The Stranger

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The Stranger

Written by: Harlan Coben

Narrated by: George Newbern

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About this listen

#1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense Harlan Coben delivers his most shocking thriller yet, proving that a well-placed lie can help build a wonderful life—and a secret has the same explosive power to destroy it.

The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. His identity is unknown. His motives are unclear. His information is undeniable. Then he whispers a few words in your ear and disappears, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world.

Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to a beautiful woman, two wonderful sons, and all the trappings of the American Dream: a big house, a good job, a seemingly perfect life.

Then he runs into the Stranger. When he learns a devastating secret about his wife, Corinne, he confronts her, and the mirage of perfection disappears as if it never existed at all. Soon Adam finds himself tangled in something far darker than even Corinne’s deception, and realizes that if he doesn’t make exactly the right moves, the conspiracy he’s stumbled into will not only ruin lives—it will end them.

Harlan CobenGeorge NewbernBrilliance Audio

Crime Thrillers

Psychological

Suspense

Thriller

Thriller & Suspense

Fiction

Crime

Marriage

Crime Thrillers Psychological Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Fiction Crime Marriage

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The abridgement in this Harlan Coben offering is intriguing. Most often, the heavy editing interferes with the pacing.. making the story move too quickly. But in this case, the recording keeps obvious superfluous details - while still maintaining an impressive pace. It definitely makes me wonder what was left in and what was cut out.
The Pop-culture references are a little overdone, but Coben's vocabulary and prose are creditable, his signature hyper-realistic "guy-at-the-end-of-the-bar" dialogue is in evidence, his characters are interesting, the description is excellent, and the plotting is sinuous and full of provocative details and surprises. The book is entertaining.

The narration from George Newbern is quite capable.. but lets the story down somewhat. To be sure, his diction, timbre, voice-acting and tone are commendable (Brilliance Audio did well to get Newbern on this project). The quality of the recording is indisputable.
Unfortunately, Newbern reads with an odd stochastic cadence - pausing just a little too long between sentences (setting playback speed at 1.20X corrects for the deficiencies somewhat).

This is a very interesting Suspense-Thriller about duplicities and suspicions. Even with a slightly subpar performance, it rates 8.5 stars out of 10. If you can get it as a 'Plus' selection (included with your subscription), it's a no-brainer.. download it for sure. Even should they ask for a Credit, it wouldn't be crazy to spend it on this audiobook - ideal (at 5½ hours) for a long drive or a boring night shift.
Consider carefully, however. While the story is excellent, the abridgement may (or may not) make it worth your while - consider saving your money for a "full" effort.