The Bomb Maker

By: Thomas Perry

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

A threat is called into the LAPD Bomb Squad, a team dispatched to a house whose owner is away, and a bomb disguised inside photography equipment exploded in the kitchen. But it is a second bomb hidden in the basement that has devastating consequences - half of the entire Bomb Squad is obliterated within seconds.

The fragmented unit turns to Dick Stahl, a former Bomb Squad commander who now operates his own private security company. Having just returned from a grueling job in Mexico, Stahl is reluctant to accept the offer, but senior technicians he had trained were among those killed. On his first day back at the head of the squad, Stahl's team is dispatched to a suspected car bomb outside a gas station. It quickly becomes clear to him that they are dealing with the same mastermind behind the weapon that killed 14 highly trained men and women barely 24 hours before - and that the intended target may be the Bomb Squad itself.

As the shadowy organization sponsoring this campaign of terror puts increasing pressure on the bomb maker, and Stahl becomes dangerously entangled with a member of his own team, the fuse on this high-stakes plot only burns faster. The Bomb Maker is Thomas Perry's biggest, most unstoppable thriller yet.

©2018 Thomas Perry (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

I miss only one thing, but that's a quibble.

Tom Perry has written another fantastic thriller, which is superior in every way you can think of to virtually every other book in the genre. I only have one quibble with it, and I have to say that that amounts to nit-picking. His two greatest books, IMHO, are The Butcher's Boy and The Old Man. In these two books Mr. Perry pulls off something astonishing. He makes the protagonist, a multiple murderer, into a man whom you eventually come to actually forgive and understand a bit. I can't explain how he does that, but he does it, in a way that no other author can even begin to try. Both of those men are beyond unusual: each has killed many victims, but the way that Mr. Perry tells both of those stories is beyond explaining: you just have to read them to see it happening, and even then you might not believe what he is doing.
In any case, the only complaint that I have with The Bomb Maker is that the bad guy is just your regular bad guy. He makes bombs that kill people. Many people. And there is absolutely nothing about him that you can sympathize with, or identify with, or feel any human warmth toward. He is simply a mechanical monster who builds bombs to wreak maximum mayhem. The good guys are great: Richard Stahl and Diane Hines are cops who meet while they are working on the LAPD Bomb Squad. They fall in love, which of course is a no-no these days (since he is her supervisor) but they are both so good at their jobs (particularly Stahl) that the LAPD is forced to overlook their all-too-human passion for each other. The plot gathers steam slowly, at the beginning. I do have another complaint here. There is way too much detail about how bombs work and are created. I got a bit bored with all this detail, a thing which I hardly ever do when reading Mr. Perry. However, when these details are explicated, at too great a length, the plot is free to dominate the book, along with the star-crossed lovers' affair, and you are gripping the arms of your chair by the end.
I was disappointed by Forty Thieves, the first Perry book that I was not able to finish. A radical and revolting development, in my view. However, The Old Man was next, and it was so great that I was relieved, not having to entertain the horrible thought that Mr. Perry might be aging and losing a step or two. The Bomb Maker demonstrates that Mr. Perry definitely still has it, even if he (and who among us isn't?) is getting along in years. It is definitely worth your time and a credit. Joe Barrett is once again terrific, although I felt at various places along the way that he was being made to read much too quickly. By the end of the book all misgivings are forgotten, as Mr. Perry rules the roost of thriller writers all over the globe.
I hope you enjoy Mr. Perry as much as I do. If you haven't read The Butcher's Boy (his first book, almost thirty years old) or The Old Man, which is recent, please go get those two books, and settle yourself down to a stretch of the best writing that you can find. Enjoy.

Another Crackling Tale

Thomas Perry is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. He is a master at suspense and disarming bombs is one of the most fraught endeavors imaginable. He also does an excellent job of laying out backstories about characters so the reader gets to know them. This includes the villains.
I definitely recommend this book and hope it has a follow-up as the characters have room to grow.

good story, disappointing ending

it was a great story, great narration, but it ended too abruptly. but it was good for the daily commute and well worth $5.

Disappointed

Way below his usual. The Butchers Boy it ain’t!! Not worth $15 at all. Sad!

Loved it

Im looking forward to more books by this author. The story was good and kept my attention up until the end. I didn't care for the ending, not bad ,but not what I was expecting after the build up. I would purchase with the narrator again Mr. Barrett did an excellent job.

A most engaging listen

This is my third Thomas Perry book and it grabs you from the start and just doesn’t let go. While Joe Barrett is not my favorite narrator he does a credible job and is not a distraction.

Excellent!

A very well-crafted story with lots of action. Suspenseful with a bit of levity.

$6.95 Deal

Two of my reliable reviewers loved this authors tale and because I love Joe Barrett, see his performance of Brian Haig Private Sector to howl your head off, I purchased this deal. Not totally positive this author is not for me, so I am going to re try The Old Man by this author which was also a daily deal, but I stopped at chapter 3 as it was just too slow for me.
The Publishers summery is spot on so no need to add to it. I do use the 1.25x speed to match the authors adventure.
Must be an engineer type to love ALL the explosive devices narrated. I lost interest but wanted to see how our hero got his man. If there is a sequel and Joe Barrett narrates, it will have to be on a daily deal for me to continue with this author.
Were my comments of of help?

Love me some Thomas Perry.

Unique storyline and compelling challenges keep you engaged throughout. You always get a new angle and new appreciation for both the heroes and the antagonist from TP.

Excellent!!!

Great characters. Realistic depiction of the stupid politicians who are barely competent making live a death decisions for citizens. Technical aspects seemed realistic. Narrator clear and talented . Really enjoyable.