The Plinko Bounce

By: Martin Clark

Narrated by: David Aaron Baker, Morgan Hallett

Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

A New York Times Book Review Best Thriller of 2023!

For seventeen years, small-town public defender Andy Hughes has been underpaid to look after the poor, the addicted, and the unfortunate souls who constantly cycle through the courts, charged with petty crimes. Then, in the summer of 2020, he’s assigned to a grotesque murder case that brings national media focus to rural Patrick County, Virginia—Alicia Benson, the wife of a wealthy businessman, is murdered in her home. The accused killer, Damian Bullins, is a cunning felon with a long history of violence, and he confesses to the police. He even admits his guilt to Andy. But a simple typographical error and a shocking discovery begin to complicate the state’s case, making it possible Bullins might escape punishment. Duty-bound to give his client a thorough defense, Andy—despite his misgivings—agrees to fight for a not-guilty verdict, a decision that will ultimately force him to make profound, life-and-death choices, both inside and outside the courtroom.

With its unforgettable characters, insider’s blueprint of the justice system, intricate plotting, and provocative, no-holds-barred ending, The Plinko Bounce demonstrates once again why Martin Clark has been called “the thinking man’s John Grisham” by The New York Times and praised as “hands down, our finest legal-thriller writer” by Entertainment Weekly.

©2023 Martin Clark (P)2023 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"David Aaron Baker shines as the weary and beleaguered attorney Andy Hughes.... Baker's performance enables listeners to empathize with Hughes's disillusioned view of the legal system. Morgan Hallett's talents shine in her portrayals of the story's female characters, especially Hughes's colleague and love interest. Overall, listeners will appreciate the deliberate pacing of the dual narration." (AudioFile)

Covid

Beware of the covid references. It’s easy to determine that the author is a progressive who has an agenda written within the story. This will be the last book I will read. So sad that he succumbed to Trump Derangement Syndrome.

Great legal thriller

One of the best legal thrillers I have read in a while. Love a good twist too!

Waited for something

Very well written so that I stayed engaged, just kinda wish more happened. It felt like it was building up to something that never came

hard to stop..

..listening! Clark is a master of character development as you can't help just root for Andy and against Damien. Only negative was the female voices were hard to distinguish among the 4-5 female characters.

Story turns

The characters were realistic! Mostly good people and those who continually frustrate them with their evil and soulless actions. No evil and mean bosses around the corner nor duplicitous friends. The story was a complicated legal mash of errors and omissions. It was interesting and enjoyable with great narration.

Good Book

I found myself looking forward to each listen. The book was unique and the main character was quite likeable. It's scary to see how things can actually go wrong in our court system. The narrator was extremely good except for his female voices which pretty much all sounded the same. The male voices were great.

Compelling read

Bit of a slow start, but worth the going. I didn’t mind the women narrators as much as other people seemed to. I got used to it very quickly.

Legal twists and just desserts

I liked the character development and I liked the narrator. There were a couple of legal hiccoughs, that seemed very realistic. The main character was very likable and I found myself pulling for him throughout the story. Best of all, the ending was great! I'm glad I chose this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a legal thriller with a happy ending.

Slow story with unlikeable characters

I got this book because I've read books that I loved by Martin Clark.
This one was OK, I did finish the story, but it's very forgettable. It started off very slow, and the narrator has a very slow drawl and low-key delivery that made it harder to get into. The story did pick up pace towards the middle.
None of the characters is likeable. The main character, Andy, is a defense attorney with a client who is a drug addict and all-around scum, but Andy treats him so disrespectfully it's like he's trying to pick a fight with every conversation. I feel an attorney gets paid to do a job and should be professional regardless of his personal feelings. His behavior gets worse throughout the book until he becomes a complete hypocrite. Andy's 8-year old son is very obnoxious, and the inclusion of his dog in every scene (what the dog was doing, what he ate, where he slept on their vacation) was downright weird. OK, we get it...he has a dog.
I did find the story interesting and smart, with some interesting perspective about abuse of the legal system for personal or professional gain.

Interesting story

A great story to illuminate how crazy our criminal justice system is. The narrator was perfect for this story. I look forward to listening to more books by this author.