The Recruit, Alan Drew
The Recruit, Alan Drew
List: $22.50 | Sale: $15.75
Club: $11.25

The Recruit

Author: Alan Drew

Narrator: Mark Deakins

Unabridged: 13 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/14/2022


Synopsis

An idyllic California town. A deadly secret. A race against killers hidden in plain sight. . . .

“Extraordinary! I can think of no other thriller that portrays its vital themes—all relevant to our times—in such a riveting and up close and personal way.”—Jeffery Deaver, author of The Bone Collector

Rancho Santa Elena in 1987 seems like the ideal Southern California paradise—that is, until a series of strange crimes threatens to unravel the town’s social fabric: workers attacked with mysterious weapons; a wealthy real estate developer found dead in the pool of his beach house. The only clues are poison and red threads found at both crime scenes. As Detective Benjamin Wade and forensic expert Natasha Betencourt struggle to connect the incidents, they begin to wonder: Why Santa Elena? And why now?

Soon Ben zeroes in on a vicious gang of youths involved in the town’s burgeoning white power movement. As he and Natasha uncover the truth about Santa Elena’s unsavory underbelly, Ben discovers that the group is linked to a much wider terror network, one that’s using a new technology called the internet to spread its ideology, plan attacks, and lure young men into doing its bidding. Ben closes in on identifying the gang’s latest target, hoping that the young recruit will lead him to the mastermind of the growing network. But as he digs deeper in an ever-widening investigation, Ben is forced to confront uncomfortable truths about himself and his beloved community, where corruption is ignored and prejudice is wielded against fellow citizens without fear of reprisal.

Chilling and timely, The Recruit follows one man’s descent into the darkness lurking just beneath the respectable veneer of modern life.

Reviews

Goodreads review by NILTON on June 29, 2022

If a book that you are reading makes you angry, would you continue reading or would you read it in small doses and read something else between? I’m that kind of person that only read one book at a time, but with this one I thought that I should read another book between, because this one was a tough......more

Goodreads review by Debra on June 26, 2022

WOWZA First off, If Alan Drew is not on your radar, he needs to be. This is the second book in the Detective Ben Wade series and although I felt this book worked beautifully as a stand-alone, why not go back and read Shadow Man. So very good!! Hate Crimes are horrific. The book begins with the discove......more

Goodreads review by Sara on February 28, 2022

A surprisingly good thriller that focuses on the power of white supremacy in a small California town. I think that what makes this book so engaging is the interactions of the characters and the development of their relationships. Though set in the 1970s, there's nothing happening here that couldn't......more

Goodreads review by Bam cooks the books on June 13, 2022

*4.5 stars rounded up. This is my first taste of author Alan Drew's work and I found it to be quite well-written. I accepted an arc from the publisher via NetGalley not knowing it is the second book in his Detective Ben Wade series, but had no trouble jumping in here. I will definitely make a point......more


Quotes

“Drew highlights what it’s like to be a lost teenager looking for community in the worst possible places….That’s just one of the many ways in which The Recruit, set in 1987, feels almost contemporary.”The New York Times Book Review

“Extraordinary! The Recruit is as smart and stylish as it is compelling. The plot speeds like a race car on a breathtaking course filled with twists and turns, and the novel brims with rich psychological insights into the many fully drawn characters. I can think of no other thriller that portrays its vital themes—all relevant to our times—in such a riveting and up close and personal way. Bravo!”—Jeffery Deaver, author of The Bone Collector

The Recruit is thoughtful, relevant, and brainy. Alan Drew paints such a vivid portrait of a seedy world, you’re convinced you’d never want to visit it. Yet as the story tightens its grip, you soon realize you can’t bear to leave.”—Graham Moore, author of The Holdout

“This socially complex police procedural, with its issues that remain all too relevant today, deserves a wide audience.”Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A terrific crime novel with an explosive climax, the book dares to find a level of empathy with its young perpetrators, connecting the dots between being frightened and ‘walking around in the dark’ and turning to hate.… A moving, grippingly relevant mystery.”Kirkus Reviews (starred review)