The Basement
Written by Stephen Leather
Narrated by Luke Daniels
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
New York is a city full of strangers. For NYPD detectives Turner and Marcinko, none are harder to figure out than the serial killer on the loose torturing and killing young women. In fact, right now, somewhere in the city, a woman is being held captive in a basement and it is up to the detectives to find her and the killer—before it’s too late.
As pressure mounts on Turner and Marcinko, their prime suspect is screenwriter wannabe Marvin Waller. He is becoming increasingly frustrated by his lack of success and the cops think he might be channeling his anger into murder—but he doesn’t seem to be at all concerned that they are hot on his trail. As Turner and Marcinko close in on Waller they have to wonder: is he the killer? And if he isn’t—who is?
Fusing shifting viewpoints with a growing sense of dread and almost unbearable suspense, the UK’s thriller master Stephen Leather arrives on the shores of the United States with The Basement, his most terrifying work to date.
Stephen Leather
Stephen Leather is one of the UK's most successful thriller writers, an eBook and Sunday Times bestseller and author of the critically acclaimed Dan "Spider' Shepherd series and the Jack Nightingale supernatural detective novels. Before becoming a novelist he was a journalist for more than ten years on newspapers such as The Times, the Daily Mirror, the Glasgow Herald, the Daily Mail and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. He is one of the country's most successful eBook authors and his eBooks have topped the Amazon Kindle charts in the UK and the US. He has sold more than a million eBooks and was voted by The Bookseller magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the UK publishing world. His bestsellers have been translated into fifteen languages. He has also written for television shows such as London's Burning, The Knock and the BBC's Murder in Mind series and two of his books, The Stretch and The Bombmaker, were filmed for TV. You can find out more from his website www.stephenleather.com
More audiobooks from Stephen Leather
Once Bitten Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Birthday Girl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5First Response Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rogue Warrior Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Desperate Measures Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Basement
Related audiobooks
Assassin Down: Non-Stop Assassin Thriller Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsExposed: A Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House on Gable Street: A Jack Nightingale Short Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nightingale: A Short Story Collection Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tennessee Night Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Penalties Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cursed Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Double Tap Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5San Francisco Night Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5New Orleans Night Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Chinaman Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5New York Night: null Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Children of the Dark Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Long Shot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Undead Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bangkok Bob and the Missing Mormon Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tango One Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Midnight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood Bath Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Plausible Deniability Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rio Grande Night Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Creeper: null Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bombmaker Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Breakout Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tracks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Las Vegas Night Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNightfall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Still Bleeding Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bestseller Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Moving Targets Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Thrillers For You
The Housemaid Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Terminal List: A Thriller Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Silent Patient Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Never Lie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Listen for the Lie: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Flicker in the Dark: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hidden Pictures: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Guest List: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Teacher Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hunting Party: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rose Code: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Perfect Marriage: a completely gripping psychological suspense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fury Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Local Woman Missing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fairy Tale Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Inmate Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Dangerous Things: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Did I Kill You?: A Thriller Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last House on Needless Street Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wrong Place Wrong Time: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bright Young Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Holly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paris Apartment: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Institute: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finders Keepers: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Family Upstairs: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fool Me Once Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Huntress: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Basement
61 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book has two story lines and it flips back and forth between them until the end. One line is about a quirky man who lives in a tiny apartment and comes up with many different plots for movie scripts that he writes and sends out to various Hollywood types. He even has penchant for "stalking" said Hollywood types. The other story line is about someone locked up in a basement (hence the title!) and how that person is being taught to be subservient to her abductor. Very depraved stuff going on there. For me, I wasn't too excited about either story, but then the end came and it threw me for such a surprise that I was almost audibly shocked! A great twist that I truly did not see coming! You gotta read it, if you want to experience it for yourself!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What's not to like about Leather's brisk but sharp story? These are the types of books I love to turn to in between longer reads. The writing is to the point, the characters are clear and plotting keeps you turning the pages. Some readers may be bothered by the Leather's jumping from first-person to second-person but it's central to the story. I wasn't bothered by it.
This book lead me right to his other story, The Bestseller. It dovetails with The Basement in a fun way. I'd pay another .99 to read more stories like either of these. If the price had been higher, I might not have taken a shot on his book. Smart move to pull someone like me in with that .99 entry point. Keep 'em coming. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It's medium paced throughout, a 'take-it-or-leave-it' type thing, since that's the only pace, but the reveal was cool.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5First Stephen Leather I've read, but I'll be back for more.An nice twisted tale written from the perspective of 2 voices, but which is which?Will you get annoyed with or empathise with Marvin?Well worth a read if you like unusual tales, reminds me a bit of Richard Laymon.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Finally, after trying to read the last 2 books I checked out at the library (and gave up on), I found one I can sink my teeth into. Unfortunately, it is only a 120pg book so the fun won't last long. The story of a wannabe screen writer who may also be our killer plays out as 2 detectives close in on him in New York City. The book promises to leave you "battered, bruised, and broken", here's hoping!" 07/07/2012 45.0% "The chapters go back and forth between the screen-writer, Marvin and our killer. Marvin is dealing with a couple of cops who find him suspicious and thinks he may be a serial killer currently active in NYC. The killer is describing what he does to his victims as he does it. A very faced paced, quick read. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before it is a short book and will probably leave me wanting more." Well, I think it would have been a better read if there was more to the book. The book itself was good and I enjoyed the story, but it came to such a short, abrupt end it was kind of disappointing.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was my first Stephen Leather book and I loved it. I do have to admit, I did not fall in love with the main character, Marvin Waller, and that's one of the reasons I liked the book so much. I have a strong respect for authors that are talented enough to make you not like a character so much that you need to keep reading to find out what happened to them. Marvin Waller is a screenplay writer and I am hopeful that the screenplays he discusses in this book will turn into full length novels by Leather in the future.
I was a bit distracted by the spelling and editing in the book. I'm fine with English spellings but not when the book is set in NYC. Other than that, I thought the writing was great and I will definately be reading more works by Stephen Leather. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Book Description: New York is a city full of strangers. For NYPD detectives Turner and Marcinko, none are harder to figure out than the serial killer on the loose torturing and killing young women. In fact, right now, somewhere in the city, a woman is being held captive in a basement and it is up to the detectives to find her and the killer—before it’s too late. As pressure mounts on Turner and Marcinko, their prime suspect is screenwriter wannabe Marvin Waller. He is becoming increasingly frustrated by his lack of success and the cops think he might be channeling his anger into murder—but he doesn’t seem to be at all concerned that they are hot on his trail. As Turner and Marcinko close in on Waller they have to wonder: is he the killer? And if he isn’t—who is? Fusing shifting viewpoints with a growing sense of dread and almost unbearable suspense, the UK’s thriller master Stephen Leather arrives on the shores of the United States with The Basement, his most terrifying work to date. My Thoughts: This is my first time reading a book by Stephen Leather. I have to say that the book was a rather unique rendering of the mind of a serial killer. Marvin Waller is a screenwriter who the police suspect for a series of serial killings in New York City. Waller is a macabre, sarcastic, and narcissistic individual who hates everything and everyone. He is clearly a lunatic and this story chronicles his sociopathy. He hates being ignored and underestimated. Weller continuously taunts Marcinko (cliché good cop) and Turner (cliché bad cop) with his knowledge of the law and his rights. Things I didn’t like:I have to say that I did not like the way “the serial killer” manipulated and raped Sarah Hall (physically and emotionally). He debases her by making her touch herself for his pleasure. He gets her hopes up and convinces her that he will let her go knowing that he will kill her once he has had his fun. *Scary* I did not like the way Weller used the “N” word when referring to Turner to further taunt him after breaking into his house. Weller’s opinion of blacks is so stereotypical that it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I also did not like the way Weller manipulated the Turner situation so that he benefitted socially and financially from it. He had no problem destroying a man's life or that of his family. It was sickening.Things I did like:Justice was truly poetic for good ole Weller in the end!The conclusion of the story was an interesting twist. You never would have guessed who the serial killer was which affirmed my opinion of just how bollixed this story truly was. I have to say that I did not like the subject matter of this story at all. It was such a bleak look at humanity. The Basement provides too much detail on how to commit murder for the average person. This book in the wrong hands could be a Dummies Guide to Serial Killing. I was appalled and disgusted and felt as if I needed a shower after I finished reading it. Despite my opinions on the content, the story was well written which is why it has garnered 3.5 stars. I like suspense but this book just was not my cup of tea at all.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The book contains two viewpoints. Marvin Waller is a young writer whose part is written in first person. Much of his narration is spent telling us about his various screenplays. To me, this was like reading a synopsis of other books, many of which were more interesting than the actual events of the character's story. Marvin is a strange guy but we never really get to know him beyond his odd fixation with stalking actors and movie producers. The serial killer's part is written in the rare second person, which I didn't like. I felt like I was being told what to think and feel, rather than experiencing the events and emotions of the character. This part of the story contains graphic sexually-based scenes and might be difficult for some readers to get through.This is a short novel, with only 127 pages. The pace is quick but it's lacking character and plot development.**I read the ARC of the new Amazon Encore release, not the original release.**