The Boat Man

A Thriller

By: Dustin Stevens

Narrated by: Charles Constant

Detective Reed Mattox, just three months removed from the death of his partner, has turned invisibility into an art form. Switching to the K-9, taking over the graveyard shift, moving to a farmhouse miles outside of Columbus - his every move has become predicated on putting as much distance between himself and the outside world as possible.

That distance is shattered, though, when bodies begin turning up in The Bottoms, the poverty-stricken section of town he is assigned to patrol. Grisly, horrific scenes start to pop up in the middle of the night, and the overburdened precinct has no choice but to put Reed on it.

Now operating far outside of his comfort zone with a Belgian Malinois for a partner that attracts attention wherever they go, Reed is forced to unravel the murders, taking him clear across the city and back years in time, to an event that some very influential people will do anything to keep buried.

©2016 Dustin Stevens (P)2016 Tantor

Lots of Potential Here

While the damaged-cop-with-damaged-K9 is not exactly a new trope, I'll admit it's one I'm a sucker for. I love it when heroes who have suffered extreme trauma find their healing with others who have faced similar struggles. It's especially enjoyable to me when one of those struggling heroes happens to be a formerly superior K9 officer. Welcome to the world of Reed & Billie.

Detective Reed Mattox is still recouping (and not well) from the loss of his partner three months ago. Rather than accept another human partner, he chose a 4-legged one. Billie, a former Marine bomb-detecting dog, was washed out for the horrors she faced in the line of duty. She's on her last chance to find a partner and make it as a K9 officer. Reed can appreciate that. While these two are not a coherent unit yet, they're working on it. But, since Billie is often stuck in the car as Reed does his work, it's a slow and frustrating process- especially for Billie, who only wants to work.

As if their day-to-day issues weren't enough, they've been assigned a ghastly high-profile case with an antagonist known as The Boatman. Yeesh. This guy is more than a bubble off plumb, although he's very intelligent and organized. Oh, and creepy, too. Great.

The Reed character is pretty enigmatic so getting comfortable with him isn't immediate. He's keeping everyone at arms' length for a reason. But there's a sense that there's a lot going on with this detective. More than just a man in pain. At this point in the process, I felt like this first book was good, but not as good as it's going to be. I'll be grabbing the second book in the series to see if there's good growth and healing with both Reed and Billie. If there is, this could be a terrific series.

Happily surprised

I was surprised about how much I enjoyed this book. I usually listen to Sci-Fi but the premise of this book intrigued me. I enjoyed this book so much I plan of listening to the rest of the series. The narration was spot on for the character. The story was well written it had a dog and that is always a good thing. Thank you Dustin Steven for bringing my out of my Sci-Fi cave.

Captivating

Good story
Good narration
Had it not been free i probably would have missed and I'm glad i didn't.
Thanks
( Free from Amazon!! Who would ha thunk?)

Thriller

Excellent story. Characters relatable.Vigilante suspense. Enjoyed the dog partner and the work in progress of learning to work through the grief. It made for a poignant juxtaposition of the vigilante results of his grief.

Not K9

Story was ok but calling it a “K-9 mystery” is a misnomer. Dog was hardly mentioned at all, tacked on as an afterthought once in a while.

A New Favorite Series

Dustin Steven's The Boatman is incredible. It's a detailed crime thriller that bit-by-bit pulls together the pieces and thrills to the very end.

good book

thoughtful intrigue. growing relationships. Performance was great. looking forward to the next book. .. .

Entertaining story

I almost quit reading because the first chapters seamed so confusing and pretentious. Glad I didn’t. Good, entertaining story.

Absorbing story

Did keep me interested throughout entire time. Would have preferred a little different ending however.

Interesting mystery, outstanding narration

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

The mystery element in The Boatman is strong. It's not til you get to the end that you have an idea what's really going on, and it's a shocker. I like the suspense. I'm not so keen about the gory elements.

One reason I bought this audiobook is because the narrator, Charles Constant, is so excellent at his craft. I've listened to others of his books, and he's never let me down in any of his audiobooks. In a suspense mystery like The Boat Man, he really shines.

Author Dustin Stevens knows how to create gritty, interesting characters. And Reed Maddox is a detective you want of follow. He's a flawed hero, but a fascinating one. Narrator Constant knows how to make him come alive, with vocal inflections, pacing, and a lot of depth and control to his voice. Not all narrators can do this. The same with Belgian Malinois, who is not an easy character to give voice to.

The Boat Man is a satisfying audiobook experience. The context of the book, the dark and forbidding Bottoms area, is well drawn. Also, the way the story delves into the past, and shows how it affects the present in a sinister way will keep you on edge. And Malinois is the perfect foil for detective Maddox.