Suspect

By: Robert Crais

Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews

Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Thriller/Suspense, 2014

For 25 years, Robert Crais has written extraordinary novels of crime and suspense. He is "a master of crime fiction" (Associated Press); "his novels get better with every new book" (Portland Oregonian); "Crais is hands-down the world’s greatest crime writer" (The Huffington Post).

But in Suspect, he may have written his most remarkable novel of all.

LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well, not since a shocking nighttime assault by unidentified men killed his partner, Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left him enraged, ashamed, and ready to explode. He is unfit for duty - until he meets his new partner.

Maggie is not doing so well, either. The German shepherd survived three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan sniffing explosives before she lost her handler to an IED and sniper attack, and her PTSD is as bad as Scott’s.

They are each other’s last chance. He was a young cop on the rise; she was bred to guard and protect. Now they are shunned and shunted to the side. They are suspect. And together they will set out to investigate the one case that no one wants them to touch: the identity of the men who murdered Stephanie.

Nine months and sixteen days later, they remained free. They were still out there.

What they begin to find is nothing like what Scott has been told, and where it will lead them will take them both through the darkest moments of their own personal hells. Whether they will make it out again, no one can say.

Thrilling, emotional, intense, with some of the best characters and well-crafted writing in all of crime fiction, Suspect is further proof that "Crais just keeps getting better" (Publishers Weekly).

©2013 Robert Crais (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Outstanding!

This is the second time I have listened to this book in two months. It was just as good the second time around. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!

enjoyed

it was a good story. it started out sadly. the story moved along quickly. i enjoyed hearing the dogs thoughts. concluded nicely

Love GSDs

What did you love best about Suspect?

I have had german shepherds for 20 years, and my last one was named Maggie like the one in the story. What I really liked best about the story was Maggie and how she was retrained.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

No it was not really the plot that kept my interest and after listening to the entire book I would go back and listen to the sections that only included Maggie.

great story

at first I was not certain if I would like the book but the further I listened l was hooked. this is a wonderful story between a police officer suffering pstd and a war dog suffering the same condition...how they bonded to protect. each other...... really enjoyed the ending after they had both been severely wounded yet again. if you like animal stories, I believe you will like this story!

Great book!

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

At the very top. It's so good that I am worried that most other books will be a letdown.

What did you like best about this story?

The story being in great part done from Maggie's (K-9) point of view.

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

Superb delivery

Any additional comments?

Anyone that has any liking to dogs and/or military or police should definitely read this book

Great Story, Great Performance

Definitely in my top 10. Great detective story. Any dog lover will absolutely love this book.

Enjoyable read

What did you love best about Suspect?

The interaction between the main character and Maggie the dog kept the book interesting. When you add the suspense of the plot to the relationship of the man and dog you have a great read.

What other book might you compare Suspect to and why?

I can't think of any books that I have read that are similar to the path taken by the author of this book.

Have you listened to any of MacLeod Andrews’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

N/A

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

One of the best moments in the book is during the climax near the end when you see how much of a "pack" the handler and dog have grown to become.

Any additional comments?

If you are looking for a good read that will leave you wanting "Book 2" I would recommend Suspect.

Great Book

Scott James was injured in a shootout that left his partner dead. He carries pain from his injuries and guilt for not being able to save his partner. He also carries frustration and anger that the killers were never apprehended.

Maggie, a former military war dog, was injured in Afghanistan. She too carries pain from her injuries as well as emotional scars from the trauma she experienced.

The two are brought together when Officer James enters the K9 department and meets Maggie.

Maggie’s thought process was presented in such a way that the author doesn’t appear to be “humanizing” her. Her thoughts are instinctive and simple, which is how I imagine dogs really do think. I felt that Robert Crais did an amazing job of writing a suspenseful crime mystery and a heartwarming dog story at the same time. I appreciated the insight of how working dogs are trained. Crais did not try to play on the emotions of his readers and did not make this a sappy, lump-in-your-throat type book. It was action packed and a hard book to put down. I loved this book and highly recommend it.

Great story with a matching performance.

Would you consider the audio edition of Suspect to be better than the print version?

The audio was a great putting together a wonderful story. Especially because reading leaves much of the details to ones imagination. The performance was a wonderful enhancement.

What did you like best about this story?

Moving from the mind of Scott to Maggie's mind.

Which character – as performed by MacLeod Andrews – was your favorite?

Hard to say Maggie was new and enlightening.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The reunion at the end of the book.

Any additional comments?

Great read.

New Characters Are Great

What made the experience of listening to Suspect the most enjoyable?

This was one of my favorite books from Robert Crais. It was truly suspenseful and I found myself sneaking a listen to just one more chapter. Maggie is perhaps my new favorite crime fighter. The narrative from Maggie's perspective was really innovative without being presumptuous.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I really didn't have a favorite chapter, as soon as one ended I felt compelled to listen to the next.

What about MacLeod Andrews’s performance did you like?

Andrews's ability to move seamlessly over a diverse group of characters was impressive.