Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Sudden Impact

By: William P. Wood
Narrated by: Anthony Haden Salerno
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Bestselling author William P. Wood spins this dark, riveting tale of a beloved Sacramento cop killed in a bizarre accident, and the hunt to track down his killer - a fast-paced thriller of murder, deceit, haunting pasts, and one man's dangerous scheme to fight for those he loves.

Ensor is no ordinary cop. He's a hero, winner of the Medal of Valor, devoted family man and coach, helping at-risk kids. But the driver who struck him down and didn't stop isn't ordinary either. He's Judge Frank Stevenson, up-and-coming member of the bench, also devoted to his wife and daughter, involved in charities and good works. In a split second he did something completely uncharacteristic that changes his life and the lives of everyone close to him.

Terry Nye is a couple of weeks from retirement as a detective, head of Major Crimes. He's trying to pack thirty years of bloody experiences and hard lessons into those two weeks for his new partner, Rose Tafoya. Rose is a young detective, smart, more than a little ambitious, but also insecure. Together she and Nye are a powerhouse team. He's determined to find Ensor's assailant, and he's going to make sure Rose doesn't make the same mistakes he did, especially the unforgivable one that has come back to darkly haunt him after Ensor's accident.

With the city in turmoil after Ensor's death, the hunt for the cop killer rushes ahead relentlessly. The guilty and innocent are sucked into the intense investigation - and everyone will realize that their lives can change in the blink of an eye.

©2014 William P. Wood (P)2014 Audible Inc.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"No one writes a better police procedural than Bill Wood, and Sudden Impact is his best one to date - lucid prose, meticulous legal detail, and unforgettable characters struggling in various moral quandaries. Terrific, unputdownable stuff." (John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Juror and The Hunt Club)

What listeners say about Sudden Impact

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    518
  • 4 Stars
    249
  • 3 Stars
    114
  • 2 Stars
    27
  • 1 Stars
    16
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    546
  • 4 Stars
    197
  • 3 Stars
    69
  • 2 Stars
    26
  • 1 Stars
    13
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    471
  • 4 Stars
    220
  • 3 Stars
    108
  • 2 Stars
    31
  • 1 Stars
    16

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

best book in awhile

kept my in attention. the narrator was good you could hear every word and different tones for different people

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A little drawn out, but. a good listen!

Loved the storyline. It was intense and interesting. Really great for a free book. I'd recommend it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Great Story

I thought the story was great and believable to the end. I was not a fan of the reader. His voice was irritating to me in too many of the characters

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I kinda hate Nye right now

its a good story. Intense told from Nye & The Judges point of vue. well done. here's where it gets sticky for me. the ending.
there's joint liability in this story cop no cop. it was an accident. I dont condone hit & runs but its an accident. the price paid was too high.
If I had paid for the book I would've returned it.
I'm going to listen to 1 more Nye & Lafoya book to hopefully rinse out the bad taste. I guess we shall see.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

so so

the story would have been a lot better without some of the trite dialogue and police stereotypes. I think part of that was because of the way the narrator presented the different characters. the plot twist at the end was weak and anti-climactic. the father-in-law was presented as a bumbling idiot who wielded a lot of power in the city and that really caused a problem with the plot as did this vague character who came out of nowhere and suddenly had power over the situation.

I will say that I stuck with it till the end though I really did consider abandoning it for many of those reasons.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointing finale

Not a great ending. It presents what amounts to a stupid trade-off. Nothing morally justifiable about it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

All they had to do was check the VIN No.

All they had to do was check the VIN No. but that spoils the story! We liked the story BUT FROM THE HALFWAY POINT FORWARD both my husband and myself were practically shouting at the car radio; " Why don't you check the VIN No.?"

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping

The story just keeps you guessing even when you know "who done it" and still you won't believe the ending with realistic performances.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

the ending though... horrible

I just hated the ending so much. some serious bs if the author thinks that's justice. 🙄

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

good listen

This was a good story that keeps you interested. The narrator was also very good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!