Storm Runners [Audiobook, CD, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

T. Jefferson Parker (Author), Christopher Lane (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 27, 2007

Matt Stromsoe has come a long way since his wife and son were killed in an explosion meant for him. Wounded severely in both body and spirit, Stromsoe gave up the last thing that held any meaning for him - his job on the police force - and proceeded to hit rock bottom, hard. That was a lifetime ago, and finally the spiral of personal destruction and despair seems to have come to an end. The man responsible for the murders – Stromsoe’s best friend from childhood and his wife’s old lover – is behind bars and Stromsoe has put the past behind him, rescued from the abyss by a former colleague who offers him a job at his private security firm. Stromsoe’s first assignment is to protect local television personality Frankie Hatfield from a stalker. But the further Stromsoe is drawn into this case, the more he finds that the net of intrigue is wide and ultimately leads back to the man who killed his family. As events conspire against him, Stromsoe learns that prison is no safeguard against revenge.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Parker's 14th California crime novel opens with an unforgettable sentence: "Stromsoe was in high school when he met the boy who would someday murder his wife and son." The wife and son are both killed by a bomb meant for Matt Stromsoe, an Orange County detective on the trail of his former classmate, Mike Tavarez, now a leader of La Eme, the Mexican mafia. Tavarez goes to prison for life for the bombing, while the seriously injured Stromsoe, after a long recovery, takes a job guarding Frankie Leigh, a popular TV weather reporter in San Diego. Leigh has a stalker, who turns out to be employed by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; the DWP wants Leigh—and her research on rainmaking—out of the picture. Parker (The Fallen) creates his usual interesting, multifaceted characters, though the plotting, which reconnects Tavarez with Stromsoe, is clunky. Still, the insights into La Eme and the science of rainmaking as well as the inevitable confrontation between the two principals show why Parker ranks as one of the top contemporary suspense writers. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

Praise for 'California Girl': 'Darkly nostalgic! powerful.' Literary Review Praise for Jefferson Parker: 'A great writer! he's amazing.' Lee Child 'Insanely imaginative.' New York Times 'Parker has only one rival -- Thomas Harris.' Washington Post 'One of our top writers.' Harlan Coben 'Parker gets better and better.' Literary Review --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged Lib Ed; Unabridged edition (February 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423305884
• ISBN-13: 978-1423305880
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 6.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,994,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

T. Jefferson Parker is the bestselling author of numerous novels, including Storm Runners and The Fallen. Alongside Dick Francis and James Lee Burke, Parker is one of only three writers to be awarded the Edgar Award for Best Novel more than once. Parker lives with his family in Southern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars run from storm runners, March 28, 2007

By 

Christine L. Gilman "nonstopreader" (spokane, wa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Storm Runners: A Novel (Hardcover)

t. jefferson parker is a wonderful writer but doesn't perform in this thriller. the plot line is ridiculous, and the characters are so undeveloped you really don't care much about what happens to them. i never figured out what made hallie so wonderful, and even love interest frankie didn't get under my skin. the hero, stromsoe, is an interesting character and would have been better served with a storyline that made more sense than "rain makers". Cedros was well drawn and i think combined with stromsoe and a better plot could have been a killer of a book. this one is just boring.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid (as always, from Parker), March 7, 2007

By 

Richard B. Schwartz (Columbia, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Storm Runners: A Novel (Hardcover)

Parker's new novel is up to his usual high standards. The premise is a bit strange, with the rainmaking subplot, and one can imagine a producer's mouth dropping open during a pitch, but the seemingly farfetched concept works because of the narrative skills of the author and his knowledge of the subject. And there really was a Charlie Hatfield, of course, so there are nonfiction/novel elements at work here. The characters are very well drawn. The Cain/Abel antagonists are not quite epic in their dimensions, but they are interesting and engaging and the conflicts between them are effectively realized. These larger patterns do take their inspiration from the epic origins of the novel as a literary form and give the narrative a level of gravitas that is not always encountered in genre fiction. The result is a wonderful read that moves briskly but also conveys a sense of weight and seriousness. This is no mean feat given the fact that the subplot subject--rainmaking--is usually the object of skepticism if not explicit scorn.

I would actually give the novel four and a half stars. I like a little more blood and gore in my endings and while the ending here is just and satisfying it was not quite up to my expectations (which, for Parker, are always high).

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Finish It, April 20, 2007

By 

Thriller Lover (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Storm Runners: A Novel (Hardcover)

I normally love T. Jefferson Parker's books, but not this one. STORM RUNNERS struck me as a novel written in a hurry. It's mostly dialogue, which is not Parker's strong point. An unrealistic, clunky plot and underdeveloped characters made this book a major disappointment. Parker can do much better than this.

My advice is to read some of Parker's more recent books, like THE FALLEN (superb), and SILENT JOE and CALIFORNIA GIRL (both winners of the Edgar award for best crime novel).