• The Pale Cold Light

  • A Psychological Thriller
  • By: J.R. Rain
  • Narrated by: Virtual Voice
  • Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (14 ratings)

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The Pale Cold Light  By  cover art

The Pale Cold Light

By: J.R. Rain
Narrated by: Virtual Voice
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This title uses virtual voice narration

Virtual voice is computer-generated narration for audiobooks

Publisher's summary

Jim Matheson doesn't remember his past, but he knows something very, very bad happened.

Living on the streets of Seattle, Jim, a homeless man, finds solace in the companionship of his loyal dog amidst the harsh realities of life. But when he stumbles upon a body in the park bearing hauntingly familiar wounds, Jim's simple world is turned upside down.

As long-buried memories resurface and the fog of his past begins to clear, Jim resumes a decades-long hunt for a ruthless serial killer. The time for justice is drawing near. And so is revenge.

The Pale Cold Light is a standalone psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Flowers for Algernon, Robert Dugoni, and Dennis Lehane.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:

★★★★★ “This book is beautifully written and will bring tears to your eyes in many places. The mystery is intriguing, and the story is both tragic and hopeful with a beautifully perfect ending. I can not recommend it enough.” —Amazon review

★★★★★ “The Pale Cold Light really highlights the talents of J.R. Rain. To have a hero who is a long time street person struggling with his sanity is so unique. When that hero holds a reader’s undivided interest from the first page to the last, it means that the writer has excelled at characterization as well as plot. It is not unusual to equate homelessness with mental illness but the struggles and determination of James Matheson are enough for any feeling person to reconsider their reactions to such persons. The plot is well developed from the start to the conclusion with no loose threads. It is a memorable book and well worth reading.” —Amazon review

★★★★★ “One of the best novels I’ve ever read! I am a huge fan of Mr. Rain. I have enjoyed the Samantha Moon series especially. The Pale Cold Light has raised the bar to new heights. This story brought me to a new experience of loving a character and being drawn into emotions of empathy, sympathy, and understanding of someone who has been brought into a life way outside my comfort level. Wow just Wow!! You will never look at a homeless person in the same way. Beautiful story.” —Amazon review

★★★★★ “Great story. I was drawn in from the very first page and the book continued to hold my attention until the last page. My heart broke for the confused homeless man in the first pages. As Jim Matheson regains his memory, faces his pain and loss all over again, and teeters between his past life and his confusion, the story continued to pull my heart strings. The book was well written and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.” —Amazon review

★★★★★ “Beautiful and heartbreaking. This has to be the most intense book I have read in a very long time and believe me when I say that I read A LOT! Entering the mind of someone who is so tormented and yet determined is not an easy thing. This has made me see the homeless and unstable in a completely different way. I adore his Job-like characteristics. The foray into insanity is extremely hard to read but my goodness what a great story. Like I said beautiful and yet heartbreaking. A must read.” —Amazon review

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What listeners say about The Pale Cold Light

Average customer ratings
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The determination in this father

This is a great book I enjoyed it so much. sad and happy moments it's a great read

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Read instead of listening

Good enough story and writing. Dreadful narration. Really dreadful lack of finding the story and characters in the vocalizing.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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IA

I hate that IA took a performers job. I will be looking for this in other books.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

The AI voice was not good

The main character was really likable but as a homeless retard, not very interesting. Combine that with the AI voice and it just was not good.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Unique and captivating story!

Absolutely loved this book! Wished it was 10 hours long, enjoyed the unique story line, very interesting.
At first I wasn’t sure if I would like the virtual narration, but it fit the book. I definitely will read another book by this writer. EXCELLENT!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Love the Story-Hate the AI

The plot of this story was great! I thought it was wonderfully written. I did not enjoy the AI narration. I’m guessing the use of AI was a result of the actor’s/writer’s strike. Not impressive. At any rate, the story was quite enjoyable, and should be redone by someone with real emotions. I still suggest listening to it, after all it’s free and less than 5 hours.

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