Play Audiobook Sample
The Spire: A Novel Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.00) - 1,249 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
Both a razor-sharp thriller and a poignant love story, this twisting tale of psychological suspense is Patterson's most compelling novel in years Mark Darrow grew up in a small Ohio town with no real advantages beyond his intelligence and athletic ability. But thanks to the intervention of Lionel Farr—a professor at Caldwell, the local college—Darrow became an excellent student and, later, a superb trial lawyer. Now Farr asks his still-youthful protégé for a life-altering favor. An embezzlement scandal has threatened Caldwell's very existence—would Darrow consider becoming its new president? Darrow accepts, but returning to his alma mater opens old wounds. Sixteen years ago, on the night of his greatest triumph as Caldwell's star quarterback, he discovered the body of a black female student named Angela Hall at the base of the Spire, the bell tower that dominates the leafy campus. His best friend, Steve Tillman, was charged with Angela's murder and ultimately sent to prison for life. But now, even as Darrow begins the daunting task of leading Caldwell, he discovers that the case against his friend left crucial questions unanswered. Despite his new obligations—and his deepening attachment to Farr's beautiful though troubled daughter—Darrow begins his own inquiry into the murder. Soon he becomes convinced that Angela's killer is still at large, but only when another mysterious death occurs does he understand that his own life is at risk.
Download and start listening now!
"The Spire is a departure from RNP's recent political novels, fitting in better with his older work. Not exactly unpredictable, but I don't think that hurt the story much. It was a nice change of pace, and I wonder if he will be doing more of these with his heavier books."
— Darren (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“Holter Graham does wonderful things with the voices in this story of racism, sexual sadism, and justice delayed...Patterson and Graham make this first-class listening.
— AudioFile -
An enthralling saga that captivates the reader from the beginning to end, highly recommended.
— The Midwest Book Review -
Performed by Holter Graham, it's edge of your seat all the way.
— BookPage -
The Spire is an entertaining yarn...Mr. Holter Graham does a superb job.
— Examiner.com
The Spire Listener Reviews
-
" Interesting, but not great. The end took me by surprise, because I thought I knew who would be the bad guy. "
— Lorie, 2/19/2014 -
" My last Richard North Patterson book. His characters are so one dimentional - they don't talk - they orate. Don't like them at all. "
— Sam, 2/14/2014 -
" College story; good book. Mark Darrow consents to become the new college president, leaving behind an excellent law practice. Murders and cover up. "
— Kathy, 2/2/2014 -
" Good characters, creepy story line and for the most part you don't anticipate what's going to happen next. "
— Anne, 1/30/2014 -
" terrible writing, unrealistic dialog, two dimensional characters. Just plain awful "
— Liz, 1/28/2014 -
" entirely too predictable "
— Janel, 1/20/2014 -
" So far I am liking this book, light and some depth to the main character. It is a murder mystery in a rural town in Ohio, the popular and successful graduate of the town's college returns as President and reopens a murder case he was involved in. "
— Heather, 1/4/2014 -
" Not a typical RNP book, but it is a good read. I enjoyed the story. "
— Season, 12/12/2013 -
" Not his best but entertaining. "
— Annette, 11/29/2013 -
" I am big fan of this author, but he needs to work harder on his mystery novels. I had this one figured out early in the book. His clues are too obvious. "
— Jennifer, 11/19/2013 -
" It was engaging...and enjoyable. "
— Elizabeth, 11/15/2013 -
" I like some of Patterson's other books better. What is really scary is that I figured out who the murderer was about 100 pages before the end of the book and that's a little unreal. "
— Naomi, 11/13/2013 -
" This is the second RNP book I have read and both of them took me a long time to finish. The Spire was ok, not a real page turner, didn't real like any of the characters and the story was predictable. I don't understand how this guy is so popular. "
— Connie, 7/31/2013 -
" good story, they should make it a movie "
— Michelle, 7/7/2013 -
" I really like how Richard Patterson writes. I loved the book Exile. This was a really good thriller but not quite as good as Exile! "
— Debbie, 5/14/2013 -
" The Spire was different from Richard North Patterson's other recent books in that it was less "educational" on a particular theme and instead was just a good suspense novel. Three stars because I didn't love the characters, but it was a good page-turner. "
— Julie, 1/27/2013 -
" The other Richard North Patterson novels I have read were more political and more thrilling. The Spire is a psychological drama and decent but too predictable for my tastes. "
— Eric, 12/18/2012 -
" It got some bad reviews when I got it but I really enjoyed it. Kept me reading. First time I've read this author. I did predict the ending. "
— Leah, 12/3/2012 -
" Well written. Decent enough ending to a mystery. Kind of saw it coming. "
— Kyle, 11/28/2012 -
" Something else that I am used to, but a great book indeed. "
— Michal, 10/26/2012 -
" More stuff I picked up in desperation from the limited selection in Sanur (Bali)......it passed the time on the plane home. "
— April, 5/23/2012 -
" I've read all his books. He's a guilty pleasure. I wanted to give it 4 stars but couldn't because I knew the ending 10 pages into the book. "
— Christan, 4/16/2012 -
" Very predictable outcome. I like Richard North Patterson but this one took a long time to get to the end, maybe because I was sure I had figured it out, and I had. "
— Debbie, 3/22/2012 -
" Patterson usually does a better job of writing than this. Think he just wanted to make money on his name. He is a lawyer and has written some very good stuff on important legal subjects. "
— Gail, 11/19/2011 -
" Ok. He's just churning them out by now. "
— Michael, 4/28/2011 -
" A little too predictable for me. "
— Lisa, 3/19/2011 -
" I like Mr. Patterson as an author. This book wasn't one of his best. It is a decent mystery, but doesn't have the depth of his normal novels. Good beach read. "
— Keith, 3/12/2011 -
" Good characters, creepy story line and for the most part you don't anticipate what's going to happen next. "
— Anne, 1/25/2011 -
" Guessed the killer early, recognized Ohio Weslayan though. "
— Cynthia, 1/21/2011 -
" very good story and quick read "
— Lauriezeitlin, 1/9/2011 -
" I would have rated this higher but I didn't like the way the author attempted to tie up all the loose ends in a paragraph. "
— Connie, 1/1/2011 -
" Patterson usually does a better job of writing than this. Think he just wanted to make money on his name. He is a lawyer and has written some very good stuff on important legal subjects. "
— Gail, 1/1/2011 -
" Considering it's a Richard North Patterson book, it was pretty good. entertaining anyway. Listened to it in the car. Perfect for that. "
— Jglhome, 12/28/2010 -
" Not a typical RNP book, but it is a good read. I enjoyed the story. "
— Season, 11/3/2010 -
" Good audio read. The convicted is innocent, the obvious guilty party is innocent, but the only other suspect seemed so improbably innocent. Good read. "
— Ruth, 10/28/2010 -
" Very predictable outcome. I like Richard North Patterson but this one took a long time to get to the end, maybe because I was sure I had figured it out, and I had. "
— Debbie, 10/18/2010
About Richard North Patterson
Richard North Patterson is the New York Times bestselling author of The Devil’s Light, In the Name of Honor, The Spire, and a number of other bestselling and critically acclaimed novels. Formerly a trial lawyer, he was the SEC’s liaison to the Watergate special prosecutor and has served on the boards of several Washington advocacy groups. Patterson has appeared on such programs as the Today show, Good Morning America, Hardball with Chris Matthews, and Buchanan and Press.
About Holter Graham
Holter Graham, winner of three of AudioFile magazine’s Best Voice of the Year awards, is a stage, television, and screen actor. He has recorded numerous audiobooks and earned multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards. As an actor, his film credits include Fly Away Home, Maximum Overdrive, Hairspray, and The Diversion, a short film which he acted in and produced. On television, he has appeared in Army Wives, Damages, As the World Turns, Rescue Me, Law & Order, and New York Undercover. He received a BA degree from Skidmore College and an MFA from Vermont College.