Audio book review - Peter Giles disguises the plot so well that you will keep guessing throughout the journey through the streets of New York with an intricate plot of deception. As a narrator his deep tones make the story come alive. Enjoy

Thank you Blackstone Audio and NetGalley for an audio copy of this book for review purposes. I haven’t read anything by this author before and this was a nice surprise. Nick Ryan is a detective with the NYPD but he also does other investigations for a man named Joe. The book starts out on 9/11/01 with a man who is killed on a train platform in NYC. Now, decades later, Nick is tasked with finding out who did it. It isn’t just that the man looked to be Middle Eastern and someone was angry that day. Soon Nick finds himself fighting good guys and bad guys. There are car chases, motorcycle chases, love interests, attacks on Nick and his loved ones. This is fast paced. I didn’t feel that since I hadn’t read any others in this series that I couldn’t keep up. I do think I need to read the others. I can see this being made into a movie. I don’t think this is book club material but you read it and thank me later

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC in audiobook format.

Blind to Midnight by Reed Farrel Coleman, narrated by Peter Giles, is a riveting addition to the Nick Ryan series, blending intense action with intricate plotting. This audiobook plunges listeners into the gritty world of New York’s most enigmatic cop, Nick Ryan, who operates in the shadows to solve the city’s most dangerous cases.

The story begins with a gripping premise: nearly three thousand New Yorkers died on 9/11, but only one murder took place that day. Over two decades later, Detective Nick Ryan is tasked with uncovering the truth behind this lone murder, a mission that leads him into a web of corruption, blood money, and high-stakes danger.  Ryan delves deeper establishing shocking criminal connections.

Peter Giles’ narration is a stellar feature of this audiobook. His deep, resonant voice perfectly captures the gritty atmosphere of the story and the complex emotions of the characters. Giles’ ability to convey tension and urgency keeps listeners on the edge of their seats, making the audiobook an immersive experience.

Coleman’s writing is sharp and evocative, painting a vivid picture of New York’s underbelly. The plot is meticulously crafted, with twists and turns that keep the listener guessing until the very end. 

A strength of  Blind to Midnight is its character development. Nick Ryan is a compelling protagonist, a rogue cop who operates outside the law but is driven by a strong sense of justice. His moral ambiguity and relentless pursuit of the truth make him a fascinating character to follow. The supporting cast, including the mysterious power broker “Joe” and the various criminals Ryan encounters, add depth and complexity to the narrative.

Blind to Midnight is a must-listen for fans of hard-boiled crime fiction and action-packed thrillers. Reed Farrel Coleman’s masterful storytelling, combined with Peter Giles’ engaging narration, makes this audiobook a standout in its genre.

“There were always candidates eager to fill the void. Money was honey. All you needed to take it was ambition, an abiding disregard for innocence, and a stomach for blood.”

Nick Ryan is a New York City detective, but he’s also a fixer who works ‘off book’, taking assignments from his handler, Joe. Nick is tough, savvy and dangerous. He’s also a man with ties, but he chooses to keep his distance for the safety of his loved ones. This also makes him lonely and somewhat haunted.

BLIND TO MIDNIGHT is an action packed thrill ride complete with shootouts, car chases, tricked out weapons and cars and many nefarious characters including mobsters and assassins. It felt like a Martin Scorsese or Antoine Fuqua film! I’m not kidding. The action never stops! Reed Farrel Coleman’s writing is poetic in the sense that this almost felt like a noir with the atmosphere of New York City acting as yet another character.

What made this stand out for me was Peter Giles’ performance! Not only do I love the tone of his voice, (he could read the dictionary and I’d love it!) he does accents and different voices so well, he sounds like different people! Giles’ also has the ability to perform females without it sounding hokey or pulling me out of the story. I think aside from Nick, my favorite voice was Lenny. He was also one of my favorite characters. A man with a traumatic and tragic past who Nick saved from a fire, his body is so badly damaged he speaks with an impediment. However, it’s the friendship between Nick and Lenny that really shines and adds heart to an otherwise intense and gritty crime story.

This is book two of a series, so it’s possible I may have enjoyed it more if I had read book one first. I do love an action thriller, but I don’t think I would have enjoyed this as much if I had only read the physical book. In this instance the audiobook made all the difference!
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Thank you Blackstone Publishing for the gifted copies. All opinions are mine.
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Potential spoiler content warnings below.



































⚠️Content warnings: severe language, sexual situations, violence, gun violence, gore, death

A really great action packed thriller that is full of suspense, twists & thrills.

The narrator did a great job which will always make or break an audiobook for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.8 stars

Slight frustration as this was the second in a series, but was not noted on NetGalley or on Goodreads. I personally prefer to read books in order.

Solid narration by Peter Giles.

I’m new to this series and really enjoyed the MMC’s misadventures. In some ways, he reminds me of Myron Bolitar. Different career/series/author, but same charisma. I cannot wait to go back and read the first book of the series, and hope we see more of Nick Ryan in the future. If you’re a fan of police procedurals, this would probably be a good fit for you. Nick is a bit off the cuff, but is entertaining with his dry wit and unorthodox methods. Highly recommend! As always, Peter Giles does a phenomenal job with the narration.

This is my first taste of author Reed Farrel Coleman in what is his 2nd in this action packed series featuring NYPD Detective Nick Ryan, the guy with a background of tours in Afghanistan, given a wide remit to do what is necessary in below the radar shadowy missions from his handler, Joe. I listened to this on audio, approximately 10 hours long with an interesting style of narration by Peter Giles, which at first I found bemusing, but which I quickly settled into it as it added a little something extra to the narrative. There are a number of different threads that are set to endanger and complicate Ryan's life, a man who can never be with the love of his life, Shana Carlyle, and their daughter, Becky, simply so they can be safe from anyone willing to get him through them.

Ryan is directed to look into the only apparent murder of Serbian Vladimir Markovic on 9/11, a bakery worker, said to be due to his Arabic appearance, but is there more to it? He finds himself prevented the abduction of a teenage boy from a wealthy family, but is thrown out of kilter when someone he had known from childhood, Tony Angelo, and his wife, Rosa, are murdered, this is personal, he is not going to leave it alone until he knows who killed them. Help comes Ryan's way, and it includes the specialist hacking skills of his friend, Lenny, badly scarred from a fire in which he was saved by Ryan, but sadly lost his family, and the reliable Irishman, Mac, who is willing to follow Ryan in scenarios in which he could lose his life. There are twists and turns galore, an enormous rising death count, in this dark story where the threads eventually begin to connect in a sinister and troubling manner.

The author writes a well plotted novel that revolves around the horrors of the past that occurred in the nightmare that was the Balkans, long memories, blood revenge, financial gain, and stolen gold. This is a fast paced and exciting thriller with a wide ranging cast of characters, the good and the bad, that will appeal to those who enjoy reading about a hard boiled all action central protagonist, a man with principles, who will go where others fear to tread, from one challenging scenario straight into the next one. I can certainly recommend the audio, which proved to be a great listen! Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing for the ALC.

Nick Ryan, the rogue New York cop on a mission to clean up the streets no matter how outside the law he steps, is back in Blind To Midnight, the follow up to the first book of the series Sleepless City. Once again, the action is fierce and the pace frenetic as Nick and his ever-growing team of allies face up against dangerous enemies.

Ryan works for a shadowy organization as a fixer, a man who steps into dangerous situations and faces down the criminals running amok in the city. The people backing him have contacts in the highest places and he tends to perform his work without any problems from outside authorities.

In this case, he’s called on to investigate a murder that took place on September 11, 2001. It’s touted as the only murder that took place that day in NY outside of the Twin Towers. The man was stabbed multiple times at a subway station and left for dead. The assumption at the time was that the man was Arab in appearance and was attacked as a result. That thinking has now changed.

But Ryan’s not above working off the books, so to speak, and when a former cop, once a partner and his father’s is shot to death in his home along with his wife, he decides to take a special interest in the case. These unauthorized jobs are fraught with danger and tend to displease his handlers. It also opens him up to attacks from unexpected angles, something that ensures the action comes at a frenetic pace.

I must admit I really like these types of books where the hero is given a virtual free rein to track down and deal with bad guys. The fact that he has a small team of experts he can call on to help him with tech work, backup muscle and local knowledge makes it even easier to stride into the next showdown. With each phase carefully planned, often with a few important details hidden from us to offer small surprise twists, he jumps from one crisis to the next with the agility of a cat.

This is a solid hardboiled thriller that ticks all of the lone wolf detective, who’s torn between his job and the woman he loves, boxes. The growing cast of characters he enlists to help him adds interest to the storyline while also increasing his effectiveness. It feels as though Nick Ryan is still in the early days of coming to grips with his fixer role which augurs well for future possible outings.

The audiobook is narrated by Peter Giles and his low pitched growling delivery provides the perfect atmosphere to the story he’s conveying. From the first line you can feel the danger that’s coming.

My thanks to Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks and NetGalley for a copy of the audiobook which has allowed me to read, enjoy and review this book.

“Blind to Midnight” is the second Detective Nick Ryan story in the series (following “Sleepless City”), and it is excellent. Nick is a fixer/operative in the likes of 007, who is looking for a murderer hiding his crime within the tragedy of 9/11. His reputation within the police department makes many uneasy, but they know he is one of the best at his job. He gets justice done with his unique skill set and friends (a computer genius, a former member of British Intelligence, now a bartender, and a sniper from his old military unit). This book is a fast, action-packed story that takes you from New York to Eastern Europe and back; you will enjoy the ride!

The audio version of the book, narrated by Peter Giles with his gravelly deep voice, is a treat for the ears. His narration is not just entertaining, but also breathes life into the story, making it a truly engaging experience!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing-Audiobooks for the advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review, and thank you, Reed Farrel Coleman, for writing this amazing book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing Audiobooks for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. This is narrated by Peter Giles who does a great job!

This is a fast paced, action packed story of Detective Nick Ryan who is a sort of fixer/operative. If you love CIA operative thrillers, this is a unique take on that role. This is very well written, dark, fast paced, suspenseful thriller. Don't read the blurb....go into this blind to get the most bang out of it!

I loved this title and can so easily see it becoming a series. The dark side of the uniform, unraveling decades old crimes, and a hero you want to root for made this title hard to put down.

Hi. Thanks for allowing me the chance to listen to the audiobook. Listening to this book was very much like listening to a Michael Connolly book. Then I find out the audio narrator does Connolly's books too. While the plot of this book was great, I like others had trouble getting based the man-lit type of book this is. The batman type voice actually threw me off. I'm going to check out Coleman's books, and read them myself, and see if I enjoy them like I enjoy Connolly.

Super cop, Nick Ryan has taken on a task no one else will touch. Decades after 9/11, Ryan is looking for a killer, the killer who struck with impunity the day so many innocent people were murdered. With few clues and almost no paperwork to fall back on, Ryan will do whatever it takes to get his man. This may be more appealing to a male audience, it has a definite “guy vibe”

I thougit I’d give this a try but it was too guy lit for me and the Batman narrator turned me off. I am sure others will like it though and I’ve already recommended it to my husbands friends who read a lot of le carré

This is a wild series. It's man-lit, in the way that some people insist on calling certain books "chick lit" - which is to say, it's all stereotypical testosterone and high-octane action. But it's entertaining to listen to, and the narration really sells it. Peter Giles narrates it like every actor that has ever played Batman (including Will Arnett in the LEGO version), with a gravelly deep voice that just works here. Even when the plot is entirely beyond belief, it's just fun to listen to.

This is the second book in the series, which I didn't know when I requested it... (Incidentally, why do publishers/NetGalley not want people to know that a book falls within a series so often? Personally I find it irritating to request something and receive it, only to learn that there are multiple books/bits of backstory that I don't know about before I begin.) I downloaded the first from my local library and honestly I'm glad I did. While you could probably listen to this for the pure adrenaline-charged excitement of it, there is a fair amount of backstory that I believe you'd find helpful to have under your belt before beginning. It's not like this is really a character-study, but it still helps to understand some of the whys lurking behind the decisions Nick makes.

Overall the book is just a pure blast of fun. Nick Ryan is like 007 in the stereotypical old-school "every woman wants him, every man wants to be him" kind of way - and if that bugs you, you won't like this. It's not a genre I seek out a lot, but sometimes, in the same way that I sometimes want a Michael Bey movie, it's just satisfying and entertaining to engage with a story that is all about vengeance and seeing the bad guys get their comeuppance. There is definitely that sense in spades here, and it makes for an enjoyable listen.

Nick Ryan is looking for a murderer who is hiding his crime within the tragedy of 9/11. Ryan has the resources and the persistence to find the connections among many different events and people, at the risk of his own life. This is one of those kinds of characters where one character is willing to risk everything to expose something much bigger than any one person.
The story is dark, and it never felt like it slowed down. The narrator does a great job telling the story and keeping it interesting. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook.