Most white-collar criminals needed to feed something: either an addiction or their ego.
Colleen Cross
Exit Strategy
Format:
audiobook
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Private investigator and forensic accountant Katerina Carter uncovers a sinister connection between blood diamonds and organized crime. Then two company employees are brutally murdered and her investigation becomes much more dangerous than she had ever imagined. Can she can stay alive long enough to expose the real criminals…or will her first case be her last?
Point of view:
3rd person. Mostly from Katerina’s perspective, however there are some chapters from other POV’s. All clearly defined.
Rellim’s Thoughts:
Katerina Carter is a down-on-her luck forensic accountant trying to find success with her own private investigation firm. It isn’t going well and she’s about to shut the doors. She’s approached about a huge corporate theft and it’s the opportunity to get her own finances back in the black.
The book starts slowly, bogged down quite a bit by a huge amount of exposition in long monologues used explain certain facts/history/procedures. While the facts about accounting, blood diamonds, and corporate stocks were interesting and necessary for the book, I wish this had been broken up a bit and perhaps been presented during more natural dialogue. At times it felt more like someone reading off large chunks of Wikipedia rather than a conversation.
About a third of the way through, the pacing picks up quite a bit and the mystery/thriller aspect is much more enjoyable. The biggest issue here is that Katerina does a lot of thoughtless, dangerous, and downright illegal acts that stretch believability.
That said, there’s an interesting plot, intriguing characters, and a resolution that wasn’t predictable. I’m looking forward to listening to the next book in the series, Game Theory.
Narration:
I liked the narration by Petrea Burchard. She had a wide range of voices and accents. Unfortunately, the voices for Cindy and Susan weren’t always consistent between chapters. It wouldn’t keep me from listening to her in the future though.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from FreeAudiobookCodes.com and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
About the author:
Colleen Cross writes page-turning thrillers and fun, cozy mysteries. She lives with her family on Canada’s West Coast. When she’s not writing, she loves to run, hike, and explore with her rescue dog Jaeger, who reminds her daily that life’s too short to not follow your dreams–or a squirrel or two.
You can connect with Colleen Cross here:
About the narrator:
From Burchard’s website: With a professional home studio and lifelong experience as an actor, writer, and lover of the spoken word, audiobooks are the perfect fit for me. Growing up in northern Illinois, where farm meets university, shaped me into a townie with a love of animals, nature and books. I started reading as soon as I figured out how, and I’ve been an actor since I could get anyone to pay attention.
With a BA in creative writing I embarked on—what else?—an acting career. My stage experience covers everything from Second City to Shakespeare, and my resume includes TV, film and voiceover, including the notorious, sexy space pirate in the classic anime, Tenchi Muyo. Also a writer, I’ve published a time-slip novel and a book of essays about the funny side of life as a journeyman actor in Hollywood.
I’ve narrated fiction and nonfiction—for indies on ACX as well as companies like Deyan Audio and Blunder Woman Productions. A member of SAG-AFTRA and the Audio Publishers Association, I’m available to narrate for publishers, producers, authors, and platforms like ACX and Spoken Realms.
You can connect with Petra Burchard here:
My Favorite Quotes
Most white-collar criminals needed to feed something: either an addiction or their ego. – Exit Strategy @colleenxcross #Audiobook narrated by @PetreaBurchard #Thriller #KaterinaCarter
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She would count on only one person from now on. Herself. – Exit Strategy @colleenxcross #Audiobook narrated by @PetreaBurchard #Thriller #KaterinaCarter
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