The Listener

The Paranormal Investigator #2

by Christopher Carrolli

Found face down in a puddle of blood, Sidney Pratt is rushed to the hospital, where doctors diagnose cerebral hemorrhage as the culprit. Comatose, Sidney enters the realm of white light and takes a mysterious journey within it, where he questions his mortality. He meets the dead face to face and soon, the events of his life are played out, but his untold memory of a boy’s voice unravels the team’s next case…that of The Listener.

190 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 2012

About the author

Christopher Carrolli is a full-time writer, who lives in Western Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg and holds a BA in English Writing, and an AA in English. He has also won the Ida B. Wells Prize in Journalism.
Chris will be releasing Book 9 of the "Paranormal Investigator" Series, entitled "Rude Awakenings" in 2021.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Listener is the fantastic second installment in The Paranormal Investigator Series and it really hits the ground running, taking off immediately from the end of Pipeline. If you’ve read Pipeline you will already love the characters, but The Listener builds on that and tells you more about each of them. It also introduces a couple of characters that were only mentioned in Pipeline and you will love these too. Ryan is a wonderful, strong-minded and brave young boy who is kidnapped right from under everyone’s nose, but he stays calm and waits for his rescue, knowing that it will come and trying his hardest to call out to Sidney telepathically. Sidney begins this story unconscious in hospital following a brain haemorrhage and Christopher’s portrayal of Sidney’s journey through the past, while he is unconscious, is truly wonderful. Roman Hadley is the reason behind Ryan’s kidnap, but he is tied the team and he also has a strange tie to someone else...
The Listener will not disappoint fans of Pipeline and is an excellent addition to the series. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into the first part of the book because I was so busy with the holiday hustle and bustle, but once all of that was over and I had time to sit down and read, the characters became "real" to me again and I enjoyed it just like I did the first book! I like being able to "see" a character or a place in my mind as I am reading and I can do that with both of these books. I like when there are not too many people brought into a book immediately either. The first book, Pipeline, and this one have introduced new characters, but not too quickly as to where you have to think back and you are asking yourself "now who was that again?".

While I was saddened that Mark/Roman's life had to end, I understand why it did. I was completely surprised to learn that Mark was who he was, as I usually pick up on that kind of thing in books, so kudos to being able to surprise me! I am super interested in learning what it is that Leah is seeing in the house where she grew up, and in the mirror, and I am anxiously awaiting book number three!

I have read several books from the supernatural genre, but I either end up closing them and never opening them again to finish, or reading them and thinking "gee, that was dumb/corny". For a variety of reasons, paranormal books just haven't kept my interest. This is truly the first two books I have read on paranormal activity/clairaudients/clairvoyants, etc. that I enjoyed......ever.

[Stephanie Dagg · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Listener by Chris Carrolli is the second in his Paranormal Investigator Series, following on from Pipeline. Sidney Pratt, a member of the investigating team, is found unconscious and taken to hospital. While he undergoes surgery he enters the realm of ‘white light’ and he travels into his subconscious and his past, revisiting some of his long dead relatives. He hears the voice of boy that had been buried within his memories. He needs to remember what he was told as this is the key to the team’s next mystery. There is a kidnapping to solve and the menacing Roman to deal with, but he turns out to have a strong tie to the team which is going to complicate matters as they battle with the case.
All the characters develop further from the first story but if you’re meeting them for the first time, you can quickly get under their skins. You understand why they do what they do. Like Pipeline, this is an extremely exciting and well written book. The plot is intricate and ingenious. There’s tension, mystery and moments of horror. You quickly get drawn into the action and have to keep reading until you reach the unexpected ending. It’s not always a comfortable read as Carrolli doesn’t hesitate to shock us but he’s a master of entertainment and has us under his spell from the first word. Every bit as good as its predecessor, The Listener confirms that this series will be a truly breathtaking one.

[Jenny Twist · Rating 5 out of 5]

The exciting sequel to “Pipeline”, Chris Carrolli’s first novel, opens with the discovery of Sidney Pratt’s comatose body lying in a puddle of blood. As his friends rush him to the hospital and wait anxiously for the results of the surgery, he relives his past, speaking to his dead grandfather and other people long gone. There is great danger lying in wait for him and the other members of his team and only he can identify it, if only he can remember the thing he has forgotten …

Those who read and loved “Pipeline” will not be disappointed by “The Listener”. Carrolli’s unique writing style and his ability to create an interesting and fast-paced plot based on a very original premise, draw the reader in. There are moments of almost unbearable tension as the members of the team hunt down the mysterious Hadley, the head director of the society, whom nobody has ever seen - racing against the clock to rescue a kidnapped boy – a boy whose powers are even greater than those of Sidney himself.

There is nothing predictable about Carrolli’s stories. He is not afraid to kill off his characters and in the end no-one is safe.

Another gripping read. I am looking forward to the third book in the series.

[Brent Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing follow up to PipeLine, which I loved.
I love the back stories to some of the characters and yet again another crazy twist that kept me reading to find out what was going to happen. I really cannot wait to read the next book, The Third Eye of Leah Leeds. This is such a great series that is easy to read and a lot of action and suspense to keep you wanting more.

[Joseph Albertine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sequel to "Pipeline" is well-conceived, well-thought, suspenseful, and page-turning. It's easy to see now how this book leads into "The Third Eye of Leah Leeds." In this book, the author begins placing the investigators as the main characters, putting each one of them in a paranormal experience. It is fast-paced and an easy read. Great new characters that are as real as always.

[Angela DiLeone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent once again. This author is amazing writer.

[Tessa Onabigon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won from a Goodreads Giveaway!


They were supposed to be on their way to a post-funeral get together in honor of their friend. But after 15 minutes of waiting in the parking lot, Leah Leeds goes in search of Sidney Pratt.
Upon entering team HQ, Leah finds Sidney lying in a pool of his own blood, with no clues as to what happened. The saving grace? He's alive. Barely.


Since he was but a young boy, Sidney's known he was different. While kids his age were enjoying the careless whims of childhood, he was being treated by psychiatrists and therapist galore for his gift. Sidney is what is called a Clairaudient, or Listener - someone capable of talking to the dead.

Now estranged with his parents, Sidney has made it his life's mission to better understand his gift, and help like-minded people.
With his friends and fellow team members keeping a bed-side vigil by his unconscious body, he goes on a life-changing journey where he uncovers secrets from his past that could save a boy's future. A boy just like him. One whose voice he's heard somewhere before...




The Listener is chock-full of suspense, mystery and intrigue. Sidney is an admirable lead, while the surrounding characters give the book the added warmth of friendship and understanding. The storyline was precise, thrilling, and packs an emotional punch. While their gifts sate my supernatural cravings. Even though I've yet to read book one (Pipeline), book two was enjoyable all on it's own.

Thank you for the autographed copy Mr. Carrolli. I will be looking out for the rest of the series!

4 stars

[S.C. Dane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using the same cast of characters from his first novel The Pipeline, Carrolli keeps us in the thick of the action. The Listener picks up where the first story leaves off, only this time it’s the beloved Sidney Pratt, the conduit to the dead, who is in trouble. In a near-death state, he transcends the physical realm to visit the spiritual. Or rather, the mystical visit with him.
Yet they aren’t the only voices he encounters while comatose. Sidney also “hears” a young boy calling out to him for help. Wanted for his psychic abilities, Ryan, an audio clairvoyant and telepath, has been kidnapped by a secret organization. The head of which turns out to be none other than the man governing the university’s team of ghost hunters.
In a brilliantly woven spider’s web of intrigue, Carrolli leads us through our beloved team’s emotional and psychic upsets as they set out to rescue their young friend. The suspense continues to build as The Listener unfolds, and I find myself scrolling through the pages like a fiend. Not only that, I’m sympathizing with the villain! Just as in real life, there is always the back story, the reason behind the motivation, and Carrolli delivers this with a talent I hope to see in his third book of this series.
With The Listener ending with another lead-in, I have no doubt readers won’t miss a single thread of these knuckle biting, suspense driven plots.

[Anne Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of things I loved the most was that The Listener actually ran off from where The Pipeline. Unlike most books that leave a time gap this one doesn't. I love the way that the book ran through the whole thing. I also like how my suspensions that Roman Headly was an off character was proved in this book except I never did expect him to be Mark. It sort of made me sad that Susan finally found the love of her life and then he dies. I also love how Ryan was safely found and that Headly/Mark had the decency to let Ryan go without any harm to him. I would give Christopher more than 5 stars if this was an option. He is such an amazing author for this being his second book. I cannot wait to see what the next book holds. I would recommend this book to anyone that I know.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sequel to "Pipeline" is just as enthalling as the first. The second book picks up where the second left off. The story of the investigators continues, this time, as they dwelve into their second case regarding a kidnapped boy who is a clairaudient, taken for his psychic abilities.
Carrolli keeps up the pace as delivered in "Pipeline." This story is another page turner meant for those who love paranormal..

[Tammy Goemaat · Rating 1 out of 5]

I LOVED the first book in the series, but unfortunately, this book fell flat! I couldn't get into it for anything! I was so hopeful!