Q&A

by Ben H. Winters, Justis Bolding (Narrator), Michael Braun (Narrator)

An interview recorded on an iPhone.

A police interrogation tape.

An FBI wire.

At the center of them all is a writer researching a legal thriller... or is he? And somewhere within those recordings is the truth about a murder trial and a web of lies stretching back three decades.

Written by Ben H. Winters, the best-selling author of Underground Airlines, The Last Policeman, and the Audible OriginalInside Jobs, Q&A is a tantalizing puzzle and a gripping tale of obsession and revenge.

Because you can never really know the truth of a conversation—even when it's all on tape.

Length: 2 hrs and 8 mins

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Crime

3 pages, Audible Audio

First published January 14, 2021

About the author

Ben H. Winters is the author most recently of the novel The Quiet Boy (Mulholland/Little, Brown, 2021). He is also the author of the novel Golden State; the New York Times bestselling Underground Airlines; The Last Policeman and its two sequels; the horror novel Bedbugs; and several works for young readers. His first novel, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, was also a Times bestseller. Ben has won the Edgar Award for mystery writing, the Philip K. Dick award in science fiction, the Sidewise Award for alternate history, and France’s Grand Prix de L’Imaginaire.

Ben also writes for film and television. He is the creator and co-showrunner of Tracker, forthcoming on CBS. Previously he was a producer on the FX show Legion, and on the upcoming Apple TV+ drama Manhunt.

He has contributed short stories to many anthologies, as well as in magazines such as Lightspeed. He is the author of four “Audible Originals”– Stranger, Inside Jobs, Q&A, and Self Help — and several plays and musicals. His reviews appear frequently in the New York Times Book Review. Ben was born in Washington, D.C., grew up in Maryland, educated in St. Louis, and then grew up a bunch more, in various ways, in places like Chicago, New York, Cambridge, MA, and Indianapolis, IN. These days he lives in LA with his wife, three kids, and one large dog.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened in under 3 hours at double speed. Well written and paced. 8 of 10 strs

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story 3.5 stars**
Audio full cast performances 5 stars**

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot turned out to be trickier than I expected and I really liked the ending. The protagonist was super whiny and annoying and I also hate sound effects in audiobooks, so listening to this wasn’t a really pleasant experience for me. 3.5 stars

[John Ready Reader One · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts slow but gets good

[Jenn West · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook, kept me entertained for a few hours at work.

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 1 out of 5]

I abandoned this audiobook. I just didn't want to ruin my day.

This was a well-dramatized confrontation between a would-be author and a lawyer about the subject of an upcoming book. Apparently this guy wanted some advice on legal procedure, but it quickly became clear that the would-be author had an ulterior motive.

I had to stop listening 15 % into this audiobook despite the great acting. The interview broke down into what I can only describe as verbal abuse. I wasn't in the mood for that kind of drama, and frankly, I didn't share the author's point of view on lawyers and the controversy over whether the obvious criminal deserves a defense. Granted, the lawyer must not do illegal things to get his client off, but short of that I would agree with most tactics lawyers use. That includes technical issues such as getting a case thrown out because the paperwork was filed one day late. If it was such an important case, they should have filed their paperwork on time. The court gives them adequate times to do so and chances for an extension.

So... if I see the author's name on another audiobook I will give him another try, but I doubt I will return to this particular audiobook.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story, but Lord.. the main narrator was a pita. So annoying.

[Ashley Scow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but fun and deceptively twisty little audio treat. Definitely suggest it for anyone with the audible premium subscription!

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

First 3 parts were fantastic, but the 4th part ruined the book for me.

--SPOILERS BELOW--

I really enjoyed this book, but unfortunately the 4th section derailed the logical continuity of the story. In the 4th section, the main character reveals he was already aware of the government program, so there was no need to have a dialogue with the lawyer and setup a ruse with the police. The 4th part really felt like a poorly executed 'hey, let's through a twist at the end' that made the main character's actions leading up to that completely illogical.

Only other possible explanation was that he really is just the son and made up the investigative reporter bit at the end, which means he's trying to make his dad out to be a bad guy for a few bucks, which is again, counterproductive to the actions taken in the first 3 parts.

[Sylvie Rochon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a suspenseful crime fiction story about a man who is seeking justice for the murder of his dad by questioning the defense lawyer, then the judge. There are a few twists I didn't see coming. I was invested from the beginning.

[A V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unsettlingly immersive. 10/10 would recommend.

[Daniel Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben Winters is a really entertaining writer. I just blew through his short stories and I had read Underground Airlines a while back. I will take on the Last Policeman next. This book is very short but packs a big story in a short amount of time. It has a lot of twists and turns and if you like the unexpected then this will be right up your alley. You think its one thing for a while then its something else then something else again. I did not see the end chapter coming but once there I did predict how it would end, I was still very pleased. Well worth your time!

#benwinters

[sliceofmini · Rating 2 out of 5]

This protagonist is what I call " angsty whiny man child " which are my least favourite ones, not to mention the plot didn’t do any favours for this one . Sound effects by the end were annoying and the last minute twist just threw everything out the window.

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those twisty, turny mysteries that stretches your credulity little by little as it moves from a prosaic journalistic interview into a paranoid conspiracy thriller. It's nicely done, and brief enough that you don't have time to think too much about the plot holes or the absurdity of it all.

[Lydia Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

4762-4762-4762

Man what a novel!!

I never knew where this book was going but I loved that the main character was pretending to be a thriller author to do research. It worked out a lot better than I thought it would for him!

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stupid protagonist, annoying story. Or maybe annoying protagonist, stupid story. Whichever.

[Angelika Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was all kinds of twisty and quite enjoyable.

[Anjali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winters is an author that consistently hits for me. This was a really clever novella about a young man looking for answers about an old murder trial.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Layers within layers. This little story kept me guessing.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. It started out interesting but there was a nonsensical twist at the end. Also, the main character’s narrator was very whiny and histrionic. This is miss.

[MIGoose728 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twisty and intriguing plot. It kept me captivated and I listened to it in one sitting. I really liked another book by Winters, he’s very talented!

[Riley Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full cast, super suspenseful, amazing listen!!

[Tom Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story that kept my interest.

Some of the dramatic scenes were over-acted and a little hard to listen to but it kept me engaged to the end.

[Thalia Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⬇️

[Regis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a little bit of a goofy twist towards the end, that took me out of the story. Was still pretty good though. Good performances.

[Wynette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally immersed and unexpected. The protagonist has a motive. As things progress, his true intentions unravel. This was entertaining for running a few errands or cleaning.

[Jameson Skaife · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt this I was watching a great play while listening to this audio book.

[Vel Veeter]

This is a new audio novella by Ben Winters and published by Audible. Like a lot of Audible originals this seems to have commissioned by Audible, as the story structure, audio features, and other storytelling elements seem specifically designed with audio in mind. Unlike a LOT of Audible originals this is more successful.

The story begins with an interview between a young writer and a famous criminal defense lawyer. We begin with the writer getting really upset after realizing that his phone was not recording the conversation. What becomes clear is that he is researching a book, the lawyer is indulging him a lot by answering pretty basic answers, and now he’s trying to get out of what he knows is coming next, asking for more of his time. He finally agrees to continue the conversation and after a few more questions, the tone shifts dramatically, and the lawyer realizes that this conversation might not be everything it was originally supposed to be. I won’t say more, because I did find this story compelling and don’t need to get to more of the beats.

Again, I found this this program was written with a clear understanding that it would be heard. That speaks to its strengths.

[Kim Carmack · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Q&A" is a short (about 2 hours) audio play. It has startling plot twists. The voice acting is very good, and the performance held my attention. The conversations are well written and not stilted or unnatural. But it has loose ends and inconsistencies that nag at me.

This recording has some characters who are clever and professional, but they end up doing things that are neither, unless "creating a cute plot twist" is a legitimate motivation. It left me wondering why. This is my first Ben Winters book, and I will try another. I think in a longer story he may flesh out the details and satisfy my curiosity.

[Nia Forrester · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really enjoy Ben Winters' work. This short audiobook was an almost perfect sampling of his style with engaging characters, intriguing background mystery and just enough twists and turns to keep you interested without causing you to roll your eyes. The best of these short audible originals are the ones that make you think how great it would be if they were full-length novels. This one could definitely have been that. Recommended.