
Welcome to Cottonmouth
Author: Jay S. Bell
Narrator: Edoardo Ballerini
Unabridged: 9 hr 37 min
Format: Digital Audiobook Download
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Published: 09/06/2025
Categories: Fiction, Suspense & Thriller, Espionage, Crime

Author: Jay S. Bell
Narrator: Edoardo Ballerini
Unabridged: 9 hr 37 min
Format: Digital Audiobook Download
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Published: 09/06/2025
Categories: Fiction, Suspense & Thriller, Espionage, Crime
Jay S. Bell, a typical Suburban Man by day, toils away at his lonely keyboard by night. Bell has been telling himself stories through his life of multiple careers, from fraud investigations to HVAC technician, software sales to store detective. He tends to overuse the phrase, “Hey, that looks easy, I’ll bet I could do it,” which is how he came to his latest career as a wordslinger.
Edoardo Ballerini is a two-time winner of the Audio Publisher Association’s Best Male Narrator Award, a two-time winner of Society of Voice Arts Awards, and was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine in 2019.
“Jay S. Bell has arrived with a thriller that is firing on all cylinders!” Joshua Hood, bestselling author of The Guardian and Robert Ludlum’s Treadstone series
“A fantastically original idea executed with the style and skill of a veteran wordsmith. If Welcome to Cottonmouth isn’t on your must-read list, then you need to fix that problem right now.” Victor Gischler, award-winning author of Gun Monkeys
“The kind of thriller you dive into when you’re looking for a killer weekend read: something hardcore and enthralling with an old-school approach to kick-assery…Gritty and intense action sequences that align with the realistic setting and fast-paced storytelling…Welcome to Cottonmouth is a thriller’s thriller.” The Best Thriller Books
“Bell spins a tale of wild imagination flavored with highly accurate tools-of-the-deadly-trades and operator speak, plus a crew of Cottonmouth characters resembling a murderous version of Friends. His dialogue’s clever, the action’s spot on, his heroes and villains are snarky and memorable, and the author has a way with suspense and words. It’s a fun and fabulous gunfire ride, not to be missed.” Steven Hartov, New York Times bestselling author of The Last of the Seven
“In his gripping new novel featuring former spies and unresolved conflicts in a town shrouded in deadly secrets, Jay S. Bell delivers a memorable Texas twist to the espionage genre that will have readers eagerly craving more.” Jerome Preisler, New York Times bestselling author
“An explosive, over-the-top, series-worthy action thriller set in a world that feels completely fresh.” BestThrillers.com
“This is a great action-thriller, with some lol moments and a great group of characters. Hopefully, there will be more adventures with these people.” Red Carpet Crash
“In this action-packed thriller, the safety and seclusion of a town designed for retired spies and military personnel are compromised when two strangers escaping a criminal kingpin arrive.” Shelf Awareness
“Amusing banter, a little romance, and plenty of action set pieces which the author handles deftly.” Crime Fiction Lover
“Edoardo Ballerini’s pitch-perfect narration elevates this thriller to a new level. Ballerini expertly showcases his talent for making a diverse cast sound authentic and memorable…The suspense rises to a high intensity as Ballerini’s thoughtful pacing builds the tension. Listeners will return to this audiobook again and again.” AudioFile