The Quickie

by James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge Narrated by Mary Stuart Masterson

Overview

Lauren Stillwell is not your average damsel in distress.

When the NYPD cop discovers her husband leaving a hotel with another woman, she decides to beat him at his own game. But her revenge goes dangerously awry, and she finds her world spiraling into a hell that becomes more terrifying by the hour.

In a further twist of fate, Lauren must take on a job that threatens everything she stands for. Now, she's paralyzed by a deadly secret that could tear her life apart. With her job and marriage on the line, Lauren's desire for retribution becomes a lethal inferno as she fights to save her livelihood – and her life.

Patterson takes us on a twisting roller-coaster ride of thrills in his most gripping audio-book yet. This story of love, lust and dangerous secrets will have listeners' hearts pounding to the very last page.

A Hachette Audio production.

Editorial Reviews

When NYPD cop Lauren Stillwell spots her husband leaving a hotel with a sexy woman, she doesn't call Dr. Phil; she goes ballistic. Her devious plan to exact retribution, however, lands her in a messy situation that no marriage manual could solve. To make bad things worse, her latest department assignment forces her to confront her core values and a deadly secret. James Patterson's The Quickie is a brisk read that will leave you breathless.

Library Journal

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." NYPD detective Lauren Stillwell finds out the hard way that a lie is the most difficult thing to keep alive. After seeing her husband entering a hotel room with another woman, Lauren jumps to the conclusion that he is cheating on her and, in retaliation, she has a one-night "quickie" with a fellow police officer. If this were the end of the story, it would still qualify as interesting fiction, but Patterson and Ledwidge have no intention of making things easier for Lauren. What begins as a simple act of desperation soon evolves into a complex and often deadly series of cover-ups, lies, and deceptions. Actress Mary Stuart Masterson skillfully keeps the suspense moving, giving each character a distinct personality, and helping listeners overcome the occasional florid prose by pulling us deeper and deeper into the "tangled web" Lauren creates. Highly recommended for all libraries; Patterson is sure to have a large and loyal following.
—Joseph L. Carison

From the Publisher

"Action? Check. Suspense? By the carload. Romance? Yes. Erotica? Let's Just say that it's not limited to the cover."—Bookreporter.com

"Simply the best suspense thriller I've read to date."—NightsandWeekends.com

"Will have you gasping out loud at nearly every page."—TheRomanceReadersConnection.com

"Patterson knows where our deepest fears are buried. There's no stopping his imagination."—New York Times Book Review

"When it comes to constructing a harrowing plot, author James Patterson can turn a screw all right."—New York Daily News

"Patterson juggles twist after twist with genuine glee."—San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Chronicle

"Patterson juggles twist after twist with genuine glee."

New York Daily News

"When it comes to constructing a harrowing plot, author James Patterson can turn a screw all right."

New York Times Book Review

"Patterson knows where our deepest fears are buried. There's no stopping his imagination."

TheRomanceReadersConnection.com

"Will have you gasping out loud at nearly every page."

NightsandWeekends.com

"Simply the best suspense thriller I've read to date."

Bookreporter.com

"Action? Check. Suspense? By the carload. Romance? Yes. Erotica? Let's Just say that it's not limited to the cover."

APR/MAY 08 - AudioFile

The best-laid plans of Homicide Detective Lauren Stillwell go awry when she plans a surprise lunch date with her husband and discovers he's about to have a nooner with someone else. Not only does Lauren get mad, she gets even by having an indiscretion of her own. Only Lauren's quickie is anything but brief. It takes on a life of its own that could destroy both her personal and professional lives. Mary Stuart Masterson performs this psychological suspense with a voice that has just the right understated “everywoman's” quality. Masterson takes her audience along for the various cliff-hangers and plot twists and helps listeners empathize with the main character. Music cues throughout the production heighten the tension. G.O. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173696144
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	07/02/2007
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

The Quickie

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By James Patterson Michael Ledwidge

Little, Brown and Company

Copyright © 2007 James Patterson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-316-11736-4

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Chapter One

I KNEW THIS WAS a really terrific idea, if I didn't say so myself, surprising Paul for lunch at his office down on Pearl Street.

I'd made a special trip into Manhattan and had put on my favorite "little black dress." I looked moderately ravishing. Nothing that would be out of place at the Mark Joseph Steakhouse, and one of Paul's favorite outfits, too, the one he usually chose if I asked him, "What should I wear to this thing, Paul?"

Anyway, I was excited, and I'd already spoken to his assistant, Jean, to make sure that he was there - though I hadn't alerted her about the surprise. Jean was Paul's assistant after all, not mine.

And then, there was Paul.

As I rounded the corner in my Mini Cooper, I saw him leaving his office building, walking with a twenty-something blonde woman.

Paul was leaning in very close to her, chatting, laughing in a way that instantly made me feel very ill.

She was one of those bright, shiny beauties you're more likely to see in Chicago or Iowa City. Tall, hair like platinum silk. Cream-colored skin that looked just about perfect from this distance. Not a wrinkle or blemish.

She wasn't completely perfect, though. She tripped a Manolo on a street plate as she and Paul were getting into a taxi, and as I watched Paul gallantly catch hold of the pink cashmere on her anorexic elbow, I felt like someone had hammered a cold chisel right into the center of my chest.

I followed them. Well, I guess followed is too polite. I stalked them.

All the way up to Midtown, I stayed on that taxi's bumper like we were connected by a tow hook. When the cab suddenly pulled up in front of the entrance to the St. Regis Hotel, on East 55th Street, and Paul and the woman stepped out smiling, I felt an impulse rush from the lizard part of my brain to my right foot, which was hovering over the accelerator. Then Paul took her arm. A picture of both of them sandwiched between the storied hotel's front steps and the hood of my baby-blue Mini flashed through my mind.

Then it was gone, and so were they, and I was left sitting there crying to the sound of the honking taxis lined up behind me.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from The Quickie by James Patterson Michael Ledwidge Copyright © 2007 by James Patterson. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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