The Coldest Case: The Past Has a Long Memory (2024)

A relatively big 0.5 book with running time of 3 hrs and 52 mins.
The Coldest Case has a highly entertaining audio performance! I fall into the category of liking the dramatization than hating it. It does have some drawbacks, although small, where sound effects and background noise can be distracting and make some dialogues difficult to hear. The story is decent, local politics and crime in Chicago and an undercover police get mixed up in a sting operation.
3⭐ for story
5⭐ for audio

I chose to listen to the Audio Drama of “The Coldest Case” by James Patterson and performed by a plethora of notable stars. This is a prequel to Patterson’s “The Black Book”. My husband and I intend to listen to that novel on our long drive, so I wanted to give it a listen. I enjoyed the sound effects in this audio-only thriller. It provides a great back drop to Detective Billy Harney and his work relationships in the Chicago Police force. It is an enjoyable stand-alone as well, although it ends in a cliff-hanger and you will want to read/listen to “The Black Book”.

This wasn’t too bad, but it will probably not be remembered for long.

While not completely pointless, it's pretty close. Lots could have written this short story and many would have done better. 4 of 10 stars

Having recently discovered James Patterson's experimentation in 'direct to audio’ work, I was pleased to get my hands on this piece. It brings to life a new series that has a great deal of potential, working with collaborators Aaron Tracy and Ryan Silbert. The story is layered with a great plot and some sensational character interactions, which is intensified by the audio. While the Chicago PD is not known for its simple cases, this one is particularly tough. Thank goodness Detectives Billy and Patti Harney are working it as best they can. When Billy’s partner gets too deep while undercover, she needs to be extracted, but that only leads to added issues. Billy soon realises that there is a powerful list of names in a secret book, ones that could lead to the death of countless others if it falls into the wrong hands. Patterson wins with this one, in a story that comes to life through audio.

A sinister drug ring has been working in Chicago for years, something that Chicago PD Detective Billy Harney has been investigating. Working alongside his sister, Patti, they are trying to eke out some information about something big. When Billy's partner, Kate, embeds herself into the group, there is hope that something will come of it. After a gaffe sees many turn up dead, Kate is almost revealed as a cop and she must be taken into protective custody, but not before an essential informant goes missing. Amongst all the chaos, a special black book containing key information has gone missing and the drug ring is hell-bent on finding it, no matter the cost. Key clients could be outed otherwise!

As Billy and Patti investigate the contents of the black book, they realise that it is more than meets the eye, with crooked athletes and corrupt politicians front and centre on the list. On the side, Billy and Patti discover the intense world of on-line gaming and how ruthless it can be. This helps them crack open a little part of the case, but also pushes them deeper into confusion as well. When the black book reveals a chilling secret that could lead to many deaths, it's a race to get to the scene on time to prevent disaster. The fate of many rests in the hands of the Harneys. Patterson excites with ease as he creates a story many can enjoy in only a few hours!

While James Patterson has moments of greatness and others of frigidity, this was surely one of the greater publication, released solely through audio. The story was crisp and the plot flowed well, keeping the reader engaged throughout and eager to see how things would progress. Said to be the prequel of the Black Book series, this story works really well and offers listeners something exciting in a short period of time. Patterson and his collaborators develop a wonderful script and use a star-studded cast to bring it all to life.

The characters were all cast well and the multitude of voices surely brought things to a new level. I was able to follow things with ease, even if I had to listen very carefully to ensure I did not miss anything. The plot was on point and left me begging for me, as I learned a little more about the Harneys and how well they function together. While I do love a good book, this was an excellent alternative and gave me something special to enjoy amidst all the craziness I find surrounds me these days. A step above a simple audiobook, Patterson and his collaborators have left me wanting more!

Kudos, Messrs. Patterson, Tracy, and Silbert, for a great story and wonderful experience. I look forward to future collaborations, as they become possible.

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I generally don't go for the "audio dramas" that Audible produces: They are like watching tv without a picture, or listening to the soundtrack of a play -- different voices and sound effects, not a narrator reading and giving life to the author's words. But this one was well put together.

Aaron Paul's voice kept bringing to mind "Harry Bosch", and I saw Titus Welliver's face as I listened.

Although I figured out the "bad guy" early on, it was still a nail-biter. Minus one star because there were a few places that I got lost because of background noises, or not getting the "picture" from the sounds.

This is a short audio drama audiobook. The narrators did a wonderful job; if they hadn't I wouldn't have gotten to the end. The biggest beef is the main character, a detective who comes from a family of "blue", who is absolutely trusting. After all those years of being a policeman, he believes all he is told. When his new partner lies the first time he believes her, when she is caught in the lie he sticks up for her. Oh well, there wouldn't have been this story if he had not believed her (There could have been a better story). And lastly, he finds out she has been using drugs for a long time but he (a detective from a line of blue) never noticed. Would not recommend it.

I listened the audiobook. 😊

This audiobook has Jessie from Breaking Bad as the main character soooooo good!!!!!

That was such a fun audible original. Great way to end the week

This was fun read! It was interesting how they included background noises to add the scenes for the characters.

Love love love hearing Aaron Paul as a part of this cast. The story was so so but the cast really made up for it.

Like listening to an episode of a crime tv show. Different and interesting but I prefer a normal audiobook.

Great audible book starring Aaron Paul. Crime thriller by James Patterson. I stayed up late into the night listening to it.

I fall into the camp of "Friends don't let Friends read James Patterson" ever since he became a book mill. My one exception to that rule is I loved David Ellis who got too busy being an appellate judge to continue writing. Then to my excitement and horror he teamed up with JP and one of the books he wrote was The Black Book to which this Audible only Original is a prequel. Throw in that I love Aaron Paul (Jesse in Breaking Bad) who voices the main character in this story and I had to do it.

It's short, coming in at just under 4 hours, and it is a full dramatization: multiple actors voicing various characters and sound effects. I still can't decide if I like that in my audiobooks so I will let you decide for yourself what to think there. The story was interesting and kept me going, granted I listened to more than half of it while shoveling out from a blizzard. But it was no David Ellis, whom I don't see had any connection to this production. I say if you have Audible and don't have to sign up or pay to get it then yes, give it a listen. If not, you aren't missing out on much. But do look for the 2nd book in the series, Red Book, coming out soon.

Super cool, I stumbled into goodness! I have listened to countless audiobooks, but this is my first audiobook that was read by an entire celebrity casts! Another audiobook I listened to, METAtropolis: The Dawn of Uncivilization, was read by only one celebrity cast, Michael Hogan.

This audio drama format is almost like listening to an episode of a popular TV series, much like watching the series but only with all the dialogues and sound effects. Awesome! It was so much fun, especially when you have Aaron Paul (think Breaking Bad), Nathalie Emmanuel (think Game of Thrones), and many others reading their roles!

Throughout the entire four hours, I was actually trying to visualize the scenes while the actors were doing the narration! Kudos to all the actors who narrated the audio drama, they have done a fantastic job! I’d definitely look out for other such audio dramas to add to be tbr. Highly recommended!

This was really quite entertaining. I felt like I was listening to a television show or movie with the sound effects and full cast production. I used to read a lot of James Patterson but am really not a fan of his work at this point but this sounded interesting and it was free to borrow so I took a chance and I am glad that I did. I liked the characters in this story and was very interested on how the mystery would work out. I don't see myself becoming a James Patterson fangirl anytime soon but I wouldn't hesitate to listen to something like this again in the future.

Book source: Audible Plus

Believe it or not but I have never read a book by James Patterson, so I thought this short audible original would be a great way to give him a try. And oh, what a fun experience this was. It's narrated by a full cast and was absolutely pitch perfect. The thriller element was well-done and I learned a lot about professional gaming. The humor was brilliant and I was smiling throughout. A great way to spend 4 hours!

I have listened to The Coldest Case: A Black Book Audio Drama by James Patterson on Audible.
I am giving a five ⭐ for the performance. The different gender narrators, the backup noise, music it was lovely. For the Story, I am going to give only 3 ⭐.

Full disclosure - this was a full cast production which was free! Not a favoured author of mine, but I know he is widely enjoyed. Good performances, the story just wasn't my cup of tea.

I'd listen to this whole series if it was recorded like this.

I listen to both traditional audiobooks that just narrate the story too, but I find these audio dramas to be more engaging at times. I can understand why people might not like to essentially listen to a TV show, but I find them enjoyable - especially when I'm doing something else like cleaning or grinding in a video game.

The Coldest Case is a full-cast Audible novella which was available free with my Audible Australia subscription. It’s a prequel to the Billy Harney trilogy, one of Patterson’s crime thriller series, which begins with The Black Book - I hadn’t heard of it before but am now interested in continuing it.
We listened to the whole thing on a recent car journey and I enjoyed both the plot and characters.

Detective Billy Harney has been running an operation aimed at taking down a notorious Chicago drug ring. His partner Kate is undercover and they are close to a breakthrough when a killing forces their hand, and puts them under pressure to recover a vital piece of evidence.

This had an excellent cast of narrators, including Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad - all grown up! I’m never so keen on the music & sound effects in these audio specials - they’re more distracting than helpful, especially in the car, but they weren’t too overdone in this one. Recommended.

Really enjoyed the was this was done. Having and audio drama really adds a lot to the story. I love police drama shows and this made it feel like I was watching something instead of just listening to a book. Looking forward to more done like this!

The story as well was good. I really felt like having it acted out made the characters so much more real and really made me feel invested in what happened. After listening I had to go find what else the Billy Harney character was up to and added several more books to my list.

3.5 Stars
My first time listening to an audio drama and it was like listening to a crime TV show. The story wasn't anything new or spectacular but still very enjoyable. I did feel like the comedy show bit was cringe worthy and unnecessary. Overall it was worth the listen.

LOL

Between heavy books and looking for a quick listen while painting a room, I stumbled upon the free Audible version of this Patterson story - featuring Aaron Paul, Krysten Ritter, Nathalie Emmanuel, Beau Bridges, Kevin Dunn, and more. It's different than the Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and classics I typically read so I figured let's give a try. I know Patterson is a prolific writer and I believe wrote some of The Wire, so I was looking forward to a quick mystery.

This thing is (unintentionally) hilarious. The plot is ludicrous, the way characters think and behave is nonsensical, and other than Paul and Dunn, as talented as they all are, the cast read flat to me. The best, though, has to be the dialogue. Two quick examples:

A) SUBTLETY IN ACTION
- Chicago Bears equipment manager: "That's above my pay grade. I just clean millionaires' jock straps"
- Detective Harney: "We all do." (pause.) "METAPHORICALLY."

(Side bonus, the all-star football player is an absolutely ridiculous sketch, and happens to record a voicemail where they hear a cough in the background and instantly realize that must be from their suspect hiding under the bleachers - it is unreal.)

B) WHO TALKS LIKE THIS?
- Computer geek before telling Harney to be careful jumping on a moving train: "Be careful. This isn't like the movies where there is no blood. Because to, uh, borrow another movie's title, THERE WILL BE BLOOD."

I fully recommend this book. It is terrible - and so much fun. You will love it with the right attitude.

This was very entertaining and kept me on the edge of my seat. I listened to the audio and it is more like a performance than the reading of a book. When I was walking the dog, I would hear something from the audio and think it was part of the real-life around me (like voices or noises). It was sort of funny. This is all Patterson. If you like his writing (which I do), you will enjoy this.

This was a really well done audio drama with lots of tension and very entertaining. Even with multiple characters and loads of action, it was easy to follow.
I definitely want to listen to more of Billy Harney's exploits. The characters and their relationship dynamic were as interesting as the criminal case itself.

I will admit that I’m not that big a fan of audiobooks unless I’m listening to autobiographies/memoirs but I am a huge fan of James Patterson. So when I saw this audiobook pop up on my storyline I had to get it!!!

It was a fantastic audiobook.....I loved the comedy throughout the audiobook- Edgar 🤣.....the fast pace....the plot twist.......just like his books but I really enjoyed those things that I couldn’t get from a book - background music and noises - police station, fired guns, high speed chase, fist fights, each character’s voice to name a few. Can Billie figure this out in time???.....man I loved it !!
🔪🔫🚔👮‍♀️👮🚆
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James Patterson, I’m ready for the next audiobook!!!

Notes:

On Audible Plus

Good audiodrama production but a generic novella on it's own because of lack of familiarity with characters.

It didn't feel like a book perse... More like a tv show. Very interesting tho... I realized who was the guilty person very soon. I Also liked the sound effects.