Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Listener
    The Listener
    The Listener
    Ebook395 pages6 hours

    The Listener

    By Robert McCammon

    3.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The New York Times–bestselling author “masterfully combines historical thriller and supernatural horror . . . [for] fans of occult thrillers like those by Dean Koontz” (Booklist, starred review).

    Economic collapse. Crushing unemployment and breadlines crowding city streets as crime spirals out of control. The Great Depression has enough misery for all, and some to spare. But for angel-faced grifter John Partlow, the American South in 1934 is a land of opportunity. The small-time confidence man stumbles into the big leagues when he partners up with beautiful hustler Ginger LaFrance. Seduced into her high stakes plot to kidnap the young children of a New Orleans shipping magnate, John realizes he’s in over his head when Ginger’s fierce desire to see her scheme succeed could mean a gruesome end for their innocent victims.
     
    Unless young Nilla can wield her secret gift in time. Though she’s never heard the term, nine-year-old Nilla is a Listener—someone who can telepathically pick up on the thoughts of others like themselves. Nilla has started to communicate with another Listener—a young black man struggling to find his way as a porter at the Union Station. Their lives couldn’t be more different, and though they have never met, their shared bond is so strong that Curtis is ready to risk it all to answer her cry for help. But will it be enough to save two children from the merciless hands of hardened criminals?

    “Race relations are one subject of this seductive slice of supernatural noir set in 1934 New Orleans . . . McCammon conjures believable characters whose sympathetic plight pulls the reader headlong into the novel’s volatile mix of crime and fantasy. Its tense finale, paced at breakneck speed, will have readers turning pages until its surprise-packed end.” —Publishers Weekly 
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Media
    Release dateApr 2, 2024
    ISBN9781504094948
    The Listener
    Author

    Robert McCammon

    Robert McCammon is the New York Times bestselling author of Boy’s Life and Gone South, among many critically acclaimed works of fiction, with millions of copies of his novels in print. He is a recipient of the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award, the Grand Master Award from the World Horror Convention, and is a World Fantasy Award winner. He lives in Alabama. Visit the author at RobertMcCammon.com.

    Read more from Robert Mc Cammon

    Related to The Listener

    Related ebooks

    Thrillers For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      On the Oldest Road: U.S. 1, Robert Kramer, the Buick, and Me

      Nov 12, 2020

      The highway is a monument to the American lust for the hideous, the delight in ugliness for its own sake. The post On the Oldest Road: U.S. 1, Robert Kramer, the Buick, and Me appeared first on The Millions.

      10 min read

    • Article

      Lights, Camera, Corsicana

      Nov 26, 2020

      Lights, Camera, Corsicana
      10 min read

    • Article

      No Harmony In The Heartland

      Dec 3, 2018

      No Harmony In The Heartland
      17 min read

    • Article

      Faces Across America

      Mar 1, 2021

      Faces Across America
      6 min read

    • Article

      Déjà Vu All Over Again

      Apr 3, 2024

      SOMETIMES, repetition brings revelation. Think of the retrospectives of artists. At the vast Cézanne show at the Grand Palais in 1996, I lost count of the apples: Still Life with Apples, Basket with Apples, Apples and a Pear. The artist who saw the w

      3 min read

    • Article

      Commentary: Fifty-five Summers Have Gone By Since The Watts Rebellion. How Far Have We Traveled?

      Jul 28, 2020

      In the summer of 1965, my birthday cake was stuck at a bakery across town. My mother couldn't get to it because Watts was on fire, which sent surrounding cities, like ours in the South Bay, into lockdown. No way could she have known when she placed t

      3 min read

    • Article

      His Name Was Emmett Till

      Jul 22, 2021

      His Name Was Emmett Till
      26 min read

    • Article

      Outsiders, Outcasts, Hustlers: A Year Reporting on the Modern-Day Frontier

      Nov 29, 2018

      The drive north into the oilfield at night showed the faint slopes of buttes ringed in sepia and burnt orange, then a drapery of glittering lights, civilization rising. Semi-trucks blared past the traffic cones and half-built apartments and hotels. I

      10 min read

    • Article

      Memory Highway

      May 17, 2021

      Memory Highway
      5 min read

    • Article

      Memory Highway

      May 17, 2021

      Memory Highway
      5 min read

    • Article

      Cheap Land Colorado

      Oct 28, 2022

      Cheap Land Colorado
      10 min read

    • Article

      Good Neighbors

      Sep 23, 2021

      Good Neighbors
      11 min read

    • Article

      Lonestar Roundup

      Jul 27, 2020

      Lonestar Roundup
      5 min read

    • Article

      Immortal Ogallala

      May 10, 2019

      Immortal Ogallala
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Roots of Route 66

      Nov 3, 2016

      The Roots of Route 66
      13 min read

    • Article

      American Myth: The Short, Beautiful Life of Breece D’J Pancake

      Jun 26, 2017

      The best American writer of his generation would have been sixty-five this week. The post American Myth: The Short, Beautiful Life of Breece D’J Pancake appeared first on The Millions.

      14 min read

    • Article

      Following a Thread

      Sep 19, 2019

      Following a Thread
      6 min read

    • Article

      Year in Reading: Michael Bourne

      Dec 19, 2020

      They should hand out a copy of The Half Has Never Been Told to every American kid finishing college and every newly elected member of Congress. The post Year in Reading: Michael Bourne appeared first on The Millions.

      3 min read

    • Article

      At the CENTER of It All

      Aug 11, 2022

      At the CENTER of It All
      9 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Listener

    3.5/5

    44 ratings3 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Well shit. Colour me surprised.

      Robert R. McCammon dug deep and actually spit out a decent book for a change. It's been quite a while since I enjoyed anything from this author, but this one actually is really good.

      The last time I truly felt that was with Boy's Life, and after the last couple of crap books by him, I swore I was done. But this one was getting enough positive feedback that I thought I'd give it a shot.

      Does it rest on a pile of coincidences? Hell yes. But is it engaging enough to allow the reader to push past them? Also, hell yes.

      Go ahead, if you, like me, have felt burned by McCammon, this is a decent one. Give it a shot.
    • 5/5
      What a great story this is! Set in the American south during the Great Depression, The Listener is a unique tale. Starting with a man we'll call Pearly and ending with the opening of a free clinic, Robert McCammon sucked me in as he always does and now I have another book to add to my All Time Favorites shelf!

      With a young black man as the protagonist and a few visits to characters we've met in the past, (I want to say so much more about them, but I can't spoil the surprise for you!),
      I wasn't sure for the longest time where this story was going. But when Pearly meets Ginger LaFrance, and joins her cold quest for riches, I knew I was in for the long haul.

      Not since the book MINE, has Robert McCammon created such a cunning female villain. Crafty and OH SO cold, Ginger is capable of anything. When she concocts her evil plan with Pearly as her back up, you just know it's not going to go well. And when another of her family members joins their crew, you cannot help but feel that it was a mistake on Ginger's part. You also hope that Ginger doesn't succeed.

      At a certain point in The Listener, you just have to hold on for dear life because this tale races to the denouement and you HAVE to know what happens. I recommend shutting yourself in a room for the last 50 pages so you can read it without being bothered. Trust me on this! You will be rewarded with an ending so poignant, yet so perfect and totally satisfying that you might find yourself with a tear in your eye. Not saying that happened to me, (it TOTALLY happened to me), but you know, prepare yourself. Perfection in an ending is so rare, but I think McCammon achieved it here.

      The only bad thing about getting an ARC, (and in this case it's a REAL ARC, that I can hold and hug tight to my chest, not that I did that), is that there isn't anyone to talk to about this story. I can't wait for you to read it so we can talk about Curtis and Pearly and good old Nilla.

      In February when it's released, I hope you will remember my words here today and hop on the opportunity to read The Listener. Please come and share your thoughts with me when you're done. I hope that Curtis invades your mind space as he has invaded mine, and we can talk about how much we both love him. Or perhaps we can talk about THAT character that was such a memorable part of another GREAT, (maybe the best?) Robert McCammon book, and how much we loved seeing them again? I sure do hope that we can, my fellow readers. I sure do hope we can.

      The Listener has earned my highest recommendation!

      *Thanks to Cemetery Dance for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it!*
    • 5/5
      Another excellent read by Robert McCammon. Suspenseful and well written, I could not stop listening. Highly recommended.

    Book preview

    The Listener - Robert McCammon

    N fbook_preview_excerpt.html}ےG寤Ŷ}ih$%IH3 (/BO0a%{qzwdbU!/~9~קo!o>~EON|J]L}_>VCl+}ps}󱏼?5o>cm|ljjPu! Ka44jjc Sp 9/qg1sJu#ÔJaK~ |olgױoxms8N=7ж̿oC6CllSC&3N-KU]p/7i?a]q|NU imشԨڦ/xwT)umEc\|T;bUF.]jjXW!bKCNոqݔƅf֜~96W~aTc7mJ/${]qk3L;fpX%ux[&9\m²Aanȍq<` 5~Ɖ4ј lPuiZMzoS50miAPf:qKL.9#w>y|07Fnv>'ka:{HĄw5ߒm_Okk͉ܵ DU%hի !}[f$Bv"m]q}%6M r6HJlpi$إ;'9TؤF:y؏xx:^fmaplPE:=#x %CU7xgĚ%t %xWƆKK&X~ d)}9~S 38:* YOMG0ء7q{ &.*Cv؉kF~ V⊏\HI>bXutL%ɞSc8 L W#ꤡMghSP rRHHE@=% M͇lUlG#w5q+K~cK R])\zo|߿Hv-rI["O0ji go~m0t~uҎ\T8K2h-n/*܀?&{IP]H.$@:t'E 9>23% < 8kc'auxroȠ<%P}܈s ok0 xb>~Jc0uh(y+7T3>]Z=:v^'=l!:%ĮGTB?ي௰`R%e|8aÃq_:}pOn> t?78޿e.LLCգU״ZÔ&>0,lx?&9FM4 xoՏQ`ړDfD@oR>qwSF[ CC:TAN Dd`&Z4R=p4CۙrqOȹu^3`O:CɮPI|] [/"$ H=ލ<2@ #8pc|2@+i&1T`l"~az3,瑸h3ٰnox%,47*arvPm #&[C6XaA V"vo "bw>(uLZyր*"6C*K Ыa)-}!TZb QX޸ҙB}[V-K5&\'yp;;LҺ#L>@Ƚ&VR<>]}CWDCgb4 Qz 2Q0'z06b4?Ƹs{՚`@H"/{~Ý~V8w83Md55U M%wě~`^4 _fp@D:ث.&$>Ъd :^U0pנ_Mub=fǬb@ 4XӼu7"nfm.}>Mv? x Ql'w v/݉"i Q]/2ZԑX/YǦ gmp:F?<;X'C|A9 *g70|!0@Sv{mJ(INّ"摯1[PKl'oÁNrH(vE* Bl>y-DXq 1L"#<&U:bA3ѿXT:puͶ1Dfl8I(U|{{ nan l՟ ${Yra`PՌh !t!j3lj^%:Wjڢ|^8KX B#.}6',YRW[~3>1f5 Rb &I8\(SbQ%, 릨>$[|tmOX*z'89K$t-i_D32oAHaB w]oxݠCܛ4v뇜h vwRb?dO/g4H0UJϛ%d)4S kڻ V[8y/\x|VXKlPr}17DWX I } *8mV#bs.J c\aQ'FLp /B_Hu8DcC6tDuKy:2$Q$CGU~ T_1;^Ytqo7&~/; @jǦ1fkà8n]igsZ[ƖU +[Qa!_&p6;}{B':'Z!pI~Mu/uA1y I>'}NKSM0qtKP?Vuf0D׼e%_D 9+`gLdOU|&d|aWlj0,j niysdm@!Ro6i7l^)9@eҢ&$l$llM[KisG&O6i[ ޕ59߈`?zyVd@zPڴ{O/E2.0ж2=Đ<ʛ) )<3󀣻W9$`]Շt^{&͖6H1 k$~S\{O}}:!3 `قĪFRGD>m& ㋯HԃHtMt6X!z% 56>`,w+`YFF?Q7>.C`)T90~<{E5tj%M>WKNeAQsTq\Cy@Z֊#G:vmh:c}#x Jex_ɨ:y,3VT5CrB2!wh bXdcMhKoIY{KTLEbZИQA+ʹe>I=ɽ*E3J.эkDM>\j `aqC+W_+^KgGdvǣ%fr/Z$h}TmO UrwbjZqˆr#f8|\3e{p;kCT@nQ"\7{Dg@~[يQWy֜\KSwn`'(GVÒUm@T9_~ I%^*1\KR hyG0;RXSp2 z1CYT)cmj< ]a }Z(m3Tz#)F?6,;sCÔ2,uPJ@8)~;*},U#xO]`d~mC6Pj-**=L"_.ѡƖ̂Qki\CW2;`cgC>b~<y!`ƒR7mɤcݍT=M u'25?Tx[ xuRJOY!/Wɟ ĩsGD6%l S5+0Bd͛E:g*v eLk&2VQ>tZfAx)3!K"*!hx04m5 0a[I4 OB"vf B)*ƶnJI3&(]j] ˜rwU[G &FEPc?UmČe\yuI&yp̒dE4D6AT*>}z)6] 6-n0p<{heZ0~Q+C/,&t/>p:RLSAe߲9$i>w*J9:DqlJёⵄhPܱ-X{\͉z_gCTҜN; [RxϭXsϨNZe!:4W ]P?1gnrm# +:0"L;`1(=eņ4Y}mv3 8 FAC3LJWt]Xxbaq3qhvhBFS1#*_M[T?KJÒæ`JG,g죿JjM_gCP۪ #u>NWы@g;<]zG +x{C|YGZygVxIٶ.HW(.foƔ%PE{d /Wz4OOvcp?)[j ܒ˯Vo}%y0}O WԚ[)-GOppRUIfu2,EŵLnCN9.oK5ćnÕ16M7A]2F!%e+2ܛ*//K} 5m 6ڐš(ʳ8ߧʳ T=bw"=:cz0+U"㉁8]Ȳ<5|PJCe½rAHzU#nerRd1l&4Z6f>Jl('cz[Mɽy;-H.v$TCBOC.pT ݸ j׌[>^(]!A FizffIBM,iS% 䇸c'de]j=C.!޲*50G]BGS82wB d7ƅKqrB+8$* =-`F$\Tn/L5ԙ kg:/o4,;M&z~H:~ko%IZb\%>tQmcqhSA|UoĒNTeɛe -,kOuvY,CNlLV%3Ob\TJ@Hcq#iUƶRvcJ<C fmB 0*d|X]D\aOj+Y@KjzEd,̜a|reX"732J$+W1L~l^L1[W s_QQ<9CK5,,ץvK0 %42cC5i':~}-]cu<4shDI8Z,x+vRRD&ɠInW =6#`8垉knĩ*Paz?<04o-xzΓg&`!YPƴ>Gy t , y L=ɱkgOJYŸAޫ #\N&4gw(5mw2iBŁU`IUnm}N%aRy{zc@պ ]y963%DG8L1^d&?YҲ)~_={F1wy Q>6WoY\,dQP%>&U&WRkWk\mb1oV PH'V *fCuݏ&pvr_$ }ؚɦ&x#>b3+&7 aVV`, ڹV-OR'f_ x\jn%cc`u&T=K'm{d*X:5]lI36^>p&1()yYQ k˥I>gzX6mѠX/f,]"*BvиshYUdL*wNyV}lMy`9CuzX< N`o pސSuIR-JZYgL6x%!86ޠ<:JT!|`-9'48t(\m +0*ZcI'5"!{_b)ZZSoC?t6rz9`Hny|l-rY\z,>kq]k^RKݧ>1ZӒ>Wj(xc/Klݤ$/5v^v;v/Ɇv2]h;)y.Z>`:YrEO8KO4aƃ7a  e'.tw P~N4B56]BCzԯ%nB_{[:_Vŋ._+g2mҌJi iA>VZAe3O9)4ٚh%/LMBQ-EP׺V<,Y||?!N&Rlc!3P5[C#nJb9O>zm[\ YYUj Zsc xhN?ܒX`GВZdRYo/Mӻ}UlF&Vn âטڤi!*Lz!H91$6y$ #V x]֛VsOU4xE%8 R''l ^^{+â#~.Z79pFrB_X )Cǟ%3.ꟇZ q+A3xЪt2!Y;+4k?F ?3/V_+zcQ zƺJUh+0J 1ƺ֌Y6Hz%UO!kj}ǬLfOяM{}7!,S 9ϥV*:J{7Xd> PS[A. Rq5>adFkxq^V%h0l.&&cA\Z4K4аbC߾J{P *.q}X^{FH`L\KWcz J1_'>Le{n6%  ؔ:}Vz=aP?U`Il}dK+!>35y? K"]'׋z 5 )%HOyeFHTzU#iK/;NBes,Ώ6OOJ?>\Kdߛ-o'04y񄵺G7@6ĊF|֡{odԃGm1D &fYUzøtB}Γ<:1N|>l.Ջ3"'y!ae|?ܥ|9L>H"`^|Y v7S$2TOK9-~ XZ3GJ6ʘSh33Ա__"-#(moB^8%#8A3i%uԙ ;-\9 gB|^|ڑQER)ns4R2B}Kb''9*9+~Ӗ,82=tr!o/=gʗ- jv6(o+YcZo#7L%RgY+oXIOCTCʨSNd4_[Aߕ] Qq-KzPSveDF( 0Z~s<5׆Aҕ :C졇GY>URΚiwVH`!?92$U(4R ͚+Or1.'V[]c Iݓ&n<XL%u)saΦLDq-{]WGM[]3~l:h\@k5VE˹L@h!٤1 1-U*]q*@XN酝bhۀf {gqLxj/|fC;'O8/KmdьІED|2ωgz}]#x,m=[EIRHiĩLd#ZR.P8<^%JVq,H1EBv =^nc~Mͫ*/ st_'-/%_j(4(2#rxGG;cv6 %j_B|ô@q &U$͒SⰯ0e;)&to+PN>*3Mxm)-@6 gG3\ 8K2V(ge$=6zO~5a0)O`^?rhxn4͆akts<נc Ak|dۦdX3"оu< ׬W$T\)Ut96#<% ؜ljhQlXzW"Vs7U)dT`6};` | e5h1W56.٘Snj_p+G' D}VJը澴IL~'߳L] z^{Zy. ([X*oUYd;{J7\,y1mRȺ"\S{k [~$|@4ʈ=dLݰ}2{$z]ϧw|qۼOףoVy5\MEL| qEupAN0mVW㖥^PyM[WcI֝VbekVN9W@읩+-r2&Q96d`yܭ9ei̎O #e*Q}Mg^IEyQ5ŌɋkԹ_.`Au c?:MiY=3|gk\haH,7n4Z:BKP}wH~;{͞qOOa>Z wbM^C YE wJzC'njAM5k5<\ ? 6ӗ` ^ @)A@[әHFLl}PC3fKbߐ[!u7jNxlVY:h*ì}Z:J ykI.&3oĽ1+qۣGMO}AaR'EE)nV[ȃ\\ (#iLBM4[3U~:V"9>Pǧ҇&&/67vDݘW̙^}u5gVy;2a w' 3֮:'ND^ *[s_AW:*oaq5VAE˫cdqjwxwlG.ҹ(/$R&\]r$Xʤ1 cn uDZRd`̇d8*׵w
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1