Helpless

By: Daniel Palmer

Narrated by: Phil Gigante

Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Nine years after he left Shilo, New Hampshire, former Navy SEAL Tom Hawkins has moved back. It’s not an auspicious homecoming. Tom has returned to raise his teenage daughter, Jill, following the murder of his ex-wife, Kelly. Despite Tom’s efforts to stay close to Jill by coaching her high school soccer team, Kelly’s bitterness fractured their relationship. But together, they are on the mend, and life in Shilo is starting to shape up into something approaching normal. Normal doesn’t last long. Shilo’s police sergeant makes it clear that Tom is his chief suspect in Kelly’s death. In the days that follow, an anonymous blog post alleges that Coach Hawkins is sleeping with one of his players, Internet rumors escalate, and incriminating evidence surfaces on Tom’s own computer and cell phone. Soon the FBI and police are investigating Tom for what appears to be a very disturbing and unprecedented series of crimes. Someone is out to frame Tom - someone capable of destroying everything he loves without laying a finger on him. As he races to prove his innocence, he must unravel a tangle of lies about his family, the friends and colleagues he thought he knew, and about his past. For deep amid the secrets he’s been keeping - from a troubled tour of duty to the reason for his ex-wife’s death - is the truth that someone will gladly kill to protect....

©2012 Daniel Palmer (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Compelling, captivating

What did you love best about Helpless?

Good plot and storyline. Characters are well developed. Storyline is easy to follow.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Helpless?

When one of the main characters was murdered, something I did not see coming.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Phil Gigante?

Maybe not. The narration would have been much better if Phil Gigante did not read the female parts in a falsetto voice. It made all the female characters seem like transvestites. It was a little comical and more than annoying. However, he did have good infliction of drama when drama was needed and urgency when urgency was needed.

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

Initially no. It started off too slowly as the multiple characters were introduced. But halfway through it started to become very addicting.

Any additional comments?

This was my first experience with an audio book. I chose this author because he is a resident of New Hampshire as am I. But I will read his novels again. He is a very compelling writer and, because of the setting of the novel, I had great a visual concept of the events. There were some large holes in the storyline but I think some of that was intentional as though to draw your attention to other possible conclusions.

A real eye opener about the power of computer tech

If you could sum up Helpless in three words, what would they be?

Exciting, believable, well-written

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

Excellent narration, really added believability to the story.

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

Too many to mention

Any additional comments?

Would not have read this simply because I didn't like the title, but heard Palmer talk at a workshop on cyber crime at the Tucson Festival of Books and I was intrigued. I am so glad I got the audiobook and listened to it. It is a great "read".

Great Book

I just discovered this author and i love these bppks, I just downloaded my 3rd. Spoiler*** to the author, please tell me you don't always kill off one good character that we are drawn to in every book== PLEASE