The Last Beekeeper

Vespling, Book 1

By: Jared Gulian

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

The compelling new sci-fi thriller that keeps you listening.

Sometimes your safe place...is not.

When murder strikes a remote community, a reclusive beekeeper uncovers a horrifying secret that could destroy humanity.

Jim Parker, a honeybee expert, has retreated to a small island in Lake Michigan with his teenage daughter after a terrible family tragedy. He longs to hide from an increasingly dangerous world.

In the midst of a global bee crisis, bees everywhere are dying and the food supply teeters on the brink of collapse. Pollination now relies on powerful mega-corporations known as Beelords.

But this island is not the haven Jim once thought.

Someone is torching his traditional beehives, people are disappearing, and an unknown threat is lurking in the woods behind his house.

When he finds something very peculiar in his remaining hives, he begins to unravel a mystery that is deeper, darker, and more complex than he ever imagined.

Now he’s not only fighting for the survival of his family, but for the very future of humankind.

If you love suspense, thriller, and science-fiction novels in the tradition of Dean Koontz, Stephen King, and Blake Crouch, you’ll love this compelling new series starter.

Grab your copy now!

Please note: This is the first book in a series, and ends on a cliff-hanger. It contains brief references to violence and other themes that some listeners may find triggering.

©2021 Jared Gulian (P)2021 Jared Gulian

Skin-crawlingly fascinating!

I’d already read the print version of The Last Beekeeper and thoroughly enjoyed it. I jumped at the chance to HEAR it in someone else’s voice. I was not disappointed! Edoardo Ballerini brought the already creepy vesplings to life with his slow, growling vocalizations that literally gave me goosebumps. Even my teen sons got into it, demanding the next chapter as we drove along to whatever destination, and those two are hard to please. Absolutely looking forward to the second book, whether in print or rumbling from my speakers!

Much needed escape

Great for fans of Michael Crichton and other near-future thrillers. Fast paced and laced with just enough “this could really happen” to make it all the more scary!

A well-crafted apocalyptic page-turner

Jared Gulian has put together a fresh, interesting, and complex story about science gone awry, and the effects on the inhabitants of an isolated island in Lake Michigan (and possibly the wider world in novels to come). The characters are rich and well-developed, if not irritatingly stubborn or dense at times, but this kept the story from feeling too predictable. Some of the progress of the narrative readers may guess ahead of time, but there are other aspects that will come as a complete surprise, and both are satisfying elements to the story. The story is sprinkled with interesting scientific points, which I found compelling and helpful to securing the believability of the plot as it unwinds.
I thought Edoardo Ballerini did a great job with the narration, with characters quickly recognized by his great voice changes, and even an excellent job of creepy noises issued by the vesplings.
All-in-all a great and pleasantly disturbing, fast-paced story. I look forward to the next book, so get on it Jared! :)

Frustratingly distopian. It's great!

Just enough modern with mixes of distopian frustrations and good mystery to keep you engaged without being excessive.

just another doomesday story

It was ok but truly the same doomesday story I have read many times before. The 2 main characters annoyed me so much I couldn't find any sympathy for them. I found the ending predictable and disappointing.
Was it worth spending a credit? Not for me.

Was not what I expected

I was disappointed in the ending, also thought it was going to be different than a "monster " book