The Death Wish Game

By: Jonathan Chateau

Narrated by: Aaron Shedlock

Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

A one-way trip to Florida offers Rodney Corso the chance at a fresh start from his dead-end life in South Carolina. Newly divorced, broke, and unemployed, a bus ticket gifted to him by his sister could not have come at a better time.

However, this bus would never reach its final destination.

Sometime during the 10-hour trek to Miami, both he and the rest of the passengers awaken to find themselves duct-taped to their seats and stranded in the middle of nowhere in the black of night. Their captor soon reveals himself, informing them that they are participants in a game of survival.

"The rules are simple," he tells them. "Follow the flares to reach the safe zone. Make it there, and you get to live. Stay here...and they will come tear you apart."

Chaos ensues, and the passengers are picked off one-by-one - slaughtered in their very seats by an unseen threat.

Who is running this game? What awaits them out there in the darkness? And will these flares lead them to freedom or straight into a trap?

If Rodney and the others want to live long enough to find out, they will have no choice but to confront the dark secret that has brought them here and face a nightmare unlike anything they have ever experienced before.

©2017 Jonathan Chateau (P)2017 Jonathan Chateau

Great horror story!

Great Horror Suspense! I must admit, I don't listen to horror stories anymore. I wanted to listen to this audiobook because of the narrator, Aaron Shedlock.

This horror story is fast-paced, intriguing, suspenseful, scaring, with some paranormal side and twists and turns. There are also some creepy sarcastic scenes. This book has it all! I'm always impressed by the strength to survive, even more when it comes to someone who was wanting to end his life.

The story is well written, the storyline is well built and absolutely breath taken. I like Rodney and Kylie, of course, but all characters are really interesting and they bring so much intensity in this story. Jonathan Chateau and Aaron Shedlock took me on this ride and I must say that I wasn't always willing to known what will happened next!

The performance of Aaron Shedlock is brilliant and magnificent! He brings this story to life and keeps us on the edge until the end. Bravo!

I received this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

A bit short, but enjoyable book

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I quite enjoyed this one. It was an intense, supernatural ride. I loved the gritty voice of the narrator and thought he did a great job of bringing the characters to life. I'd definitely be open to more from this duo.

Pretty good story bogged minus the padding

I've listened to short stories by Jonathan Chateau as well as a full novel (Faith Against the Wolves) and mostly enjoyed them. The Death Wish Game feels like it's stuck between the two -- that is, that it's really a long short story that got further elongated into a novel.

The premise is pretty straightfoward (and is summarized in the book's description -- no surprises there), what adds the "meat and potatoes" to it all is the action and mystery behind it all. When I first started the book, I was hooked and listening as much as I could in any given sitting. There's some backstory, but the ball gets rolling fairly quickly. Before you know it, our protagonist is in the game.

During the first couple hours I was hooked into trying to figure out what was going on and listening hard for clues. Is the game real? Are his fellow participants actors? By about hour 3-3.5 though, I started to feel that distant dread that a book may spoil itself by dragging on too long.

There are several times during the story where our protagonists narrowly escape danger, go on the run only to be thrown right back into danger, nearly die and be miraculously saved once again. There were also a few points where you felt the book could have ended (had the author not had the final resolution in mind -- which did work well btw). Adding that to the fact that the primary antagonist shifted quite a few times (you thought HE was the bad guy? Oh no, now HE is! Oh wait, nope, now HE IS!), I really began to feel the book was being padded out for length.

If we ignore the padding however, we have a solid story. There's action, intrigue and some emotional scenes that really put you in the moment. Characters are pretty well developed, and the plot came full circle in the end. While I felt the ending did resolve most plot points, I still walked away feeling there was much that could have been left out. I give the story 3.75 stars mainly due to this.

The narrator did an excellent job not only bringing the characters to life (he REALLY made me hate one of them, kudos), but also keeping the momentum going throughout. Would happily listen to another reading by Aaron Shedlock.

This book was gifted to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

is a fast ride!

First I have to say that the narration was awesome! This is the 3rd book I have heard from Jonathan Chateau and he has nailed it every time!

The was very fast paced, right from the start.
This is thriller it is full of action, good characters and a bus ride from hell.
It has a ton of twists and turns. It always shows a few how great life really is!
I would recommend this book.


I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. -THANK YOU

Fantastic novel!

Once again Jonathan Chateau has surprised me as a reader. The thrilling story is a fast paced ride from beginning to end leaving you wanting to know what happens next. The voice acting of Aaron Shedlock is wonderful as he slightly switches voices for the characters. I cannot wait for the next book!

Fast paced ride, bob and weave, duck and run!

This was a supernatural story of ancient vengeance and modern day survival. It grabbed me from the very beginning. It wasn't anything that came to mind when I thought supernatural. However, the whole background on the supernatural aspect had me wanting to know more about these people and the vengeance they sought.

The narration on this was great! This was fast paced and the mood was fearful. With his narration, Aaron made you feel the energy and fear, the desire to survive, angst, and anxiety. And, through it all, somehow there was a blossoming attraction between characters. Aaron is fairly new to me, but is fast becoming another of my favorite narrators. He delivers a stellar performance. J

Gripping

"The Death Wish Game" (2017) by Jonathan Chateau is a very unique horror novel about an interstate bus ride that turns deadly. Down on his luck passenger Rodney Corso and a group of similar passengers are diverted from their trip and become prey to a supernatural force of hunters avenging the slaughter of their people hundreds of years earlier. The story bogs down just a bit as it reaches its conclusion but is generally gripping. Strongly recommended.

Edge of your seat thrill ride

Jonathan Chateau has done it again this time with a thrilling book. I loved Nightmares in Analog but disliked Faith Against the Wolves. I'm really glad I gave Jonathan Chateau another chance. This particular story had the same amount of suspense as his earlier works. I cared about the characters this time and the story never dulled. If you are looking for a good book and a great narrator, Aaron Shedlock does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life. Specially the villains. "I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom."

❤️

Ah this is just what I needed for my commute. Non stop action. The way the whole thing played out was a bit like a campy horror, but it worked well for the story. Loved it. The narrator did an awesome job. Loved the performance.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

Karma inspired horror thriller.

Here we have an odd yet interesting horror thriller. A bus load of people are taking a fairly normal road trip to Florida. They wake up gagged and duct-taped to their seats. The bus driver wakes everyone, tells them to expect company very soon, and abruptly leaves. It is evening and they are in the middle of nowhere. Within minutes arrows begin coming through the windows planting themselves in riders’ chests. Our protagonist Rodney must get out of here and head towards safety, wherever that is. Is this a sick game? Who is behind this and why are all these people here? Throughout the following tale we’ll find out what these riders have in common and who or what is behind the killing. The plot gets a bit involved as we delve deeper, but it’s an interesting trip. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.