-
The Chopin Manuscript
- A Serial Thriller
- Narrated by: Alfred Molina
- Series: Harold Middleton, Book 1
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Thriller & Suspense
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Audible Premium Plus
$14.95 a month
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Copper Bracelet
- By: Lee Child, David Corbett, Jeffery Deaver, and others
- Narrated by: Alfred Molina
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two years after the events of the Audiobook of the Year - The Chopin Manuscript - former war crimes investigator Harold Middleton and his Volunteers once again must crack a secretive conspiracy that not only threatens their lives, but the stability of the world. Their race against time will take them from London to the U.S. to Russia and beyond. And at the heart of it all is one question: What is the secret of the Copper Bracelet?
-
-
A Big Ugly MESS!
- By Daniel on 03-22-10
By: Lee Child, and others
-
The Starling Project
- An Audible Drama
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Alfred Molina, full cast
- Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Audie Award, Original Work, 2016; Audie Award Finalist, Audio Drama, 2016. An aborted raid targeting a major arms dealer. A hostage standoff at a bank that may not be what it seems. A plot to spring a former African dictator from prison. What is the threat that connects them all? And just who is the mysterious mastermind, The Starling? From Mexico to Washington – from London to Marseille to Prague – war crimes investigator Harold Middleton and his team of Volunteers risk their lives to follow the trail of clues. But how can they stop The Starling – when he always seems one step ahead?
-
-
This is a DRAMA, not a book!
- By Writrix on 11-25-14
By: Jeffery Deaver
-
The Never Game
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A young woman has gone missing in Silicon Valley, and her father has hired Colter Shaw to find her. The son of a survivalist family, Shaw is an expert tracker. What seems a simple investigation quickly thrusts him into the dark heart of America's tech hub and the cutthroat billion-dollar video-gaming industry. When another victim is kidnapped, the clues point to one video game with a troubled past - The Whispering Man. In that game, the player has to survive after being abandoned in an inhospitable setting with five random objects. Is a madman bringing the game to life?
-
-
Excellent New Series...
- By shelley on 05-15-19
By: Jeffery Deaver
-
Captivated
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 1 hr and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Colter Shaw is a career "reward-seeker", making his living traveling the country and locating missing persons, collecting reward money in return. So it is not unusual when a wealthy entrepreneur hires him to track down his wife, an enigmatic artist who vanished one month before. As Shaw begins to investigate, he suspects that she was fleeing a bad marriage, and he follows her trail to an artists' retreat in Indiana. The case takes one surprising turn after another, and soon, Shaw begins to wonder if this mysterious woman is more of a captor than a captive.
-
-
Deaver sure knows how to twist a plot!
- By Trudy Owens on 07-16-19
By: Jeffery Deaver
-
The Goodbye Man
- A Colter Shaw Novel, Book 2
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the wilderness of Washington State, expert tracker Colter Shaw has located two young men accused of a terrible hate crime. But when his pursuit takes a shocking and tragic turn, Shaw becomes desperate to discover what went so horribly wrong and if he is to blame. Shaw's search for answers leads him to a shadowy organization that bills itself as a grief support group. But is it truly it a community that consoles the bereaved? Or a dangerous cult with a growing body count?
-
-
Another Great Thriller
- By Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com on 05-13-20
By: Jeffery Deaver
-
Inherit the Dead
- A Novel
- By: Lee Child, Lisa Unger, C. J. Box, and others
- Narrated by: Christopher Evan Welch
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Pericles "Perry" Christo is a P.I. with a past. A one-time NYPD homicide cop, Perry has been struggling since he lost his badge, and his marriage, in a notorious corruption scandal. So when wealthy Upper East Side matron Julia Drusilla calls him one cold February night, he jumps at the chance to work what seems to be a straightforward (and lucrative) case. Julia needs Perry to track down the whereabouts of her beautiful yet aimless daughter, Angelina, who is about to become a very wealthy young heiress.
-
-
Anti-climactic: Boring
- By Shannon on 10-12-13
By: Lee Child, and others
-
The Copper Bracelet
- By: Lee Child, David Corbett, Jeffery Deaver, and others
- Narrated by: Alfred Molina
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two years after the events of the Audiobook of the Year - The Chopin Manuscript - former war crimes investigator Harold Middleton and his Volunteers once again must crack a secretive conspiracy that not only threatens their lives, but the stability of the world. Their race against time will take them from London to the U.S. to Russia and beyond. And at the heart of it all is one question: What is the secret of the Copper Bracelet?
-
-
A Big Ugly MESS!
- By Daniel on 03-22-10
By: Lee Child, and others
-
The Starling Project
- An Audible Drama
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Alfred Molina, full cast
- Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Audie Award, Original Work, 2016; Audie Award Finalist, Audio Drama, 2016. An aborted raid targeting a major arms dealer. A hostage standoff at a bank that may not be what it seems. A plot to spring a former African dictator from prison. What is the threat that connects them all? And just who is the mysterious mastermind, The Starling? From Mexico to Washington – from London to Marseille to Prague – war crimes investigator Harold Middleton and his team of Volunteers risk their lives to follow the trail of clues. But how can they stop The Starling – when he always seems one step ahead?
-
-
This is a DRAMA, not a book!
- By Writrix on 11-25-14
By: Jeffery Deaver
-
The Never Game
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A young woman has gone missing in Silicon Valley, and her father has hired Colter Shaw to find her. The son of a survivalist family, Shaw is an expert tracker. What seems a simple investigation quickly thrusts him into the dark heart of America's tech hub and the cutthroat billion-dollar video-gaming industry. When another victim is kidnapped, the clues point to one video game with a troubled past - The Whispering Man. In that game, the player has to survive after being abandoned in an inhospitable setting with five random objects. Is a madman bringing the game to life?
-
-
Excellent New Series...
- By shelley on 05-15-19
By: Jeffery Deaver
-
Captivated
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 1 hr and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Colter Shaw is a career "reward-seeker", making his living traveling the country and locating missing persons, collecting reward money in return. So it is not unusual when a wealthy entrepreneur hires him to track down his wife, an enigmatic artist who vanished one month before. As Shaw begins to investigate, he suspects that she was fleeing a bad marriage, and he follows her trail to an artists' retreat in Indiana. The case takes one surprising turn after another, and soon, Shaw begins to wonder if this mysterious woman is more of a captor than a captive.
-
-
Deaver sure knows how to twist a plot!
- By Trudy Owens on 07-16-19
By: Jeffery Deaver
-
The Goodbye Man
- A Colter Shaw Novel, Book 2
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the wilderness of Washington State, expert tracker Colter Shaw has located two young men accused of a terrible hate crime. But when his pursuit takes a shocking and tragic turn, Shaw becomes desperate to discover what went so horribly wrong and if he is to blame. Shaw's search for answers leads him to a shadowy organization that bills itself as a grief support group. But is it truly it a community that consoles the bereaved? Or a dangerous cult with a growing body count?
-
-
Another Great Thriller
- By Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com on 05-13-20
By: Jeffery Deaver
-
Inherit the Dead
- A Novel
- By: Lee Child, Lisa Unger, C. J. Box, and others
- Narrated by: Christopher Evan Welch
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Pericles "Perry" Christo is a P.I. with a past. A one-time NYPD homicide cop, Perry has been struggling since he lost his badge, and his marriage, in a notorious corruption scandal. So when wealthy Upper East Side matron Julia Drusilla calls him one cold February night, he jumps at the chance to work what seems to be a straightforward (and lucrative) case. Julia needs Perry to track down the whereabouts of her beautiful yet aimless daughter, Angelina, who is about to become a very wealthy young heiress.
-
-
Anti-climactic: Boring
- By Shannon on 10-12-13
By: Lee Child, and others
-
Primary Glory
- An Action Thriller (The Forging of Luke Stone, Book 4)
- By: Jack Mars
- Narrated by: Larry Gorman
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The president is taken hostage aboard Air Force One. A shocking ride ensues as elite Delta Force veteran Luke Stone, 29, and the FBI’s Special Response Team may be the only ones who can bring him back. But in an action-packed thriller jammed with shocking twists and turns, the destination - and the extraction - may be even more dramatic than the ride itself.
-
-
Good story, bad performance.
- By Tim on 02-28-21
By: Jack Mars
-
The Sentinel
- Jack Reacher, Book 25
- By: Lee Child, Andrew Child
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As always, Reacher has no particular place to go and all the time in the world to get there. One morning he ends up in a town near Pleasantville, Tennessee. But there’s nothing pleasant about the place. In broad daylight Reacher spots a hapless soul walking into an ambush. “It was four against one”...so Reacher intervenes, with his own trademark brand of conflict resolution. The man he saves is Rusty Rutherford, an unassuming IT manager, recently fired after a cyberattack locked up the town’s data, records, information...and secrets.
-
-
After 20+ Reacher stories, I say good-bye...
- By Jouko on 10-28-20
By: Lee Child, and others
-
Hellfire
- A Jonathan Grave Thriller, Book 12
- By: John Gilstrap
- Narrated by: Basil Sands
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For hostage rescue specialist Jonathan Grave, every mission is a matter of life or death. But he faces his most personal challenge yet when two boys are abducted while being driven to Resurrection House, the school Jonathan founded as a sanctuary for children of incarcerated parents. The boys were entrusted to Jonathan's care. Now they're missing. It's time to fight fire with fire. The boys' mom, Connie Kendall, is awaiting trial on drug smuggling charges. Prosecutors want her to testify against the brutal Cortez Cartel to help bring down their ruthless operations.
-
-
Excellent addition to the series...
- By shelley on 07-05-20
By: John Gilstrap
-
The Second Hostage
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Colter Shaw is a career "reward-seeker", making his living locating missing persons and collecting reward money in return. In the course of his search for a missing woman, he visits the police station in the small Kansas town of Humble, and, is pulled into a puzzling case. A man is holding a hostage in a lakeside cabin, and the Humble police need Shaw's experience and know-how to assess the situation, and the captor's motives. As Shaw begins negotiating, he begins to realize that nothing about the hostage situation is as it seems, including the hostage himself.
-
-
loving me some Colter Shaw
- By CAtkins on 04-23-20
By: Jeffery Deaver
-
The Coffin Dancer
- A Novel
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Jeff Harding
- Length: 13 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Detective Lincoln Rhyme, the foremost criminalist in the NYPD, is on the hunt for an elusive murderer, the Coffin Dancer. He's a brilliant hitman who changes his appearance even faster than he adds to his trail of victims, only one of whom has lived long enough to offer a clue: The assassin has an eerie tattoo on his arm of the Grim Reaper waltzing with a woman in front of a casket.
-
-
Annoying
- By Anne Kessler on 04-04-16
By: Jeffery Deaver
-
The Deliveryman
- A Lincoln Rhyme Short Story
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 1 hr and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A man is murdered in a back alley. Renowned forensic detective Lincoln Rhyme and his partner, Amelia Sachs, are left with a veritable mountain of evidence collected from the trash-filled alley, and their only lead is a young eyewitness: the man's eight-year-old son, who was riding along on his father's delivery route.
-
-
I wish there were more books and stories
- By Trudy Owens on 08-14-19
By: Jeffery Deaver
-
Turning Point
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Pete Simonelli
- Length: 1 hr and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A serial killer is trolling a midwestern suburb. His tools: a hammer, a screwdriver, floral wire, a kitchen knife and, to complete his errand, a Russian nesting doll left behind as a calling card. From one grisly crime scene to the next, Detective Ernest Neville and his Russian Doll Killer task force follow. With few leads and his career on the line, Neville is driven to desperate measures to get to the core of this diabolical puzzle. Layer by layer, he’s getting closer to the final piece.
-
-
An old fashioned serial killer
- By Isaak on 02-09-21
By: Jeffery Deaver
-
First Thrills
- High-Octane Stories from the Hottest Thriller Authors
- By: Lee Child (editor), Steve Berry (afterword), Stephen Coonts, and others
- Narrated by: Jim Bond, Nick Podehl, Luke Daniels, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First Thrills will include never-before-published stories by New York Times best-selling authors including Lee Child, Stephen Coonts, Jeffery Deaver, Heather Graham, Joan Johnston, John Lescroart, Alex Kava and Deb Carlin, Michael Palmer (with Daniel James Palmer), Karin Slaughter, and Wendi Corsi Staub.
-
-
A Good Anthology
- By Ladyfire on 08-27-10
By: Lee Child (editor), and others
-
The Cutting Edge
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early hours of a quiet weekend morning in Manhattan's Diamond District, a brutal triple murder shocks the city. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs quickly take the case. Curiously, the killer has left behind a half-million dollars' worth of gems at the murder scene, a jewelry store on 47th street. As more crimes follow, it becomes clear that the killer's target is not gems but engaged couples themselves.
-
-
Deaver continues writing First Rate novels!
- By shelley on 04-10-18
By: Jeffery Deaver
-
The Burial Hour
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A businessman snatched from an Upper East Side street in broad daylight. A miniature hangman's noose left at the scene. A nine-year-old girl the only witness to the crime. With a crime scene this puzzling, forensic expertise of the highest order is absolutely essential. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are called in to investigate. Soon the case takes a stranger turn: a recording surfaces of the victim being slowly hanged, his desperate gasps the backdrop to an eerie piece of music. The video is marked as the work of The Composer....
-
-
Struggled to get through it!!!!
- By Julie on 04-18-17
By: Jeffery Deaver
-
The Russian
- By: James Patterson, James O. Born
- Narrated by: Ari Fliakos
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weeks before NYPD Detective Michael Bennett is to marry his longtime love, Mary Catherine, an assassin announces his presence in the city with a string of grisly murders. Each victim is a young woman. And each has been killed in a manner as precise as it was gruesome. Tasked with working alongside the FBI, Bennett and his gung-ho new partner uncover multiple cold-case homicides across the country that fit the same distinctive pattern - proving the perpetrator they seek is as experienced at ending lives as he is at evading detection.
-
-
Aways enjoyed the Michael Bennett series, but
- By Brenda Kerr on 02-03-21
By: James Patterson, and others
-
Shallow Graves
- A Location Scout Mystery
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Pellam had been in the trenches of film making, with a promising Hollywood career - until a tragedy sidetracked him. Now he's a location scout, who travels the country in search of shooting sites for films. When he rides down Main Street, locals usually clamor for their chance at 15 minutes of fame. But in a small town in upstate New York, Pellam experiences a very different reception.
-
-
Another winner for Deaver.
- By Mary on 12-31-08
By: Jeffery Deaver
Publisher's Summary
15 thriller masters. 1 masterful thriller.
Former war crimes investigator Harold Middleton possesses a previously unknown score by Frederic Chopin. But he is unaware that, locked within its handwritten notes, lies a secret that now threatens the lives of thousands of Americans. As he races from Poland to America to uncover the mystery of the manuscript, Middleton will be accused of murder, pursued by federal agents, and targeted by assassins. But the greatest threat will come from a shadowy figure out of his past: the man known only as Faust.
The Chopin Manuscript is a unique collaboration by 15 of the world's greatest thriller writers. Jeffery Deaver conceived the characters and set the plot in motion; the other authors each wrote a chapter in turn. Deaver then completed what he started, bringing The Chopin Manuscript to its explosive conclusion.
The Chopin Manuscript was written by:
Jeffery Deaver (Lincoln Rhyme series)
David Hewson (Nic Costa series)
James Grady (Six Days of the Condor)
S. J. Rozan (Bill Smith/Lydia Chin series)
Erica Spindler (Last Known Victim)
John Ramsey Miller (Winter Massey series)
David Corbett (Blood of Paradise)
John Gilstrap (Scott Free)
Joseph Finder (Power Play)
Jim Fusilli (Terry Orr series)
Peter Spiegelman (John March series)
Ralph Pezzullo (Jawbreaker)
Lisa Scottoline (Daddy's Girl)
P.J. Parrish (Louis Kincaid, Joe Frye series)
Lee Child (Jack Reacher series)
Critic Reviews
- 2008 Audie Award Winner
Audiobook of the Year
More from the same
What listeners say about The Chopin Manuscript
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- BSquaredInOz
- 06-25-09
A rollicking thriller
American Harold Middleton is a music professor and former war crimes investigator who is called to Poland to assess whether or not a manuscript purported to be an original, previously undiscovered, Chopin is genuine or a fake. However, the man that Harold meets with is murdered soon after their meeting and it soon becomes clear that there is more to the manuscript than mere rarity.
For what is essentially a publishing gimmick the book is delightfully entertaining. The plot rollicks along with red herrings and shocking twists aplenty, just as a good thriller should. The only evidence that the story is written by 15 different people is that there are perhaps a few more characters than normal, but the upside to that is that there are more genuine surprises than you might expect with a book authored by a sole writer who has pet characters and plot threads. There are several themes which are carried throughout the book, such as the role of music, and these help to produce a surprisingly cohesive story.
None of the characters are particularly well developed, there are too many and the book too short for that, but as this is a book all about a fast paced plot that's not a huge turnoff on this occasion. There was enough information to glean about Harold, his daughter Charlie, the evil Faust and a few of the other characters to engage my interest and keep me listening.
The book is narrated by actor Alfred Molina who does a superb job of handling the dialogue-rich story which features a couple of dozen characters.
56 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Laura E
- 03-12-09
Wonderful story... Sometimes hard to follow.
This is an amazing story. It is fast paced, and really action-packed. The plot, to be put simply, is similar to the DaVinci Code. Harry Middleton holds a rare manuscript, and someone is out to get it from him. This someone will kill anyone who stands in the way, including Harry.
It has a really good plot and story behind it, but the only thing is that near the beginning they introduce so many different characters that it is difficult to keep everyone straight in your mind. Once you get down who the people are and their relationship to protagonist Harry Middleton, it flows nicely and is a really cool story.
Alfred Molina does a wonderful job bringing the story to life. I couldn't wait to get in my car after school knowing that I had this book waiting for me! Hope you enjoy!
20 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Jean
- 09-09-08
Music and Thriller....WOW
This was really an excellent book! It could have turned out to be awful with so many fingers in the pudding, but it was just the opposite. I found it unique and I couldn't wait to see where the next author took us. The two winner short stories were a nice addition. Thank you writers for such excellent work and story line. It was a real great read.
25 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Michal
- 03-24-08
Action
I am not english native. I do buy english audiobooks to learn english and to get entertained at the sametime. :o)
About the book: I liked it very much, but: Plot has many twists, many characters do survive about 15 seconds :o) Characers are described only vaguely... Everybody is shooting everyone without hesitation. It is reminding me B action film. Entertainment only, do not look for something more. Anyway, I would buy that one again.
25 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Sharon
- 06-02-08
Loved it
I loved how each author made his/her chapter as exciting as possible and with its own arc that still fit into the arc of the overall story. The characters are fun. Well worth it.
14 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Leanne
- 11-07-09
A blast and a fantastic listen
I've only recently found this audio book and have enjoyed it so much I immediately bought The Copper Bracelet. Not only was I fascinated by the concept but all the threads opened up by each of the writers were immensely intriguing. The way Jeffery Deaver pulled it altogether in the last chapter was extraordinary. Kudos to all for taking up the challenge and participating in it so brilliantly.
Jeffery Deaver and Lee Child have always been favourites of mine and I can't wait for their new works to come out. Not only is The Chopin Manuscript a really, really good listen, but it's opened my eyes and ears to a whole other group of writers that I am now going to investigate as potential favourite authors too. Good going Gentlemen & Ladies!!
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cidney
- 02-27-12
The Gimmick Works!
The gimmick of having each chapter written by a different thriller author works in this case.
The story follows a young woman violinist, a man who authenticates music scores and a mysterious manuscript that people will kill for. It is a very decent thriller, with each author taking his or her chapter and building on details from the chapter before, and carrying the story forward with new twists of their own.
I would be interested to read more stories featuring the avenging group that is formed, or re-formed, by the end of this story whether written by one author or many. The characters were compelling and fun to "see" in action.
The only real issue I had with this book was that it was too short!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Jason
- 07-16-08
Suprises to the end.
With so many authors, it is hard to believe that such a cohesive and engaging story. This book keeps you guessing until the end and the authors seemed to challenge each other by twisting the expected storyline into completely unforeseen directions.
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Dave
- 12-18-07
Don't bother
When I first heard about this book, I thought it was a great idea. Unfortunately, it wasn't such a great idea. The book just doesn't have the flow as having one author write it. too many ideas and too many different ways to go. I had too much trouble following it. they are all great authors, just not together.
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- toromei
- 11-30-13
What a thrill ride!
The only negative about this audiobook is that the bonus short stories seem a bit lackluster after hearing the book itself.
The writing, performance, and overall presentation are nearly unmatched. No wonder this was the audiobook of the year. Why did I not listen to this sooner? Simply remarkable.
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Paul
- 06-24-08
And lucky to get one star.
I cannot say that this is the worse book that I have ever read/listened to but I can say that it is the worse I can recall. Not to be beaten I persevered to the end, believing that it could not get any worse and could only get better. I was wrong.
The best to be said is that it must a been a real hoot for the authors to write. I bet that they had a real laugh, they clearly enjoyed themselves; brutally obliterating the work of their predecessors; killing of characters that showed any promise; creating their own characters [only to have them removed by those coming after; reinventing key characters, assuming that they had allowed them to live; twisting what remained of any plot?? They were so busy destroying what had gone before and introducing their own cunning [not] twists that the story, what there was of it, had no continuity or validity. Characters that did survive to the end of the book where amalgams and contradictions, due to repeated rewriting, and lacked any real individuality, making empathy impossible. The plot line was a nonsense, from Dick Barton to Batman. Enough said.
I bought the book as I found the concept of multiple author interesting. Perhaps it was too much to expect that they would cooperate rather than compete, each trying to outdo the previous with ?clever? plot twist. The easy line was to destroy what and gone before and start again. At first I had some sympathy with the later authors, after all they also had to read the earlier chapters but as my brain screamed 'this is trite nonsenss' I quickly lost that sympathy.
I did not like the reading either but cannot criticise, the reader has my full sympathy. How do you read a book that swings from comic strip to English language primer?
I have enjoyed some of these authors in the past but here, well, least said the better.
I have never seen much purpose in writing book reviews and this is my first. This book has changed my mind.
34 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Lewis
- 06-05-08
Hmmm....
I liked the IDEA of this book - all these great writers teaming together to write some amazing secretive masterpiece - but I felt the book turned out to be a bit disjointed. OK. Very disjointed.
And it was only until I listened to the bonus interview at the end of the audible recording that I learned that the authors did not work together ONE BIT!
They just sent the growing manuscript to the next person on the list after they had added their chapter. So there was very little vision here for how the whole story would turn out, because none of them actually had any clue whatsoever, and it really really would have been a FAR greater book if they did some planning.
It all felt like a bit of a muddle really. Enjoyable because of the concept, all these writers coming together, but I felt it could have been so much more given a little planning on their part.
32 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Jacqueline
- 04-22-11
Audio book of the year?
This is a truely awful book. As previous reviewers have said, it is extremely disjointed. Each new author seemed to have wanted to make his or her mark by developing or introducing new character so that it had no cohesion. There are also a couple of glaring errors in characterisation - obviously they did not all read the previous chapters that carefully.
I found it extremely irritating although I had paid for it so I did listen all the way through. Goodies became baddies, characters ran round in ever descreasing circles and got nowhere.The ending is terrible.
Don't waste your money.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Laura
- 02-27-10
This book simply does not flow
Ultimately it disappoints due to lack of structure and continuity. It feels "wrong"
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Kaggy
- 02-09-14
Interesting idea full of twists and turns
This is my first ever audible book and I found the experience sufficiently enjoyable to become a full member.
Each chapter has been written by a different author and it is quite good fun to pick out the different narrative styles. This has meant that there is little restraint to the plot so the experience is like riding a roller coaster. This is an exciting story even if it is not entirely credible.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Colin
- 10-04-14
An Excellent Story
The concept for this book, where one author starts the story and then each subsequent chapter is written by a different author, intrigued me to try this title and I'm very glad I did. The story itself hit the ground running and the pace never faltered, with interesting twists and turns along the way.
And it has to be said that Alfred Molina's narration was first-class, keeping the listener engaged throughout.
Highly recommended
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Mogster
- 08-31-10
Not bad but.....
This book promised so much within the first few pages but just totally failed to deliver. It becomes very cliche'd about halfway through and it really shows that there are a number of different authors involved as each chapter changes dramatically and there are several desparate attempts to bring the story back on track!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- alan punter
- 06-02-15
does not quiet work
started very good. that ,s got me interested .but it was downhill half way through. good try .thanks
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall

- Mrs
- 04-09-13
An interesting experiment - doesn't quite work.
I was interested to read about the way that this had been written and was interested to listen to it. There were too many twists, turns and characters for my own liking but it was interesting to remember how it had been formulated.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall

- pableonus
- 04-15-12
Chopin Manuscript
I devoured this book. It's a unique creation, with the first and final two chapters written by Jeffrey Deaver, and every other by another author. Fantastic collaboration woven seamlessly despite each chapter being written by a different expert in the thriller genre. Looking forward to reading the next joint effort (just downloaded it from Audible.com - The Copper Bracelet!) from the International Thriller Writers. Great stuff, particularly if you spend a lot of time motorway travelling as I do. This book eats the miles away!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Jennifer
- 03-08-15
An entertaining listen
I usually try not to listen to thrillers on audiobook simply by personal choice but this one is good. Nicely narrated and with enough action to keep me interested. Enjoyed it!