dialogue transitions, and in terms of the conversations as a standalone element. Also, the repetitive passages were excessive, and sometimes confusing. For example, at the beginning of the story, one of the main characters, Sarah, calls her husband from a taxi to tell him that her flight was delayed/cancelled due to weather and then, shortly afterwards, she calls him again, as if she had not called him a few minutes ago (she is still in the taxi) and they exchange the same information but in a slightly altered format. I rewound this to make sure I didn’t miss or misinterpret anything. In this and other respects, such as the books short length—just under 200 pages—the narrative reads more like a screenplay (full feature screenplays usually range between 90-120 pages). What makes the narrative fall somewhat flat in book form (dialogue, transitions, etc) is what gives the upcoming film translation such high success potential. I look forward to checking out the movie once it is released.

The narrator’s pace, tempo, and mood were appropriate for the story. Although his female voices weren’t exceptional, he impersonated the characters well, and he did not overdramatize.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

Gritty and intense

Warren Adler is top notch when it comes to suspense. If you like this one try We Are Holding the President Hostage, one of his other books. This was pretty gritty and intense. Not exactly an original story but still quite enjoyable.

The narrator did a good job and was perfect for this book.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

Intense..

This is a fast-paced thriller with a complex and fascinating lead character . But, the author didn’t limit his creative attention to only Carl. All of the secondary characters are well-developed with traits and quirks that make them interesting people, any one of which could have emerged as a main character as the plot moved forward. These character details are revealed with no slowing of the pace, and this richness supports masterful and believable dialog that keeps the burners on high.

Unexpected thriller!

There's a sense of predictability throughout Torture Man, but the narration saves the day. There is a distinct and contrasted cast of characters, and Shawn Saavedra does a tremendous job switching rapidly between them during tense dialogs. I rarely catch myself sitting in the driveway just to finish a chapter but I couldn't 'put this one down'. Finished in three days despite only an hour commute.

I'd highly recommend this audiobook, though I doubt I'd have enjoyed it nearly as much in print.