The Getaway
Read by David De Vries
Jim Thompson

Hachette Audio
January 16, 2012 / ASIN: B006YUYOPQ
Mystery / Noir / Audiobook / CDs (Unabridged) / 5 hours, 23 minutes
Amazon

Reviewed by Jo Rogers

Doc McCoy was a master criminal. Oh, he got caught once in a while and spent some time in prison. His wife, Carol, had asked for a divorce in a fake split in front of witnesses at the prison. It was part of Doc’s plan for his next heist, a plan he perfected in prison. As for the divorce, they were too much in love with each other for that to ever happen. Carol had her own part to play in this job as she’d had in the others.

Doc was a careful planner. Every detail was taken care of, even down to killing Rudy Tarentino and his apprentice. This was to be his last job and he and Carol would need that money to live on when they got to El Rey. He would give them shelter as long as they needed it. But as in all human endeavors, things went wrong.

Doc made one major mistake. Rudy had almost killed him before Doc got to the place where he could kill Rudy. When he shot him, he shot him through the heart. Then he turned and walked away without making sure Rudy was dead. After all, Doc had never missed before, not even when he’d shot the bank guard from his hotel room across the street.

The Getaway is told from multiple points of view, which makes the story richer in detail. The lack of profanity, at least there was none that I noticed, is refreshing. This was one I didn’t want to put down at all and I was very annoyed when I had to put it aside. The characters were human, foibles and all. The plot is fascinating and each step of their getaway is perilous and uncertain. The ending is unexpected and shocking. Listen to The Getaway and enjoy a finely crafted dark thriller.

Reviewer's Notes: Contains violence