Final Price

Written by J. Gregory Smith

Narrated by Todd Haberkorn

Wilmington, Delaware is one of those cities that feels more like a small town. Neighbors know one another, and businesses cater to the needs of the citizenry. But what happens when the local car salesman suffers one lost sale too many, when one more customer decides to buy from the competition because the price is too high, interest rates aren’t friendly, or that shade of blue just won’t work? In J. Gregory Smith’s electrifying thriller, Final Price, Shamus Ryan’s frustration works like a thorn under his skin until psychotic urges take over and he commits murder—serial murders, in fact—his victims chosen from prospective clients who dared to walk away. With Smith’s chilling scenes of massacre, readers are pulled into the vortex of a warped mind, one man justifying heinous acts, and two detectives running a race against time, trying to solve seemingly random killings. Paul Chang, a Chinese-American homicide detective, is struggling to understand why these murders are taking place. Assisted by his neurotic partner, Nelson Rogers, Chang goes after the killer with logic, tenacity, and no small measure of fear.

Written from the perspectives of Detective Chang and Shamus Ryan, readers quickly find themselves seeing the world in unique—and often disturbing—ways they never expected. With dark humor and gritty suspense, Smith has crafted a refreshing and surprising thriller.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Sep 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781469243191

J. Gregory Smith

Prior to writing fiction full-time, Greg Smith worked in public relations in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Wilmington, Delaware. He has an MBA from the College of William & Mary and a BA in English from Skidmore College. His first novel, Final Price, won first place in the Delaware Press Association’s 2010 Communication Contest for fiction. Originally self-published, Final Price was signed by AmazonEncore and released in November 2010. He currently lives in Wilmington with his wife and son.

Reviews for Final Price

[mckait · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

A slasher movie in print, maybe?I admit to being unsure when I requested this one from Vine.I was afraid that it would be too much. But then, it was describedas a thriller. I like a GOOD thriller. I did not like this.Shamus is an unhappy man. He was abused as a youngster by his his grandmother.Once she was dead and not quite gone, she continued to encourage him to"punish" himself. He did as directed.Chang is a homicide detective. He has some serious issuesof his own. Violence barely controlled beneath a mostlycalm exterior. His past partner, current friend Nelson is probablythe most normal of the bunch. Once you meet him, you might find thata bit disturbing.Shamus sold cars. Or rather, he didn't sell many cars. He consoled himselfafter every failure in very unusual ways. Chang and Nelson ended up scrutinizingthe scenes. Looking for the disturbed individual creating them.I found nothing to recommend this one. If it were not a Vine selection,a book I had committed myself to read and review I would have put it down.At the very least.All scenes are described very graphically, There is no way to not see, smell andfeel the crime scenes. I do not consider this a plus in this case. I enjoy a goodcreepy story, a horror story, I do not enjoy a disgusting one.Clearly, there are others who disagree with me. Please take their reviews intoconsideration and do not make a decision based on a single review in this case.. or ever.You know what you like, so go with it.

[f5bludevil · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Formula ThrillerFormula - Detective with emotional baggage teams up with disgraced side-kick also with emotional baggage to solve a series of murders by a psychopathic serial killer who has rage issues because of horrific childhood with deranged mother. Pretty average stuff - wooden characters - although the villain ain't bad

[wbentrim · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Final Price by J. Gregory SmithA quarter finalist in the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest, this book deserves to be looked at carefully. Most of us have purchased a car at one point or another. I doubt many of us have considered the car salesman’s point of view, let alone a psychopathic car salesman. Shamus the car salesman does not take rejection well. His reaction to rejection is investigated by the largest Chinese American State Trooper in Delaware and his emotionally vulnerable sidekick. Price paints a vivid portrait of a tortured soul inflicting his inner demons on those who he feels has wronged him. Those of us who have sold for a living recognize some of the frustrations in dealing with a fickle, often unreasonable and frequently unpredictable customer. Doing your best to please someone and feeling maligned and misunderstood is painful. Luckily most of us are able to shrug off the bad, revel in the good and move on with our life. Shamus Ryan’s soul was shriveled long before he started selling cars. Price does a nice job inferring his past without detailing it, this provides a lot of room for the imagination to flourish. Paul Chang struggles with his own demons and endeavors to stay on the sane side of the emotional precipice that Shamus cheerfully drives over. Paul’s loyalty to his former partner his endearing and his pain is clear. I think Price painted his characters well. The book is a good mystery and provides a modicum of motivation to consider the feelings and stresses of those who sell for a living. I recommend the book for a first effort this is outstanding.