When I was sent the email to read an early copy of the list I had never heard of Steve Berry before. What made me get it was the qoute "If you like Harlan Coben" so I decided to give it a try. WOW! I was blown away with how much I enjoyed this. I am planning hitting some of Steve Berry's back list which there are a ton!

The List was full of corruption and suspense. The characters were all great, the so called bad guys were easy to hate. Kept me on my toes until the final page. I do recommend if you read this to follow up with the authors note at the end.

Overall I really enjoyed The List and having Scott Brick as the narrator just really brought the story to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for a gifted copy in exchange for a honest review.

First off, thank you to Steve Berry, Hachette Audio, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for the audio copy.

That said, I have to say that while I usually enjoy Steve Berry books, this one missed the mark for me. His main characters, who are written as being mid-40s act with the maturity and decision making of teenagers or maybe 20 year olds. Even Hank seems to have little sensible actions.

The premise was interesting with the greedy corporate board members creating their own community where they own everything and "process" their costly former employees. Started writing 30 years ago and maybe this one needed to stay in the desk drawer.

Brent Walker come back home after ten years. Employed by Southern Republic a paper Mills, during a blackout somebody finds a list, things escalates from there. Full in corporate and political corruption. Well drawn chracters and good plotting, the pace though not fast but speeds up towards the end. Scott Brick shows why he's one of the top narrators and the production was spot on. Thanks to Hatchette Audio and Netgalley for this review copy of the audiobook.

Audio Book Review - Scott Brick delivers every time with his careful and direct diction that makes him perfect for this type of story. A proper delivery that makes you sit up and listen. The story is twisted and gives a new meaning to staff benefits!

This book was okay. It just wasn't the type of book that I liked. The narrator was okay. I just couldn't get into the story and it couldn't keep my attention.

The List is an older manuscript that was updated by Steve Berry.

"A lawyer, Brent Walker, returns to his hometown to take care of his mother and gets caught up in a scheme by the owners of the largest employer in the county. They have found a way to cut costs...with murder. Now Brent and his family may be in danger."

Not sure why Berry pulled this out of the drawer. Robin Cook has been writing books with this plot for a long time. There is a lot of description - what guys are wearing, what kind of art is on the wall in the apartment/house, what kind of car they drive and lots of relationship backstory - Lots of unnecessary filler. All of the main characters are men. All of the women are fringe characters.
If you like morally-bankrupt characters there are a couple you'll love here - can you be more greedy and corrupt than killing employees to save money?

Scott Brick is one of the better audio narrators and does a nice job carrying the story - especially the scene on the lake.

Wild, explosive ending to this one. Berry waits 'til the end to let you know how things will work out. He does keep you guessing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Scott Brick narrates this story and while its good, I often had a hard time telling the different characters apart. More voice differentiation would have made this better.

Brent Walker, is an attorney who returns to a small town in central Georgia to care for his widowed mother. Brent gets a job with a large paper company whose owners secretively control certain administrative costs in a deadly manner. The paper mill is about to have negotiations on a new contract with the employee union led by Brent's old friend Hank Reed. He obtains a file that contains a list of numbers and asks Brent if he can help him decipher what they are in the hope that they can provide him with some leverage in the negotiations. Instead it puts him, Brent, and the ones they love most in the crosshairs.

For me this was an ok read. I honestly had a hard time staying engaged in the story. I am not sure if that was due to the narration making all characters sound the same or the actual story. 3.5 rounded up.

The List centers around Brent Walker, a lawyer returning to his hometown in rural Georgia near Statesboro. I enjoyed this book but I think I would have liked it more reading than the audio. Nonetheless, I liked the story and the characters. I am not sure why I didn't like the audio, hard to keep up with it. I would recommend this book.

Brent’s Dad died two years ago when he went fishing and now he has returned to Concord to work and support his mother. He will work for the Southern Republic Pulp and Paper Company. The Company pay well and offer excellent retirement benefits. How can the company afford this? They have an efficient and cost effective Priority List.

Very well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Excellent characters in this suspenseful novel, well paced and a real page turner. Brent will become involved in uncovering the truth putting himself in danger after many others have been prioritised.

Brent Walker is returning home to Concord, after a decade long exile (self-imposed). Brent takes a job at Southern Republic Pulp and Paper Company as its assistant general counsel, so he can help care for his aging mother. A list of numbers falls into his hands, and he quickly decodes it.

“The List” is fantastic, feels like a classic Steve Berry. I listened to it in two sittings.

The narrator is one of my favorite narrators ever. I found Steve Berry years ago because I wanted to listen to Scott Brick read!

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing Press for an advance audio review copy. #TheList #NetGalley

This story was not for me. Unfortunately, there were too many characters and with the story jumping around a lot, it make it hard to get invested in the story as a whole. It seemed like this caused it to slow everything down as well even though the second half was a little faster in pace. I felt like there weren't really any surprises since the blurb really explained everything to us already and also, I just didn't feel connected to any of the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audiobook ARC of this book!

“The List” is a legal thriller in the vein of Grisham’s The Firm”.
Lawyer Brent Walker has returned to his home town after a decade absence, to care for his mother, recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. His new job is with a large paper company Southern Republic, and he is tasked with assisting in upcoming union negotiations. Brent is good friends with Hank, old friend, Union President, and father of Brent’s High School love interest. Hank discovers an encrypted numerical list through computer hacking and asks for Brent’s help figuring out why the file was so well hidden. It’s a real mystery to me why they anyone who works with employees wouldn’t recognize immediately that they were SS#’s. But aside from that and a few stupid moves that Brent makes, this is a thriller that provides an entertaining and diabolical plot.

Recommended for fans of legal thrillers.

The audiobook offers a masterful narration by the very talented Scott Brick.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Steve Berry, and Hachette Audio for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Always eager to explore the writing of Steve Berry, I was pleased to obtain the latest ARC by the author. While I am used to delving into the actions of Cotton Malone, this standalone thriller packed just as much of a punch. Brent Walker is back in his hometown after a decade away. Working as General Counsel for Southern Republic Pulp and Paper Company, he hopes to help make this local business even more successful. However, he trips upon some worrisome truths about Southern Republic and wants to blow the whistle, but doing so could cost him everything. Berry uses this standalone thriller to show his abilities once more and keep readers hooked!

Brent Walker has been away from his hometown in Concord, Georgia, for a decade. His choice to leave was for reasons that few understand, but Walker is happy to keep it that way. After his father's death two years ago, Walker tossed himself into his work as a lawyer, but is pulled back to Concord to help his ailing mother. His new position as General Counsel for Southern Republic Pulp and Paper Company will keep him busy and ensure that he can reconnect to the locals, many of whom had built stories around his ten-year disappearance.

Southern Republic has been a cornerstone in the Concord business and town-wide development. They have employed many and keep the town busy, which is something that Brent Walker finds helpful. However, behind the happy-sounding company is a less than positive situation. A cryptic code emerges with a list that few understand. Brent discovers it and wants to learn more, worried that there could be legal implications. What he finds will shock him and could turn Southern Republic on its head.

It becomes known that Southern Republic is running a business model that serves to eliminate town issues in a less than orthodox manner. The three owners are the only ones who are aware, voting on decisions behind closed doors. Now, one of those owners, Christopher Bozin, has decided that he no longer likes the business model and wants things to change, though he remains in the minority. He ensures that Brent has what is needed to discover the truth about Southern Republic and sheds light on how to neutralise it. This puts things on the line and Brent Waker will have to act swiftly, as anything he shares will surely put him on the list for extermination. Berry delivers a great standalone thriller that kept me hooked until the very last page.

There is something about Steve Berry and his writing that keeps me coming back. While I cut my teeth on many of his Cotton Malone stories, I have always enjoyed the standalone pieces that mix history and current events. Berry delivers a strong narrative that builds with each passing chapter. As the story finds its legs, it exemplifies how one needs to pay close attention or be left behind. The characters that emerge throughout prove useful to push things in exciting directions, while also shedding light on the darkest part of the story. Plot points are both intriguing and keep the reader in the middle of all the action. Surprises keep things on point and there is a great deal to reveal in short order. Berry delivers a winner here!

Kudos, Mr. Berry, for showing all your varied abilities with this piece.

The plot is very much what the blurb says, so not much of any suspense. The first half was slow with the people in the list getting eliminated one by one. The second half had a more brisk space. Still the book could be shortened to keep a uniform pace. 3.5 stars

This was a good, fast paced thriller. While a contemporary thriller, it felt written a little bit in an older style, which checks out since it's written by an author who has been around for a bit. I did enjoy it, but can't help but think that maybe if it had a different style to it, I may enjoy it more. Regardless, definitely a book that many readers would eat up.

I initially picked up this book to serve as nothing more than a palate cleanser from the urban fantasy train I've been riding for a while. This was my first Steve Berry novel which is surprising since he occupies the same space as other noteworthy authors such as Michael Crichton, Douglas Preston, Tom Clancy etc. Just like the other authors in this space, Steve Berry did not disappoint with this book.

The book follows Brent Walker as he returns to his hometown after a self-imposed exile of 10 years following his wife's passing. An attorney by profession, Brent comes back to work for the Southern Republic Pulp and Paper Company as its assistant general counsel. This company has done a lot for his hometown in terms of jobs and an injection of wealth into the wellbeing of the society. In years past, Brent used to be on the opposing side of large corporations, helping his friend, father-figure, and mayor Hank Reed, in fighting for the rights of the unions. This new role has Brent joining the dark side, but why was he hired? Was it because of his past connection to the opposition? Whatever the reason, Brent just wants to forget the past and take care of his mom while living his life. Things take a turn when Hank stumbles upon a list of numbers on the paper company servers and turns to Brent to see if he could decipher them. What follows is one hell of a book involving murders, corporate cover-ups, and a slow burn suspense that creeps up on you.

The book starts slow and for a while I was a little confused at to what exactly was going on. Slowly but surely more information is provided and very quickly we can see a part of the bigger picture. This book slowly reels you in, and once caught, there's no going back. I couldn't get to sleep once shit hit the fan. I just needed to find out how everything ends. It's a bit of a rollercoaster, but a fairly realistic one with none of the over-the-top flamboyance one usually expects in a suspense-thriller nowadays. Despite the relatively slow pace for the majority of the book, I quite enjoyed it, and the audiobook narrator adds a certain level of gravitas that adds to the writing. I can see myself reading this on a plane and enjoying myself. Definitely recommended.

I made it nearly half way through this audiobook before choosing to DNF it, and I’m actually quite annoyed at DNFing an ALC tbh.

I don’t recall ever being so disconnected to a story I was originally drawn to by the blurb. I thought this was going to be an exciting listen but I am beyond bored and dangerously close to hitting a slump with this, so I just can’t go on.

Seventy % of my reading consumption is by audiobook so I normally love them. This narrator does absolutely nothing positive for this story, relative to my enjoyment of it. While the voice is rich, it’s also very one dimensional.

Every character sounds the same and I have no idea who is talking, nor how many people are even in a scene.

With thanks to NetGalley and Hatchette Audio for the advance listening copy.

Since I'm forced to add a star rating-it's a one because it did nothing to hold my interest.

A job offer as general counsel to the largest employer in his hometown brings Brent Walker back to Central Georgia. He discovers a list showing his employer is cutting costs in a dastardly way and uses his wit to outsmart this behemoth.

Steve Berry,of the Cotton Malone series, knows how to write action and this book is no exception. The bad guys are inexcusably bad-no nuance here but made it easy to cheer for the good guys.

This story has been sitting in Berry’s files for a couple decades and parts of it did seem dated but it was still action packed fun.

Narrated by the exceptional Scott Brick whose gravely voice brought dimension that improved the listener’s experience.

The List by Steve Berry is a quick, high-stakes listen that blends government intrigue, secret agendas, and political conspiracy, all trademarks of Berry’s usual style. While the premise was promising and the pace kept things moving, the story didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

The plot centers around a mysterious document known only as “The List,” which has the power to alter the future of the country or destroy it. There’s definitely action, suspense, and a race-against-the-clock vibe that kept me engaged at times. But unfortunately, the characters felt a bit underdeveloped, and the dialogue occasionally leaned toward flat or predictable.

The narration was solid, and the audiobook format made the story easy to follow, but I never felt fully invested in the stakes or the outcome. It had the ingredients of a great thriller, but something just didn’t quite come together the way I hoped.

That said, fans of Steve Berry’s writing style or those looking for a short, fast-paced political thriller may still find this worth a listen; it just wasn’t one of my personal favorites.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Another great read by Steve Berry. Since not part of a series, jumped right into this one. Early novel that wasn't publish, and has since been updated, and it was very enjoyable. It had a great story/plot, with great characters and pacing. I also listened along with the audiobook and the reader was very good too. Will definitely need to pick back up in his series books, and catch up. #TheList #NetGalley