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Suspect Audiobook
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(4.00) - 3,612 listener ratings
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Plot Summary
Suspect will keep you on your toes throughout the whole story line. This thriller is packed with surprising twists that makes it among the best of modern crime fiction.
LAPD's Scott James is one of the easy-going guys on the force, until he and his partner Stephanie stumble upon a violent incident, and she doesn't make it out alive. The experience changes Scott from a likeable guy into an angry, unpredictable person; a bad combination for a cop.
Scott is assigned a new partner who has seen her bad days too. Three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan have scarred her emotionally after watching her own partner die from an explosive. The new partner, Maggie, is a highly trained German Shepherd and they find they understand each other.
As Scott and Maggie start on the quest to find Stephanie's killer, they find things they didn't expect, not only about the case but about themselves as well. The road is a long and arduous journey, both emotionally and physically. The story is full of twists and turns and nothing turns out as expected.
Author Robert Crais started his writing career in the television business, and branched out into novels with his well-known series featuring character Elvis Cole, a Los Angeles private investigator. He has had many offers to make the series into a movie or television show, but he has chosen to keep these books in print and audio form only. Hostage, published in 2001, was the only book adapted for a movie which starred Bruce Willis. Crais continues to focus on writing psychological thrillers that involve men and women of the police department.
"What the heck kind of review do you write when one of the book's main characters is a German Shepherd named Maggie? When I got about a quarter through Suspect, I realized it didn't matter. I was HOOKED. This is Crais at his best, and what I've come to expect from the master story-teller that he is. I was spellbound and captivated by not only the story but the characters' depth, loyalty and failings, all of which make for a page-turner that I'll be reading again and again - not only for entertainment but to continue learning from an author who, in my opinion, is one of the best there is. I simply can't say enough."
— Terri (5 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
For twenty-five years, Robert Crais has written extraordinary novels of crime and suspense. He is “a master of crime fiction” (Associated Press); “his novels get better with every new book” (Portland Oregonian); “Crais is hands-down the world’s greatest crime writer” (The Huffington Post).
But in Suspect, he may have written his most remarkable novel of all.
LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well, not since a shocking nighttime assault by unidentified men killed his partner Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left him enraged, ashamed, and ready to explode. He is unfit for duty—until he meets his new partner.
Maggie is not doing so well, either. The German shepherd survived three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan sniffing explosives before she lost her handler to an IED and sniper attack, and her PTSD is as bad as Scott’s.
They are each other’s last chance. He was a young cop on the rise, she was bred to guard and protect. Now they are shunned and shunted to the side. They are suspect. And together they will set out to investigate the one case that no one wants them to touch: the identity of the men who murdered Stephanie.
Nine months and sixteen days later, they remained free. They were still out there.
What they begin to find is nothing like what Scott has been told, and where it will lead them will take them both through the darkest moments of their own personal hells. Whether they will make it out again, no one can say.
Thrilling, emotional, intense, with some of the best characters and well-crafted writing in all of crime fiction, Suspect is further proof that “Crais just keeps getting better” (Publishers Weekly).
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Quotes
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“Although Scott is a good guy who brings high-grade skills to his detective work, it’s Maggie who holds us captive, enthralled by Crais’ perceptive depiction of her amazing capacities.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“An intense, fast-paced, and thrilling page turner.”
— CNN.com -
“Action-packed, deeply touching, and sure to be one of the best-written and most original crime novels of the year.”
— Associated Press -
“An emotional masterpiece. Suspect is without a doubt Crais’ best novel to date.”
— Author magazine -
“The most multifaceted and appealing new protagonist in crime fiction this year just may turn out to be a dog—and a hard-boiled dog, to boot…We become singlemindedly obsessed with the safety of this beautiful, sensitive, and stunningly intelligent animal, much as Maggie lives to protect and please Scott. Crais take us inside Maggie’s head—and, even more, her remarkably sensitive nose—but always in the most believable of terms (this is no talking-dog cozy). A read-in-one-sitting thriller, plot- and character-driven in equal measures.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“[A] stand-alone crime thriller…[and] tale of redemption.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“A pleasingly perplexing storyline fresh from the headlines. The heroine of the piece is Maggie, a three-year-old German shepherd on her second deployment as a patrol and bomb-sniffing dog…The story takes in vast swaths of Los Angeles in all its multicultural glory, with baddies in the drug and diamond and policing businesses alike. And it's oddly affecting, with Crais ably capturing the bond between humans and canines without veering into sentimentality. A solid, muscular thriller, well spun.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“There’s no doubt that this is one of Crais’ best. Teamed with MacLeod Andrews’ narration, it will bring tears to listeners’ eyes…Andrews’ sensitive reading makes you want to finish the book in one listen. His accents are great, and his pacing is deliberate. Do dogs dream and have feelings? Crais believes they do. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
Awards
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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A New York Times bestseller
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A USA Today bestseller
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A 2014 Audie Award Finalist for Best Thriller/Suspense Narration
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A Publishers Weekly bestseller
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An NPR bestseller
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A Los Angeles Times bestseller
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A Washington Post bestseller
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A Wall Street Journal bestseller
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A 2013 GoodReads Readers’ Choice Nominee for Mystery & Thriller
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A 2014 Barry Award Nominee for Best Novel
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Finalist for the 2014 Anthony Award for Best Novel
Suspect Listener Reviews
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" If you have ANY affection for dogs at all, "Maggie" will capture your heart. Battered, bruised, and suffering from canine PTSD after serving as a Marine in Afghanistan, Maggie comes home after being badly injured and is recruited into the LAPD. Teamed with her human partner, Scott - who has issues of his own - the two of them meet, bond, and eventually trust each other with their lives. The chapters written in Maggie's POV are priceless. "
— Will, 2/17/2014 -
" Wonderful story, well written and for anyone who loves dogs...you'll love this book. "
— Lynne, 2/9/2014 -
" Dog suffering from PTSD. Man suffering from PTSD. It's a good mystery AND a good "love" story about a police officer who feels as though he was responsible for his partner/girlfriend's death, and a military-trained German Shepherd who lost her partner in Afghanistan after valiantly trying to save him. I love Crais's series about Elvis and Joe--but I'm kind of hoping he goes on with this one, too. "
— Christina, 2/1/2014 -
" The portrayal of Maggie the dog is what makes this book. "
— Ljj, 1/31/2014 -
" Good fast pace. The dog, Maggy, was endearing. "
— Cammie, 1/31/2014 -
" Fantastic stand-alone by a master of his craft. Hope there will be more of Scott and Maggie. "
— Cathryne, 1/31/2014 -
" Quick & clean. A two night read. Dog steals the story. "
— Earl, 1/11/2014 -
" I liked the author's protrayal of working dogs. "
— Ginna, 1/5/2014 -
" This book just became my all-time favorite if you are a dog lover, this book will take your heart. This is the book I've ever read that has brought me to tears. I love my dogs. We are pack. "
— Peter, 12/13/2013 -
" Hard to read about what was going on with the dog though.....still a good read. :-) "
— Melanie, 10/25/2013 -
" I am always excited for another novel from Robert Crais. What a great story! I loved Maggie I miss my Shepard Max !! "
— Carie, 10/15/2013 -
" Most compelling was the dog and her relationship with her handler. The plot was a tad thin. "
— Kyle, 10/9/2013 -
" This is a good police procedural with an emotionally interesting twist. "
— Leslie, 9/19/2013 -
" Wow! I'm a long time fan of Robert Crais, but this ranks right at the top. "
— Jerry, 8/24/2013 -
" One of the best books i ever read. However the should change the neme to pack "
— Fahd, 6/22/2013 -
" New character and a dog....love it...hope it's the start of another sereis "
— Janet, 5/28/2013 -
" A great dog story with a happy ending. "
— Shirl, 5/7/2013 -
" I don't know if it's just me, but the book felt really short. I enjoyed all the parts where Maggie and Scott are interacting, and especially when we get Maggie's point of view. The mystery itself though wasn't that gripping. "
— Elisa, 4/4/2013 -
" This is probably the first novel I've read where one of the main characters is a German shepherd. Parts of the story were narrated by Maggie and I kind of liked reading from the dog's point of view. "
— Liz, 4/1/2013 -
" Lovely scenes with the dog. The book, however, is too slow and predictable. "
— Patrick, 2/7/2013 -
" 5 stars just because it is by Robert Crais-this girls' all time favorite author (Lee Child is a really really close 2nd)and because it has a DOG in it that didn't die. Thank goodness. "
— Kim, 1/14/2013
About Robert Crais
Robert Crais is an American author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, including Taken, which debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. He received the Ross Macdonald Literary Award in 2006, The Eye—Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010, and the Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master Award in 2014. He has written for such acclaimed television shows as L.A. Law, Cagney and Lacey, Miami Vice, and Hill Street Blues. A film adaptation of his novel Hostage was released in 2005, starring Bruce Willis as ex-LAPD SWAT negotiator Jeff Talley.
About MacLeod Andrews
MacLeod Andrews is a multiple Audie, Earphones, and SOVAS award-winning and Grammy-nominated narrator with hundreds of credits to his name. Perhaps best known for a cinematic approach with full characterizations and intimate deliveries in series such as The Reckoners, Sandman Slim, and Warriors, he’s also been noted for his straight reads ranging from memoirs to modern classics. When not doing books you can hear him in video games, cartoons, commercials, podcasts, and reading you the news on Apple News +. Or check out one of his films.