The 13th Hour

A Thriller

By: Richard Doetsch

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Nick Quinn is being held in jail, accused of the murder of his beloved wife, Julia. He knows she's dead; he saw her bloody corpse, shot in the head at point-blank range. The police tell him they found the murder weapon with his fingerprints on it in the trunk of his car. Nick is confused, grief-stricken -- and completely innocent.

At 9 p.m. on July 28, a gray-haired gentleman visits Nick in the police interrogation room and asks him a simple question: "If you could get out of here, if you could save her, would you?" He hands Nick a golden talisman that allows Nick to go back in time, one hour at a time, for a total of twelve hours. With each hour that Nick travels back, he finds more clues to the identity of Julia's real killer, but he also discovers that his actions in the past may have unexpected repercussions in the future.

In his race against time to save the woman he loves most in the world, Nick will find that friends become enemies, old loyalties are tested, and Julia's murder is part of a larger scheme that has its roots in greed and vengeance. Nick has the ability to save Julia, the chance to put his own world in balance, but he is venturing down a precarious route. If he hasn't set things right by the thirteenth hour, his desperate attempts to save Julia's life may lead to a far greater catastrophe than he could have ever imagined.

A surprising and utterly original thriller, The 13th Hour is pure page-turning suspense -- full of double crosses, cliffhangers, and shocking revelations.

©2009 Richard Doetsch (P)2009 Simon & Schuster

So So

Fun thriller but not the best writing or pacing. The main hero and his wife are very cutout, simplistic, and "perfect". The story involves traveling back in time a hour at a time. The flaw with this is that (like on the TV show 24) more things often happen in a hour than is possible.

The story is kinda fun but it doesn't hold you or make you care about what happens next to the extent a thriller should. The reader also seemed a bit dull but this may have had more to do with the material he had to work with.

Not a bad choice if you can find anything else.

Surprisingly Good

Where does The 13th Hour rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would rank it in my top 20. I was amazed at how the story was able to surprise me at every turn even though time moves in reverse throughout. Great characters. Great plot.

What about Dennis Boutsikaris’s performance did you like?

I think this is my favorite narrator of all time.

quite enjoyed this one!

quite enjoyed this one! Very good story, and very good narration. Will look for more by this author.

Engaging Story

The narrator could have been more versatile. However, for the most part I enjoyed the book.

Great concept, enjoyable plot, pedestrian prose

What made the experience of listening to The 13th Hour the most enjoyable?

Intriguing and exciting plot was skillfully and logically presented. Author seemed very sure-handed in presenting a complex story without confusing the reader.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Least interesting: Nick loved Julia and Julia loved Nick, and their lives were practically perfect in every way, yada yada yada. I didn't need to keep hearing it again and again.

Most interesting: The intricate plot.

Which character – as performed by Dennis Boutsikaris – was your favorite?

Ethan Dance. I thought Boutsikaris did a great job of conveying this character with only a subtle shift in his voice; I could picture Dance in my head just from the voice. Overall the narration moved along at a brisk pace, which suited the material.

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

Yes. After a slower than expected start to set up the premise, the story really took off.

Any additional comments?

The writing seemed run-of-the-mill, there were lots of information dumps and some purple prose. But the quirky, original plot made up for the lackluster writing; the narrator's quick pace also helped. Overall it was great fun.

A captivating and invigorating read!!!!

What made the experience of listening to The 13th Hour the most enjoyable?

The way the author kept you enthralled with what would come up next.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Nick - His tenacious ability to continue on for the sake of love for his wife.

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

Just hearing it read puts you into another dimension, capturing all of the sights, smells, the feelings of Nick.

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

Oh definitely!! I tried hard to do just that. Couldn't though. So whenever I went to town or shopped, iPod was on!!!

Any additional comments?

I have read many books (over1k). I am a reader and will continue to do just that. This book stands out by taking you in different areas that we all have wished for. I would recommend this for anyone to read. So enjoyable, Dennis read it to perfection!!! I can't wait to see what Richard Doetsch has next for another book!!! I hope that he continues with a second one from this one as he has left that wide open!!!!

Time travel greatness!

I am a sucker for time travel stories and this one did not disappoint. It has a fantastic premise which is excellently executed. The mystery unfolds like petals from a flower as each step in Nick's time travel unravels another part of the explanation for the days events, including the death of his wife.

I also enjoyed the discussions of the repercussions on future events of the decisions and actions we take.

The reader is great and fits the style and feeling of the story very well.

Fantastic idea pleasingly implemented!

(Note: Ignore comparisons of this book to "The Time Traveler's Wife," which is a book I hated.)

I love this book!

One of my favorite books! Great plot and character development. Wish I had that watch!

Kept us on the edge of our seats!

This was a great story, it kept us on the edge of our seats. It was great for passing the time on a long trip.

Nice story

Nice story but the technical inaccuracies are difficult to get around.

The writer obviously knows nothing about firearms or anything mechanical.