The Ascent Audiobook By Adam Plantinga cover art

The Ascent

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The Ascent

By: Adam Plantinga
Narrated by: Charles Halford, Christine Lakin
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When a high security prison fails, a down-on-his luck cop and the governor’s daughter must team up if they’re going to escape in this "jaw-dropping, authentic, and absolutely gripping" (Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author) bestselling thriller from Adam Plantinga, whose first nonfiction book Lee Child praised as “truly excellent.”

Kurt Argento, an ex-Detroit street cop who can’t let injustice go—and who has the fighting skills to back up his idealism.

If he sees a young girl being dragged into an alley, he's going to rescue her and cause some damage.

When he does just that in a small corrupt Missouri town, he’s brutally beaten and thrown into a maximum-security prison.

Julie Wakefield, a grad student who happens to be the governor's daughter, is about to take a tour of the prison. But when a malfunction in the security system releases a horde of prisoners, a fierce struggle for survival ensues.

Argento must help a small band of staff and civilians, including Julie and her two state trooper handlers, make their way from the bottom floor to the roof to safety.

All that stands in their way are six floors of the most dangerous convicts in Missouri.

©2024 Adam Plantinga (P)2024 Grand Central Publishing Action & Adventure Crime Thrillers Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Crime Fiction Exciting Scary Missouri

Critic reviews

“The Ascent is jaw-dropping, authentic, and absolutely gripping.”—Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of I Will Find You
“Adam Plantinga’s debut thriller, THE ASCENT, is a nail-biting ride out of Hell itself. It’s Dante’s Inferno—but with gangs, corruption, bone-breaking brawls, and a kick-ass, determined police officer struggling through it all to save another. It reads with raw authenticity and brutal honesty. Don’t miss this debut of a new crime-thriller star!”—James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Kingdom of Bones

"Damn! I had to hold onto this one for dear life. THE ASCENT is a ferociously propulsive thriller. Plantinga creates a haunted house of horrors that’s utterly convincing, while at the same time keeping the focus on complex, layered, and engaging characters. An outstanding debut crime novel."—Lou Berney, Edgar award-winning author of November Road
Fast-paced Action • Unpredictable Plot Twists • Exceptional Narration • Engaging Storyline • Immersive Experience
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Good story. Not to over the top but not slow and boring either. Writer does good job.

Good story, well told

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Wow. so glad you got in the fiction world. definitely my new favorite antagonist. you must have spent time with dpd as the details were very accurate. I can't wait for the next book. can't thank you enough for writing the other 2 books as well. I listen to them all the time and use as a source for valuable information and reminders. thank you!

the details

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Absolutely loved it!! Plot was new, different, just superb. Plenty of action, great characters, very good narration. I Took one break throughout the entire book. No brainer.

Great story!!

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liked the story very much. I appreciate the detail and lack of some romantic twist that most books fall to

very well written, graphic but a fun read.

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This was a great story with well defined characters. The only thing was that it felt like a video game: conquer one level before moving on to the next higher, more difficult level (filled with increasingly demented prisoners). It seemed as if the author was deliberately trying to make each of the encounters more over the top than the last one (sorry, but no one needed the human canoe scene). Narration was very good.

This was excellent, but exhausting

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He keeps the pace high. The characters are believable, the crimes are shocking. I read a lot of books. This is a big compliment! Way to go Adam!!

Wow. Most thrilling thriller of the year?

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Tons of violence, lots of violent characters and non-stop action. This could easily be a series and is a perfect candidate for a movie.

Action-packed Read

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First off this is violent so if that isn’t your thing then you will likely be disturbed.

Action is pretty non stop and will keep you listening.

Readers did a fine job. I like that both male and female were used to represent the pov.

Edge of your seat

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I loved the characters in this book. So well developed. The story itself was so good! I could not put it down. Quite action packed. So well written I felt I was there!

Great story

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I loved the story line and the characters. I also like how no love story was pushed between the main characters.

From start to finish, it was gripping.

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