The Rules of Silence (Commissario Brunetti Novels) [Unabridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

David Lindsey (Author), Christopher Price (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2003 | Series: Commissario Brunetti Novels

Titus Cain, a highly successful businessman with a rock-solid marriage and a loving circle of friends, is being kidnapped. But this is no ordinary abduction. Cain will not be bound, gagged, and carried away to a deserted cabin. He will live his life as usual: kiss his wife, go to work-and slowly, carefully, make a series of 'unfortunate investments' totalling 64 million dollars. But if he refuses to cooperate, tells anyone, or attempts to get help, the price will be much higher. Anytransgression from his kidnapper's orders will trigger a death-one by one, Cain's family and friends will be murdered in a seemingly accidental, yet agonizingly slow manner. For Cain's abductor is a criminal whose greed is exceeded only by his sadism-and Cain, terrified and desperate, but unwilling to give up his family and his life, will soon understand his kidnapper's talent for atrocity.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lindsey is an efficient thriller author who sometimes (as in Mercy) reaches considerable heights of suspense and terror. The present book, however, is no more than just efficient, despite its smooth prose, a Lindsey trademark. It has a workable plot-Titus Cain, a self-made Texas millionaire software developer, is being bled financially by a Latino thug who threatens to kill Cain's nearest and dearest if he fails to pay large sums into a series of front companies-but it soon becomes clear that the plot is all there is to the book. Titus; his wife, Rita; and the outlaw techno-whiz they hire to get them out of their horrible situation are not brought to life for an instant, but remain the ciphers of a mindless action movie. It soon becomes clear that the Cains' would-be savior, Garcia Burden, has his own dark agenda, and that their nemesis is not stockpiling money just for himself but perhaps for a sinister Arab group that could be planning a new terrorist attack. There's a great deal of planting bugs, scrutinizing laptops, dashing around in SUVs and the occasional burst of mayhem, but it's basically an unengaging and mechanical exercise. Lindsey can do much better.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Multimillionaire Titus Cain is approached with a strange proposition: if he doesn't give a certain man $64 million, this same man will kill off some (or perhaps all) of Cain's friends and loved ones. The money has to be given to the extortionist in such a way that no one suspects anything is going on (primarily through deliberately bad investments), and if Cain even tries to seek help, the killings will start instantly. Lindsey's latest novel is thoroughly exhilarating, even if the premise isn't completely fresh: Jon Katzenbach's The Analyst (2001) was also about a man who had to do a specific thing if he didn't want the villain to kill his loved ones. Titus Cain is a sympathetic protagonist, a man forced to make tough decisions in the face of enormous danger; Cayetano Luquin, the powerful extortionist, who apparently does this sort of thing for a living, is vastly evil without being cartoonish; and Garcia Burden, the ex-CIA counterterrorism expert to whom Titus turns for help, is resourceful and inscrutable. Lindsey's novels sometimes suffer from lethargy, as though he's just sort of wandering through his story, but this one moves swiftly to its rousing finale. It's a definite winner. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Sound Library; Unabridged edition (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792728807
• ISBN-13: 978-0792728801
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.3 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,816,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lindsey's approach to the "page turner", April 30, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rules of Silence (Mass Market Paperback)

I've always had the feeling that David Lindsey was the "thinking man's" mystery/thriller writer. The reader was impressed at the writing skill and depth of the writer - the book HAD to be read slowly to appreciate the nuances he brought to the story, however gruesome the topic. Now he goes and writes something completely out of style: a book that grabs you from the first chapter and doesn't let you go until the final page. Great writing, as usual, but much more fast-paced than in the past. Terrific book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars similar in theme to Jon Katzenbach's THE ANALYST, April 11, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rules of Silence (Hardcover)

Cayetano "Tano" Luquin extorts money from millionaires by threatening to kill anyone they cherish if payment fails to be remitted. The professional blackmailer insures nearly impossible tracing even following the money trail by having his victims make losing investments in which he reaps the awards from paper companies "laundering" the cash. His current chosen lamb is software developer guru Titus Cain.

Titus and his wife Rita turn to counterterrorist expert Garcia Burden to help expedite the Cains from this devious plot. If Tano learns that his victims deviated from his script, one by one those close to Titus will be marked for death plus a demand for an increase from the $64 million dollar first offer will occur. A former CIA agent, Garcia starts gathering information on his opponent knowing that if he breaks THE RULES OF SILENCE of this game someone will die.

Though somewhat similar in theme to Jon Katzenbach's THE ANALYST, THE RULES OF SILENCE is an exciting action thriller that never slows down until the final confrontation occurs. The story line moves at a rapid pace so readers need to wear their seat belts at all times. The villain and his opponent each have agendas that make them the lead duo in a deadly game of cat and mouse, and more easily understood than the victims. Not quite as character rounded as David Lindsey's usual novel (see A COLD MIND and MERCY), readers will still appreciate this exhilarating thriller.

Harriet Klausner

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Page-turning...A thriller that actually thrills., April 27, 2003

By 

Nick G - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rules of Silence (Hardcover)

The plan is always the same...seek out a wealthy victim, kidnap them, and explain the rules. The plan has always worked smoothly, until now...This time the victim fights back!

Titus Cain is a self-made millionaire with the perfect life...a loving wife, a beautiful home, and a very successful software company, but his perfect world is about to be shattered when he is the target of a devious plan.

Tano Luquin is a master thief; a monster who conjures up sick schemes to rob wealthy individuals of their fortunes. Tano has chosen Titus Cain as his new victim.

Tano kidnaps Titus to explain the rules of the latest game, and the rules are simple:
Over the next four days Titus must make a series of "bad investments" totaling 64 million dollars. These payments must be made to Tano, and if any of the payments are missed someone close to Titus will die. Titus gets to go on living his life as usual, but nobody is to know of the kidnapping, and the money being paid must go undiscovered by his financial advisors. If Titus should break any rule, or talk to someone there will be a murder of those closest to him. There will be no warnings, and Tano will not repeat the rules, but if you break one of them you will pay.

Titus decides to fight back, and in the process realizes he is up against a man more ruthless than he imagined, and if he is to come out of this alive he must fight as dirty as Tano.

`The Rules Of Silence' is a smart, well written thriller that actually thrills. A page-turner of the highest order this novel grabs hold from page one and doesn't let go. The action comes fast and furious as the kidnapping plot unfolds, and as the various sub-plots develop the reader will find they can't put the book down.

David Lindsey is a wonderful thriller writer. I have been a fan for many years, and his novels get better, and better. Mr. Lindsey can always be counted upon for an original thriller, one that is smart as well as suspenseful. `The Rules Of Silence' should jump onto bestseller lists everywhere, and place David Lindsey alongside other superstar authors in the genre for he is very deserving of it.

Read this novel, you will not be disappointed!

Nick Gonnella