Combustible Punch Audiobook By Paul Michael Peters cover art

Combustible Punch

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Combustible Punch

By: Paul Michael Peters
Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer
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Rick Philips isn't a fighter, but he is a survivor.

Haunted by memories of a high school shooting, not even the bottle can wash away the gnawing guilt and creeping feelings of inadequacy that batter Rick's conscience daily.

His life has been a mess of broken marriages, writer's block, terrible choices, and the morbid pity of others. When he meets Harriet at a writer's conference, the record doesn't scratch as he falls back. Only, this time, he may not get up.

Harriet Bristol Wheeler is a dark temptress and a self-confessed serial killer.

Harriet has no problem killing and even fewer issues blending back into the background after the act with the cool, calculating eye of a practiced social chameleon.

Manipulative, unpredictable, and exceptionally intelligent, she's Rick's worst nightmare and the ideal subject for his next book. A book that they are both desperate to write.

Time is running out, but the sadness will last forever.

In the vein of Stieg Larsson and Thomas Harris, Combustible Punch is a memorable novel that captivates listeners and lingers long after you finish listening.

©2019 Paul Michael Peters (P)2020 Paul Michael Peters Crime Thrillers Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Fiction Crime Mystery
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A suspense filled thriller that will keep you enthralled to the spectacular ending. Narrative by a fantastic professional.

Thrilling Novel

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Listener received this title free

The author provided me with a complimentary copy of this audiobook with no expectation of a review. I didn't really care for this book. I'm not sure what it was: the narrator, the writing/story, or a combination of the two? The narrator didn't do anything for me. Some just draw you into the story. This one didn't, at not least for me. The story was a bit confusing, jumping around, and the author put in a lot of seemingly unnecessary detail. Overall, I just didn't care much for the book.

Combustible Punch

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This is not my usual sort of book. I normally don't read books that have characters I wouldn't want to spend time with in real life. The focus of the story is on a sad, drunken loser who is almost at the end of the line. As he keeps saying, he always makes really bad decisions, and we first meet him after he has made one of his worst, meeting a serial killer and deciding to write their story.
The book blurb talks about this being a disturbing look at a serial killer, but I don't feel as if I know much more about said killer by the end of the book. Who I do know much more about is Rick, the loser who plans to write the story of our serial killer as one final grasp at a return to a good life. This young man slowly grows on the reader as he starts to finally grow up and take a look at his life and own his mistakes instead of blaming the tragedy he lived through for all of his ills.
I found the book uncomfortable, but I am very glad I stuck with it. It was well worth reading.

In depth look at a victim, not a serial killer

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Listener received this title free

Rick Phillips is the sole survivor of a horrific high school shooting who is still haunted by that event. Although he has written a book about the event, he hasn't done much since except endure two failed marriages and become an alcoholic. Although he is teaching at DuPont University, he is mostly getting by on the remainders of his fame as a survivor.

When he a wild sexual encounter with a beautiful woman, Harriet Bristol Wheeler, his life is sent into a tailspin. Harriet claims to be a serial killer and wants Rick to write her story. Rick demands evidence and soon finds himself being dragged around the country by this mysterious woman. He starts trying to figure out her motivation: is she crazy, delusional, or just evil? Claiming to have killed twelve people because of their evil aura, she wants Rick to pick number 13 before it's too late.

The book was fast paced and interesting, but I didn't really care for any of the characters, not even Rick (who you would think would be a more sympathetic person). At times, it was hard to follow the jumps in the story and this was especially true with an audiobook. I felt a little let down by the conclusion, to be honest. I would have liked to know more about Harriet and her exploits (maybe in the form of the book Rick might possibly write?).

The narrator did a good job with his pacing and voices and kept my interest throughout the book. I was given the chance to listen to the audiobook version of this book by the author and chose to review it.

Combustible Punch

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I thought this book was more psychological than thriller. The plot was an interesting premise and both main characters, though flawed, were well developed. Rick, a survivor of a school shooting at 17 and an author of a book about it, is a college professor and an alcoholic who needs to write another book if he wants to keep his job. He seemed very immature and just going through the motions of living. At a book conference he meets Harriet, a seductive and manipulative self-confessed serial killer who want Rick to write a book about her. He wants proof so they travel around while she shows him evidence of her crimes. The book does have several surprising twists and an ending I was not quite expecting. I received a copy of the audiobook from the author. The narrator did a good job and it was a compulsive listen that while not perfect, was enjoyable.

Flawed characters with a good plot

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I thought that this book was fantastic. The plot was refreshing and creative, with lots of suspenseful and creative twists. The main character, Rick, gets sucked into the world of a psychopathic serial killer when she tricks him into cooperating with her plan to write her memoir before she dies of a brain lesion. Rick was the survivor of a school shooting that leaves him an alcoholic who makes poor decisions in life. His new association with the serial killer may be another of his bad decisions. This book has many unique plot twists, including a female serial killer who appears to have many personas, who manipulates Rick into accepting her story of multiple killings. She is dying soon and has nothing to lose. Rick starts to investigate the impact that a brain lesion may have on personality and behavior. But he is also concerned that she may be setting him up to be the suspect in her evil deeds. Rick's haunted past with the school shooting also preys on his mind. He finally has a positive experience when he starts a relationship with his neighbor, but that becomes complicated too. I found the book, which is well narrated in Audible, to be intriguing, complex and very interesting. It is a little slow at first as the author establishes how down and out Rick is with his luck, which is important for the reader to understand how he is sucked into the killer's life. The author gave me a complimentary copy of the book and this is my voluntary review.

Intriguing, intelligent and creative mystery

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Listener received this title free

I received an email from the author to enter a contest to win a copy of this book, but i'm not really sure how he got my email. The contest turn out to be for a review copy, and i'm terrible at writing reviews, but here goes.

First off.. This is not the type of book I would usually read. I don't really normally enjoy true crime fiction, or murder porn or even detective novel but I could see this novel appealing more to fans of those genres.

The story was OK. i not something that i couldn't wait to finish, but i never felt like I wanted to stop reading it either. Maybe if i was more of a fan of the genre?

The main character is not very likeable, but he basically tells you that right from the start.

The narrator did a good job. I found him easy to listen to and to have a pleasant voice. He did not have a big variety to the voices although there is no problem telling who is speaking at any moment.

I found myself getting confused a couple of times. Once about the details of a murder and their relevance and again during the big reveal at the end. it could have simply been that i was distracted during those moment and not the story itself. It didn't really hurt my enjoyment of the book.

There are some moment during the authors research that provided lots of details about the methods and motivations of real life serial killers. I enjoyed hearing that sort of stuff.

I found the length to be just about right.

The big question is... Is this worth a precious audible credit? i would say No. Its a good story, and worth buying on sale or borrowing from the library, but unless crime books are your thing... save the credit

Might appeal to fans of true crime books

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