Listen free for 30 days
-
California Bear
- A Novel
- Narrated by: James Urbaniak, Jesse Vilinsky, Duane Swierczynski
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $28.27
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's Summary
This "fresh, exciting, and brilliantly unpredictable" thriller (James Patterson) from a "great storyteller" (Michael Connelly) follows four unlikely vigilantes who pit themselves against the villain behind California’s coldest case when they decide to take justice into their own hands.
NONE OF YOU ARE SAFE
“KILLER”: Jack Queen has been exonerated and freed from prison thanks to retired LAPD officer Cato Hightower. But when guilt gnaws at Jack, he admits: “I actually did it.” To which Hightower responds: “Yeah, no kidding.” You see, the ex-cop has a special job in mind for the ex-con…
THE GIRL DETECTIVE: Fifteen-year-old Matilda Finnerty has been handed a potential death sentence in the form of a leukemia diagnosis. But that’s not going to stop her from tackling the most important mystery of her life: Is her father guilty of murder?
GENE JEANIE: Jeanie Hightower mends family trees for a living, but the genealogist is unable to repair her own marriage. And her soon-to-be ex may have entangled her in a scheme that has drawn the bloody wrath of…
THE BEAR: A prolific serial killer who disappeared forty years ago, who is only now emerging from hibernation when the conditions are just right. And this time, the California Bear is not content to hunt in the shadows…
From two-time Edgar nominee Duane Swierczynski, California Bear is clever, moving, and surprising as it takes aim at the true crime industry, Hollywood, justice, and the killers inside us all.
You may also enjoy...
-
The Package
- Written by: Sebastian Fitzek
- Narrated by: Ari Fliakos
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emma is the one that got away. The only survivor of a serial killer known in the tabloids as “The Hairdresser”, because of the trophies he takes from his victims. The police aren't convinced. Nor is her husband. She never actually saw her tormentor properly, but now she recognizes him in every man she sees. Haunted by the horrifying incident and unwanted notoriety, Emma gives up her job as a psychiatrist and retreats from the outside world to recuperate at home, where it’s quiet. Where she can be anonymous and safe. Where no one can hurt her.
-
-
It was ok
- By Michelle on 2024-07-28
Written by: Sebastian Fitzek
-
The Stranger in Her House
- Written by: John Marrs
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden, Soneela Nankani, Steve West
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paul’s just here to help, or so he claims—sent by a charity for vulnerable people to do odd jobs for elderly widow Gwen. But for Gwen’s daughter Connie, there’s just something about Paul that rings alarm bells from day one. He’s a little too kind, a little too involved…Worse still, Gwen seems to have fallen under his spell.
-
-
Many twists, but…
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-04-29
Written by: John Marrs
-
The Unquiet Bones
- A Novel
- Written by: Loreth Anne White
- Narrated by: Carly Robins
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When human bones are found beneath an old chapel in the woods, evidence suggests the remains could be linked to the decades-old case of missing teen Annalise Jansen. Homicide detective Jane Munro—pregnant and acutely attuned to the preciousness of life—hopes the grim discovery will finally bring closure to the girl’s family. But for a group of Annalise’s old friends, once dubbed the Shoreview Six by the media, it threatens to expose a terrible pledge made on an autumn night forty-seven years ago.
-
-
Good for the Genre
- By Anonymous User on 2024-07-25
Written by: Loreth Anne White
-
Defending Innocence
- A Legal Thriller Filled with Gripping Courtroom Drama (Small Town Lawyer, Book 1)
- Written by: Peter Kirkland
- Narrated by: J J Hosenfeld
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Defense attorney Leland Monroe lost it all: his big-city job, his reputation, and, worst of all, his loving wife. Now he’s back in his hometown to hit restart and repair the relationship with his troubled son. But the past is always present in a small town. Leland returns to find his high school sweetheart hasn’t had the easiest of lives - especially now that her son faces a death sentence for murdering his father.
-
-
What’s Wrong? Everything
- By Chatam Sound on 2024-02-08
Written by: Peter Kirkland
-
The Cove
- FBI Thriller #1
- Written by: Catherine Coulter
- Narrated by: Sandra Burr
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Cove is a quaint little postcard town made up only of old folk who sell the World's Greatest Ice Cream - a secret recipe that brings lots of tourists into town.
Into The Cove comes Sally Brainerd, daughter of murdered Amory St. John, of Washington, D.C., seeking sanctuary, and FBI Special Agent James Quinlan, who's undercover and after her. He's got a murder to solve, and he believes she's the key. But is she really?
-
-
amateurish writing
- By Karen on 2024-07-26
Written by: Catherine Coulter
-
The Wife You Know
- Written by: Chad Zunker
- Narrated by: Thor Knai, Helen Laser
- Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Widower Luke Driskell didn’t expect to fall in love and marry again so quickly. But Ashley and her daughter, Joy, are special—a quality borne out when Ashley rushes into a burning day-care center to save the children. Immediately she’s a social media sensation and hero. Then, just as suddenly, Ashley and Joy disappear into the bitterly cold night. With no trace of their whereabouts, Luke begins a panicked investigation. Alarmingly, he can find no proof that the woman he loves even exists. Left behind: just a hidden stash of fake IDs. Different names. Different cities. Same haunted face.
-
-
Would not recommend
- By Private on 2024-09-11
Written by: Chad Zunker
-
The Package
- Written by: Sebastian Fitzek
- Narrated by: Ari Fliakos
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emma is the one that got away. The only survivor of a serial killer known in the tabloids as “The Hairdresser”, because of the trophies he takes from his victims. The police aren't convinced. Nor is her husband. She never actually saw her tormentor properly, but now she recognizes him in every man she sees. Haunted by the horrifying incident and unwanted notoriety, Emma gives up her job as a psychiatrist and retreats from the outside world to recuperate at home, where it’s quiet. Where she can be anonymous and safe. Where no one can hurt her.
-
-
It was ok
- By Michelle on 2024-07-28
Written by: Sebastian Fitzek
-
The Stranger in Her House
- Written by: John Marrs
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden, Soneela Nankani, Steve West
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paul’s just here to help, or so he claims—sent by a charity for vulnerable people to do odd jobs for elderly widow Gwen. But for Gwen’s daughter Connie, there’s just something about Paul that rings alarm bells from day one. He’s a little too kind, a little too involved…Worse still, Gwen seems to have fallen under his spell.
-
-
Many twists, but…
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-04-29
Written by: John Marrs
-
The Unquiet Bones
- A Novel
- Written by: Loreth Anne White
- Narrated by: Carly Robins
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When human bones are found beneath an old chapel in the woods, evidence suggests the remains could be linked to the decades-old case of missing teen Annalise Jansen. Homicide detective Jane Munro—pregnant and acutely attuned to the preciousness of life—hopes the grim discovery will finally bring closure to the girl’s family. But for a group of Annalise’s old friends, once dubbed the Shoreview Six by the media, it threatens to expose a terrible pledge made on an autumn night forty-seven years ago.
-
-
Good for the Genre
- By Anonymous User on 2024-07-25
Written by: Loreth Anne White
-
Defending Innocence
- A Legal Thriller Filled with Gripping Courtroom Drama (Small Town Lawyer, Book 1)
- Written by: Peter Kirkland
- Narrated by: J J Hosenfeld
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Defense attorney Leland Monroe lost it all: his big-city job, his reputation, and, worst of all, his loving wife. Now he’s back in his hometown to hit restart and repair the relationship with his troubled son. But the past is always present in a small town. Leland returns to find his high school sweetheart hasn’t had the easiest of lives - especially now that her son faces a death sentence for murdering his father.
-
-
What’s Wrong? Everything
- By Chatam Sound on 2024-02-08
Written by: Peter Kirkland
-
The Cove
- FBI Thriller #1
- Written by: Catherine Coulter
- Narrated by: Sandra Burr
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Cove is a quaint little postcard town made up only of old folk who sell the World's Greatest Ice Cream - a secret recipe that brings lots of tourists into town.
Into The Cove comes Sally Brainerd, daughter of murdered Amory St. John, of Washington, D.C., seeking sanctuary, and FBI Special Agent James Quinlan, who's undercover and after her. He's got a murder to solve, and he believes she's the key. But is she really?
-
-
amateurish writing
- By Karen on 2024-07-26
Written by: Catherine Coulter
-
The Wife You Know
- Written by: Chad Zunker
- Narrated by: Thor Knai, Helen Laser
- Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Widower Luke Driskell didn’t expect to fall in love and marry again so quickly. But Ashley and her daughter, Joy, are special—a quality borne out when Ashley rushes into a burning day-care center to save the children. Immediately she’s a social media sensation and hero. Then, just as suddenly, Ashley and Joy disappear into the bitterly cold night. With no trace of their whereabouts, Luke begins a panicked investigation. Alarmingly, he can find no proof that the woman he loves even exists. Left behind: just a hidden stash of fake IDs. Different names. Different cities. Same haunted face.
-
-
Would not recommend
- By Private on 2024-09-11
Written by: Chad Zunker
-
What Happened to Nina?
- A Novel
- Written by: Dervla McTiernan
- Narrated by: Kristen Sieh, Stacey Glemboski, Lisa Flanagan, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nina and Simon are the perfect couple. Young, fun and deeply in love. Until they leave for a weekend at his family’s cabin in Vermont, and only Simon comes home.
-
-
Riveting
- By Kathy on 2024-05-19
Written by: Dervla McTiernan
-
Fragile Designs
- Written by: Colleen Coble
- Narrated by: Karen Peakes
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since her police-officer husband Eric’s mysterious murder, Carly Harris has been struggling to support herself and their infant son. Her career as an antique dealer isn’t sustainable, nor is her dream of becoming a novelist. So when her grandmother proposes she and her two sisters restore the family’s large Beaufort home and turn it into a bed-and-breakfast, she immediately gets to work clearing out the house. In the process, she uncovers a family secret that Eric kept hidden. And an heirloom that the wrong person wouldn’t hesitate to kill for.
-
-
4.5 stars - one of Coble’s best yet!
- By Parkland Mom on 2024-01-14
Written by: Colleen Coble
-
A Killing on the Hill
- A Thriller
- Written by: Robert Dugoni
- Narrated by: Robert Dugoni
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seattle, 1933. The city is in the grips of the Great Depression, Prohibition, and vice. Cutting his teeth on a small-time beat, hungry and ambitious young reporter William “Shoe” Shumacher gets a tip that could change his career. There’s been a murder at a social club on Profanity Hill—an underworld magnet for vice crimes only a privileged few can afford. The story is going to be front-page news, and Shoe is the first reporter on the scene.
-
-
A really great story based on true events
- By Veronika on 2024-08-07
Written by: Robert Dugoni
-
The Bird Hotel
- A Novel
- Written by: Joyce Maynard
- Narrated by: Joyce Maynard
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a childhood filled with heartbreak, Irene, a talented artist, finds herself in a small Central American village where she checks into a beautiful but decaying lakefront hotel called La Llorona at the base of a volcano.
-
-
Interesting Story
- By Adrienne B. on 2024-07-09
Written by: Joyce Maynard
-
The Lost Van Gogh
- A Novel
- Written by: Jonathan Santlofer
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For years, there have been whispers that, before his death, Van Gogh completed a final self-portrait. Curators and art historians have savored this rumor, hoping it could illuminate some of the troubled artist's many secrets, but even they have to concede that the missing painting is likely lost forever. But when Luke Perrone, artist and great-grandson of the man who stole the Mona Lisa, and Alexis Verde, daughter of a notorious art thief, discover what may be the missing portrait, they are drawn into a most epic art puzzles.
Written by: Jonathan Santlofer
-
The Ascent
- Written by: Adam Plantinga
- Narrated by: Charles Halford, Christine Lakin
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kurt Argento, an ex-Detroit street cop who can’t let injustice go—and who has the fighting skills to back up his idealism. If he sees a young girl being dragged into an alley, he's going to rescue her and cause some damage. When he does just that in a small corrupt Missouri town, he’s brutally beaten and thrown into a maximum-security prison. Julie Wakefield, a grad student who happens to be the governor's daughter, is about to take a tour of the prison. But when a malfunction in the security system releases a horde of prisoners, a fierce struggle for survival ensues.
-
-
non stop action. reminiscent of the Reacher series
- By Chad Ridsdale on 2024-08-27
Written by: Adam Plantinga
-
Mother Howl
- Written by: Craig Clevenger
- Narrated by: Greg Lockett
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sixteen-year-old Lyle Edison recognizes the face of a murder victim on the nightly news–the waitress at his local diner. A place he often frequented with his dad. The following day, his father is arrested and charged with her murder. And then, eight further bodies are discovered.
Written by: Craig Clevenger
-
The Almost Widow
- A Novel
- Written by: Gail Anderson-Dargatz
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Someone is watching Piper, and she thinks she knows who it is: the bushman. But there’s more than one danger lurking in this temperate rainforest. Poachers are taking down old growth trees and jeopardizing plans for a park, a project Piper is passionate about. When she pressures her husband, Ben, a natural resources officer, to identify the culprits, he takes his drone into the wilderness to track them down. And then, just as a snowstorm hits, he goes missing.
-
-
So many reasons why this is simply bad
- By LoveMyBOOKS on 2024-10-01
Written by: Gail Anderson-Dargatz
-
The Bloomin' Psychic Boxed Set: Books 1-3
- Written by: Annabel Chase
- Narrated by: Meghan Kelly
- Length: 19 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Bloomin' Psychic Boxed Set includes the first three books in the series: Petal to the Metal, Life's a Birch, and Drive Me Daisy.
-
-
A great listen
- By Karen Smith on 2022-02-01
Written by: Annabel Chase
-
Gray After Dark
- Written by: Noelle West Ihli
- Narrated by: Megan Tusing, Will Damron
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miley's plans take a terrifying detour when she's abducted during a morning run. Held captive in a desolate off-grid cabin, she'll have to use her athletic prowess, cunning mind, and courage to survive. As the nightmare at the cabin escalates, Miley is forced to form an unlikely alliance and attempt a risky escape.
-
-
Started a bit slow but soon couldn’t stop
- By Andrew Goetz on 2024-06-21
Written by: Noelle West Ihli
-
The Buried Hours
- A Novel
- Written by: R.S. Grant
- Narrated by: Kathleen Early, Tim Lounibos, Thor Knai
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Investigative crime journalist Signe Gates’s life became a nightmare the day she was kidnapped and drugged. After forty-eight missing hours, she woke to a blur of unsettling memories and a warning from her unknown abductors: tell anyone what happened and they’ll die. They’ve already proved they will deliver on that threat. For two years, Signe has been haunted by what she knows she did and terrified of what else could be buried in her memories.
-
-
intresting story tied down by odd dialog
- By James Murtagh on 2024-06-02
Written by: R.S. Grant
-
Anything for a Friend
- A Novel
- Written by: Kathleen M. Willett
- Narrated by: Maria Marquis
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Writer Carrie Colts hopes a move to Montauk will be a rejuvenating change of pace for her family. The last thing she expects to see is her former college roommate on her doorstep. Newly widowed, and with a daughter of her own, Maya would love to reconnect. As a gesture to an old friend in mourning, Carrie extends an invitation to stay. Just for a few days. After all, there are reasons that Carrie and Maya are estranged.
-
-
Good listen
- By Pamela Jane on 2024-10-10
Written by: Kathleen M. Willett
What the critics say
“Duane Swierczynski has written his best novel, and that’s saying something. From the tragi-comic opening sentence to the heartrending final paragraph, California Bear is fresh, exciting, and brilliantly unpredictable. The Girl Detective will live in my heart forever.”—James Patterson, New York Times bestselling author
"There's real truth at the core of California Bear, Duane Swierczynski's latest novel. And no, it's not some ripped-from-the-headlines true crime element. It's not even the crafty writing or the dead-on dialogue. It's heart. Plain and simple. This book was written straight from the heart, and I won't ever forget it."—Eli Cranor, author of Don't Know Tough and Ozark Dogs
"California Bear is a kick-ass serial killer thriller with heart. It's Veronica Mars meets Hannibal Lector, about a formidable girl-detective with a terrible sickness, her ex-con dad, and an elusive monster in crime-riddled Los Angeles. Swierczynski's written an utterly fresh take on LA noir."—Sarah Langan, author of Good Neighbors and A Better World
What listeners say about California Bear
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Madeleine
- 2024-06-20
Excellent writing and narration
Finally a well-written and narrated book. Very witty, dark humour. I loved everything about it and will read everything this author has written and will write. My favorite book this year.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- A.S.M.
- 2024-06-11
Brilliantly written.
Worth every penny! I love murder mysteries where there are different age groups and not so bright adults.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!