The Accident

By: Chris Pavone

Narrated by: Mozhan Marnò

Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

From the author of the New York Times best-selling and Edgar Award-winning The Expats

As dawn approaches in New York, literary agent Isabel Reed is turning the final pages of a mysterious, anonymous manuscript, racing through the explosive revelations about powerful people, as well as long-hidden secrets about her own past. In Copenhagen, veteran CIA operative Hayden Gray, determined that this sweeping story be buried, is suddenly staring down the barrel of an unexpected gun. And in Zurich, the author himself is hiding in a shadowy expat life, trying to atone for a lifetime’s worth of lies and betrayals with publication of The Accident, while always looking over his shoulder.

Over the course of one long, desperate, increasingly perilous day, these lives collide as the book begins its dangerous march toward publication, toward saving or ruining careers and companies, placing everything at risk - and everyone in mortal peril. The rich cast of characters - in publishing and film, politics and espionage - are all forced to confront the consequences of their ambitions, the schisms between their ideal selves and the people they actually became.

The action rockets around Europe and across America, with an intricate web of duplicities stretching back a quarter-century to a dark winding road in upstate New York, where the shocking truth about the accident itself is buried.

Gripping, sophisticated, layered, and impossible to put down, The Accident proves once again that Chris Pavone is a true master of suspense.

©2014 Chris Pavone (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"[A] high-wire thriller.... The suspense is palpable." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Pavone’s plot twists tirelessly, shifting focus among a large cast of well-drawn characters.... Many readers will read this one through the night." ( Booklist)

"The world of book publishing has never been more perilous or mesmerizing than in Chris Pavone’s dizzyingly good follow-up to The Expats. The dark eruption of long-buried secrets, complex betrayals further snagged by sex and greed, and 11th-hour desperate gambits for reinvention all propel a whirlwind story that will keep you up way past your bedtime. Crafty, stylish, satisfying." (Paula McLain, New York Times best-selling author of The Paris Wife)

Kept you guessing

Where does The Accident rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Engrossing read with quality plot twists that kept you guessing. The characters are not as badass as his other novels, but a very enjoyable read nonetheless.

Publishing Can be Murder

Chris Pavone's Second Audiobook "The Accident" narrated by Mozhan Marrno Published by Crown and Random House Audio is a thriller that takes place in the cut throat publishing world.

Isabel Reed is a literary agent who is reading through a manuscript titled "The Accident" that shows up via a messenger service written by Anonymous. Isabel knows by reading the first page if the book is worth spending any more time with. Most books never make it past page one.

This book keeps Isabel's attention as she flips page after page until she reaches the end. This book is a masterpiece. A book that will take her to the top of her profession. If only she can stay alive long enough to have it published.

Anonymous may or may not have written this manuscript alone, but it's main character is a real person who will stop at nothing to keep "The Accident" from ever being published.

With only one paper copy of this manuscript it should be easy to track down and recover. Little do they know the the literary world is full of copy machines and theives. As the number of copies grows exponentially the thrill of this story begins. This story travels from coast to coast as the race to publish competes with the will of this autobiographical manuscript's lead who will do what ever it takes, even kill, to recover "The Accident" and keep it out of the eye of the public and law enforcement.

The Accident is a thriller like no other, within a world few book lovers will ever see. The audio production and expression of Mozhan Marrno takes you inside the mind and world of the publishing world and all of her characters. A must listen on Audible.com

This book was purchased by me for review from Audible.com

Great listen...it was nice to be surprised!!

I listen to more than 200 books a year and, although I enjoy most of them, I am rarely surprised by their endings. What a treat to find a novel that continues to have you unraveling twists until the very last chapter! Additionally, they were written so artfully and consistently from start to finish that, once revealed, the info "clicked" into place without leaving the reader feeling like the new information was contrived or inauthentic. Well done!!

Beautifully Read

This book was beautifully read and the story is intriguing. I find the narrative structure to be both wonderful and distracting. There is something about the narrative that makes it both useful and cumbersome at the same time. It both moves the story forward and holds it back at the same time.
Over all I think this is a worthwhile listen.

Excellent story, fleshed-out characters...

This was one of those best-case scenarios, where you have a strong story, characters you can invest in (whether you want them to live or not) and has an uncomfortable echo of that-can-happen...I found myself making up errands so I could listen in the car...

Fun rollercoaster ride!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Accident to be better than the print version?

I read most of the book but since I have less time to read than I do to listen given my 2-1/2 hour commute each day - I enjoyed listening more than reading!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Accident?

That would give away too much!

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

Better to leave this a book though if you structured the film properly it would be a great film!

Any additional comments?

I really like this author and look forward to more from him? her? - great female characters with a spy /espionage flavor to it

Absorbing till the last 2 chapters

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The ending is so disappointing, I would not recommend it. It's as if the author was not sure if it should have a sequel or not. I enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book so much I was anticipating listening or reading his first book--The Expats. I will pass on that.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The pendantic writing style. His endless lists of observances go like this: "she picked up a pen. The pen was bright nickel that she bought from a clerk, in a fashionable boutique, with polished walnut floors, a moslty lesbian staff, all dressed in black...., chilly in disposition" It's so tiresome. I would have preferred reading this,as it's easier to skip through fillers like this as opposed to listening..

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

She's an excellent readier. Loved her on House of Cards and would listen to anything she's reading.

Do you think The Accident needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No need to resurrect the dead. Isabel is not an interesting-enough character. I don't think anyone benefits from knowing more.

Any additional comments?

The author, I believe, was an editor. He needs to take a hard look at what he writes. He's extemely talented, and I was extolling this book to everyone I know till the last 2 chapters.I know there are better stories coming from Mr. Pavone.

The Accident

I thought this book had a great story line, a good twist at the end. But overly descriptive. You can only describe a room, a car, a cloud in so many ways. I caught myself skimming over many pages just to keep the story going. That shortened the book to keep me interested. This is the first book from this author I've read so I don't know if others are like this.

More disappointed than I thought I would be

I didn't know this was a sequel to his previous book or I would have read them in order. I won't read the first one now. I don't like books told by several different people. It gets to confusing, especially if you don't get a chance to know the characters. Too much back and forth. Not bad writing and great story, just could have been better and easier to follow.

Great, but some regrettable misuse of the Lord.

Great story, thrilling plot, and high adventure
Too bad the author had to take the Lord's name in vain.

Excellent narration.