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The Listener
The New York Times–bestselling author “masterfully combines historical thriller and supernatural horror . . . [for] fans of occult thrillers like those by Dean Koontz” (Booklist, starred review).
Economic collapse. Crushing unemployment and breadlines crowding city streets as crime spirals out of control. The Great Depression has enough misery for all, and some to spare. But for angel-faced grifter John Partlow, the American South in 1934 is a land of opportunity. The small-time confidence man stumbles into the big leagues when he partners up with beautiful hustler Ginger LaFrance. Seduced into her high stakes plot to kidnap the young children of a New Orleans shipping magnate, John realizes he’s in over his head when Ginger’s fierce desire to see her scheme succeed could mean a gruesome end for their innocent victims.
Unless young Nilla can wield her secret gift in time. Though she’s never heard the term, nine-year-old Nilla is a Listener—someone who can telepathically pick up on the thoughts of others like themselves. Nilla has started to communicate with another Listener—a young black man struggling to find his way as a porter at the Union Station. Their lives couldn’t be more different, and though they have never met, their shared bond is so strong that Curtis is ready to risk it all to answer her cry for help. But will it be enough to save two children from the merciless hands of hardened criminals?
“Race relations are one subject of this seductive slice of supernatural noir set in 1934 New Orleans . . . McCammon conjures believable characters whose sympathetic plight pulls the reader headlong into the novel’s volatile mix of crime and fantasy. Its tense finale, paced at breakneck speed, will have readers turning pages until its surprise-packed end.” —Publishers Weekly
Economic collapse. Crushing unemployment and breadlines crowding city streets as crime spirals out of control. The Great Depression has enough misery for all, and some to spare. But for angel-faced grifter John Partlow, the American South in 1934 is a land of opportunity. The small-time confidence man stumbles into the big leagues when he partners up with beautiful hustler Ginger LaFrance. Seduced into her high stakes plot to kidnap the young children of a New Orleans shipping magnate, John realizes he’s in over his head when Ginger’s fierce desire to see her scheme succeed could mean a gruesome end for their innocent victims.
Unless young Nilla can wield her secret gift in time. Though she’s never heard the term, nine-year-old Nilla is a Listener—someone who can telepathically pick up on the thoughts of others like themselves. Nilla has started to communicate with another Listener—a young black man struggling to find his way as a porter at the Union Station. Their lives couldn’t be more different, and though they have never met, their shared bond is so strong that Curtis is ready to risk it all to answer her cry for help. But will it be enough to save two children from the merciless hands of hardened criminals?
“Race relations are one subject of this seductive slice of supernatural noir set in 1934 New Orleans . . . McCammon conjures believable characters whose sympathetic plight pulls the reader headlong into the novel’s volatile mix of crime and fantasy. Its tense finale, paced at breakneck speed, will have readers turning pages until its surprise-packed end.” —Publishers Weekly
361 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 27, 2018
429 people are currently reading
3486 people want to read
About the author
Robert McCammon
169 books5,784 followersPseudonyms: Robert R. McCammon; Robert Rick McCammon
Robert McCammon was a full-time horror writer for many years. Among his many popular novels were the classics Boy's Life and Swan Song. After taking a hiatus for his family, he returned to writing with an interest in historical fiction.
His newest book, Leviathan, is the tenth and final book in the Matthew Corbett series. It was published in trade hardcover (Lividian Publications), ebook (Open Road), and audiobook (Audible) formats on December 3, 2024.
McCammon resides in Birmingham, Alabama.
Robert McCammon was a full-time horror writer for many years. Among his many popular novels were the classics Boy's Life and Swan Song. After taking a hiatus for his family, he returned to writing with an interest in historical fiction.
His newest book, Leviathan, is the tenth and final book in the Matthew Corbett series. It was published in trade hardcover (Lividian Publications), ebook (Open Road), and audiobook (Audible) formats on December 3, 2024.
McCammon resides in Birmingham, Alabama.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 469 reviews
December 12, 2017
What a great story this is! Set in the American south during the Great Depression, The Listener is a unique tale. Starting with a man we'll call Pearly and ending with the opening of a free clinic, Robert McCammon sucked me in as he always does and now I have another book to add to my All Time Favorites shelf!
With a young black man as the protagonist and a few visits to characters we've met in the past, (I want to say so much more about them, but I can't spoil the surprise for you!),
I wasn't sure for the longest time where this story was going. But when Pearly meets Ginger LaFrance, and joins her cold quest for riches, I knew I was in for the long haul.
Not since the book MINE, has Robert McCammon created such a cunning female villain. Crafty and OH SO cold, Ginger is capable of anything. When she concocts her evil plan with Pearly as her back up, you just know it's not going to go well. And when another of her family members joins their crew, you cannot help but feel that it was a mistake on Ginger's part. You also hope that Ginger doesn't succeed.
At a certain point in The Listener, you just have to hold on for dear life because this tale races to the denouement and you HAVE to know what happens. I recommend shutting yourself in a room for the last 50 pages so you can read it without being bothered. Trust me on this! You will be rewarded with an ending so poignant, yet so perfect and totally satisfying that you might find yourself with a tear in your eye. Not saying that happened to me, (it TOTALLY happened to me), but you know, prepare yourself. Perfection in an ending is so rare, but I think McCammon achieved it here.
The only bad thing about getting an ARC, (and in this case it's a REAL ARC, that I can hold and hug tight to my chest, not that I did that), is that there isn't anyone to talk to about this story. I can't wait for you to read it so we can talk about Curtis and Pearly and good old Nilla.
In February when it's released, I hope you will remember my words here today and hop on the opportunity to read The Listener. Please come and share your thoughts with me when you're done. I hope that Curtis invades your mind space as he has invaded mine, and we can talk about how much we both love him. Or perhaps we can talk about THAT character that was such a memorable part of another GREAT, (maybe the best?) Robert McCammon book, and how much we loved seeing them again? I sure do hope that we can, my fellow readers. I sure do hope we can.
The Listener has earned my highest recommendation!
*Thanks to Cemetery Dance for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it!*
With a young black man as the protagonist and a few visits to characters we've met in the past, (I want to say so much more about them, but I can't spoil the surprise for you!),
I wasn't sure for the longest time where this story was going. But when Pearly meets Ginger LaFrance, and joins her cold quest for riches, I knew I was in for the long haul.
Not since the book MINE, has Robert McCammon created such a cunning female villain. Crafty and OH SO cold, Ginger is capable of anything. When she concocts her evil plan with Pearly as her back up, you just know it's not going to go well. And when another of her family members joins their crew, you cannot help but feel that it was a mistake on Ginger's part. You also hope that Ginger doesn't succeed.
At a certain point in The Listener, you just have to hold on for dear life because this tale races to the denouement and you HAVE to know what happens. I recommend shutting yourself in a room for the last 50 pages so you can read it without being bothered. Trust me on this! You will be rewarded with an ending so poignant, yet so perfect and totally satisfying that you might find yourself with a tear in your eye. Not saying that happened to me, (it TOTALLY happened to me), but you know, prepare yourself. Perfection in an ending is so rare, but I think McCammon achieved it here.
The only bad thing about getting an ARC, (and in this case it's a REAL ARC, that I can hold and hug tight to my chest, not that I did that), is that there isn't anyone to talk to about this story. I can't wait for you to read it so we can talk about Curtis and Pearly and good old Nilla.
In February when it's released, I hope you will remember my words here today and hop on the opportunity to read The Listener. Please come and share your thoughts with me when you're done. I hope that Curtis invades your mind space as he has invaded mine, and we can talk about how much we both love him. Or perhaps we can talk about THAT character that was such a memorable part of another GREAT, (maybe the best?) Robert McCammon book, and how much we loved seeing them again? I sure do hope that we can, my fellow readers. I sure do hope we can.
The Listener has earned my highest recommendation!
*Thanks to Cemetery Dance for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it!*
September 24, 2022
"It was true that the Devil could be a man or a woman. That the Devil could be the hard spring in the seat of a car, a gnat in the eye or the whack of a wooden baton on the iron bars of a jail cell. True also that the Devil could get behind the wheel of that car with the hard spring in the seat, and drive crazy and wild with no regard for any human being, and cause one hundred and ten million kinds of suffering for anybody and everybody until the Devil, he drives that car right over the cliff and it smashes to pieces on the sharp rocks underneath."
Initial Thoughts
As I near the finish line on my Great McCammon Marathon, with only two books remaining, I have to say it's been an amazing journey. He's the most underrated author out there and writes with such a passion and level of craft that's impossible to ignore. I said in my last review of his brilliant rock n roll thriller, The Five, that he was my favourite author based on what he's writing right now. Published in 2018, would The Listener do anything to change my opinion?
If you've read the majority of McCammon's bibliography it's pretty clear there's two distinct stages. There's the horror stage, where he was establishing his career with some brilliant titles like They Thirst, Wolf's Hour and my favourite book of all time...Swan Song. This was followed by a ten year sabbatical from writing when he became disillusioned with the publishing industry when his didn't allow him the freedom to step outside the horror genre. He then reinvented himself as a writer of historical fiction when he exploded back on to the scene with the brilliant Speaks the Nightbird.
I knew going into The Listener from friends' reports that it fell firmly in McCammon's second phase as somewhat of a historical thriller. Also, that it was a cracker. Apart from that I was going in cold not knowing a lot about it. Just how I like it!
The Story
This one kicks of in the city of New Orleans in 1934 during the Great Depression. A time where people were desperate and many had to steal a living. McCammon gives us two distinct storylines, following characters from drastically different backgrounds, that will eventually collide in spectacular fashion.
We start with John 'Pearly' Partlow who is a 'hearse chaser', a conman selling fakely engraved bibles to the families of loved ones who have recently passed away. A real piece of work. But as they say, birds of a feather flock together and it's not long before he teams up with Ginger LaFrance who brings a whole new meaning to the term femme fatale. She has a complete disdain for any other humans, particularly the rich although she longs to join them, and is lacking of any moral fibre. Ginger has a get rich quick scheme that will see him next $200'000 if they can pull it off. But for that he will need to get his hands very dirty indeed.
Ginger LaFrance
We’re then introduced to twenty-year-old Curtis Mayhew, a young, black baggage handler who works for the Union Railway. He appears to be as ordinary as they come, but he is anything but. He has a very special talent that will make him a nightmare for Pearly and Ginger. And I am not going to tell you what that talent is. Want to know? Then read the damn book!
The Writing
If you've read any of my reviews on this author then you know I'm having a bit of a love affair with his writing. I could talk about it all the live-long day. The way it flows effortlessly and is full of emotion and vivid imagery. It really is a thing of beauty. At first you might find it's a little wordy, but trust me this is an author who's learned to make every word count.
One of the great things about this book is how McCammon absolutely nails the setting. Not just the location but the period as well. He must have done a fair bit of research as he absolutely brings the depression-era in New Orleans and the surrounding swamps to life in fantastic style. Its so rich and descriptive. You can taste the hot and oppressive atmosphere. Close your eyes for a minute and you're right there.
Yes you can definitely see why this book was a finalist for the Locus Award for Best Horror Novel. Although in my opinion it's not really a horror novel, although it does contain elements of a supernatural variety. But it's not there to horrify you, at least I didn't think so, and I'd certainly class this one as a historical thriller. It ties in a few events of the time like the kidnapping of the Lindberg baby and Bonnie and Clyde.
Although Bobby Mac writes this one in third person omniscient, he throws in a few quirky elements. Like shifting the POV during the course of a chapter, sometimes mid paragraph. In the hands of a less skilled author this would have been jarring, confusing and potentially annoying. But he makes it work and it never proves a barrier to the story.
The pacing in this one is red hot. Its a short novel for McCammon, all killer and no filler. The final hundred pages really ramp up to an explosive, emotional and very satisfying finish. You're in for a treat.
"These were desperate times and people did desperate things. "
The Characters
When I reviewed The Five last month I said it was the best character work McCammon had done and he keeps that high standard in The Listener. Curtis Mayhew is beautifully written, and a beautiful person all around. He lights up every page he appears on. I loved the start and spending times with the villains and would have been quite happy if this continued. But then the narrative switches to our Curtis and he's such a stark contrast to those two. The very definition of what it is to be a good person with a strong heart. An example to us all. I absolutely loved him.
Even the side characters are really well written and play their part in a gripping and immersive story. They each have a unique voice and feel very real. There's a hell of a lot of development in this one and they all change significantly by the close. For the young folk in this one, it's a very harsh learning curve. But I was fully invested in them and enthralled with their own coming of age tale.
What this book illustrates perfectly is that age old cliche of never to judge a book by it's cover. Those villains are outwardly attractive but rotten at the core. The one that was subject to the most discrimination rose above it and never gave up. Curtis will always have a special place in my heart.
"He figured that in this tough old world if a man wanted to live he had to learn to shed his skin like a snake and move from the shadow of one rock to the shadow of another—move, move, always move—because the other snakes were on the move too, and they were always hungry."
Final Thoughts
Wow! What a ride. I'm nearing the end of my Robert McCammon journey and it really is finishing in style. I loved this book from the first page to the last. I know, I say that all the time with McCammon books right?
This one was especially good and I've no doubt it will remain in my thoughts over the coming days and months. I'm pretty certain it will be in my top five reads for the year. If that doesn't convince you to pick it up nothing will. And while we're on the subject, I do think this would be a brilliant place to start your own journey if you've not yet picked up one of his books.
Next up for me is his sci fi, alien invasion piece...The Border. Then that's me done and dusted with this author. I feel quite sad. Well until he released his next Matthew Corbett novel. Then it's happy days again! Last words? Read some Robert McCammon now...that and thanks for reading my humble and long-winded review...cheers!
January 14, 2018
Thank you Cemetery Dance for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Listener will be released February 27, 2018. It can be preordered from Cemetery Dance, Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, B&N.
This was my first time reading a Robert McCammon book. I've heard such good things that I was already starting to collect his books and Boy's Life is on this year's TBR. This book just made me an instant fan and now I want to go back and read everything he ever wrote.
This is part historical novel, set in 1934 and part supernatural suspense blended together expertly. The story is told in Parts and we are introduced to the immoral, unscrupulous adults, John Parr/Pearly and Ginger LaFrance who swindle folks to make their way during the Great Depression. McCammon scandalizes us with what some people are willing to do to survive by taking advantage of others. This kind of evil knows no bounds.
In contrast, another Part is our protagonist's story, Curtis Mayhew. We instantly love Curtis. A young, black man who lives with his spirited mother Orchid (she made me laugh out loud) and works at a train yard helping weary travelers with their luggage and such. An honest living.
I was blown away at how effortlessly McCammon transported me to the setting of his story. I could see it all through Curtis' eyes. Every situation he found himself in was just another way for McCammon to reveal more layers of this young man's character. We become very invested in his life--then, towards the middle of the story, we also meet Nilla-a girl about the same as Curtis born into privilege and we discover why Curtis and Nilla are so special.
The lives of all these unique characters intersect under some very intense circumstances and I'd say the last 200 pages MUST be read in one fell swoop. You legit cannot put this book down once our story climaxes and begins its push towards the finish. I never wanted it to end. I could have read about Curtis Mayhew forever. I feel confident adding him to my short list of favorite literary characters of all time. All the kids in this story were so fleshed out, making this story dangerous and risky, my mom-heart was beating out of my chest.
In a word, I love this book. I'll be adding it to my all time favorite stories and I know I'll be visiting it again and buying myself a copy when it comes out. Please take it from me and BUY THIS BOOK. Preorder it, throw your money at it. A must have for any serious reader.
The Listener will be released February 27, 2018. It can be preordered from Cemetery Dance, Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, B&N.
This was my first time reading a Robert McCammon book. I've heard such good things that I was already starting to collect his books and Boy's Life is on this year's TBR. This book just made me an instant fan and now I want to go back and read everything he ever wrote.
This is part historical novel, set in 1934 and part supernatural suspense blended together expertly. The story is told in Parts and we are introduced to the immoral, unscrupulous adults, John Parr/Pearly and Ginger LaFrance who swindle folks to make their way during the Great Depression. McCammon scandalizes us with what some people are willing to do to survive by taking advantage of others. This kind of evil knows no bounds.
In contrast, another Part is our protagonist's story, Curtis Mayhew. We instantly love Curtis. A young, black man who lives with his spirited mother Orchid (she made me laugh out loud) and works at a train yard helping weary travelers with their luggage and such. An honest living.
I was blown away at how effortlessly McCammon transported me to the setting of his story. I could see it all through Curtis' eyes. Every situation he found himself in was just another way for McCammon to reveal more layers of this young man's character. We become very invested in his life--then, towards the middle of the story, we also meet Nilla-a girl about the same as Curtis born into privilege and we discover why Curtis and Nilla are so special.
The lives of all these unique characters intersect under some very intense circumstances and I'd say the last 200 pages MUST be read in one fell swoop. You legit cannot put this book down once our story climaxes and begins its push towards the finish. I never wanted it to end. I could have read about Curtis Mayhew forever. I feel confident adding him to my short list of favorite literary characters of all time. All the kids in this story were so fleshed out, making this story dangerous and risky, my mom-heart was beating out of my chest.
In a word, I love this book. I'll be adding it to my all time favorite stories and I know I'll be visiting it again and buying myself a copy when it comes out. Please take it from me and BUY THIS BOOK. Preorder it, throw your money at it. A must have for any serious reader.
June 30, 2023
Way too long since I had read a McCammon book. Forgotten just how good he is at creating pretty much every aspect, from the overall to those very many elements that make characters human upon the page, and I've met few with a bigger heart than Curtis Mayhew's.
February 17, 2025
4.5 ⭐
Годините на Голямата депресия в САЩ са страшно любопитен и поучителен период... Робърт Маккамън очевидно е проучил детайлно тези времена, за да пресъздаде толкова убедително и въздействащо тяхната дяволски напрегната атмосфера в „Момчето, което чуваше всичко“. Книгата представлява мрачно криминале, обаче не се ограничава само в този жанр, тъй като същевременно засяга тежката тема за расовата дискриминация, а и притежава свръхестествен елемент.
Действието се развива в Ню Орлиънс през 1934 г. Главен герой е чернокожото момче Къртис, което има загадъчни телепатични способности. Неговият живот е доста труден, а към даден момент попада на опитните престъпници Джон и Джинджър и се въвлича в големи опасности, решавайки да спаси отвлечени деца...
„Дяволът наистина може да бъде мъж или жена. Дяволът наистина може да бъде корава пружина на седалката на колата, мушичка в окото, удар на дървена палка по железните решетки на затворническата килия. И наистина може да седне зад волана на тази кола с коравата пружина в седалката и да кара като луд, без да го е грижа за нито едно човешко същество, и да причини сто и десет милиона различни вида страдание на всички, докато не изхвърчи с тази кола от ръба на скалата и не я разбие на парчета на острите скали на дъното на пропастта, този Дявол.“
Годините на Голямата депресия в САЩ са страшно любопитен и поучителен период... Робърт Маккамън очевидно е проучил детайлно тези времена, за да пресъздаде толкова убедително и въздействащо тяхната дяволски напрегната атмосфера в „Момчето, което чуваше всичко“. Книгата представлява мрачно криминале, обаче не се ограничава само в този жанр, тъй като същевременно засяга тежката тема за расовата дискриминация, а и притежава свръхестествен елемент.
Действието се развива в Ню Орлиънс през 1934 г. Главен герой е чернокожото момче Къртис, което има загадъчни телепатични способности. Неговият живот е доста труден, а към даден момент попада на опитните престъпници Джон и Джинджър и се въвлича в големи опасности, решавайки да спаси отвлечени деца...
„Дяволът наистина може да бъде мъж или жена. Дяволът наистина може да бъде корава пружина на седалката на колата, мушичка в окото, удар на дървена палка по железните решетки на затворническата килия. И наистина може да седне зад волана на тази кола с коравата пружина в седалката и да кара като луд, без да го е грижа за нито едно човешко същество, и да причини сто и десет милиона различни вида страдание на всички, докато не изхвърчи с тази кола от ръба на скалата и не я разбие на парчета на острите скали на дъното на пропастта, този Дявол.“
April 22, 2019
I have had a terrible and stressful few weeks (months, really) and am having a difficult time focusing or finding the energy to write a review so this will be much shorter than it deserves.
First off, I have to say that The Listener has an opening scene that will cement the villain as one of the worst of all time in my mind. He is truly one of the vilest, evilest, most selfish of monsters that my eyeballs have come across in quite a while. Be warned, be warned, beeeee warned! If you can get through that scene you are good to go.
Anyhow, without spoiling things, that vile creature sets off to do more evil and pairs up with a lady who is just as monstrous as himself. Together they plot to hurt innocents for their own selfish gain. But what they don’t expect is a little supernatural twist between the innocents caught in their twisted little plan.
This story is disturbing and horrifying and 100% captivating. McCammon is one hell of a beautiful writer and he draws you into his world of villains and innocents and prejudice and pain and kindness and if you don’t root for the good guys to win after all they’ve been through, you might just be a monster as well.
The writing in this novel is simply beyond compare. My heart broke time and again and all of my emotions were engaged. This is a story that I will never forget and I say that about almost nothing because things no longer stick in my brain unless they engage my heart.
I don’t know what else to say besides READ THIS BOOK. I do not think that you will regret it.
First off, I have to say that The Listener has an opening scene that will cement the villain as one of the worst of all time in my mind. He is truly one of the vilest, evilest, most selfish of monsters that my eyeballs have come across in quite a while. Be warned, be warned, beeeee warned! If you can get through that scene you are good to go.
Anyhow, without spoiling things, that vile creature sets off to do more evil and pairs up with a lady who is just as monstrous as himself. Together they plot to hurt innocents for their own selfish gain. But what they don’t expect is a little supernatural twist between the innocents caught in their twisted little plan.
This story is disturbing and horrifying and 100% captivating. McCammon is one hell of a beautiful writer and he draws you into his world of villains and innocents and prejudice and pain and kindness and if you don’t root for the good guys to win after all they’ve been through, you might just be a monster as well.
The writing in this novel is simply beyond compare. My heart broke time and again and all of my emotions were engaged. This is a story that I will never forget and I say that about almost nothing because things no longer stick in my brain unless they engage my heart.
I don’t know what else to say besides READ THIS BOOK. I do not think that you will regret it.
March 28, 2018
★★★★1/2
McCammon is one of our most naturally gifted storytellers. There's a folksy quality to his work that is charming and enchanting and I can't help but love it. When it's paired with a strong story he's among the best of the best. His new novel is one of the better standalone books he's written in a while and a great showcase for his style and the qualities that make him stand out. It's a 1930's Depression period piece that begins as an awesome pulpy sleaze noir about a morally shifty grifter, the cutthroat harpy he gets tangled with and the kidnapping scheme they concoct, but then the story morphs into a magical adventure thriller about the telepathic New Orleans redcap that gets in their way, and somehow it all works!
Even though his Matthew Corbett series is top-notch, this sports some of McCammon's best prose in a long time, stirring and touching writing that feels like it's told around a campfire or at bedtime. And although I feel like he still can be long-winded and the third act chase overstays it's welcome a little, it's all brought to a close with a truly moving conclusion.
McCammon is one of our most naturally gifted storytellers. There's a folksy quality to his work that is charming and enchanting and I can't help but love it. When it's paired with a strong story he's among the best of the best. His new novel is one of the better standalone books he's written in a while and a great showcase for his style and the qualities that make him stand out. It's a 1930's Depression period piece that begins as an awesome pulpy sleaze noir about a morally shifty grifter, the cutthroat harpy he gets tangled with and the kidnapping scheme they concoct, but then the story morphs into a magical adventure thriller about the telepathic New Orleans redcap that gets in their way, and somehow it all works!
He didn’t doubt that Hell wouldn’t claim Ginger LaFrance before the count got to a mere three. For the moment, though, he had first dibs on her. And boy, did he mean to get his Satan’s share of payback.Also, even though I've got a thing for dark and gloomy crime stories with morally flawed characters, I also really do appreciate characters that are undeniably likable and that's also something McCammon excels at, this time giving us the character of Curtis Mathew, a genuinely nice guy you can't help but care for and root for immediately.
Even though his Matthew Corbett series is top-notch, this sports some of McCammon's best prose in a long time, stirring and touching writing that feels like it's told around a campfire or at bedtime. And although I feel like he still can be long-winded and the third act chase overstays it's welcome a little, it's all brought to a close with a truly moving conclusion.
They stood in the beautiful room, neither speaking, each uncomfortable in their unaccustomed freedom, both waiting on the other like shadows soon to pass.Read this. Now. You won't regret it.
January 29, 2018
”What’re you planning on doin’ with your share?”
“‘Raisin’ hell,’ said Donnie . . . ‘What else is there?’”
After decades in the writing business, Robert McCammon proves he still has tricks up his sleeve and isn’t content to stick with any one genre. In The Listener, McCammon’s first crime thriller, a mastery of the language that can come from only a seasoned veteran is on display. Set in 1934 New Orleans, this gritty, high-octane tale of a kidnapping — with healthy doses of the supernatural — and murder is among this writer’s strongest; not a word is wasted. As always, McCammon is firing on all cylinders, not content with resting on his laurels.
In addition to the cinematic and enthralling plotline is some of this author’s finest character work: one can root wholeheartedly for the protagonists and empathize with the villains. As is commonplace in McCammon’s many works, these characters are fully-fleshed creations, original and memorable people drawn in full color. It is through these characters McCammon touches on themes such as poverty, wealth inequality, racism, belonging . . . universal themes as relevant today as they were in the Great Depression. It is against this backdrop of desperation and anxiety these folks shine bright.
It has been some time since a new release has excited me this much. Get ready: the first must-read novel of 2018 will arrive next month. I couldn’t put it down, nor did I want to. Recommended to all readers.
Thanks to Richard Chizmar at Cemetery Dance for the ARC. You rock!
“‘Raisin’ hell,’ said Donnie . . . ‘What else is there?’”
After decades in the writing business, Robert McCammon proves he still has tricks up his sleeve and isn’t content to stick with any one genre. In The Listener, McCammon’s first crime thriller, a mastery of the language that can come from only a seasoned veteran is on display. Set in 1934 New Orleans, this gritty, high-octane tale of a kidnapping — with healthy doses of the supernatural — and murder is among this writer’s strongest; not a word is wasted. As always, McCammon is firing on all cylinders, not content with resting on his laurels.
In addition to the cinematic and enthralling plotline is some of this author’s finest character work: one can root wholeheartedly for the protagonists and empathize with the villains. As is commonplace in McCammon’s many works, these characters are fully-fleshed creations, original and memorable people drawn in full color. It is through these characters McCammon touches on themes such as poverty, wealth inequality, racism, belonging . . . universal themes as relevant today as they were in the Great Depression. It is against this backdrop of desperation and anxiety these folks shine bright.
It has been some time since a new release has excited me this much. Get ready: the first must-read novel of 2018 will arrive next month. I couldn’t put it down, nor did I want to. Recommended to all readers.
Thanks to Richard Chizmar at Cemetery Dance for the ARC. You rock!
July 30, 2018
Absolutely stunning. This is probably one of the best novels I have ever read. Mccammon is a wickedly good writer and reading this, I think he is at the very top of his game. The characters are so well done I was even rooting for Pearly lol. The racial struggles of the roaring 20's are so well written its shocking. The depression era New Orleans is vividly described in a way I could taste, feel, and smell the world. What an amazing novel. At no point did i feel the plot lose its place and i was glued to every page.
If you haven't read this do yourself a huge favor, but it immediately.
It's a shame Mccammon is treated the way he is (No public promotion, wired placing of his novels ect.) Cause he is truly one of the undisputed American greats.
If you haven't read this do yourself a huge favor, but it immediately.
It's a shame Mccammon is treated the way he is (No public promotion, wired placing of his novels ect.) Cause he is truly one of the undisputed American greats.
July 29, 2020
Америка, 1934, разгара на Голямата депресия. Бони Паркър и Клайд Бароу току-що са направени на решето край Сейлис, Луизиана, Джон Дилинджър все още успява да лавира между дългите пипала на Закона, но след броени седмици късметът му ще го изостави, едва две години са минали от най-шокиращото отвличане в света - това на бебето на Чарлз Линдберг - ала десетки последователи са изпълзели от бърлогите си в опит да придобият по лековат път жадуваните финикийски знаци... Такава е времевата рамка, в която се развива действието на романа, вълчи времена, изпъстрени от прояви на брутален расизъм и ширеща се навред сегрегация, но МакКамън просто щрихова събитията, без да се опитва да морализаторства излишно, фокусирайки се върху самата история - млад афроамериканец, надарен с телепатични способности, се опитва да спре безскрупулните престъпници, похитили децата на крупен индустриалец... Резултатът - задъхан психотрилър с щипка фантастичност за разкош, доста далеч от магнум опусите Лебедова песен и Момчешки живот (по внушение го слагам по-скоро до Мистериозно завръщане, която също прочетох наскоро), но майсторски барнат като изпълнение.
June 23, 2018
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i am still soaking it all in, it is another truly beuatiful Mccammon title. from the very opening pages I was sucked into the story. his prose style paints the scene and immerses the reader into his imagination.
with the listener mccammon seems to pull from a few genres and fiction tropes and although i had a very noir feel while reading this because of mccammon's background there are other elements mixed in.
overall i enjoyed this one very much i love when authors you admire age so their work matures and becomes more polished and nuanced.
i am still soaking it all in, it is another truly beuatiful Mccammon title. from the very opening pages I was sucked into the story. his prose style paints the scene and immerses the reader into his imagination.
with the listener mccammon seems to pull from a few genres and fiction tropes and although i had a very noir feel while reading this because of mccammon's background there are other elements mixed in.
overall i enjoyed this one very much i love when authors you admire age so their work matures and becomes more polished and nuanced.
April 25, 2021
Excellent Mr. McCammon!
This is by far McCammon’s most underrated novel and one I can see being a really good movie.
The story again follows an underdog protagonist, a black train station worker, set during the Great Depression with a special psychic ability. The antagonists however are awful human beings: Ginger, Pearly and Donnie. It’s hard to tell which one was the worst because they were all so horrible. The first chapter will shock you!
The writing in this one was excellent, very mature and transports you back into the 1930s without it feeling like you’re reading a boring history book. Everything was on point: the way he described the 1930s South, the character development, the dialogue, and the suspense. And it gets really suspenseful!
I gotta be honest I think McCammon is at his best when he doesn’t write horror. Sure Boy’s Life and Swan Song had small horror elements in them, but they’re not horror novels overall.
The only negative thing I can say about this book is the cover art for this sucks because there isn’t any cover art. It’s just a gray background with the title and author’s name. I know you should never judge a book by it’s cover especially this one but I love book covers a lot.
McCammon fans: read this immediately!
This is by far McCammon’s most underrated novel and one I can see being a really good movie.
The story again follows an underdog protagonist, a black train station worker, set during the Great Depression with a special psychic ability. The antagonists however are awful human beings: Ginger, Pearly and Donnie. It’s hard to tell which one was the worst because they were all so horrible. The first chapter will shock you!
The writing in this one was excellent, very mature and transports you back into the 1930s without it feeling like you’re reading a boring history book. Everything was on point: the way he described the 1930s South, the character development, the dialogue, and the suspense. And it gets really suspenseful!
I gotta be honest I think McCammon is at his best when he doesn’t write horror. Sure Boy’s Life and Swan Song had small horror elements in them, but they’re not horror novels overall.
The only negative thing I can say about this book is the cover art for this sucks because there isn’t any cover art. It’s just a gray background with the title and author’s name. I know you should never judge a book by it’s cover especially this one but I love book covers a lot.
McCammon fans: read this immediately!
June 12, 2018
Most stories are like coloring books, the design is already on the mat, to some degree, and authors add their interpretation of what colors to use and dressing to add. But occasionally you come across a story where the execution is so unique, the window into the world so perfectly drawn, that the only summation is that no one else could have told this same story. This is the best way I can describe my experience reading McCammon's latest, "The Listener."
From the setting and time period to the complexities of the characters to the multiple genres from which the author draws from, this novel is as close to a masterpiece as one might find. And even more importantly, it's a lot of fun. McCammon isn't showing off here, he's performing, and doing it with an air of expertise and mastery of his craft.
Hands down, one of my favorite reads of the year.
From the setting and time period to the complexities of the characters to the multiple genres from which the author draws from, this novel is as close to a masterpiece as one might find. And even more importantly, it's a lot of fun. McCammon isn't showing off here, he's performing, and doing it with an air of expertise and mastery of his craft.
Hands down, one of my favorite reads of the year.
April 2, 2024
Telepathic Talking & Listening
Review of the Audible Studios audiobook (February 27, 2018) narrated by Marc Vietor released simultaneously with the Cemetary Dance Publications hardcover original.
I'd never read anything from Robert McCammon previously, but after reading a recent enthusiastic 5-star review of Boy's Life (1991) from GR friend Debbie Y I decided I had to check him out. Coincidentally a mid-March 2024 Audible 1/2 price sale provided this copy of The Listener shortly afterwards, so I dipped in with this shorter work.
This was a completely engaging crime story set mostly in 1934 New Orleans during the heart of the so-called "public enemies" era. The Lindbergh kidnapping (1932) and Bonnie & Clyde's rampage (ended in 1934) are reference points. A trio of small-time grifters come together to stage a double-kidnapping from a wealthy family. The villains are cold-blooded and merciless but unbeknowst to them, one of their victims has a special talent of telepathy which is connected to a similarly gifted teenage Red-Cap porter who works at the local railway station. As the porters in that era were exclusively Black-Americans this book also somewhat ties in to my recent read of Suzette Mayr's The Sleeping Car Porter (2022).
The story is harrowing enough on its own and may not have needed the supernatural connection element, but obviously some method of tracing and solving the crime was needed, so you just have to accept that sort of Stephen Kingish element to the story. I thought all of this was well done, and the narration by Marc Vietor in all voices was excellent as well.
There was an further element of peril added towards the end which did take it over the top somewhat though and a bit of a downbeat ending kept it out of 5-star territory for me. Still McCammon is terrific in atmosphere and scene setting and in the portrayal of the culprits who are chilling in the extreme (some of them more than others). I look forward to further McCammons in the future!
Trivia and Links
The foggy grey-white cover of both the English language hardcover and the audiobook editions has to be one of the dullest ever designed. Foreign language editions such as Момчето, което чуваше всичко and Słuchacz and Слышащий did so much more.
Review of the Audible Studios audiobook (February 27, 2018) narrated by Marc Vietor released simultaneously with the Cemetary Dance Publications hardcover original.
I'd never read anything from Robert McCammon previously, but after reading a recent enthusiastic 5-star review of Boy's Life (1991) from GR friend Debbie Y I decided I had to check him out. Coincidentally a mid-March 2024 Audible 1/2 price sale provided this copy of The Listener shortly afterwards, so I dipped in with this shorter work.
This was a completely engaging crime story set mostly in 1934 New Orleans during the heart of the so-called "public enemies" era. The Lindbergh kidnapping (1932) and Bonnie & Clyde's rampage (ended in 1934) are reference points. A trio of small-time grifters come together to stage a double-kidnapping from a wealthy family. The villains are cold-blooded and merciless but unbeknowst to them, one of their victims has a special talent of telepathy which is connected to a similarly gifted teenage Red-Cap porter who works at the local railway station. As the porters in that era were exclusively Black-Americans this book also somewhat ties in to my recent read of Suzette Mayr's The Sleeping Car Porter (2022).
The story is harrowing enough on its own and may not have needed the supernatural connection element, but obviously some method of tracing and solving the crime was needed, so you just have to accept that sort of Stephen Kingish element to the story. I thought all of this was well done, and the narration by Marc Vietor in all voices was excellent as well.
There was an further element of peril added towards the end which did take it over the top somewhat though and a bit of a downbeat ending kept it out of 5-star territory for me. Still McCammon is terrific in atmosphere and scene setting and in the portrayal of the culprits who are chilling in the extreme (some of them more than others). I look forward to further McCammons in the future!
Trivia and Links
The foggy grey-white cover of both the English language hardcover and the audiobook editions has to be one of the dullest ever designed. Foreign language editions such as Момчето, което чуваше всичко and Słuchacz and Слышащий did so much more.
March 10, 2018
The Listener was actually the first book that I had read by Robert McCammon. I have heard the name almost since I started reading horror, but he was always in my “someday” pile, which I had meant to get to a lot sooner. I now understand why literally everyone I know raves about his writing, because he lives up to the hype.
I will admit that the story started off a bit slow for me. I spent the first probably quarter of it thinking that it wasn’t really my thing, and that perhaps everyone else was mistaken. I can’t remember what part of the book it was that grabbed me, but once it did, I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to read until my eyes bugged out, and fell asleep a few times, and dropped my precious ARC onto the floor. Eek! I’m not a fan of writing a book report into my review, so I won’t. I will say that the ending still haunts me.
I am only sorry that I did not start reading Robert McCammon’s work sooner, but shall be rectifying my neglect of this as soon as possible. If you aren’t reading McCammon, you need to be, and I would highly recommend starting here.
I received an ARC of The Listener from Cemetery Dance as an advanced review copy, and as my copy came in the mail yesterday, I am apparently a bit behind in posting my review.
I will admit that the story started off a bit slow for me. I spent the first probably quarter of it thinking that it wasn’t really my thing, and that perhaps everyone else was mistaken. I can’t remember what part of the book it was that grabbed me, but once it did, I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to read until my eyes bugged out, and fell asleep a few times, and dropped my precious ARC onto the floor. Eek! I’m not a fan of writing a book report into my review, so I won’t. I will say that the ending still haunts me.
I am only sorry that I did not start reading Robert McCammon’s work sooner, but shall be rectifying my neglect of this as soon as possible. If you aren’t reading McCammon, you need to be, and I would highly recommend starting here.
I received an ARC of The Listener from Cemetery Dance as an advanced review copy, and as my copy came in the mail yesterday, I am apparently a bit behind in posting my review.
May 17, 2019
Subtitled A Novel of Suspense, THE LISTENER is an engrossing tale of depression-era crime in Louisiana with compelling characters and supernatural themes. It’s not frightening, but the callousness of several dark characters and the inhuman treatment of its’ most luminous and sensitive protagonist is disturbing.
Nevertheless, THE LISTENER will most likely find itself pigeon-holed within the horror genre, due to the reputation of Robert McCammon (five Bram Stoker Awards for horror), and the publisher (Cemetery Dance, noted for works of horror). In fact, it has been nominated for the 2018 This Is Horror Awards and other similar recognitions. It’s not a problem being considered a horror novel, all things considered. It’s just that perhaps this worthy novel will miss the attention of a broader audience because of those associations.
That would be unfortunate, since this is a great book that should be read by as many as possible.
The fourteen-page first chapter is a masterpiece of economical writing. Within it, McCammon paints such a colorful portrait of the deep south of 1934 America that you will understand exactly what it felt like to live and survive in those hard times. By the end of the chapter, you’ll be throughly immersed in the story, and already hosting ill feelings towards a character after his cruel, criminal act.
Actually, I was hooked after that killer figurative first paragraph:
“The Devil can be a man or a woman. The Devil can be a hard spring in the seat of a car, a gnat in the eye, or the whack of a wooden baton on the iron bars of a jail cell. The Devil can be a flash of lightning, a swallow of bad whiskey, or a rotten apple slowly decaying a basketful of good ones. The Devil can be a belt across the back of a child, or a cardboard box of cheap paperback Bibles swelling up in the hot rear seat of an eight-year old faded green Oakland two-door sedan held together by rust and wires.
Which, today, the Devil was.”
In a beautiful final chapter that is both sad and joyous at the same time, the Devil metaphors return, this time in the words of a preacher at a funeral service.
McCammon does in a few words or sentences what it requires paragraphs for other authors to achieve. He immerses you in his world, interspersing historical details and letting you into the heads of his characters so deeply that you understand everything, and then live through it as the pages turn. It’s the absolute best kind of history lesson.
Along with the concise and evocative tale of depression days New Orleans is a thoroughly engaging story of children being kidnapped and the efforts to return them to their family. McCammon also manages to mix in some subtle social commentary on the gap between haves and have nots, the lengths to which some people will go when pushed, the racial inequality of the Deep South during that era, and the power of belief. The supernatural element, the ability of some to “listen” to others thoughts and learn to communicate this way, is central to the plot but its’ more like ice cream. This story would be killer, regardless of how McCammon chose to tell it. Highly recommended.
Nevertheless, THE LISTENER will most likely find itself pigeon-holed within the horror genre, due to the reputation of Robert McCammon (five Bram Stoker Awards for horror), and the publisher (Cemetery Dance, noted for works of horror). In fact, it has been nominated for the 2018 This Is Horror Awards and other similar recognitions. It’s not a problem being considered a horror novel, all things considered. It’s just that perhaps this worthy novel will miss the attention of a broader audience because of those associations.
That would be unfortunate, since this is a great book that should be read by as many as possible.
The fourteen-page first chapter is a masterpiece of economical writing. Within it, McCammon paints such a colorful portrait of the deep south of 1934 America that you will understand exactly what it felt like to live and survive in those hard times. By the end of the chapter, you’ll be throughly immersed in the story, and already hosting ill feelings towards a character after his cruel, criminal act.
Actually, I was hooked after that killer figurative first paragraph:
“The Devil can be a man or a woman. The Devil can be a hard spring in the seat of a car, a gnat in the eye, or the whack of a wooden baton on the iron bars of a jail cell. The Devil can be a flash of lightning, a swallow of bad whiskey, or a rotten apple slowly decaying a basketful of good ones. The Devil can be a belt across the back of a child, or a cardboard box of cheap paperback Bibles swelling up in the hot rear seat of an eight-year old faded green Oakland two-door sedan held together by rust and wires.
Which, today, the Devil was.”
In a beautiful final chapter that is both sad and joyous at the same time, the Devil metaphors return, this time in the words of a preacher at a funeral service.
McCammon does in a few words or sentences what it requires paragraphs for other authors to achieve. He immerses you in his world, interspersing historical details and letting you into the heads of his characters so deeply that you understand everything, and then live through it as the pages turn. It’s the absolute best kind of history lesson.
Along with the concise and evocative tale of depression days New Orleans is a thoroughly engaging story of children being kidnapped and the efforts to return them to their family. McCammon also manages to mix in some subtle social commentary on the gap between haves and have nots, the lengths to which some people will go when pushed, the racial inequality of the Deep South during that era, and the power of belief. The supernatural element, the ability of some to “listen” to others thoughts and learn to communicate this way, is central to the plot but its’ more like ice cream. This story would be killer, regardless of how McCammon chose to tell it. Highly recommended.
March 20, 2023
Wow what a great book. I went into this one blind knowing nothing about the plot and won’t spoil plot details in this review.
On the cover below the title it states “A Novel of Suspense” and let me tell you…it IS. McCammon is one of my favorite authors for good reason…he can spin a story together. You have to give this one a shot…
On the cover below the title it states “A Novel of Suspense” and let me tell you…it IS. McCammon is one of my favorite authors for good reason…he can spin a story together. You have to give this one a shot…
September 24, 2017
Advance Review Copy
McCammon's best! Take a moment to pre-order this stunning novel from Robert McCammon. Then make sure that you're able to lock yourself away from the world for however long it takes you to immerse yourself in the new world that he has created.
You'll find yourself standing next to people you've just met in the heat of a summer's day and as you flip the pages you'll feel as if you've known them all your life.
Robert McCammon has created a masterpiece that will stay with you for a long time.
McCammon's best! Take a moment to pre-order this stunning novel from Robert McCammon. Then make sure that you're able to lock yourself away from the world for however long it takes you to immerse yourself in the new world that he has created.
You'll find yourself standing next to people you've just met in the heat of a summer's day and as you flip the pages you'll feel as if you've known them all your life.
Robert McCammon has created a masterpiece that will stay with you for a long time.
October 8, 2024
He wondered if they would’ve done the same thing. Them. The knights. Sir Tristram ... Sir Gawain ... Sir Lancelot ... Sir Dynadan ... Sir Galahad ... all the rest of them. Would they have done the same thing?
Curtis dreams of the knights of the Round Table, while working as a ‘redcap’ porter in the Central Station, but New Orleans in 1934 is no Camelot and a young man of colour isn’t even considered a human being by many of the passers-by in that great city:
“Drop them eyes, nigger!” is what Curtis is more likely to hear as he goes about his day in his quiet way, trying to be helpful, trying to take care of his ailing mother while at night, in his shabby room, he opens books of fairy tales and listens to distant voices in the night.
One voice in particular speaks to Curtis across the aether. He and this young girl share a paranormal ‘radio’ ability of being able to tune in to another person’s mind across vast distances, a sort of spiritual resonance. Both of them try to hide their supernatural talents for fear of ridicule and bullying.
Then, one fateful day, Curtis hears a cry for help from his aethereal friend, warning she is being kidnapped. She also gives him her real name: she is the daughter of one of the richest [white] men in town.
Will Curtis be able to cross the trenches of prejudice and social status and save his friend? Will anyone even believe him when he starts telling them he hears voices in the night?
>>><<<>>><<<
Robert McCammon is a kind of obvious choice for a spooky October read, but his latest stories strike a lot deeper than the surface trappings of the horror thriller, and his style is aging like fine champagne. Here is a writer in top form and in fine control of all the aspects of the story: mood, dialogue, characterization, pacing, etc. , leading us to a devastating gutter punch in a spectacular finale.
Darkness is his primary material. The darkness of the human soul that mirrors the dark places of the city and of the surrounding bayou that Curtis has to descend into in search of his paranormal friend. There are monsters there, monsters that might wear a human disguise over their repulsive souls.
“Nigger,” Whipper said close to his face, “we don’t like to get rough, but your kind just asks for it. Just begs to be knocked back in your place, ‘cause you don’t know what’s good for you.”
This sort of casual racism is not simply relegated to the past and to supernatural fiction. This particular scene is eerily similar to the online videos of that young black man who was jogging in the wrong neighborhood and who was chased and killed by a gang of angry rednecks in a pickup truck.
>>><<<>>><<<
We don’t even get to meet Curtis until about a third of the way into the novel.
McCammon does an excellent set-up job in presenting to us first a couple a scam artists that prey on the rural population in the Deep South, two bit confidence tricksters that sell cheap bibles door to door or snake oil in small town halls.
This first part of the story has good noir vibes and powerful characterization, with the dynamic between the smooth operator John Partlow and redhead temptress Ginger LaFrance in constant shift. Made me think of the best of Jim Thompson or James M. Cain.
The middle part of the actual kidnapping is similarly anchored in the noir canon set up in the golden age of the genre.
Something for nothing. It was the engine that drove all confidence games. People thinking they were going to get something for free. And all he was ever selling was air.
The later chapters were too intense and dark for me to make any notes on writing or characters. McCammon has an almost spooky talent to transport you into the middle of a living nightmare, even if you are not a believer in supernatural talents, like me.
The story is more about the human heart and about the demonic minds of monsters living among us, preying on the innocence and credulity of the most vulnerable members of society.
I know the author is about to close his long running, and excellent, historical series featuring Matthew Corbett. Hopefully, he will return afterwards to stand-alone horror thrillers of similar quality to his latest here.
June 20, 2024
Another great work by McCammon! The setting, the characters, the story---all of them are superb, as his stories usually are.
To explain the plot in ADHD form, two kids are kidnapped and the young girl happens to be a telepath and can sometimes communicate with an African American man named Curtis. The story takes place in 1934, New Orleans, so no phones or the interwebs. Not to mention being black in the 1930s and asking for help door to door is also not an easy thing to do, I can imagine.
It's a very well-researched historical novel and it even set me out to learn things on my own. For example, it's 1934 and one of the characters used a flashlight. I figured they were around this time, but I wanted to see when they were invented and learned a couple new things about them: they were invented in 1899 and their battery life was so short-lived that they could only produce a flash of light every so often, earning them the name "flashlight".
Anyway, there's not much else to talk about without diving into spoilers besides my tradition to recommend you my first and favorite Robert McCammon book, "the Wolf's Hour".
Highly recommended!
To explain the plot in ADHD form, two kids are kidnapped and the young girl happens to be a telepath and can sometimes communicate with an African American man named Curtis. The story takes place in 1934, New Orleans, so no phones or the interwebs. Not to mention being black in the 1930s and asking for help door to door is also not an easy thing to do, I can imagine.
It's a very well-researched historical novel and it even set me out to learn things on my own. For example, it's 1934 and one of the characters used a flashlight. I figured they were around this time, but I wanted to see when they were invented and learned a couple new things about them: they were invented in 1899 and their battery life was so short-lived that they could only produce a flash of light every so often, earning them the name "flashlight".
Anyway, there's not much else to talk about without diving into spoilers besides my tradition to recommend you my first and favorite Robert McCammon book, "the Wolf's Hour".
Highly recommended!
May 16, 2018
Yep. Another super solid tale from one of my favorite authors.
The devil wasn’t what I thought it was. But it was still the devil…
The devil wasn’t what I thought it was. But it was still the devil…
April 19, 2021
The Listener brings the emotions. What a roller coaster. At times you’ll shake your head in amazement, shake your head in disgust, shed a couple tears, flash a few smiles, bite your nails in nervous anticipation and pump your fists in relief. And through it all, you’ll be in awe of the writing, which is rich, mature, multi-layered, thoughtful, compelling, beautiful and brutal, all wrapped in a big bow. What we have here is upper tier McCammon, plain and simple.
The Listener is part period piece, part suspense thriller. It takes place in 1930s New Orleans a few years into the Great Depression, the golden age of grifters. McCammon uses this backdrop very effectively to weave a lot of social issues of that time period into the plot, including class disparities and racial injustice (and good lord, does this make for some extremely tragic and rage-inducing plot points).
The real star of this show is the characters. The Listener easily contains some of McCammon’s best character work, including a small time conman with no conscience and a female villain who is likely poker buddies with Mary Terror and Annie Wilkes. But my favorite was probably Curtis Mayhew, a young African American man with an extra special talent and a heart of gold. This poor man goes through so many awful things in this book, yet never loses his incredible sense of kindness and compassion. He is a truly great man who deserves a simple, happy life, and is consistently denied that. My heart breaks for him over and over again.
Do yourself a favor and just read this book. It’s really, really good. It has it all: action, drama, suspense, horror, an excellent cast of characters, a compelling plot, set pieces that jump off the page, convincing dialogue, and even a surprise crossover that will please McCammon fans. My highest recommendation for The Listener.
The Listener is part period piece, part suspense thriller. It takes place in 1930s New Orleans a few years into the Great Depression, the golden age of grifters. McCammon uses this backdrop very effectively to weave a lot of social issues of that time period into the plot, including class disparities and racial injustice (and good lord, does this make for some extremely tragic and rage-inducing plot points).
The real star of this show is the characters. The Listener easily contains some of McCammon’s best character work, including a small time conman with no conscience and a female villain who is likely poker buddies with Mary Terror and Annie Wilkes. But my favorite was probably Curtis Mayhew, a young African American man with an extra special talent and a heart of gold. This poor man goes through so many awful things in this book, yet never loses his incredible sense of kindness and compassion. He is a truly great man who deserves a simple, happy life, and is consistently denied that. My heart breaks for him over and over again.
Do yourself a favor and just read this book. It’s really, really good. It has it all: action, drama, suspense, horror, an excellent cast of characters, a compelling plot, set pieces that jump off the page, convincing dialogue, and even a surprise crossover that will please McCammon fans. My highest recommendation for The Listener.
March 4, 2024
Man oh man - a new Robert McCammon book
Re-read and enjoyed just as much this time through.
I have been a McCammon fan for a long time. Three of his books rank in my top books of all time - SWAN SONG, BOY'S LIFE, and THE FIVE. He started out writing horror/supernaturally based books and for the last few years he's written some great, different historical fiction (and I like that genre of his too).
THE LISTENER takes McCammon back to his roots and I think is one of his best books to date.
The story starts out in 1934, during the Great Depression, in Texas following a con man/grifter that makes his money off the misery of others. He soon ends up with a woman as twisted and slimy as he is and they end up in New Orleans, coming up with a scheme to kidnap children from a rich family and hold them for ransom.
The main protagonist of the story is actually a black redcap that works at the train station in New Orleans and sometimes hears voices in his head.
This book was succinct without a word wasted - clear, precise prose that gained momentum page by page. It has some of the most evil characters I've read about in a long time but it also has some "shining" characters too.
To me there are strong hints of Stephen King and of Joe Lansdale in this book - two more of my favorite authors.
I am thankful to Cemetery Dance Publications for sending me this book in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
Re-read and enjoyed just as much this time through.
I have been a McCammon fan for a long time. Three of his books rank in my top books of all time - SWAN SONG, BOY'S LIFE, and THE FIVE. He started out writing horror/supernaturally based books and for the last few years he's written some great, different historical fiction (and I like that genre of his too).
THE LISTENER takes McCammon back to his roots and I think is one of his best books to date.
The story starts out in 1934, during the Great Depression, in Texas following a con man/grifter that makes his money off the misery of others. He soon ends up with a woman as twisted and slimy as he is and they end up in New Orleans, coming up with a scheme to kidnap children from a rich family and hold them for ransom.
The main protagonist of the story is actually a black redcap that works at the train station in New Orleans and sometimes hears voices in his head.
This book was succinct without a word wasted - clear, precise prose that gained momentum page by page. It has some of the most evil characters I've read about in a long time but it also has some "shining" characters too.
To me there are strong hints of Stephen King and of Joe Lansdale in this book - two more of my favorite authors.
I am thankful to Cemetery Dance Publications for sending me this book in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
April 9, 2018
Best I've read in quite some time. Shades of The Shining, Night of the Hunter, and the Lindbergh kidnapping. I'm late aboard the McCammon train, but I'm fast understanding why he's held in such esteem by so many of my friends. Excellent crime suspenser.
November 22, 2024
Dobra, to teraz wezmę się za "Magiczne Lata", skończę serię o Matthew Corbett'cie, doprawię "Łabędzim Śpiewem" i lekuchno Sz.P. McCammon wbije się na topkę ukochanych autorów. Czuję to.
April 13, 2018
You ever finish a wonderful book, but aren't quite sure how to encapsulate your thoughts on it in a review, or what may be left to say after so many others have eloquently tread this same ground and said all the things already? This is the place I find myself in now, having just this morning finished listening to The Listener. This sucker's gotten a lot of positive press and plenty of wonderful reviews already, and I feel like I don't have much else to add. Still, I suppose I must try.
Simply put, Robert McCammon knocks it out of the park with this one. Set in post-Depression Louisiana, The Listener revolves around a kidnapping plot hatched by a pair of grifters who fancy themselves a Bonnie & Clyde duo. Their plan is to abduct the two children of a wealthy industrialist and hold them for ransom. Caught up in it all is Curtis Mayhew, a young black man with a supernatural gift. Curtis is a listener, and can communicate telepathically with others who share this special gift. He's been communicating with a ten-year-old girl, Nilla, and when she sends an urgent cry for help about a man with a gun, Curtis knows he has to help, damn the consequences.
The Listener is a slow-burn potboiler that places particular emphasis on its characters first and foremost. McCammon is meticulous and deliberate in his pacing, introducing us to each of the major players and their places in the world as they work to either scheme or merely eek out a living before becoming embroiled in this kidnapping. Each of these character's stories are paid off in beautiful and sometimes surprising ways as The Listener reaches it final denouement. This historical narrative is so perfectly constructed that nothing ever feels unnatural or out of place. Readers are eased into Curtis's life and his gift in such a way that, once his telepathy is used to full effect, it's every bit a natural part of the character as the air he breathes.
McCammon's writing is equally effective, his prose rife with lingo of the era, and he captures moments of human drama perfectly. There's humor and moments of sadness, as well as turns of violence that are both shocking and cinematic, and sequences of abuse that will have you ready to lunge out of your seat to restrain the psychopathic Donnie before he can inflict more harm on whoever dares to step near him.
Marc Vietor's voice captures the proceedings perfectly, hitting all the right pitches and tones of McCammon's literary style. His talents as a narrator are well-suited to the 1930s era of The Listener, with its hard-edged con-men and crazed women, as well as the softer, more rounded subtleties of gentle men like Curtis, who prize their brains far more than their fists. Vietor and McCammon make for a perfect pair here, and the audio edition of The Listener is a wonderful, and engrossing, production all around.
McCammon delivers a story that feels wholly authentic from start to finish, and The Listener just might be on the best books of the year. Highly recommended.
Simply put, Robert McCammon knocks it out of the park with this one. Set in post-Depression Louisiana, The Listener revolves around a kidnapping plot hatched by a pair of grifters who fancy themselves a Bonnie & Clyde duo. Their plan is to abduct the two children of a wealthy industrialist and hold them for ransom. Caught up in it all is Curtis Mayhew, a young black man with a supernatural gift. Curtis is a listener, and can communicate telepathically with others who share this special gift. He's been communicating with a ten-year-old girl, Nilla, and when she sends an urgent cry for help about a man with a gun, Curtis knows he has to help, damn the consequences.
The Listener is a slow-burn potboiler that places particular emphasis on its characters first and foremost. McCammon is meticulous and deliberate in his pacing, introducing us to each of the major players and their places in the world as they work to either scheme or merely eek out a living before becoming embroiled in this kidnapping. Each of these character's stories are paid off in beautiful and sometimes surprising ways as The Listener reaches it final denouement. This historical narrative is so perfectly constructed that nothing ever feels unnatural or out of place. Readers are eased into Curtis's life and his gift in such a way that, once his telepathy is used to full effect, it's every bit a natural part of the character as the air he breathes.
McCammon's writing is equally effective, his prose rife with lingo of the era, and he captures moments of human drama perfectly. There's humor and moments of sadness, as well as turns of violence that are both shocking and cinematic, and sequences of abuse that will have you ready to lunge out of your seat to restrain the psychopathic Donnie before he can inflict more harm on whoever dares to step near him.
Marc Vietor's voice captures the proceedings perfectly, hitting all the right pitches and tones of McCammon's literary style. His talents as a narrator are well-suited to the 1930s era of The Listener, with its hard-edged con-men and crazed women, as well as the softer, more rounded subtleties of gentle men like Curtis, who prize their brains far more than their fists. Vietor and McCammon make for a perfect pair here, and the audio edition of The Listener is a wonderful, and engrossing, production all around.
McCammon delivers a story that feels wholly authentic from start to finish, and The Listener just might be on the best books of the year. Highly recommended.
March 19, 2018
Hot damn I don't think Robert McCammon has let me down yet. This latest suspense novel (definitely not horror but speculative in nature) came just in time for me to drop everything and read at the end of Feburary. It's not my favorite of his (but that's because of such stiff competition with Boy's Life, Swan Song and They Thirst.... I'm gonna resist linking all of the many McCammon books I've loved but you should start with those three if you're ready for more after you've read and enjoyed this) yet this book sneaked up on me and moved me in ways I didn't see coming. A worthy addition to any McCammon fan's collection or a great entry novel to the reader interested in giving one of his books a try.
November 18, 2017
So, I was very happy reading other things when Robert McCammon's THE LISTENER hit my doorstep. And, then, for a week, I was reading nothing else. As always, McCammon's narrative voice and characters effortlessly pull you into the story. He has also crafted one of his vilest human beings, and also somehow managed to make an ammoral con man seem oddly sympathetic at times. Curtis isn't a square-jawed, swashbuckling hero - he's a kind young man with a unique talent trying to do the right thing.
MODERATE SPOILER!!!!
Also, an unexpected cameo by two past McCammon characters that felt natural and not forced at all. Very much a delight to see!
MODERATE SPOILER!!!!
Also, an unexpected cameo by two past McCammon characters that felt natural and not forced at all. Very much a delight to see!
May 30, 2022
3.5/5
Audiobook version.
Audiobook version.
March 23, 2018
A bona fide masterpiece. The best book I've read all year. Maybe the best book I've read over the last five. This is an amazing read, everything from the in-depth characterization to the intriguing plot that builds and builds and never slows down. McCammon pulls no punches. Put this near the top of your TBR - it's bound to climb atop many "Books of the Year" lists. Ten stars out of five.
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