The Anonymous Source

The Anonymous Source is a face-paced thriller about a journalist determined to save an innocent man accused of murder. Alex Vane, a newspaper reporter for The New York Standard, is a good-looking guy aspiring to be a TV news anchor. When he receives information from an anonymous caller, he embarks on a fact-finding mission to uncover the truth. His quest leads him to Camila Gray, the murdered victim's girlfriend, a drug dealer with an obscure video, and a multi-million dollar business deal that would change the journalistic landscape for years to come. Sacrificing his job, reputation, and possibly his life, Alex dodges a hit man hired to kill him and Camila while he goes after the story of a lifetime. The action is believable and show more lively, the characters are interestingly flawed, and the plot twists are unexpected. I enjoyed this book, and I look forward to continuing the series. show less

This book is a really fascinating and exciting read. I must start off by saying that thriller books are not really my thing, but once in a while one crops up that just blows me away, and The Anonymous Source is definitely one of those books. Recently I’ve been reading a lot of fantasy and science fiction, so it was wonderful to read a book grounded in the here and now, and that was something that particularly struck me about this book. It feels real. I felt like I could be in New York at that moment. The detail is brilliant and the author paints a very vivid and real picture of the bustling city streets.

The plot is a pretty fast paced one, but it doesn't skip over details and definitely keeps the reader entertained and itching to know show more more. Fuller’s writing is a pleasure to read and it’s easy to get completely immersed in his prose. There were several times where I sat down for a few minutes to read a chapter and before I knew it I’d been sitting for over an hour.The story is an exciting one, lots of clues are left and the reader definitely has to try and root out all the details behind the conspiracy. It’s an absolute pleasure to read and given its setting during the aftermath of 9/11, it adds another layer to an already intriguing and fascinating story.

The characters are also really fascinating ones. Alex Vane is an interesting character to follow around. He’s determined, something of a playboy but ultimately has a good heart. While Alex is a great character, for me Camilla stole the show a little. Her and Alex make the perfect team and she’s such a great character. I won’t say too much about it so as not to spoil the story, but this one is definitely a book worth reading. If suspense thrillers are your thing, or your looking for something a little different this summer, add The Anonymous Source to your reading list. show less

Using one of the greatest attacks upon mainland USA to mask a murder is opportunist in the extreme, but it lies at the heart of this story, and we know who the perpetrator of that crime is from a very early point in the book. Alex Vane receives mysterious phone calls that point towards the innocence of a young man accused of murder, but has to put the pieces together against a backdrop of conspiracy reaching to very high corporate levels.

Alex comes across as very well intentioned, but in need of considerable help from others. This he gets from Camila Gray who is a most complex character, his workmate and computer genius, James Stacy, as well as Sonia, the wife of the elderly industrialist apparently the victim of the collapse of The show more Marriott in the aftermath of the Twin Towers, and Sadie, a freedom of the internet fighter who at one stage is really antagonistic towards Alex.

There is a somewhat unusual killer on the loose, and how he manages to have evaded people over the years is quite surprising, given his rather unique appearance.

The pace is quite fast, with scenarios in New York, Hawaii and Des Moines, the last of which is Camila’s home and is worth a mention as some of the writing dealing with people’s feelings and their relationships, is very thoughtful and adds greatly to the story. Most of the characters have backgrounds which the author uses well to show why they think and act as they do.

All in all a very good story, and, although we are not told who the anonymous source is, there are enough clues to indicate his identity, also bearing in mind how his character had been affected by his upbringing. show less

My original The Anonymous Source audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

If you are one who loves thrillers, you cannot go wrong with “The Anonymous Source” written by A.C. Fuller. The audiobook is narrated by Jeff Hays who continues to amaze me with his ability to take nearly any book and bring it to life in audio format. The book is a journalistic action page-turner involving big corporation, local police, and political figures all trying to take down those who want to return the news industry to its glory days. Although this genre of book is not one of my favorites, I listened intently to every chapter not wanting to miss any part of this well-developed story. In a single sitting I would listen to long show more portions of the book finding it hard to put down.

The book opens during the events that took place on September 11, 2001 (9/11) in New York city. The mystery begins with a plot of events occurring in the shadows of the collapsing twin towers. For those familiar with the tragedy, one knows how easy it would have been to leverage the chaos and carnage to one’s advantage to clean up a few loose ends. For some, the opening chapters may be shocking and difficult to read if they have been impacted by the events of 9/11. The story unravels when our man character joins up with a college professor to expose the corruption of America’s news agencies.

The book takes the reader from downtown New York city all the way across the country to find the answers needed exposing the conspiracy and corruption within our news organizations. The irony is that the main character attempts to expose this plot using the same techniques he was taught while working as a journalist. When you are done with this book, you will never look at journalism in the same light.

The book is unique, suspenseful and contains enough twists and turns to interest any reader of book from authors like John Grisham or David Baldacci. The book contains mystery, intrigue, along with some romance all packed into an easily readable and believable story. I enjoyed the deep character development along with all the backstory the author provides. I felt I knew these characters personally; by the end of the book I cared for what was going to happen to them. The book ends by concluding the many plot lines so there is no need for a second book; however, the author does add a slight twist hinting of more to come.

The book is intended for mature audiences as there is liberal use of vulgar language, alcohol consumption, drug use, and a few descriptive sexual acts; or sexual references. When these events occur, they are not overly graphic. In most cases, they could be ignored or left out of the book and the plot of the story would have not been impacted. I believe the author more included these to help paint a picture of the grittier side of the events. The book also has a few vivid descriptions of both violence and death. Because of these, I would not recommend this book for younger readers.

As stated earlier this is not my favorite genre of book. I would not have completed it had the story not been narrated but the masterful Jeff Hays. If the book were just read as many narrators do, I might have gotten halfway through before putting it aside. Mr. Hays narrates his books with passion, understands his work, and voices the numerous characters fluently. The narration contains a few sound effects enriching the story, but they are not overly used nor do these take away from the story itself. Like with other Hays’ work I have listened too, when finished you feel like you have experienced a major motion picture event. I’m still unsure how he does this all himself. If you have not listened to any of his work, I highly recommend your next book be one he narrates.

Not only is the book’s narration exceptional, but for those wanting to know, the audio itself is clean, clear, and crisp. It does not contain any audio artifacts. The mic is set properly and the recording quality can only be said to be done at the highest level of professionalism. The book is read at a steady pace however I found that listening to it at 1.25x was still acceptable to my speed.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author. show less

This was a great page turning thriller. The author had me hooked right away with great characters and a great story. I had a hard time putting it down in order to go to work:-) This is the first in his series Alex Vane Thriller series. If his other books are as good as this one, it will be great for all of us who enjoy his writings.

In the story Alex Vane, a court report, uncovers a story that takes him into some dark places, with attemped murder on him and his friend, Camila. An anonymous source gives him a story about a huge merger of two news outlets. Alex finds out this is the story of a lifetime for him and it could help him make it into the tv media. During the story Alex’s feelings are torn when he has to face memories from his show more past as Camila does too. It was a very fast paced story with a lot of thrill and mystery. I highly recommend it and I look forward to reading more from this author. show less

The characters were developed enough to catch and keep my attention. The puzzle was a good one to try to solve as I read the book. The writing, plot and pace were good.