The Edge (FBI Thriller) [Abridged, Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

Catherine Coulter (Author), Dick Hill (Reader), Sandra Burr (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 2007 | Series: FBI Thriller (Book 4)

Baffled by a seemingly supernatural connection to his critically injured sister, an FBI special agent heads to the Oregon coast in search of a more plausible explanation for his sudden ESP, only to discover more puzzling mysteries. FBI agent Ford MacDougal - "Mac" - is recovering from a terrorist car bombing when his sister appears to purposely drive her Porsche off an Oregon cliff. Curiously, Mac felt as if he were in the car with her as she sailed toward the sea, even though he was really in a hospital bed on the other side of the country. By the time Mac arrives in Portland, his sister - Dr. Jilly Bartlett, a medical researcher - has come out of the coma she's been in for four days. But after a few scant hours with her brother, Jilly vanishes without a trace. In searching for her, Mac gets a different story from everyone he encounters. When the local sheriff enlists Mac's aid in a puzzling murder of an elderly resident, Mac little suspects that the case connects to his sister's disappearance. FBI agents Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich (last seen in The Target) join Mac to ride shotgun, only to find their search leading from a small town on the Oregon coast to the rain forests of Costa Rica. Together, they must escape relentless pursuers as well as the hostile jungle itself before discovering the true nature of the evil at The Edge.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Setting: Edgerton, Oregon, present day
Sensuality Rating: 7

Following the success of The Cove, The Maze, and The Target, Coulter again delights readers with her latest offering, The Edge. Recovering in a D.C. hospital from a Tunisian car bomb accident, FBI agent Ford MacDougal awakens from a violent dream in which his sister Jilly drives off a cliff and into the ocean. Ford feels her fear as well as her anger and agony over the betrayal by someone named Laura, and shares the utter stillness as the frigid waters engulf her. The next morning, he receives the news that Jilly was indeed in a car accident. And when he arrives in Edgerton, Oregon, it quickly becomes obvious that something mysterious and deadly is going on in the quiet, little town. Add a quirky cast of characters, including a sexy, undercover DEA agent named--you guessed it--Laura, a drug that improves sex exponentially but has the unfortunate side effect of making its users psychotic, and you've got all the ingredients for a fast-paced, can't-put-down thriller. --Alison Trinkle --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Like Jilly Bartlett, who drives her white Porsche off an Oregon cliff in the prologue, Coulter (The Target) has an uncertain hand on the wheel of her rambling thriller. FBI agent Ford "Mac" MacDouglas, Jilly's brother, is a tough-but-tenderhearted protagonist unraveling the mystery surrounding his sister's plungeAwith frequent interruptions for sex and violent surprises. Jilly, a brilliant chemist, survives the accident (or is it a suicide attempt?), only to disappear upon awaking from a four-day coma, leaving Mac with some vexing questions. What kind of drug have Jilly and her unpleasant scientist husband, Paul, developedAa fountain of youth, a wild libido enhancer, a fertility drug, a memory-eraser, or all of the above? Why is Jilly deathly afraid of beautiful Laura Scott, who's ostensibly a reclusive research librarian but obviously far too street smart to play that role convincingly? Who killed retired cop Charlie Duck? Coulter risks exasperating her readersAwho may tire of the relentless questions this book raises in increasingly heavy dosesAwith excessive and transparent collusions; it turns out that the highway patrolman who rescues Jilly has ties to sheriff Maggie Sheffield, and that Sheffield is the ex-wife of a detective. The intrigue doesn't really add up to much, whether the action is taking place amid flowing champagne in the Edgeworth, Ore., home of wealthy evildoer Alyssum Tarcher or in the rain forest of Costa Rica where Mac and Laura are whisked, after being gassed, then drugged. Coulter, who made her name writing historical romances before shifting into modern suspense mode, packs her newest tale with an overabundance of perilous contrivances, and for the most part, between drug cartel kidnappers and love on the lam, the plot buckles under its own weight. Author tour.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on CD Value Priced; Abridged edition (September 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 142331364X
• ISBN-13: 978-1423313649
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (99 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #524,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Catherine Coulter is the author of the New York Times-bestselling FBI thrillers The Cove, The Maze, The Target, The Edge, Riptide, Hemlock Bay, Eleventh House, Blindside, Blowout, Point Blank, Double Take and TailSpin. She lives in northern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Where's the ending of the story?, August 23, 2000

By 

K. Lininger (FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Edge (FBI Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have been a fan of Ms Coulter for many years so I was excited when I bought The Edge. She reintroduced previous characters from her other books "The Maze" (excellent 5 star book) and "the Target( an excellent 5 star book). I thought WOW I love these characters. But Ms Coulter tried a different style of writing this time. She wrote in the first person of Mac ( a man) So ok I can handle this. Ms. Coulter still showed the charming wit that made her so well liked. The story is going strong and then you have only 5 or 6 pages left and your wondering how is this going to end and tie up all the different stories. The problem it didn't address what happened to all the characters involved in the plot. You finish reading this book and the first thing I said was what about so and so. Maybe Ms. Coulter is writing a sequel to this book to answer all the questions....

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars worse one of her series, April 22, 2005

By 

Lisa "book warm" (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Edge (FBI Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

Just one word of it "terrible"!!! I've read all her FBI/Mystery series and this is by far the worst. The story is all over the place and the characters are never really developed. It was very painful reading this one...really bad! One thing I'm finding with Catherine Coulter is a hit or miss with her books. The Maze was great and after reading The Edge, you will have a hard time believing it's the same writer.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Edge lacks edge!, October 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Edge (Hardcover)

It's not as bad as the reviews below say it is, but I'm glad I read them before I read this book. So, I didn't read it expecting great - if you want great read the previous 3 books in this series. If, on the other hand, you have a free evening and don't mind lightweight, almost mindless fluff, or you just want to know what happens next in the series, go ahead and read The Edge - and pretend it was written by someone else. I'm reminded of people's complaints & comments about James Patterson's When The Wind Blows (of course, I liked that book)...

The Edge is told from the first-person point-of-view of the main male character. He is amusing at times, but he doesn't have a great deal of depth - neither does anyone else. The main female character seems to have been put in the book because a female was required - not because she adds much to the story. Unfortunately, you don't get to know what's going on in her head - which is one of the main problems with first-person narratives. More problems: Their relationship doesn't really develop, it just seems to come out of left field - one day he's having sex with one woman, the next he's decided he's in love with another... the mystery & intrigue isn't really all that mysterious or intriguing... the psychic connection between the brother & sister isn't really developed... and the villian left a lot to be desired - so did the ending. The storyline had a good idea, but didn't follow thru on it - most of the book and it's characters are like that - they had potential, but...

I gave it 2 stars because:
1. I wasn't expecting great, so I wasn't as disappointed as some of the other readers appear to be.
2. The characters of Savage and Sherlock are continued from the previous books - they're my favorite characters.

So, if you want edge, read The Cove, The Maze, and The Target - in that order. And then consider reading The Edge with an open and forgiving mind.

Finally, I hope there is another book in the series, but I just hope Ms. Coulter goes back to writing like she did in the first 3 books of the series!