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The Chopin Manuscript

A Serial Thriller

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The Chopin Manuscript

By: Lee Child, David Corbett, Joseph Finder, Jim Fusilli, John Gilstrap, James Grady, David Hewson, P. J. Parrish, Jeffery Deaver
Narrated by: Alfred Molina
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About this listen

15 thriller masters. 1 masterful thriller.

Former war crimes investigator Harold Middleton possesses a previously unknown score by Frederic Chopin. But he is unaware that, locked within its handwritten notes, lies a secret that now threatens the lives of thousands of Americans. As he races from Poland to America to uncover the mystery of the manuscript, Middleton will be accused of murder, pursued by federal agents, and targeted by assassins. But the greatest threat will come from a shadowy figure out of his past: the man known only as Faust.

The Chopin Manuscript is a unique collaboration by 15 of the world's greatest thriller writers. Jeffery Deaver conceived the characters and set the plot in motion; the other authors each wrote a chapter in turn. Deaver then completed what he started, bringing The Chopin Manuscript to its explosive conclusion.

The Chopin Manuscript was written by:
Jeffery Deaver (Lincoln Rhyme series)
David Hewson (Nic Costa series)
James Grady (Six Days of the Condor)
S. J. Rozan (Bill Smith/Lydia Chin series)
Erica Spindler (Last Known Victim)
John Ramsey Miller (Winter Massey series)
David Corbett (Blood of Paradise)
John Gilstrap (Scott Free)
Joseph Finder (Power Play)
Jim Fusilli (Terry Orr series)
Peter Spiegelman (John March series)
Ralph Pezzullo (Jawbreaker)
Lisa Scottoline (Daddy's Girl)
P.J. Parrish (Louis Kincaid, Joe Frye series)
Lee Child (Jack Reacher series)

©2007 International Thriller Writers, Inc., Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, David Hewson, James Grady, S. J. Rozan, Erica Spindler, John Ramsey Miller, David Corbett, John Gilstrap, Joseph Finder, Jim Fusilli, Peter Spiegelman, Ralph Pezzullo, Lisa Scottoline, and P. J. Parrish (P)2007 Audible, Inc. Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Thriller Mystery

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Critic reviews

  • 2008 Audie Award Winner
    Audiobook of the Year
"Innovative and unique, The Chopin Manuscript, written by masters in the field of thrillers, is far more than the sum of its parts. Here each author shines, blending individual skill and energy, into a riveting, crackling-paced tapestry of murder, mystery, and mayhem. Not to be missed!" (James Rollins, author of The Judas Strain)
"A GREAT story, written by one GREAT author after another, in one GREAT chapter after another. A stellar achievement of collectivity that blows from the starting gate at 100 mph and never slows down. A thrill-a-page from 15 GREAT thriller masters. Don't miss this one." (Steve Berry, author of The Venetian Betrayal)
All stars
Most relevant  
Selected this for a long drive to Cornwall, love Deaver's work but not read much by any of the others. I was absolutely hooked in the first 5 minutes and was devastated just over 4 hours later when I arrived at my destination with no chance to hear the end for a couple of days. The story had so many twists that it really kept me guessing and just when you thought you had it worked out it headed in a different direction. Brilliant!!!!

Fantastic listen

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I wouldn't usually buy books of this genre, but I thought it sounded like an interesting prospect so I decided to give it a try. It didn't win me over to the genre, though I did buy the sequel, 'The Copper Bracelet' (although I haven't actually had the inclination to listen to it yet!) So as you can see, I have mixed feelings about this book.

You have to take this book for what it is. If you're expecting a great thriller then you'll probably be disappointed. Of course the way it has been written doesn't lend itself to being a literary masterpiece. But if you accept that and take it as a bit of a novelty, an experiment, then it's reasonably enjoyable to listen to.

Yes, it doesn't always flow well. Yes, authors tend to do all the things you might expect - change the character's personalities, put in dubious twists, kill off some characters and invent other new ones. But in my view these issues are not as serious as some other reviewers suggest.

There were chapters I really enjoyed and chapters I didn't like at all.

All in all, take it for what it is. It's not a great novel, but it's an interesting experiment, different to most of the other books you read/listen to. If you're up for that, give this book a try.

Mixed feelings

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The concept for this book, where one author starts the story and then each subsequent chapter is written by a different author, intrigued me to try this title and I'm very glad I did. The story itself hit the ground running and the pace never faltered, with interesting twists and turns along the way.

And it has to be said that Alfred Molina's narration was first-class, keeping the listener engaged throughout.

Highly recommended

An Excellent Story

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I downloaded this out of curiosity more than a desire to hear a thriller and I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it could be disjointed or confusing but it wasn't. The plot was tantalising, the characters developed through each chapter and the story flowed. Whilst you could tell the different styles of the authors and their way of writing this genre it made for a satisfying journey and insight in to their own writing. I liked this style a lot, it was stimulating. Will download another of this style.

Really interesting concept.

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I listened in two sittings - only the need to sleep stopped me from doing it in one. The 'consequences' format ensured that there was tremendous energy and pace in as each author brought a fresh note to the evolving and involving tale. The choice of Alfred Molina for narrator was a master stroke.

Brilliant.

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I was interested to read about the way that this had been written and was interested to listen to it. There were too many twists, turns and characters for my own liking but it was interesting to remember how it had been formulated.

An interesting experiment - doesn't quite work.

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started very good. that ,s got me interested .but it was downhill half way through. good try .thanks

does not quiet work

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This is my first ever audible book and I found the experience sufficiently enjoyable to become a full member.

Each chapter has been written by a different author and it is quite good fun to pick out the different narrative styles. This has meant that there is little restraint to the plot so the experience is like riding a roller coaster. This is an exciting story even if it is not entirely credible.

Interesting idea full of twists and turns

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I found there were a lot of twists, some predictable some not. Kept me interested and wanting to hear more

Not Bad

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I liked the IDEA of this book - all these great writers teaming together to write some amazing secretive masterpiece - but I felt the book turned out to be a bit disjointed. OK. Very disjointed.

And it was only until I listened to the bonus interview at the end of the audible recording that I learned that the authors did not work together ONE BIT!

They just sent the growing manuscript to the next person on the list after they had added their chapter. So there was very little vision here for how the whole story would turn out, because none of them actually had any clue whatsoever, and it really really would have been a FAR greater book if they did some planning.

It all felt like a bit of a muddle really. Enjoyable because of the concept, all these writers coming together, but I felt it could have been so much more given a little planning on their part.

Hmmm....

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