Play Audiobook Sample
Candyland (Abridged): A Novel In Two Parts Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.05) - 266 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
While Evan Hunter is known for his powerful novels and screenplays, Ed McBain is known for portraying the soul of the cop. With Candyland, they join for the first time to write a single story—a powerful novel of obsession.
Benjamin Thorpe is married, a father, a successful Los Angeles architect—and a man obsessed. Alone in New York City on business, he spends the empty hours of the night in search of female companionship. His dizzying descent leads to an early morning confrontation in a midtown bordello and a searing self-revelation. Part I of Candyland follows Benjamin's fever-pitched search for identity, told in classic Evan Hunter style.
Part II is pure Ed McBain territory. Three detectives discuss a homicide. The victim is a young prostitute who crossed Benjamin Thorpe's path the night before. Emma Boyle of the Special Victims Unit gets assigned to the case. As the foggy events of the previous night come into sharper focus, it grows clear that Thorpe is a potential suspect. The detailed police investigation is Ed McBain at top form.
Shocking, bold, and compulsively engaging, Candyland is a groundbreaking literary event.
Download and start listening now!
"Evan Hunter (aka Ed McBain), the late great mystery writer. As Evan Hunter, his novels are a lot darker and more sinister than McBain's. Candyland is one of the darkest, and deals with the worst aspects of human nature in a very realistic way. A great, albeit somewhat depressing, read... "
— Helen (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“It’s fun to read, despite the grim nature of its subjects, and given that McBain is Mr. Hunter’s alter ego, it is also a literary gimmick. Candyland has its moments, and throughout it exhibits a smoothness, a professionalism, a gritty energy, and wit.”
— New York Times -
“The novel is a gimmick, and it is a surprise that it works at all. That it works so superbly is a tribute to the skills of this great storyteller.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“The pacing, character development, and thorough knowledge of police procedure and human nature…mark this tidy little mystery.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review -
“Superb...A multifaceted, psychologically astute portrait of crime and punishment.”
— Publishers Weekly, starred review -
“Under any name, this man is a master of his craft.”
— Library Journal -
“This is a fascinating study of how point of view affects the story being told, but beyond that, no matter who’s writing, it’s a frightening, suspenseful foray into the darkest recesses of the city and the human heart.”
— Booklist -
“An unusual collaboration, Candyland is written by two men who are the same person. Evan Hunter writes the first half, read in this abridgment by Mark Blum, as a straight novel about a sex-obsessed architect on business in New York. The second half is a police procedural written by Hunter’s alter ego, Ed McBain, and read by Linda Emond. The two stories intersect as Benjamin Thorpe, the lead character of part one, becomes the suspect in the murder of a prostitute in part two. Linda Emond’s narration of the second half, told from the perspective of Special Victims Detective Emma Boyle, is flawless and fascinating. Mark Blum gives a whiny edge to Benjamin Thorpe’s character in the first half, making it no less fascinating and even more human.”
— AudioFile
Candyland Listener Reviews
-
" i want to read this book because it look interesting. "
— Marcus, 10/28/2013 -
" This one's a little perverse... "
— Hendo, 7/16/2013 -
" Really liked the Ed McBain half of the book. The Evan Hunter half was, to me at least, rather pornographic. And yes, I know Hunter and McBain are one and the same. "
— Jane, 11/30/2012 -
" This was a novel written by 2 authors. Half by each. The first was a bit tidious. The second was better but not by much. Oh well. Too much narrative about what everyone had going on their heads. "
— Susan, 8/8/2012 -
" Evan Hunter (aka Ed McBain), the late great mystery writer. As Evan Hunter, his novels are a lot darker and more sinister than McBain's. Candyland is one of the darkest, and deals with the worst aspects of human nature in a very realistic way. A great, albeit somewhat depressing, read... "
— Helen, 8/5/2012 -
" While I enjoy the style of Ed McBain, I do not enjoy when he is writing as Evan Hunter. Combining both alter egos as authors for a single book did not work for me. "
— Ginny, 3/17/2012 -
" Why the hell isn't this a film? "
— S.j., 1/5/2012 -
" The funny thing about this book is about ten years before I read this I was simultaneously reading and Evan Hunter novel(Last Summer) and an McBain 87th Precinct book and looked at the copy-write and lo and behold: same writer! "
— doug, 10/22/2011 -
" this book was good i liked how it went one way and made a full 360 to the end. i was shock and super surprise with the end. the details in this book were great as well. "
— Tamiya, 9/3/2011 -
" Very good book. Would highly recommend it. "
— Linda, 6/29/2010 -
" i want to read this book because it look interesting. "
— Marcus, 9/16/2008 -
" While I enjoy the style of Ed McBain, I do not enjoy when he is writing as Evan Hunter. Combining both alter egos as authors for a single book did not work for me. "
— Ginny, 7/9/2008 -
" Why the hell isn't this a film? "
— S.J., 8/12/2007
About the Authors
Ed McBain is the most well known pseudonym of Evan Hunter (1926–2005), the author of over eighty novels and several famous screenplays. He is a recipient of the Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master Award and the Diamond Dagger Award from the British Crime Writers Association. His books have sold more than one hundred million copies, ranging from the more than fifty titles in the 87th Precinct series to the bestselling novels written under his own name. McBain also wrote the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.
Evan Hunter’s first novel, The Blackboard Jungle, was an instant bestseller. His novels have sold over one hundred million copies worldwide, and he holds the Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master Award. He is the only American ever to receive the British Crime Writers Association’s prestigious Diamond Dagger Award.
About the Narrators
Mark Blum is a New Jersey born narrator and film, television, and stage actor. He has received critics’ praise for his narrations of nonfiction as well as suspense fiction novels. His movie credits include Shattered Glass and The Presidio, and his television roles include Pan Am, Law & Order: SVU, and Fringe. He has performed in numerous plays on Broadway, including Gore Vidal’s The Best Man. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.
Linda Emond is an award-winning actress of stage, film, television, and audiobook narration. Her performances on Broadway earned her nominations for the Tony Award in 2003 and 2012 and for the Drama Desk Award in 1997 and 2002. She was awarded the Joseph Jefferson Award for her roles in plays at theaters in Chicago. Her film credits include roles in Julie & Julia, Dark Water, and Across the Universe, among others. Her television credits include such series as Elementary, The Good Wife, and Law & Order: SVU, as well as movies such as A Dog Named Christmas. She has narrated dozens of audiobooks, winning four Earphones Awards and being named a finalist four times for the prestigious Audie Award. In 2011 she was named by AudioFile magazine as a Best Voice in Mystery & Suspense for her reading of Flash and Bones.