The Three-Day Affair

By: Michael Kardos

Narrated by: Ray Chase

Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

Will, Jeffrey, and Nolan are lifelong friends. Each has gone their separate ways as adults, living their own lives while forging their own careers. They have no reason to believe anything extraordinary will befall them. Until one shocking moment changes everything.

Will is a part-time drummer who spends the rest of his time in recording studios. Then one night Jeffrey attempts to rob a convenience store, drags a young woman into Will’s car, and shouts a single word: "Drive!" Shaken and confused, Will obeys.

Suddenly these ordinary men find themselves completely out of their element, holding a young girl hostage without the slightest idea of what to do next. They are already guilty of kidnapping and robbery; it is only a matter of time before they find out just what else they’re capable of. For these four people, three days will decide their fate - freedom and prison, innocence and guilt - and life and death.

©2012 Michael Kardos. Recorded by arrangement with Mysterious Press, an imprint of Grove/Atlantic, Inc. (P)2012 HighBridge Company

Critic Reviews

"Michael Kardos's soulful stories take place in that hard-luck corner of New Jersey where rock and roll dreams crash into blue-collar reality." (Tom Perrotta)

Is there a score lower then zero

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The right ending might could have brought it up to a 3 or 4, but the story kept repeating itself.

Has The Three-Day Affair turned you off from other books in this genre?

no

What about Ray Chase’s performance did you like?

Each character voice was unique and I was able to tell who was speaking from his performance.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The story line grabbed my attention, and the detail in the characters backgrounds was good.

Any additional comments?

I drive a truck, and a good book can make a long drive seem short, however with this book I found myself turning it off and on, I had books that I was sad having reached my destination too soon, this was not one of them.

Gem of a novel

I highly recommend this book. I found it after reading an interview with the author and simultaneously feeling my go-to categories exhausted. This is a crime story, but a crime unfolding in unpredictable ways. I am partial to stories about people I can identify with, who find themselves in awful situations, and I could feel that sense of regret the characters felt for making the wrong decisions. No tortured serial murderers or brilliant puzzle players, thank god, but a compelling story that unfolds over a long weekend when old friends get together.

The only negative is that it is shorter than what I normally look for, but it was perfectly paced and the characters well developed. I may go listen to it again....

Pleasant fall 'beach' read

Although the plot is improbable, this book moves fast and is a good distraction if you are housecleaning or raking leaves. The development of Will, as a character, is deftly done, and the plot twists keep coming.

Cannot believe I wasted a credit on this garbage

What disappointed you about The Three-Day Affair?

For all the rave reviews, this book was poorly plotted and averagely written. The ending was so dull and flat it's beyond belief.

Would you ever listen to anything by Michael Kardos again?

Never.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Ray Chase?

Chase does his best with the poor material, but his voice characterizations are irritating to the ear. There are also a lot of annoying, repeated mispronunciations.

What character would you cut from The Three-Day Affair?

All three of them. And they'd be easy to cut, because their were all cardboard cutout cliche characters anyway.

Any additional comments?

Ignore the positive reviews. This is really a bad short book. You are guaranteed to be irritated that you spent 7.5 hours getting to the so-called "end" of this fiasco. Stay away.

Excellent.. So well done.

A high speed train of a story, with sharp turns at the end.. Very satisfying. I always enjoy this author.

Wonderful read

Would you listen to The Three-Day Affair again? Why?

I would listen to the book again

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

It certainly did. You never knew exactly what was going to happen next. Lots of twists and turns.

What does Ray Chase bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He actually made you feel like one of the characters

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Great book. I would definitely recommend it and have to my friends.

Much ado about nothing

I downloaded this book after listening to the two other Kardos books available and rather liking them. This book's premise, however, was ridiculous. Without giving away too much, I think I can reveal the basic plot, which is that three men "accidentally" kidnap a young woman and then spend way too much time trying to decide what to do with her. By the time they decide, it has cost them dearly. But they could have just let her go at any time with little or no consequence . Instead they spend the rest of the book trying to decide how to untangle what eventually becomes an actual kidnapping.
The fact is there is a fairly compelling backstory and a clever twist to the plot and it could have been a good listen. Instead I spent 7 hours muttering, "What's the matter with you chuckle-heads?"

Decent Narration, Ho Hum Story

A guy's weekend for old college buddies takes a bizarre turn when Jeffery robs the Milk and Bread convenience store and decides to kidnap the teenage clerk for good measure. He tosses her in the car with all his buddies and shouts 'DRIVE!'

The rest of the story is a reasonable scenario as Jeffery's buddies figure out how in hell they can get out of this mess without legal ramifications.

There are a couple of late surprises at the end of the book but it left me with a 'meh?' feeling. I give this story 3 stars as it was just moderately interesting.

The story was quasi-creative but the quality of the writing is very middle of the road. This is not Stephen King, Jonathan Franzen, Cormac McCarthy, etc. quality stuff.

Surprises await you - all the way to the end.

Where does The Three-Day Affair rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Right up at the top.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Three-Day Affair?

As I listened to the narrator begin the last chapter, my jaw literally dropped. I won't elaborate for fear of spoiling it for others, but suffice it to say, I never saw it coming.

What does Ray Chase bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Through his narration, Mr. Chase conveyed the emotions of the characters in such a way, that you could not help but ride along the tumultuous journey with this group of friends. He gave voice to the individual characters in a distinct and believable manner and the pace of his narration was consistent and appropriate to the story. The characters came alive through his interpretation - just one of the advantages of listening to a book, rather than reading it.

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

How well do you really know your friends?

Any additional comments?

I started listening to audio books for the first time several months ago and I am totally hooked! I cannot imagine going back to "reading" again. I'll be looking out for other books by Mr. Kardos, on audio.

Fantastic!

Where does The Three-Day Affair rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of my favorite books that I have read in recent years. I am personally a fan of John Sanford's "The Prey" Series and James Patterson "Women's Murder Club" Series and this ranks with all of those!

Who was your favorite character and why?

I like Will because he is sweet, caring and a bit surprising.

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

No but I like the tone of his voice and narration.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, when the men realize their lives have changed forever in a single moment. It makes you think about your own life and the decisions you make.

Any additional comments?

I can't wait to read more from Michael Kardos!