Illegal Audiobook By Paul Levine cover art

Illegal

A Novel

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Illegal

By: Paul Levine
Narrated by: Chris Andrew Ciulla
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Trial lawyer Jimmy “Royal” Payne was his own worst enemy - until now. Haunted by personal tragedy and wanted by the cops, Payne needs to skip town. What he doesn’t need is Tino Perez, a gutsy twelve-year-old Mexican boy in search of his missing - and undocumented - mother. But Payne’s ex-wife, an L.A.P.D. detective he still loves, makes him a deal: help the boy or go to jail. Soon Payne is following Tino into the darker side of the American dream. From bloody Mexicali to the bullet-ridden San Joaquin Valley, Payne is be swept into the dark current of illegal immigration, human trafficking, and sexual slavery - all the while, navigating the twisted border between justice and revenge.

©2013 Paul Levine (P)2013 Audible, Inc. Hard-Boiled Legal Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense

Editorial reviews

Paul Levine’s thriller follows lawyer Jimmy "Royal" Payne as he flees painful memories as well as angry men looking to inflict real physical pain. Bad luck and poor decisions have led him to this dark place when he meets Tino Perez, a 12-year-old Mexican illegal immigrant whose mother has gone missing while crossing the border. To help young Tino, Payne must enter a world of human trafficking, rape, and murder in this hard-boiled edge-of-your-seat audiobook. Chris Ciulla lends the story a hard and fast performance with a touch of cynicism that Royal wears like badge. This is a modern thriller whose sordid backdrop is described in great detail and which you won't want to pause.
Captivating Story • Suspenseful Plot • Passionate Narration • Gripping Opening • Satisfying Conclusion
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Who was your favorite character and why?

Tino. I grew to love his responses to situations.

What about Chris Andrew Ciulla’s performance did you like?

I couldn't believe it was just him. I felt like there were many different people performing this story for me.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The ending made me cry because I got so invested in the relationship between Tino and his mother.

A Great first book to listen to on Audible

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Went to bed listening to the book.. Fell asleep,woke up,rewinded,listened repeated until finished. Great story.

Hard to stop listening to .

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Would you consider the audio edition of Illegal to be better than the print version?

Yeah, I think so. The narrator did a great job with the tension, the situations, and the different people. It added a lot to the story, where your imagination may not take you there otherwise.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. I didn't know what the outcome was going to be for Tino, for Jimmy, Marisol, etc. It had a really good mix of suspense and violence. Paul Levine is a good author.

Which character – as performed by Chris Andrew Ciulla – was your favorite?

Loved Jimmy Payne as the lead. Also liked Chitwood, and Simeon Rutledge.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Sad story about human trafficking and a scumbag rancher. But it's fiction. I'm cool with it.

Nice Legal Thriller

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I love thrillers. . This 1 has very engaging characters that is to say the characters that I liked. The antagonists were as evil as the protagonists we're likable. The story maintains an allegro pace. This was my 1st book by Levine and I can't wai to download my next. Narrator was excellent too.

Satisfiying

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Where does Illegal rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Second

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jimmy Payne. The intensity and cadence in the narrator's voice really portrayed Jimmy's internal straggle.

What about Chris Andrew Ciulla’s performance did you like?

He was completely dialed in to the performance. You could get on board with the listen because the narrator was so passionate.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No it was too long, but sad to end each session.

Any additional comments?

I look forward to more work from the narrator.

Great listen and what an intense ride

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language ruins the story. Couldn't find the story for the profanity. so tired of author who cant express themselves without foul language

didn't finish

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There is a lot to like about Illegal. The book starts off with a great scene and the characters are vivid. Although the protagonist is a lawyer, the novel is really an action thriller rather than a legal thriller. One the negative side the novel gets repetitive and boring in the middle chapters of the book; nevertheless, based on the strength of the opening and closing chapters Illegal earns a solid 4 star rating.

RECOMMENDED!

Great opening chapters; very vivid characters!

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Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

It was okay. It didn't have the same wit and humor as Jake Lassiter and Solomon & Lord books, and the pace was a lot slower.

Would you be willing to try another book from Paul Levine? Why or why not?

of course, I've enjoyed several of his books.

What three words best describe Chris Andrew Ciulla’s voice?

He would be a great narrator for one of those crime shows on Investigation Discovery.

Could you see Illegal being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

probably Timonthy Olyphant as Payne...Mirielle Enos as his estranged wife....Ian McShane as Rutledge...not sure on the others.

Not one of the best stories, but not terrible

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Once again the author delivers a book with a lot of twists and turns! An Exceptional story, as it has you examine how we would behave if the story was our own and we had such a loss was our own.

Great Read!

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Fast moving with lots of crooked characters. Enjoyable rowdy romp to save a missing woman.

Where's mama?

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