The Return

A Novel

By: Michael Gruber

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Lauded as his number-one favorite book of the year, Stephen King advised President Obama, in the pages of Entertainment Weekly, to pick up Michael Gruber’s previous book, The Good Son. With an unforgettable hero, The Return is as exciting and provocative as Gruber’s best work.

The real Richard Marder would shock his acquaintances, if they ever met him. Even his wife, long dead, didn’t know the real man behind the calm, cultured mask he presents to the world. Only an old army buddy from Vietnam, Patrick Skelly, knows what Marder is capable of. Then, a shattering piece of news awakens Marder’s buried desire for vengeance. With nothing left to lose, he sets off to punish the people whose actions changed his life years earlier. Skelly shows up uninvited, and the two of them together raise the stakes far beyond anything Marder could have envisioned.

As Marder and Skelly head toward an apocalypse of their own making, Marder learns that good motives and a sense of justice can’t always protect the people a man loves. With a range of fearsomely real characters, from a brutally violent crime lord to a daringly courageous young woman, a roller coaster of twists and turns, and a shattering exploration of what constitutes morality in the face of evil, Michael Gruber has once more proven that he is “a gifted and natural storyteller” (Chicago Tribune), and shows why he has been called “the Stephen King of crime writing” (Denver Post).

©2013 Michael Gruber (P)2013 Blackstone Audio

Excellent Story

Excellent Story and Reading. Narration was very good, story line very plausible. Hope to read more from this author

not as good as Gruber's earlier books

I've liked the earlier books enough to listen to them again, all of them, but this one is just a little too far out. If he does another book, I'll try it, but I was disappointed in this one.

after a slow start, I was captured by this story

I almost didn't finish listening to the story because it started out a bit slowly, but I'm very glad that I did. the narration is great and the story really grabbed me after the first few chapters. I didn't want it to end, and I couldn't stop listening. a great find!

Immature

It was like adult fairytale. Read by an extremely talented narrator. The ending was weak and not satisfying in anyway. The story would have benefited by some serious editing, and at least six hours removed. 

All Time Favorite

What did you love best about The Return?

The fully developed characters. You grow to love or hate every one of them. You know who they are, how they feel, what they want.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Skelly, because you're never really sure about him.

Which scene was your favorite?

It's impossible to choose. The whole book is captivating.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The story of a Viet Nam veteran trying to honor his love for his wife by bringing justice and freedom to the country she loved so much.

Any additional comments?

I don't write many reviews, but I had to do it for this book. It starts out slow, getting you to know the people in the story so clearly that you have to know what happens to them, even though it might not turn out the way you hope. It's truly one of the best books I've listened to in a very long time.