I liked it, very John Grisham-y. Took awhile to get into, and some areas were overly descriptive. Like there was a page that described the exterior of the paper plant. Three paragraphs to describe the insides of the guys office? Listened on audio and found myself not paying attention for the first third. Then it picked up, and I liked the characters and plot development.

Thank you to Net Galley and Hachette Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audio book.

Great thriller/mystery. Even Scott Brick being narrator did not ruin it for me.


After a ten-year self-imposed exile, Brent Walker is returning home to Concord, a quaint town in central Georgia nestled close to the Savannah River. Two years ago, his father died, and now Brent, hired by Southern Republic Pulp and Paper Company as its assistant general counsel, is returning to care for his ailing mother.

For decades, Southern Republic has invested heavily in Concord, creating a thriving community where its employees live, work, and retire. But the genteel sheen of this quiet town is deceiving, and when a list of cryptic code surfaces, Brent starts to see the cracks.

Southern Republic’s success is based largely on a highly unorthodox and deadly system to control costs, known only to the three owners of the company. Now, one of them, Christopher Bozin, has had a change of heart. Brent’s return to Concord, a move Bozin personally orchestrated, provides his conscience with a chance at redemption. So a plan is set into motion, one that will not only criminally implicate Bozin’s two partners, but also place Brent Walker square in the crosshairs of men who want him dead—with only one course left available.

Find and reveal the shocking secret of the list.

This was an engaging legal thriller. This author is better known for a longer series, but this is a solid standalone. At some points there were a lot of characters to keep track up, but the story was engaging. I always enjoy a Scott Brick narration as well.

a big thanks to Hachette Audio | Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to listen to this audio book.

I really enjoyed The List by Steve Berry and it reminded me of my favourite authors Grisham books such as the Firm and the Pelican Brief and also a little of David Baldacci's books.

I struggled a little with the narration at the beginning as found Scott Brick's narration a bit distracting as he over pronounced or drew out certain words so I restarted and tried again a few days later and was able to get over this and didn't notice it as the book went on.

I understand he 's narrated loads of books and I've never had this distraction from him before, so hoping it was just a blip at the beginning or maybe it was just me?

5 stars for the book, 4 stars for narration 4 over all

I didn’t love this book, unfortunately, I found the first half quite difficult to follow while it introduced a plethora of characters, with no indication of who was narrating at the start of each chapter - I was listening to the audio book so I wonder if this might have been more obvious in print? As such I found it difficult to keep going, and nearly stopped listening multiple times. However I did really enjoy the last 3rd of the book, once the story got going.

Brent Walker has returned home to Concord, Georgia to be the Assistant General Counsel at the Southern Republic Pulp and Paper Company. My husband used to work for a paper mill so I was excited to read this book and try out a new-to-me author. There is a lot going on in this story and it is told from multiple POVs in both the present and flashbacks to the past. The book starts off with a lot of characters introduced in a short period of time so I found myself a little lost for a short while. Eventually, I figured out what was going on and I was able to keep the large cast of characters straight but the story progress stalled out in the multitude of details that were necessary to understand all that was going on in Concord at the Paper Company. The second half of the book moves much faster and is action-packed. If you like John Grisham's writing, especially 'The Firm', you will like this book! I listened to the audio book and while the narrator did a good job, I feel this story would be easier to understand in book format.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

After his father's death, Brent Walker returns to Concord, Georgia, to care for his mother and becomes assistant general counsel at Southern Republic Pulp and Paper Company, a workplace hiding deadly secrets. Can he expose the truth?

Building on Brent's journey, The List's story is told through multiple voices, allowing the reader to gain insight into what's happening on both sides. The plot flows clearly and quickly, with numerous twists, suspense, and corruption, making it a highly engaging and exciting read. A terrifying yet plausible premise.

Complementing the engaging narrative, audiobook narrator Scott Brick delivers a stellar performance, bringing the story to life and transporting listeners to the heart of the action with a palpable sense of tension throughout.

In summary, thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review, and to author Steve Berry for writing yet another highly entertaining book!

This was a great audiobook

A tense and gripping Southern thriller. Brent’s return home uncovers dangerous secrets behind a powerful company. Twists, corruption, and suspense kept me turning the pages.

I have been having a lot of fun with @tandemcollectiveglobal & @grandcentralpub #TheListReadAlong this past week!

If I'm honest, it was really hard to stick to reading only the prescribed sections of 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑳𝑰𝑺𝑻 𝒃𝒚 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒚, for which I was grateful to @hachetteaudio & @netgalley for the audio I could pair with the book!

How can companies use data against a normal, boring, hard-working person? This book gives an idea. Greed is a powerful motivator and when a list of seemingly random numbers is revealed during a power outage, what is set in motion cannot be pulled back.

This story was intense and not a tiny bit terrifying. I feel somewhat justified in my caution to divulging mundane information to everyone who asks.

It has been nice to process some questions about the characters, one in particular, who does something "good" but only after the consequences are beyond him. The author's note at the end was a great add on, giving more details that made me like Hank even more.

I definitely enjoyed this suspenseful cat-and-mouse tale. It felt just plausible enough to be scary, and kept me hating to stop every day! I will say, this method of short reading sections was great for the physical book. I am so glad I could recap with a quick glance back before adding the audio to go ahead. Scott Brick narrates, and gives a feeling of tension throughout, though I did feel it could have been a bit smoother. I've liked Brick in other books, so this was a minor issue.

If you are ready for some fictional corporate suspense, be sure to grab this highly entertaining read, which is available now!

When I didn’t have time to read the actual book I popped my earbuds in and listened to the book. I really enjoyed the narration. This was my first Steve berry book and it won’t be my last. The premise was so scary bc of how real it could actually be haha. I mean hopefully it never would be but I could definitely see it happening. I enjoyed his writing style very much. Thank you for the copy.

I'm not crazy about Berry's writing style-- it felt like the flow kept getting interrupted so he could give a deep dive background on every new character. But it was an interesting idea, especially considering how the world is seeing corporate greed play out publicly now. The company saved money by killing those who needed expensive medical care, just to save money.
Thanks to NetGalley, I got to listen to the audiobook, and that's what raised my rating higher. Here is a guy who could make the phone book sound interesting. I could never be friends with him because I'd just entertain myself listening to him talk! He made the people more interesting and the action more exciting.

I really struggled with this one. From the start, it’s a blur of “he” and “she” with no clear sense of who anyone is—even 45% in, I couldn’t tell if we were following one character or several, or what their names were. The plot felt confusing and lacked tension, and I found myself completely detached from the story.

Fans of political and financial thrillers might get more out of it, but as an audiobook, it didn’t work for me. I lost interest halfway through and couldn’t bring myself to finish. Maybe the print version would’ve been easier to follow, but the listening experience just wasn’t engaging.

As a fan of Steve Berry and the Cotton Malone series I was excited to get an ARC of The List. This book is a different kind of dark intrigue. This time it’s all about the enormous power a paper company has on a small community, it’s deadly secrets and coverups. Brent Walker is the man who will revealing those secrets, if he lives long enough. It's an excellent book with great narration.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette audio for my review copy.

Legal drama not written by Dave Barry. The narrator is very intense.

Back words:

After a ten-year self-imposed exile, Brent Walker is returning home to Concord, a quaint town in central Georgia nestled close to the Savannah River. Two years ago, his father died, and now Brent, hired by Southern Republic Pulp and Paper Company as its assistant general counsel, is returning to care for his ailing mother.

"The List" by Steve Berry is a fast-paced thriller in the vein of John Grisham's "The Firm." Lawyer Brent Walker returns to his hometown of Concord, Georgia to take a job as counsel for Southern Republic. This paper company runs, controls and employs much of the town. Seen as a model company with robust benefit and pension packages (if the beneficiaries live long enough to collect). Walker soon finds himself knee-deep in a dark conspiracy of murder, greed and ruthless capitalism.

The List's story is told through multiple voices, allowing the reader to gain insight into what's happening on both sides. This means that the plot flows clearly and quickly, but takes away most semblances of suspense from the story. Despite this, it is still an engaging and exciting read that had me hooked early on,

I don't read too many standalone thrillers as I tend to prefer series where I can connect with characters over time. However, Berry crafted some really memorable characters by drawing from people in his life and legal career that got me more invested in the story compared to other standalone thrillers.

Without spoiling too much, I'll divulge that the premise and core of the plot is incredibly dark and one that hit a bit too close to home for me, which likely affected my overall enjoyment of "The List" The conspiracy at the heart of "The List" is ultimately fairly believable within our current sociopolitical climate making it a timely and terrifying thriller.

All in all, I give "The List" a strong 4.25/5 Stars and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a crime/legal thriler

I am a Steve Berry from way back but I could not get into this one. I am not sure if it was the audiobook format, the reading felt very dry. But it being Steve Berry I thought there would be more mystery and action and it just seemed to plod along. Don't think I made it 100 pages in before I gave up. Did not finish.

#ad much love for my advance copy @grandcentralpub #partner
& @hachetteaudio #partner for the ALC

🆃🅷🅴 🅻🅸🆂🆃
ʀᴇʟᴇᴀꜱᴇꜱ: ᴊᴜʟʏ 𝟤𝟤, 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟧

Engaging and unputdownable, once you start this one it’s impossible to stop. It’s packed full of nonstop action, suspense that’ll have your heart beating, and characters you won’t ever forget.

But this book also has a little surprise up its sleeve because I found it to be just as atmospheric too. Berry knows how to set a story - I’ll just say that.

Brent Walker has been on a self-imposed exile, but now he’s back. But something is amiss in his hometown. He’s been hired by a company that runs this town. But when he begins to see the corruption it for himself - well, once he knows - he can’t just sit back and do nothing. Because Walker coming back wasn’t a coincidence; it was a calculated and plotted move.

This was a fun read that I fully enjoyed.

🎧 Also listened to the audiobook and would recommend both eye ball and ear reading. Scott Brick did a phenomenal- out of this world- job bringing this book to life. It’s one of those audiobooks that you can see unfolding in your mind. Just fantastic.

Oof! Just an immersive read. I liked how it was told time-wise instead of chapters. (There are still chapters - but they’re broken down into days and time.)

“In the vein of David Baldacci, John Grisham, and Harlan Coben—this is Steve Berry like you’ve never read him before.”

I enjoy Steve Berry's books. I finished listening to The List. It's available now. I really enjoyed it and I think you will too.

This latest release of Mr. Berry's is a good standalone read that is also a break from the Cotton Malone and Luke Daniels series.

This latest release is a fast paced read that kept me hooked on the plot from page one. It is a tale of greed and murder that takes place in rural Georgia in a paper mill town. The upper management of the paper company decides to take matters in their own hands when trying to keep costs from employees and former employees down by placing them on a murder list. Too bad that list ends up in the hands the local union leader at a time of contract negotiations.

This fast-paced read gave me a feel that this was a John Grisham type thriller, but I was not disappointed in the story that unfolded. Overall, this is a good read that I would recommend to others.

Steve Berry is one of my all time favorite secular, thriller authors. The only negative for me is the profanity. As always this story kept me engaged from the first to the last. I thought the premise of “The List” was intriguing and believable. My favorite main characters were Brent, Hank, secondary character, Ashley. There were several evil men in this story. If you enjoy a high octane thriller, this would be a great choice. Highly recommend.

I was blessed with an EArc and an audio ARC. Scott Brick is my all time favorite narrator, outstanding performance. The opinions expressed are my own and unbiased,