The Program

By: Gregg Hurwitz

Narrated by: Dylan Baker

Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

The series that started it all!

In this powerful follow-up to his action-packed thriller The Kill Clause, Gregg Hurwitz, the new maestro of pulse-pounding suspense, ratchets up the excitement with another sensational pause resister featuring Tim Rackley, a driven lawman motivated by honor, morality, and a deep sense of justice.

Called back into the fold of the US Marshals Service, Tim is tasked with retrieving Leah Henning, the daughter of a powerful Hollywood producer, from a mind-control cult. As Tim wends his way deep undercover into an insidious operation called The Program, he confronts a brand of mind-warping manipulation beyond his worst expectations.

Tim becomes enmeshed with a diverse band of characters - from the charismatic, messianic leader T. D. Betters to a cult reject burnout to the intelligent yet highly vulnerable Leah herself - and finds himself caught in a shadowy landscape of lies, manipulation, and terror. At stake: innocent minds - maybe even his own.

©2004 Gregg Hurwitz (P)2004 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Fascinating...intriguing....Filled with well-drawn characters, meticulous research and pulse-pounding action...easily one of the best thrillers of the year." (Chicago Sun-Times)
"Grounded in character and believable detail, Hurwitz's thriller engages on every level." (Publishers Weekly)
"A gripping read from start to finish." (Booklist)

Not the best Gregg Hurwitz

I am a big Gregg Hurwitz fan, but this book was very lame. The story never really developed, it was very superficial, not the usual in the mind of the baddy. I was SO disappointed when Scott Brick was not narrating it, that I didn't enjoy it at all.

Awesome story, reader & author!

I loved this book from start to finish!! The reader was simply fantastic!!!! Great!!!

Abridged

The storyline is very good but the abridgment leaves something to be desired. Much is lost in the translation. It was confusing-especially between the last two chapters.

If cults interest you, this book is for you.

What did you like best about The Program? What did you like least?

I like Greg Hurwitz books, as I find he does a good job of creating characters.
I dislike the idea of cults, to the extent that I found this book disturbing.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Program?

I found it memorable, & a bit creepy, that the protagonist could feel himself being drawn into the

What about Dylan Baker’s performance did you like?

He interpreted the characters well. His voices, as he interpreted the characters, almost created physical descriptions for me. I found this strange & rather fascinating, as this has happened only rarely, for me.

Did The Program inspire you to do anything?

The story's subject matter is not one I enjoy, or even want to read about/listen to. As a result, I didn't finish it ... something that rarely happens.

Abridged….means you will get lost a few times and have to rewind.

Holy jumping around!
This was sadly not a good book because it just didn’t flow.
One second he’s at the camp and the next with his girlfriend and the next at the marshals office.
Definitely the worst book by my favorite author.

Happy to Have Tried Hurwitz's Books

I read this one, then devoured all of the rest. Great stuff. Strong recommendation to those who like the genre.

The thought is SCARY!

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

Mind Control...Frightening

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

Although, I don't believe that cults are that predominant in this day and age, I do believe that we are open to a lot of mind controlling influences. This is a good story to make you think.

Great story but poor narrative

Wasn't crazy about the narrative voice at all. Did not sell me on the characters.

The Program

This book was disappointing and I think it would have been better with a different reader. All through the book I kept hoping I could get past the nasal and whiney reading; I could not. My best experience with Greg Hurwitz’s books is Orphan X. Unfortunately this one didn’t come close.

Pass on this one

I think the author of the book is very good and I have read/listened to many of Gregg Hurwitz’s books. This one just didn’t grab me. My biggest crit of this book was the narrator. Different than book one of this series. No distinction between characters and did not represent the characters well. Moving to book 3 unless same narrator.