Power Play

By: Joseph Finder

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

An off-site corporate event gone disastrously wrong. The largest ransom in history. The price-tag: dead or alive. Now, in Joseph Finder's explosive thriller Power Play, it's up to Jake Landry—a modest, steady guy with a dark, hidden past—to save them all...

It was the perfect retreat for a troubled company. No cell phones. No BlackBerrys. No cars. Just a deluxe lodge surrounded by thousands of miles of wilderness and a desolate seacoast.

Jake Landry is a junior executive at the Hammond Aerospace Corporation, a steady, modest, and taciturn guy with a gift for keeping his head down—and a turbulent past he prays he's put behind him. Ordered to fill in for his boss at the annual offsite, he's out of his element. He's uncomfortable with the lavish accommodations and especially with the arrogant, swaggering men who run the company and the only person he knows there is the new special assistant to the CEO—who happens to be Jake's ex.

Then a band of hunters, apparently lost in the woods, crash the opening-night festivities. Soon the execs of a billion-dollar company, cut off from the rest of the world, find themselves at the mercy of a group of men with guns...and a cunning plan to take Hammond Aerospace for all it's worth.

But the hostage takers aren't who they appear to be and neither is Jake Landry. The high flyers hadn't wanted Jake to come along. Now he's the only one who can save them.

©2007 Joseph Finder (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC

Critic reviews

"[This is Finder's] most entertaining and compelling novel of adventure and intrigue yet." (Boston Globe)

Entertaining but Cliche'

The dialogue is campy and cliche'. The story is a bit ridiculous, and I struggled at times, smacking my lips out loud, but if you look at it like a simple minded action/high-tension type entertainment movie, you'll enjoy it well enough.

I bordered on a 3 or 4-star rating and decided to round up.

Enjoyable and Quick Listen

Where does Power Play rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I enjoyed this book, it is fiction and well done, it kept me guessing and it was a fun ride!

What does Dennis Boutsikaris bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Dennis did a wonderful narration I enjoyed his reading and her was great being Jake!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes...

Any additional comments?

Just really had fun listening, kept my interest and was entertaining.

Allocate Plenty of Time

My first Finder book...wow, what a great story. I actually looked for places to drive so I could hear the next chapter...with gas at $3.00 a gallon, you know it kept my interest!!!!

4.5 stars!

Power Play is easily among Joseph Finder's best suspense thrillers. The publisher's summary provides just enough information to entice the potential listener without giving away the plot. Actor Dennis Boutsikaris does a wonderful job of narration.

Corporate Die Hard

I'm a big fan of Joseph Finder's previous work having stumbled across 'Paranoia' a while back and eagerly listened to all his books since then. While this latest work is definitely worth a listen, I think it is worth noting that Finder is slowly moving away from pure corporate drama towards more action based themes. This trend began with Company Man, continued through Killer Instinct and is definitely evindent in Power Play; the latter still being rooted in a corporate theme, but being mostly an action thriller along the lines of McGuyver or Die Hard. Great story, but more of a shoot-them-up than some may have hoped for based on earlier work, hence the 4/5 stars.

Great Book, Poor Narrator

I had to get the book because I only read the paperback versions (I like to carry them with me) and I am impatient. I am somewhat new to the audiobook idea and have listened to a handful of other books before this one. In my opinion, the narrator was a very poor choice as he made the main character sound pompous and cocky which while this may be the case in the Company Man series; I do not think Mr. Finder meant it here. He also represented the other characters very poorly, especially the women. I know that as a male reader, it can be difficult to represent a woman, but this narrator was particularly bad. The characters did not “come to life”; rather they ran together as this narrator made them all sound the same, with the exception of the women, which he did in a slightly higher voice. I will be sure to avoid other books he narrates. If Mr. Finder has any input in who narrates his books I do hope that he will consider another reader, such as Martin Jarvis who did a phenomenal job in Jeffery Archer’s “A Prison Diary.”

Power Play

The book was way too short. The story was good and different than most. Definitely worth the price. The narration was excellent. Finally, a narrator that measures up to Scott Brick.

WOW

Talk about a page turner! Can't put it down!

Say, are there anymore trite phrases to describe a great thriller?

If you like Finder, and I sure do, this might be his best yet although "Company Man" is still probably his classic for unexpected twists.

To my friends at Audible, please get more Finder.

Wow! Perfect!

There are a few elite writers that come out with terrific books every time. Nelson DeMille, Harlan Coben, David Baldacci, and the great Joseph Finder have never let me down yet. This title follows the formula of "ordinary joe, somewhat under-doggish, thrust into extraordinary situation", that is always wonderful escape-ism if it isn't too predictable. You are rooting for the hero Jake Landry right from jump street, and he's a great hero to root for throughout the book. My only complaint is the 8+ hour time was too short!! I was left wanting more, but hopefully Mr. Finder has another one coming down the pike soon enough.
Narrators really make the read, and Dennis Boutsikaris was note perfect here. Scott Brick would be proud! I highly recommend this title to anyone who loves the above mentioned writers, I buy at least six audiobooks a month, having three different accounts with Audible, and this has been the best book in a while. Namaste!

Not his best, but entertaining

I liked all of Finder's other books better, but this one still entertains. It starts a bit slow, but the action ramps up and his characterisations of corporate execs are spot on. If you like Finder's genre, you will like this one.