Undertow Audiobook By Sydney Bauer cover art

Undertow

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
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 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Undertow

By: Sydney Bauer
Narrated by: Bill Ten Eyck
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.49

Buy for $19.49

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

Following an alleged conversation between respected attorney Rayna Martin and teenager Christina Hayes, one of them is dead, the other arrested for their murder. Boston lawyer David Cavanaugh faces his toughest case to date when what appears to be a tragic accident turns into something else entirely. David soon finds that his most dangerous battle is taking place outside the courtroom.

Lies, deception, blackmail, threats... and finally the precision of an assassin's bullet combine to create a shocking finale in this suspenseful debut from Sydney Bauer.

©2006 Sydney Bauer. (P)2008 Bolinda Publishing Suspense Thriller & Suspense Exciting

Editorial reviews

Bill Ten Eyck gives a riveting performance of Australian writer Sydney Bauer’s best-selling debut crime novel, Undertow. His conversational delivery and warm manner create a pleasurable listening experience. Christina Hayes, the teenage daughter of a US Senator, drowns after a conversation with African American attorney Rayna Martin. Shortly after, Rayna is arrested for murder. Lawyer David Cavanaugh takes on the case, and plunges into a tangled web of lies, blackmail, threats, and violence. Was this merely a tragic accident? Or is something more insidious lurking under the surface?

Critic reviews

"Compelling from start to finish." (Richard North Patterson)
"Watch out Grisham." (The Sydney Morning Herald)
"A creditable, enthralling legal suspense drama following firmly in the footsteps of Grisham and Patterson." (Good Reading Magazine)
All stars
Most relevant  
Interesting premise with an expected but surprise ending. Lack of reality of courtroom scenes was distracting. A little legal research or advice from a trial attorney would have been a help.

Courtroom reality

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

Would you try another book from Sydney Bauer and/or Bill Ten Eyck?

no

What could Sydney Bauer have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

nothing, overall plot is very weak

What three words best describe Bill Ten Eyck’s performance?

struggle,novice,sorry

Do you think Undertow needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

no once is enough....a tired plot, well worn out

Any additional comments?

enough said.

race baiting novel

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The most memorable thing about this listen is that narrator Bill Ten Eyck does a dead-on Jack Nicholson when speaking for the evil assistant district attorney. Bauer's characters are hyperbolic and the story strains credulity. Ordinarily that wouldn't doom a novel and it really didn't doom this one. But I think Bauer could have told a more compelling story without creating characters that were hard to fathom. The story wasn't a particularly good one, some of the premises were preposterous but my desire to see "good" prevail kept me listening and rooting. In this classic good versus evil story I also would have preferred a winner-take-most conclusion. I'm not sure we got one. Two stars without the Nicholson impression to keep me entertained.

Ten Eyck does a great Jack Nicholson

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I liked this book. It's pretty well written and read, plus it has an interesting twist on the racial bias so often claimed today. Add to that some teenage angst, a corrupt politician, a pair of decent lawyers, and a truly incompetent ADA, and you have a very good listen.

Interesting switch

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

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Mot readers of crime novels

Has Undertow turned you off from other books in this genre?

No - definitely not.-

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Bill Ten Eyck?

No-one - he was good.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It was a very good story.

Any additional comments?

How do I tell you I have previously read the book?

I had already read the book.

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