Task Lyst

By: Scott Hylbert

Narrated by: Andrew Eiden

Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

"Intriguing and timely debut..."--Publishers Weekly

Elliott is a struggling musician who is trying to piece together enough cash every month to keep his dream of performing alive while also paying his rent. That’s when he discovered the new app TASK LYST. As a service provider, he sets his own hours, his funds are delivered covertly in bitcoin and the rates continue to grow...but so does his suspicion over the type of tasks that he is being asked to complete. Is the anonymous nature of app-based freelance work enough to abate Elliott’s suspicions...and conscience?

Meanwhile, the glossy new Task Lyst corporation is looking for start-up capital and perhaps an extra way to make the app profitable, by assisting the government in spying on users. Alice Seeger is a smart and beautiful executive who once had a promising future in Silicon Valley, but a few bad investments have put her on the edge of being fired and saddled with a lifestyle that she can no longer afford. At first glance, Task Lyst seemed like an app to pass on...until she discovers it’s dark underbelly which makes it more appealing financially while also being an enormous legal liability. She must test her own professional judgment against her morals in determining at what price she finds her own success.

This gig-economy thriller takes a look at the on-demand service industry, and it’s shady possibilities. Apps have become all-encompassing in our fast-paced modern lives and their utility is undeniable. In this gripping thriller, we follow the many sides, shades and shadows of the app economy and test the question: how far is too far?

©2019 Scott Hylbert (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Fast-paced, thought-provoking, and timely novel!

First, I'll congratulate Audible's central casting for their brilliant choice of Andrew Eiden to narrate this book. He should narrate every book set in current-day San Francisco!

This book had me hooked in the first pages, and I ended up listening to it in almost one sitting. At first, I didn't know what to think about the morally ambiguous principal characters and wondered if I could root for any of them. That was until I realized the author's point. We're all morally ambiguous characters in our technology-driven society that requires us to turn a blind eye to morality as we go about our day-to-day lives leaving enormous carbon footprints and quietly participating in an inequitable system. Like Hylbert's characters, we're all just doing our best to navigate this world, and we try to make amends where we can.

Task Lyst is definitely a thriller, albeit a quiet one. We experience the build up of the story from three angles and can't wait to find out how they're going to intersect. We also experience the Bay Area from radically different perspectives, from the streets of the city with its bars, clubs, and interesting characters, to the pricey suburbs with private schools and ocean views, to Silicon Valley with its sparsely opulent office buildings and pristine parking lots, with an occasional side trip to Napa, Tahoe, and even Sundance. Oh, and there's a soundtrack too: Woody Guthrie, the Stones, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, and a host of others.

At the center of this story is Task Lyst. At first glance, it's another Silicon Valley startup catering to a gig economy, but just wait. If the mark of a great work of fiction is its depiction of dilemmas that are anything but fiction, then I can say Task Lyst falls into that category!

Definitely recommend!!

Could be so real it’s scary

This audiobook was incredible! It will definitely be in my top five for the year. You have a wide range in your cast of characters with something for everyone. The scariest part about this audiobook is that how real it could actually be. The author does a fabulous job of writing this book weaving in facts and fiction, I assume, and it just takes you on a wild ride. I liked The description of the landscapes and the subtle nuances of the west coast of America. At times, the book does drag a little bit in the middle with our characters lifestyles sort of getting in the way if that makes sense. However, it does not deter me from liking the book so much and my interest did not fade entirely. The ending is quite good and quite well written as well. The narration and performance were spot on for this title. The performer has a creepy voice at times adding much anticipation to some of the scenes. He does a great job at voicing female characters throughout this book as well. The pacing of this performance was great and really breathes life into the characters. This was such a great listening experience. This audiobook was recommended to me by Brian’s book blog when it was on his new and notable for one week in July.

Hard to follow

Some audio books have plot lines and characters that are easy to follow. This isn't one of them. Perhaps if I listened to it again, my ability to consistently process what is going on would improve.

While the characters and the setting of the story seemed plausible, I could not shake the feeling that the author was creating a caricature or parody of the snobbishness of the California elite. It seemed that this may have been an intentional, if often subtle, subplot.

The book was okay and very timely. I'm glad I listened to it, but I'm also glad that I'll now be moving on to other books in my library.

a slow burn that goes nowhere

who performance was very good it have a pretty good story in the beginning I thought it was going to go into a more involved plot line it was a simple corporate bull. not exciting at all
I hate to say it but it's one of the first few times but I'm going to ask for a refundI have listened to the whole story to see if it got any better it did not

Great First Novel

Loved how your words brought back memories of living in San Francisco. Loved the musical references through out the book. Found myself multiple times pausing the book to look up & listen to the referenced song or album (just as I had when listening to Springsteen’s book). Loved the characters & how they run a foul as we do in life and how some rediscover their way & their morals. Caught myself considering your book’s messages days after I finished it as I watched/read current news stories. I look forward to your follow up book. Go Big Red!