Peter Clines Has Done It Again

If you are looking for an exciting book, give this one a try.  If it isn’t already, The Fold is bound to be a bestseller.

I got the audiobook through Audible and finished it in two days.  That reinforces once again the benefit of audiobooks, since there is no way I would have had that much time to sit down and read.  The Fold encouraged me to clean, run errands, and stay up late, as long as I could keep ear buds in and listen.

The Story

Mike Eriksen is a high school teacher who happens to have a genius level IQ.  He’s tried to live a relatively obscure life since he learned how others reacted to his intelligence.  With an eidetic memory, once he looks at something he remembers it and can recall it forever, so a simple glance at something allows him to review the entire sight.

He describes his memory retrieval as swaths of ants. It is the way he thinks. When he wants to remember something specific,  the imaginary ants scurry in all directions to find every available fact within his mind.

He is content with his quiet life.  Then a life long friend convinces him—and tricks him—to step away from his comfort zone to help him with an urgent problem. Something is wrong in a secret project he is funding called the Albuquerque Door.

When Mike hears what it is, he must see it for himself.

Cross Walking

They call it “cross walking.”  Stepping through rings, you don’t teleport, the ground or space does instead.  A door that bridges space and time through folds in matter, so to speak.

He finds an amazing success record.  So what are they hiding? Because Mike knows there is something early on.  No problems, over 400 trials, medical exams after each walk. It’s a phenomenon that will change the world.  It has worked every time successfully.

Until one day it doesn’t.

A man is dead. Strangely, horribly dead.

It seems so much has happened already that intrigues and excites the reader, yet the mystery is just beginning.

With his eidetic memory and his knowledge, Mike’s investigation begins  to unveil the truth.  As he does, the project becomes more uncertain and more dangerous.  So dangerous that it has the power to destroy the world as we know it.  Then the question becomes, how can it be stopped?

Real World with an Edge of Fantasy

Is it a mystery or a fantasy or a thriller?  All three, without a doubt.  A mystery to be solved with physics and math rather than a hunt for a criminal.

A fantasy?  At least for now.  Though perhaps futuristic science could be a better description.  Teleporting is something science has been attempting for decades, I imagine. What happens should we succeed?  It could be very much like the plot here. Or not.

A thriller, absolutely.  You will be on edge waiting to find out what is happening.  While I know little about quantum (or any other kind of) physics, it was fascinating.  It had me holding on to each word, wanting to understand what the project included, who was responsible, was there sabotage.

Peter Clines is so descriptive in his writing, you can see the events happening.  Whether possible or impossible, it makes you ponder what life might look like if true.  How different might we be? How different our world.

It is a fantastic story, tightly written so the intensity is nearly constant.  Mr. Clines is clearly adept at blending a mystery-thriller with a side of science fiction, in a way that appeals to a wider audience than one or the other might separately.

The majority of the story was science/mystery/suspense, which suited me.  The sci-fi part added to the “what-if’s” you may find yourself considering when you finish.

I highly recommend it.   If you have the chance, try the audio version.  Ray Porter does an excellent job narrating.  You will be pleased you don’t have to set the book aside, since you can read while you drive, exercise, clean or whatever.  You are going to want to know how the story ends.

Have You Read 14?  
The book ’14’ put Peter Clines at the top of many readers must-read lists.  It was hugely popular, especially on Audible.  It’s interesting to me that while the book has about 550 reviews on Amazon, it has 13,840 ratings and reviews on Audible.  While I know Ray Porter did a fantastic job of narrating, it would seem that more audio readers want to share their delight in a story.

Check it out for yourself and see.  However you read it, 14 is another thriller by Mr. Clines that you won’t want to miss.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Merry Citarella, often writing as Merrci, writes on a wide range of topics. Recently relocated to the Oregon Coast in the northwest United States, she frequently writes travel features on the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She specializes in health and aging, Alzheimer’s Disease, food, lifestyle, and book reviews. For more information you can see her on The Writers’Door. You can read more articles here or at her websites Mystery Suspense Reviews .