Audiobook10 hours
The Survivors
Written by Robert Palmer
Narrated by Chris Henry Coffey
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
3/5
()
About this audiobook
THE SURVIVORS will be the first book in a proposed mystery series featuring Cal Henderson, a Washington D.C. psychologist with a traumatic past of his own: when he was eight years old, his mother killed his father and his two brothers in a murder suicide. As the twenty-fifth anniversary of the event coincides with the arrival of a strange new patient and a drastic increase in Cal's previously-controlled psychological symptoms, Cal feels compelled to trace his mother's last days. In his search for answers he uncovers secrets about his mother's life involving a defense contractor's dark dealings, a nominee for U.S. Attorney with a questionable past, and a shady corporate billionaire whose sphere of influence seems to include everyone from The Pentagon on down. Meanwhile, as Cal gets closer to discovering the truth, recovered memories of the tragic events of his childhood push him into a psychological tailspin. The author, a longtime lawyer in Washington D.C., has several ideas for additional books involving Cal's patients, all of whom will have some connection to the federal investigative or political world. The proposed sequel, JUSTICE LEEDS, centers around a Supreme Court Justice who may be involved in the disappearance of a young woman with whom he's been having an affair. The series also promises additional emotional tension owing to Cal's interest in both his office manager and a female FBI agent introduced in THE SURVIVORS. The insider view of Washington politics will appeal to fans of beltway thrillers. And of course the "psychologist as protagonist" recipe has proven to be a success: obviously Patterson's Alex Cross, but also more recently in Michael Robotham's Joseph O'Loughlin series set in England. And yet Palmer's protagonist, who is not just a crime therapist but is also plagued by his own psychological problems, is a breed of his own. Diana Gabaldon, author of the award-winning, #1 NYT-bestselling Outlander novels provided this terrific early blurb: "Do you think you know what your own mother might do? The Survivors is an up-close and personal mystery - the best I've read this year. It will haunt you." About the Author: R.L. Palmer Bob Palmer is a practicing attorney in Washington, D.C. He has represented U.S. and foreign businesses in acquisition and divestiture matters, tax and regulatory controversies before federal agencies and the federal courts, and in legislative matters pending before Congress. His clients have included major oil companies and banks, shipping companies, and international charitable organizations. Bob has served as a professor at a number of law schools, including Rutgers (Camden) and the University of Colorado. He was the first male to teach a course in feminist legal theory at an American law school (Santa Clara University). He currently teaches Law Anthropology at The George Washington University Law School, and teaches family property law at Georgetown University Law Center. Bob lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and son. THE SURVIVORS is his first novel. He is currently at work on a sequel.
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Reviews for The Survivors
Rating: 3.1874999375 out of 5 stars
3/5
16 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was quite a good book. It was such an intriguing concept that I found myself pushing through to see how the story unfolded. There were times when it got a bit … draggy but it was definitely worth it. One thing that I noticed is that the focus on the main character shifts. In the beginning, my attention was solely on Cal but soon it shifted to other characters. It was only then that I realized that I didn’t really KNOW the character of Cal; Cal was simply a narrator who took part in the events. That was a bit disappointing to me because I would have liked him to play a stronger role and be better at solving the mystery. But at the end of the day, everything was explained to a satisfactory level. As I mentioned before, this was a good novel. It didn’t blow my socks off but I would still give it a solid 3/5 stars (which, from me, is definitely a good thing).
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I have to confess, I had high hopes for this book. The premise is fascinating: a mother shoots two of her three children, a visiting friend of her children, her husband and then herself. One child survives untouched physically but emotionally scarred. The visiting friend survives the shooting.Fast forward twenty five years. The visiting friend, Scottie, shows up at Cal (the surviving child's) office. Cal is now a successful psychologist in Washington D.C. Scottie is odd – a result of surviving the serious shooting, incurring severe physical, mental and emotional damage but with a burning desire to understand more fully what happened the night he was shot.From here on out, the flaws made themselves known. Cal, who went through this tragedy, is oddly emotionally vacant. At most, he starts having these weird little blackouts. He's a psychologist and he hasn't gone through serious psychotherapy? Well, he does have a counselor/friend who he calls on informally to talk him off the proverbial ledge from time to time.Scottie? Too weird to stay at home. Too weird to stay with Cal. But not too weird to dump at his counselor/friends house with barely and introduction. And so it goes as they try to unravel the mystery of what happened. At some point, about ¾ of the way through the book, the whole thing turns into a sloppy mess. Quick wind ups of some things, lots left unexplained and this is the first book in what is going to be a series of mysteries? Thrillers? All involving Cal and....his counselor? Scottie? I stuck with it but after a pretty solid run on some good books, I was left wanting.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a psychological thriller featuring a psychologist! Cal Henderson leads a simple life treating those who need his help with little fanfare or drama. However, near the 25th anniversary of his family’s death, the only survivor of that massacre, childhood buddy Scottie, drops into his office complete with disguise. From there the action commences and accelerates as they work together to find out the horrible truth as to what really happened that night. Fortunately, they did not have to work alone – a rogue FBI agent lent them some help, making it even more interesting. I am hoping that there will be more in this series as Cal, Scottie and FBI Jamie are compelling characters, especially when they work together!
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The beginning of the book started out good. I was very intrigued by the tragic night and Cal and his best friend, Scottie's survival. Just like them I wanted to learn the truth about that fatal night. I kept reading along with a semi-interest. My intrigue from before had quickly disappeared. Yet, I kept reading as I wanted to learn the truth. However, there seemed something off about Scottie and other truths as Cal went looking. It frustrated me that Cal hardly reacted to anything, even when he sensed things were not right. Eventually he did start to show emotion but by than I was so over this book at chapter 22. Plus, the story was very monotone.