The Preacher: King of Diamonds

A Preacher Thriller, Book 3

By: Ted Thackrey

Narrated by: Shawn Compton

If you like Reacher, you'll love the Preacher.

Once he served God as a priest. Once he served his country as a soldier. Now, he serves fate...and his need for redemption...by roaming the country as a professional gambler known only as the Preacher. He brings his high-stakes game of death and justice to a California casino that’s the temple for a deadly cult led by a brilliant psychopath with horrific intentions.

This is the third and final audiobook in Ted Thackrey, Jr.’s epic, Edgar Award-nominated trilogy.

Praise for King of Diamonds:

"If this newest thriller featuring the enigmatic poker player and spiritual adept known as Preacher were a hand of five-card draw, it would be a royal flush, aces high. Thackrey (Aces and Eights) deals all the right cards in a fast-paced, streetwise story right out of the sordid headlines of the past two decades. He raises the ante by throwing in several mysterious characters whose loyalties cannot quite be trusted, along with a fiendishly clever psychopath who founds a satanic cult with a California casino as its temple. A generous helping of suspense, romance and adventure is interestingly spiked with Preacher's excursions into Eastern mysticism. And when Thackrey finally calls the cards, the result is a rip-snorting, cinematic finale that races like a speeding train. The book's last pages offer a graceful, low-key coda in which Thackrey subtly restores the moral order and suggests that personal integrity means something, even in a world gone mad with greed and brutality." (Publishers Weekly)

©2018 Ted Thackrey Jr. (P)2018 Brash Books LLC

Great listen but very, very, very disturbing

I didn't think there was ever a better book than the first book in this series. I gobbled it up in one day and felt cheated that I had to wait for the second book. When that one came it felt like Christmas!! I had not expected this third installment but could not wait to get my ears on it. Of all the books in this series, this was by far the most disturbing.

The preacher is still an enigmatic anti-hero with a sliding scale of morality. In this listen, he is faced with a nemesis with that same type of persona, only on steroids. There was some very uncomfortable doctrine and some seriously, (and I do mean seriously) disturbing religiousness going on. This book is not for the faint of heart.

Of all the books in the series, this is my least favorite. It's not a bad book. In fact, this is a fantastic listen. It was just very disturbing. I had to take several breaks during the listen.

The narration was stellar as always. The Preacher persona is special and the narrator makes him so real and personal.

I hope there is a book four!! The worst book in the Preacher series is still better than 90% of the books out there!!

Excellent Book 3!

This is a great third book. The Preacher is one of my favorite series and I have to say I was not the least bit disappointed in this book. The story brought out more information about the preacher, who I find to be a completely fascinating character. It's complex, intense and intriguing. I found myself immediately engrossed, not wanting to stop listening until the end. Mr. Compton is a wonderful narrator and brings so much to these books. He is perfect as the voice of The Preacher. So easy to listen to that I can actually see the story. I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

Dueling Preachers

In King of Diamonds, the 3rd book in the Preacher series, everyone's favorite one-eyed card shark just might have met his match. Though the book gets off to a bit of a slow start and has a bit of a slow build, the payoff is quite impressive. Responding to a dying friends wish, Preacher sets out to rescue his friend's sister from the clutches of an evil cultish 'holy man'. The story is quite disturbing, but also rings with truth in things we've seen in the past in the likes of Jim Jones/Heaven's Gate. Parts of the story are brutal and may make you squirm a bit, but it's a worthy addition to the series.

Shawn Compton does a great job with the narration, really embodying the voice/presence of the Preacher character.

I received a copy of this audio title for free in exchange for an unbiased review.

So Worth Your Time

I really enjoyed this. The narrator who has become a favorite gave an excellent performance and feel he'll help make this series a winner.
If you've heard the Reacher books or watched Justified you'll see similarities, but Preacher brings justice in his own way to those who deserve it. Even though this is part of a series, it could be a standalone.
There are references to different religious cultures, some thought provoking, but never overwhelming and flow into the story smoothly.
This audio was given to me free, and I voluntarily gave this review.

Preacher's vendetta against an evil preacher

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.

This is the third book in the Preacher series. This is a standalone book [no cliffhanger ending]. I have not read either of the prior books in the series and had no trouble following the story or understanding the character motivations.

Preacher is a former priest and Vietnam Vet. His friend is dying and asks Preacher to check on his sister Angela who has become involved with a cult-like evil preacher. When Preacher finds Angela, she has been completely devastated by the evil preacher and her daughter is with the evil preacher. Preacher decides to rescue the daughter and put an end to this evil preacher. For those who are sensitive, there are scenes related to sexual abuse and cult phenomena.

This is a really well written story. If you like books like the Jack Reacher series or revenge/vendetta type stories [somewhat reminds of the "man with no name" Clint Eastwood series of movies], then this is the type of book for you. I enjoyed the Preacher v. evil preacher dance which occurred in this book.

The narrator, Shawn Compton, did a terrific job and enhanced the written words.