The Plantation

Payne & Jones, Book 1

By: Chris Kuzneski

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

The first to disappear is a ski instructor in the secluded mountains of Colorado. Hours later, a pregnant woman is abducted from a crowded hospital. Two places, two incidents, a single motive. And so it begins....

One by one, in cities across America, people of all ages are taken from their homes, their cars, their lives. But these aren't random kidnappings. They're crimes of passion, planned and researched years in advance with a singular objective in mind: Revenge.

Ariane Walker is one of the victims, dragged from her apartment with few clues to follow. The police said there's little they can do for her, but that isn't good enough for her boyfriend, Jonathon Payne.

With the help of his best friend, Payne gives chase, hoping a tip about New Orleans somehow pays off. Together, the duo slowly uncovers the mystery of Ariane's abduction and the shocking truth behind the South's most violent secret: The Plantation.

©2009 Chris Kuzneski (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic Reviews

" The Plantation is a rip-roaring page-turner. No reader will easily forget it." (James Patterson)
"Excellent.... High stakes, fast action, vibrant characters, and a very, very original plot concept. Not to be missed!" (Lee Child)

Incredible Story

This was an awesome book. The author did much research to put it all together. Writing is one thing and research also for accuracy of subject content is totally appreciated. I've read one other book by this author and it was good. This one was awesome. Some parts were hard to emotionally deal with but excellent. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys murder mysteries and thrillers. Dick Hill is also my favorite reader. Should have been an actor. He can change dialects and accents 4 times in a paragraph with ease. I sometimes search by narrators name to see what's new. This one is on audible only a few days and is a very good book. I will read it again sometime for sure.

This book was a totally unexpected surprise

What did you love best about The Plantation?

This had a great plot, ditto for story telling, characters etc. after reading some of the not so great reviews I had this in my wish list for about a year and finally decided to give it a try. So sorry I waited so long. This book had everything going for it. I will definitely be purchasing more from this author.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Oh yes! The brutality of the acts carried out by these kidnappers in the name of revenge was horrible. Not too horrible to listen to for entertainment purposes though.

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

Dick Hill is one of my FAVORITE narrators and as always did a fantastic performance!

Very good debut

I didn't enjoy "The Plantation" quite as much as the subsequent entries in this series -- possibly only because it doesn't have all the exotic locales of the sequels -- but I still recommend this audiobook. It contains plenty of excitement, plus lots of education about the horrors of slavery, thanks to Kuzneski's thorough research. For some perplexing reason, we always enjoy hearing the adventures of indestructible, tough good guys saving the world; and Kuzneski's two main characters -- former (allegedly now retired) special forces soldiers and best friends, Jonathan Payne and D. J. Jones, definitely fill that bill. This audiobook suffers a bit from Dick Hill's over-acting; but I encourage the listener to hang in with the reading anyway, because of the good plot. It may also help to know that Dick Hill's reading of subsequent entries in this series improves.

This one's a Winner

I find myslef purchasing books I have never heard about from authors I know nothing about soley due to the narrator (in this case Dick Hill). This story was different, an interesting take on a typical theme (a reversal of roles). I found it very enjoyable... I have downloaded the remaining books by this author and hope they stand up to his first effort.

To many heroics to pull off believeably

I was able to finish this book, and am a fan of the genre but this book seemed more Hollywood than literature, and sometimes that works but in this instance I was only mildly entertained by it. The ending was never in doubt and the heroics so easily pulled off and accomplished amid bad actors who seem vulnerable to every move the "elite of the elite" (which is becoming to cliche all in itself) military squad is able to make. I am trying to think of the reason I listened to the whole book and like bad fried rice it is forgotten as soon as it is out of sight, which may in the end be the best thing about this book.
If you are a fan of the genre, like me, you may work through the book with a mild bit of entertainment, if you are not a fan then this is not going to be a good book for you.

Good thing I listened to his other books first

I loved the Sword of God and The Lost Throne. This book, however, too gratuitously describes the torture and the brutality and masochism of the antagonists. I think it is easy to create tension by raising the spector of violence agaist women and children.

Feeble first effort, gratuitous violence

After enjoying Kuzneski's "Prophesy", I decided to try another of his works. Prior to listening to the prologue, I had no idea it was his original, unsuccessful first effort, which, due to rejections, he had to self-publish. It is filled with lame dialogue, shallow character development, unrealistic relationship charisma, and nauseating and unnecessary explicit violence and tittilation. The drawn-out graphic descriptions of abuse and cruelty are the only depth the novel has, and that is revolting. It is very difficult for me to believe this feeble first novel was "reworked" with the help of contemporary famous mystery writers, as the prologue claims. I will likely not even finish the book, as it is so dull and unimaginative when the one-dimensional protagonist Jonathan Payne and his buddy DJ are discussed, but disturbing beyond necessity when he continues to find more and more ways to drag the reader through horrible descriptions of mutilation, exploitation, and morbid cruelty. After wasting the money on this book, I will not give this author another chance. He never should have tried to cash in on this sophomoric effort.

Chris Kuzneski great new author

Mr. Kuzneski has new and intriguing material. It took a couple of chapters to get past the background, but well worth the effort. He has obviously done his research, and I was left wondering what was real and what was fiction. Dick Hill, as always, does a great job with the narration. He makes the charterers come alive.

Great Read

I think this was a great book. The narrator is one of the best and my favorite. The only disappointment was not finding out how everyone made out from the tramatic forces they endured. Other than that the book gave great insight into one of our most distubing times in America.

An interesting read.

The book started out a little slow for my taste, but I stayed with it and enjoyed it very much.

The fact that some aspects of the story are events that really occurred in our history is horrific! But it makes you aware of what you were never told or taught in school. No human being or animal should ever be treated in that manner.