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Badlands: A Novel of Suspense Audiobook
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(3.07) - 450 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Philadelphia police detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano are working a new beat: the Special Investigations Unit, aka the cold case squad. Ironic, given that it’s the height of a blazing hot August. But even these hardened homicide veterans are chilled to the bone as a dormant murder case stirs to life–leading Byrne and Balzano into the dark heart of their city, their souls, and a psyche of pure evil. Months before, a teenage runaway’s body was found in the desolate, dangerous North Philly district dubbed the Badlands. Dead runaways were no novelty on these mean streets, but the Caitlin O’Riordan case was different. Her corpse was found in the basement of a rancid tenement apartment, the inexplicable cause of death: drowning. In the end, nothing was solved and the case was closed. Now a confession to the bizarre murder on the police tipline sends Byrne and Balzano rushing to make an arrest. But instead of a killer, they discover a ghastly scene: a jar containing human remains–along with a cryptic clue leading to an unlikely witness. Laura Somerville lives far from the squalor of the Badlands, and seemingly light-years from any connection to a murdered runaway. But moments after discussing the case with this elegant lady, Byrne and Balzano make another grisly discovery, and find an enigmatic word spelled out in Scrabble tiles. Across town, another victim’s shallow grave reveals deeper mysteries. Her secret diaries portray a woman haunted by a shocking past, and obsessed with finding a depraved killer. Now, as the body count grows, a terrifying design literally takes shape. Pieces of a gruesome puzzle are being set into place by the cruel hands of a madman using the city as his game board. His playthings are the innocent, and his opponents–and pawns–are Byrne and Balzano, who must, before time runs out, decipher the truth about a shadowy house of horrors and its elusive master. Internationally acclaimed author Richard Montanari works his black magic to spine-tingling perfection in Badlands, conjuring all the relentless suspense, dark twists of intrigue, and full-throttle action that make his brilliant, engrossing novels required reading for thriller fans.
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"I had never read a mystery by Richard Montanari before this novel. I thought it was great. A very gripping mystery about a serial killer and lots of action in the hunt for him. It has good elements of character development of both the villain and the police. Enjoyable read! "
— Jennie (4 out of 5 stars)
Badlands Listener Reviews
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11/16/2022
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" Reading a Richard Montanari novel is like sitting down to a gourmet meal. He selects only the finest words which are to be savoured and rolled around the tongue like a vintage wine. Obviously I loved this book! "
— Jo, 2/6/2014 -
" I had never read a mystery by Richard Montanari before this novel. I thought it was great. A very gripping mystery about a serial killer and lots of action in the hunt for him. It has good elements of character development of both the villain and the police. Enjoyable read! "
— Jennie, 12/30/2013 -
" Police procedural novel with cliffhanger suspense throughout, the antagonist is a master of illusion, magic and puzzles which keeps him always one step ahead of the authorities. "
— Mysterious, 12/17/2013 -
" I love the Byrne and Balzano series and this book did not disappoint. "
— Kirsty, 12/15/2013 -
" Couldn't get into this book, which i was disssapointed about as i love richard montanari's other books "
— Theweebarrell, 11/15/2013 -
" Montanari mentioned the West Memphis Three in his novel, Rosary Girls, so I've read everything he's written since then. Good, solid thriller franchise! "
— Kbakken, 11/13/2013 -
" Badlands was my first murder mystery other than Murder on the Orient Express. It was exciting, scary and a page turner. It was a quick read as well. Something fun to pick up on a lazy or rainy day. "
— Christine, 9/21/2013 -
" Not as good or as strong as his other books for these characters (the plot was a bit more convoluted than he usually writes, and the characters seemed a little bit not quite themselves), but still a good crime novel with loads of suspense, creepy happenings, and oodles of mystery. "
— Dabs, 9/16/2013 -
" What a cracking page turner it kept you on the edge of your seat until the very end, I never guessed who the murderer was "
— Thasc, 8/30/2013 -
" A quick read murder mystery thrilled set in Philadelphia. I enjoyed the numerous references to the city, and the Philadelphia Police Department. Johnny Dougherty was giving them out free at his PA Society party and had the author there to sign them. "
— Morgan, 7/30/2013 -
" it's all in the detail... multi-layered plot, characters with many flaws, short punchy chapters that leave you hanging and the ever-present gruesome death. Cant seem to get enough of this guy, "
— June, 5/3/2013 -
" Page-turner, Philadelphia venue. Although it dragged on a little too long, it had an interesting premise. "
— Howard, 1/19/2013 -
" Got this one on sale and didn't realize until later that this is #4 in a series with these detectives although I don't think that was a problem for me...I may check out the others down the road. "
— Lee, 9/5/2012 -
" Fast paced. Excellent character development and storyline "
— Jaime, 7/27/2012 -
" Good descriptions of the thinking of the boy and the serial killer. Mesmerizing. "
— Joann, 7/4/2012 -
" Great psychological thriller, I'd give it 5 stars, but I reserve that for my very faves. Listened to it on CD in my car. "
— Wendy, 6/28/2012 -
" Fats read, great page turner, lots a good twists "
— Dave, 4/19/2012 -
" Very unexpected plot twist at the end. "
— Ellen, 2/17/2012 -
" decent novel, quite tense "
— Scott, 8/22/2011 -
" Well written - fast paced. "
— Tim, 7/24/2011 -
" This was a page turner! I will read more by him soon! "
— Shelly, 2/15/2011 -
" Well written - fast paced. "
— Tim, 2/8/2011 -
" Great psychological thriller, I'd give it 5 stars, but I reserve that for my very faves. Listened to it on CD in my car. "
— Wendy, 8/26/2010 -
" Good descriptions of the thinking of the boy and the serial killer. Mesmerizing. "
— Joann, 3/3/2010 -
" Pretty fun read. A little predictable at the end, but the twists at the beginning are great fun!!! "
— Crystal, 1/9/2010 -
" A quick read murder mystery thrilled set in Philadelphia. I enjoyed the numerous references to the city, and the Philadelphia Police Department. Johnny Dougherty was giving them out free at his PA Society party and had the author there to sign them. "
— Morgan, 1/4/2010 -
" Page-turner, Philadelphia venue. Although it dragged on a little too long, it had an interesting premise. "
— Howard, 12/22/2009 -
" Not as good or as strong as his other books for these characters (the plot was a bit more convoluted than he usually writes, and the characters seemed a little bit not quite themselves), but still a good crime novel with loads of suspense, creepy happenings, and oodles of mystery. "
— Dabs, 10/9/2009 -
" Reading a Richard Montanari novel is like sitting down to a gourmet meal. He selects only the finest words which are to be savoured and rolled around the tongue like a vintage wine. Obviously I loved this book! "
— Jo, 6/20/2009 -
" Not as good as The Rosary Girls or The Skingods but Montanari tells a tale like no other. he captures your attention and drags you in to the story with great ease. A good read nontheless. "
— Philip, 3/2/2009 -
" Montanari mentioned the West Memphis Three in his novel, Rosary Girls, so I've read everything he's written since then. Good, solid thriller franchise! "
— Kbakken, 1/27/2009 -
" Another great read by this author. "
— Sparhawk, 11/6/2008
About Richard Montanari
Richard Montanari is a novelist, screenwriter, and essayist. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and scores of other national and regional publications. He is the OLMA-winning author of the internationally acclaimed thrillers Deviant Way and The Violet Hour that have now been published in more than twenty countries.
About Scott Brick
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.