CHASING MONEY
A Marty and Bo Thriller

by Michael Balter

Narrated by: Frits Zernike

Production by: Michael Balter Books LLC, Mission Point Press

Review by Rox Burkey, Charla White

Unbelievable Art Mystery!

Michael Balter crafts a nonstop action-adventure crime thriller set in Oregon. Marty tells the story in the first person, making it personal. He and his business partner, Bo, are entrepreneurs in a Paladin start-up. Marty and his wife are at odds over his chasing this business dream. Everything about this story is perfect. Thrills, action, fear, uncertainty, and doubt are woven into a realistic story.  Well-researched discussions on World War II, art history, and the lengths people will go to win keep listeners and readers on the edge of their seats.

Marty and Bo start the story at gunpoint with a maniac waving a gun demanding an unknown painting and ten million dollars. Their business partner Nico seems to understand but has permanently stopped speaking. Tracking clues, uncovering deceptions, and learning the truth take Marty and Bo on an unbelievable journey.

Listening to the story unfold flashed vivid pictures of these characters' situations. The excellent prose left no stone unturned as each character and their idiosyncrasies contributed to the story. This debut novel by Michael Balter is a winner in the believable situations, riveting, realistic character development, and realistic, fast-paced dialog made this listen impossible to set aside until it finished.

The narration by Frits Zernike was outstanding. There was perfect pacing, well-timed voices, and accents that easily delineated the characters. There were no problems with the audio and I enjoyed this voice. Lucky for listeners and readers, the author is working on another Marty and Bo thriller, which this listener hopes is narrated by this outstanding voice actor. Fans of crime thrillers who revel in action adventure will enjoy this book to the very end and beg for more.

Review by Charla White

An international action-filled crime thriller filled with intriguing characters and plot twists that will leave the listener captivated.

 Michael Balter captivates using vivid imagery to bring scenes and characters to the forefront making visualization easy. Balter is very adept at using detailed descriptions and projected dialogues keeping an exemplary and entertaining layer to the narrative.

The narrator, Frits Zernike provided an entertaining performance with his deliberately paced cadence and energy.   He slipped into each character flawlessly projecting their essence vividly.

I found Balter and Zernike made an excellent team.  This audiobook comes highly recommended!

Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-biased, honest review.