Audiobook Sample
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- Title: Near Dark: A Thriller
- Author: Brad Thor
- Narrator: Armand Schultz
- Length: 11:20:00
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 21/07/2020
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Genre: Fiction & Literature, Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Political Thriller, General
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
There’s a particular magic to experiencing a high-stakes thriller through audiobook – the way a skilled narrator can make your pulse race during a chase scene or hold your breath during a tense standoff. Brad Thor’s “Near Dark” delivers all this and more through Armand Schultz’s masterful narration, creating an audio experience that gripped me as tightly as the desert winds that once chased me through Morocco’s Atlas Mountains.
This latest Scot Harvath adventure finds our hero in perhaps his most vulnerable position yet – a global bounty on his head, his new wife murdered, and trust in short supply. Thor weaves his signature blend of geopolitical intrigue and personal stakes with the precision of a master cartographer (a skill I’ve come to appreciate during my travels through conflict zones). The introduction of Norwegian operative Sølvi Kolstad adds fascinating new dimensions to Harvath’s world – their chemistry crackles with the same intensity as arguments I’ve witnessed between intelligence operatives in Berlin’s shadowy corners.
Schultz’s narration is nothing short of extraordinary. He handles the international cast of characters with impressive authenticity – his Norwegian accents particularly convincing (reminiscent of the Nordic diplomats I once shared a tense midnight train ride with from Oslo to Bergen). The way he modulates his pacing during action sequences creates an almost cinematic experience; I found myself gripping my steering wheel tighter during my daily commute, as if I were part of Harvath’s desperate escapes.
What makes this audiobook stand out in the crowded thriller genre is its emotional core. Thor explores grief and vengeance with surprising depth – themes that resonated deeply with me after losing a close friend in similar circumstances years ago. Schultz captures these quieter moments with poignant restraint, his voice cracking just enough during Harvath’s rawest moments to feel authentic without veering into melodrama.
The production quality matches the premium content. Every gunshot rings with crisp clarity, while the subtle ambient sounds during tense surveillance scenes put me right in the operation room (much like the hidden recording devices I once saw demonstrated in a Lisbon safehouse). At nearly 11 hours, the listening experience flies by – I burned through it in two days during a road trip through the American Southwest, the desert landscape outside my window mirroring the story’s themes of isolation and survival.
If I have one critique, it’s that some geopolitical twists require suspension of disbelief even by thriller standards. But Schultz’s committed performance sells even the most audacious plot turns with complete conviction. The supporting characters occasionally verge on archetypes, though Schultz’s vocal differentiation helps flesh them out beyond the page.
For fans of Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp or Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, this represents the genre at its slickest and most entertaining. The Harvath-Kolstad dynamic suggests thrilling possibilities for future installments. While listening, I kept thinking how this would make an incredible limited series – the set pieces play out with such visual intensity in the mind’s eye.
Until our next literary adventure, keep your passport and headphones close.
Marcus Rivera
