Suspicion

By: Joseph Finder

Narrated by: Steven Kearney

Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

The new novel from New York Times bestselling author Joseph Finder, "the master of the modern thriller", about a father who is forced to make a choice with unspeakable consequences.

When single father Danny Goodman suddenly finds himself unable to afford the private school his teenage daughter adores, he has no one to turn to for financial support.

In what seems like a stroke of brilliant luck, Danny meets Thomas Galvin, the father of his daughter’s new best friend, who also happens to be one of the wealthiest men in Boston. Galvin is aware of Danny's situation and out of the blue offers a $50,000 loan to help Danny cover his daughter's tuition. Uncomfortable but desperate, Danny takes the money, promising to pay Galvin back.

What transpires is something Danny never imagined. The moment the money is wired into his account, the DEA comes knocking on his door. Danny's impossible choice: an indictment for accepting drug money that he can't afford to fight in court, or an unthinkably treacherous undercover assignment helping the government get close to his new family friend.

As Danny begins to lie to everyone in his life, including those he loves most in the world, he must decide once and for all who the real enemy is or risk losing everything - and everyone - that matters to him.

©2014 Joseph Finder (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A can't-miss thriller.... Suspicion is arguably Joseph Finder's best novel to date, and he's one of the best thriller writers in the business. He's a master at making the reader feel every emotion, jump at every shock and squirm with every twist that Danny must overcome." (Associated Press)

"[Suspicion] sets the suspense level to a pitch that will keep even the coolest readers sweating." (The Boston Globe)

"Lock yourself in a room with Suspicion and don’t come out until you’ve read every last word. Completely original, emotionally satisfying, expertly twisted, and genuinely entertaining. Suspicion is the thriller to read this year. I loved it." (Lisa Gardner)

phoning it in

I've liked Finder books in the past, but only finished this one to see if he could rescue it. It's a flimsy pretext with obvious reversals filtered through stock conflicts with the daughter and girlfriend. For the most part the scenes are barely sketched in, more like notes than a novel. In the second half Finder seems to be paying more attention to setting, but spends most of his time on a skiing scenario that reveals he evidently doesn't ski.

This sounds like an early attempt at a potboiler or something written in haste to fulfill a contract. A better narrator wouldn't have been able to salvage much more from the bad writing, but this narrator didn't do it any favors.

Suspicion

Would you listen to Suspicion again? Why?

No I would not listen to it again.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Danny Goodman

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

Great voice.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

If there's no one you can trust, suspicion overwhelms you.

Any additional comments?

I thought the story didn't hold together for a while but Joseph Finder masterfully put everything in place.

Edge of your seat

Great character development

Wonderful reference s around Boston.

True and current position s around town

Worth waiting for

Picturing the area easy.

Narrator is exceptional

Awesome Reas.

This is a book that I did not want to end. Totally enjoyed it.

Really really good!!

This is my 1st time listening/reading a book by this author. Kept me spell bound--I listened every chance I got! Great story and easy to listen to. I will definitely be getting more books by Joseph Finder!

entertaining

This was my second book by Joseph Find and it had been several years since the first. I was at a bookstore to hear author Greg Iles speak about his latest book and he mentioned that Finder is one of his favorite authors. This book had recently come out and was showing on audible so I decided it was fate and time for this second book. In reading some of the reviews, several were negative almost to the point of stopping me listening to it. But I persevered and am glad I did. Was it the greatest thriller ever written? No. Was it entertaining? Yes, it was. If you've ever thought to yourself, what if my life came into contact with a crime syndicate and they wanted my cooperation, it would change my life to the bad, no question. That's what happened in this book. I thought the author created an imaginative tale that kept me interested and wanting to know how it would all play out.

Best book by Finder

Gloria. I’ve read a lot of Joseph Finder’s books and this was the most suspenseful. Don’t pass it up.

good cross between Paranoia and Gold Coast

A prep school father borrows money for tuition for his child, and gets drawn into a world of crime and blackmail. The author Joseph Finder knows the Boston prep school world well, and captures it, which is one of the big pluses of the book. I cared about Danny, the protagonist, and his family. This thriller was filled with characters that were interesting and believable enough to keep my interest. Finder's "Paranoia" and DeMille's "Gold Coast" are two of my favorite thrillers. The 'regular guy getting drawn in to crime" is from Paranoia, and the 'regular guy befriending a charismatic criminal kingpin" is from Gold Coast. Both are played effectively in this impelling mystery/thriller. Had I not read either of those other two books, I right have rated this a 5 star novel, but I too often had that "been there" feeling while reading. It's been a few years since the author has written a novel. The wait was worth it, as I had gotten tired of the old formula. Suspicion was good enough for me to check out his next novel.

His best yet!!!

What did you love best about Suspicion?

The twists and turns

Any additional comments?

I LOVED this book! The story was nothing short of addicting. I found myself wanting to get in the car and go to work in the morning (usually I only want to go home from work LOL)! I loved the plot and it was so suspenseful and kept me guessing. Just when I thought I had it figured out - BOOM another twist. Paranoia was always my favorite book by him until now. This blew it away. If you are a Finder fan - hit buy. You will not be disappointed with this one!.

Don't Miss this one!

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

Yes, the narrator was great and read all the different characters well.

What did you like best about this story?

The plot was so unpredictable and the ending a complete surprise. But as a skier, the skiing scene, kept me on the edge of my seat.

Which character – as performed by Steven Kearney – was your favorite?

The main character of course

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

Definitely, I had to listen to the last two hours while fixing dinner.

Any additional comments?

I'd like too read another novel by Joseph Finer soon.