Birds of Prey: The Harlan Coben Challenge

By: Kelley Armstrong, Ace Atkins, C.J. Box, Allison Brennan, S.A. Cosby, Robert Dugoni, Tess Gerritsen, Heather Graham, Gregg Hurwitz, Kathy Reichs, Hank Phillippi Ryan

Narrated by: full cast

The world’s greatest thriller writers prove they’re up to a unique challenge in this action-packed, audio-original collection.

It all started with a simple, yet sneakily difficult challenge from global best-selling author Harlan Coben: Pick a bird of prey, then use it as the inspiration for a brand-new story.

The response from some of the best writers on the planet: Game on!

The result: Eleven stories that are twisty, scary, surprising and bursting with imagination. An egg worth more than its weight in gold. A mysterious operative known only as Owl. An eagle-watcher who sees more than she should. Even a story that somehow places the Maltese Falcon in a nursing home.

Birds of Prey: The Harlan Coben Challenge is a highly bingeable audiobook that’s a treat for thriller fans.

Introduced by Harlan Coben, Birds of Prey features these stories:

• “The Coffin Bearer” by Tess Gerritsen
• “Precious Cargo” by C.J. Box
• “Owl” by Kathy Reichs
• “Kudzu” by Ace Atkins
• “Predator or Prey?” by Heather Graham
• “Silent as a Shadow” by S.A. Cosby
• “Jail Birds” by Hank Phillippi Ryan
• “The Falcon” by Robert Dugoni
• “Watchers” by Allison Brennan
• “Red of Beak and Claw” by Gregg Hurwitz
• “Hawkshaw Hunting” by Kelley Armstrong

Birds of Prey: The Harlan Coben Challenge was created with International Thriller Writers (ITW). C.J. Box served as project editor.

©2022 International Thriller Writers, Inc., and authors (P)2022 Audible Originals, LLC.

Worth a listen!

* “The Coffin Bearer” by Tess Gerritsen  5.0
* “Precious Cargo” by C.J. Box  4.0
* “Owl” by Kathy Reichs (Terrible reader, weak story) 1.5
* “Kudzu” by Ace Atkins  3.5
* “Predator or Prey?” by Heather Graham  4.5
* “Silent as a Shadow” by S.A. Cosby  3.0
* “Jail Birds” by Hank Phillippi Ryan  5.0
* “The Falcon” by Robert Dugoni  4.0
* “Watchers” by Allison Brennan  4.0
* “Red of Beak and Claw” by Gregg Hurwitz  (Brilliant Story!) 5.0
* “Hawkshaw Hunting” by Kelley Armstrong 4.5

Uneven

What could have been omitted from this book: the silly introduction, the sound effects between stories, and several of the stories themselves., Including the campily predictable Predator or Prey. Standouts include Kudzu, Watchers, and my favorite, Red of Beak and Claw. Not sure these three stories warrant a full credit, but maybe. They were quite enjoyable.

Loved it!

This book was amazing! It’s made me want to look into some of these authors. Thank you!

Excellent!

I love all these authors and I love birds, so couldn’t wait to read this! It was excellent and entertaining. It’s kind of fun to read short stories again. Highly recommend. The vampire one really makes you think! Guilty, but not all the way.

I expected to enjoy this…

…but I didn’t. They all seemed to lack cohesive editing, & none of the stories captivated me at all. I didn’t feel any real emotion towards the characters but I kept listening, hoping for one of the stories to make me care, but it never happened. I’m just glad it’s over. The narration was better than the writing every time. I will not try one of these “challenges” again. 😕