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    The Cove
    The Cove
    The Cove
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Cove

    Written by Catherine Coulter

    Narrated by Sandra Burr

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A picturesque town. A woman on the run. An undercover agent. The first riveting novel in Catherine Coulter’s #1 New York Times bestselling FBI Thriller series.

    Sally Brainerd can’t remember what happened the night her father was murdered. Maybe she did it. Or maybe it was her poor, traumatized mother. Either way, the safest place for her is far away from Washington, D.C. But while her aunt’s home in The Cove should be a quiet refuge, Sally can’t shake the feeling that there’s something not quite right about the postcard perfect little town.

    Despite his target’s checkered past and convenient memory loss, FBI Special Agent James Quinlan isn’t convinced she’s the killer—but maybe she knows who is. As he uses his cover to get close to Sally and unearth the memories her mind has hidden away, James can’t deny his connection to the troubled woman. But as their lies and passions intertwine, Sally and James soon learn they aren’t the only ones keeping deadly secrets in The Cove….

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateFeb 25, 2006
    ISBN9781423300434
    The Cove
    Author

    Catherine Coulter

    Catherine Coulter is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of ninety-two novels including the FBI suspense thriller series and A Brit in the FBI international thriller series, co-written with the brilliant author J.T. Ellison. Coulter lives in Sausalito, California, with her Übermensch husband. She hikes daily and posts wide-ranging photos of her beautiful area.

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    Reviews for The Cove

    3.5/5

    444 ratings21 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I have always loved Savich and Sherlock. I have read almost all of the series and they never disappoint. I love Catherine Coulter; she is a phenomenal writer.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      Crazy, convoluted story with the perfectly beautiful, intelligent players. Two cases conveniently intertwined.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this detective novel very much. There were a lot of twists and turns. I will give a full review right away. Unable to put this book down! You know, I try not to use that word very often, cause I'm a sucker for a really good book. This one... was totally awesome! The way the characters play with the mind of the main character, Sally, in turn, Coulter's playing with the readers as well, and I love how she twisted that in the story. Coulter worded her story so precisely that I could actually see this happening in real life, and that's the way a good book should be written. I love how Sally and James come together in this story, and how both used their gut instincts, something I usually do myself. There were enough twists, plots, action, and suspense that I really could not put this book down. Highly recommended as an awesome, UNPUTDOWNABLE read! Thank you, T. J. Ellison, for providing the recommendation, I can't thank you enough for turning me to Catherine Coulter! You were right! I enjoyed it immensely!
    • 1/5
      Can I give a zero star review? I couldn’t even finish this book. Between the narrator sounding like a bad Marilyn Monroe impersonator and a truly far-fetched and goofy plot line, this felt like a cross between a bad Hallmark movie, a Harlequin romance novel and a soap opera all mashed together. I struggled through 2/3 of the book because my friend highly recommended this series but I just couldn’t stomach it any longer. Horrible!
    • 3/5
      I listened to this (audiobook version) because I liked 'Beyond Eden' - which was published in 1992. The Cove is quite different from 'Beyond Eden' and I confess to not liking it quite as much - wish I could've given it 2.5 (deserved more than 2 but not sure about 3). They're both older books from the 90's but written differently, with this one - The Cove - meant to have a quirky, humorous undercurrent. This is the first in a series with FBI characters in them, so I'm reserving judgement until reading more in the series. I did like the FBI characters introduced in this story. The story is silly in many ways, and the plot full of holes, yet it might be considered an enjoyable read if looking for something light that doesn't demand your full attention.
    • 1/5
      DNF at 18%. I couldn’t take the “head hopping” any longer. I may have tolerated some, but this author jumped from POV to POV like a mad rabbit, sometimes within the same paragraph. At best, it was mildly annoying; at worst, not worth the effort to figure out.
    • 2/5
      The Cove by Catherine Coulter
      Book #1 on FBI Thriller
      2 Stars

      Synopsis:
      Sally Brainerd is on the run from an FBI agent, who believes she has information about her father’s murder, and from a sadistic doctor who wants to keep her quiet. She seeks sanctuary in a picturesque town called the Cove but strange things are happening there and the townsfolk are not what they seem. What is really going on in Sally’s life?

      Review:
      This is one of the worst plots I have ever read. It is ridiculously implausible and becomes seriously confusing with numerous disorienting transitions in location. The dialogue is stilted and the characters are like card board cutouts with no real development. The female lead is idiotic. Really, how many times can the same woman be abducted? She seems to be on a really slow learning curve. Even her name is puzzling – is she Sally or Susan?
      I will not be continuing with the series.
    • 4/5
      AUTHOR: Coulter, CatherineTITLE: The CoveDATE READ: 05/27/15RATING: 4,5/B+GENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS Romantic Suspense/ 1996/ 372 pgs SERIES/STAND-ALONE #1 in FBI seriesCHARACTERS FBI special agent James Quinlan & Sally Brainerd daughter of murdered high-powered attorney Armory St. John of Washington, D.C.TIME/PLACE 1990's / Oregon coastFIRST LINES: Someone was watching her. She tugged on the black wig, flattening it against her ears, and quickly put on another coat of deep red lipstick, holding the mirror up so she could see behind her. COMMENTS: Sally Brainerd is on the run. Her father a very public figure in Wash. D.C. was killed recently and since she is one of the last persons to have seen him, as well as making it known she does not like him, she is suspected of being his killer. She is innocent but thinks her mother may have finally had enough of his abuse and killed him and flees to protect her. She flees to her mother's sister's home on the coast of Oregon in a very small (and strange) town -- The Cove. She thinks she will be safe here w/ her aunt… The FBI have been tracking Armory St. John for various nefarious business dealings and are one step ahead of Sally. Sally is unsure who to trust due to her upbringing w/ an abusive father and a mother who would not stand up for herself. She is uncertain whether she can align herself w/ Quinlan or not.. There are quite a few twists in the story and it is a good read. I did try reading this quite awhile back but The Cove and its residents were so odd to me I could not get into it…this time it was easier for me to suspend belief and enjoyed the book.
    • 2/5
      This was too much like a soap opera for my tastes. I would have enjoyed it more if there was less cheesy romance and more actual crime solving and action. It was predictable, but even though I almost gave up on it a few times it did make me want to find out how it would end. I did like the epilogue. The dialogue was not well done and the writing style was not the greatest either. With the popularity of the author and series I did expect it to be better. Oh and it annoyed me that most people were referred to by their first name while she mostly used James Quinlan's last name. There was a lot of repetition too. Should have been at least 100 pages shorter. If I ever continue to read this series it will be quite some time in the future.
    • 3/5
      The plot was ridiculous. The abusive father and a cold distant husband. The father with the help of the husband puts her in a santatarium so that he can continue to beat Sally's mother. The father is found on the living room floor by Sally dead (of course she picks up the bloody weapon) and everyone thinks she murdered her father. Sally manages to go on the run to her Aunt's house where she's in hiding and the aunt and her circle of friends are keeping her secret. Meanwhile an FBI agent has tracked her down and falls like a ton of bricks in love with her. She runs away again. It's almost a comedy.
    • 4/5
      This is the first Coulter I have read in this series, and I loved it. It was quirky, funny, scary, and a few other adjectives I can't bring to mind right now. It is quirky in that the storyline is 'out there', but that is what makes it enjoyable.

      There are two story lines running in tandem in the book. One, a story of power, politics, and how the most powerful are often the most sadistically cruel, vicious, and totally without morality. The main character, Sally, attempts to save her mother from her father, one of the said powerful sickos, only to become a victim herself.

      The second storyline runs hand in hand with the first, when Sally flees from a horrific scene in her own home to her aunt's home in Oregon. This second storyline is even more twisted, in it's own way, and had me alternately cringing, gasping, and laughing hysterically.

      No, it isn't "realistic" in tone - but, people, get a grip. This is a well developed story, with a ton of creativity, twists, turns, and fast action, sure to keep a quick mind engrossed and following along. As Oscar Wilde put it, "Consistency is the refuge of the unimaginative." And an unimaginative writer is definitely not one I wish to waste time with.

      As for the haters, one in particular who raved about how Coulter didn't do her police and FBI research? Uh, hate to harsh your mellow, but with more than 10 years of police and forensics experience, I can tell you . . . if you don't know what you are talking about, it is usually wise to not speak. Especially when you open your mouth and stick your foot in all the way up to the hip.

      If you like a story with lots of twists and turns, don't let the haters push you away.

      "I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." Albert Einstein
    • 2/5
      While the book started out strong things got a little muddled in the last 100 pages or so. I hate to be this person, and presume to tell anyone how to write, but I found the whole idea of senior citizen serial killers a tad over the top. Their motivations made even less sense to me, killing tourists for their money all to improve a crappy coastal town? Surely applying for grants or something would have been less bloody. The potential for a good story was there, amnesia, murder, being wrongfully committed to a sanitarium.. It just sort of fell short.
    • 3/5
      The sign out on the main highway promised “The World’s Greatest Ice Cream”. The Cove is quaint, sitting on the edge of the cliffs overlooking the Pacific. Every house in town is well-kept, signs of recent painting and newly planted flowers abound. Sally Brainerd has arrived incognito to seek refuge with her aunt, Amabel. In town she bumps into FBI Special Agent James Quinlan who claims to be looking into the disappearance of an older couple several years ago. In fact, he is working undercover and is seeking Sally. And thus begins the romantic thriller by Catherine Coulter.I looked forward to reading this book for Subdue the Shelf and it came with a recommendation by a fellow player, but it never quite clicked with me. I would like to think that our FBI agents did not bumble around as much as Quinlan, even though the book kept mentioning how extraordinary he was. And I was turned off by the abuse. It made me uncomfortable. And while the book was like riding a roller coaster, unlike roller coaster rides I was looking forward to the end.
    • 4/5
      Susan "Sally" St John, is 16 yrs old attending a private girls school when she returns to her folks residence, on entering she witnesses her father assault her mother, she ready to call 911 for help, but her mother pleads for her to stay out of this, she deserves it. Ten years later she's found unconscious over her father's dead body with a revolver in her hand, remembering nothing of the incident, she's placed into a sanitarium on recommendation from her family stating that she's insane. During her first six months she's molested by Dr Beadermeyer and his assistant repeatedly until she finally escapes and end up in the Cove. Shortly after her arrival, a private detective from L.A., James Quinlan shows up saying he's there to investigate the whereabouts of a missing couple, Harve and Marge Jenson traveling in their Winnebago, they've been missing for over three and a half years. Strange developements emmediately start happening within this small community, as Sally searches for the truth into her father's death, asking family within the area questions about her dad's death and her mental health incarceration. Things are not what the eye appears to see, a real interesting novel with no ending in sight.
    • 1/5
      shitty writing
    • 2/5
      Coulter is a romance writer that has broken out into the mainstream; this book was found in the mystery section. Blessedly, the book lacked the romance genre's purple prose descriptions of the protagonists, but it did have a bad habit of head-hopping that by Chapter Four was seriously getting on my nerves. However, the book also had an intriguing mystery that was pulling me in and had me firmly hooked by Chapter Ten. Unfortunately, the plot holes kept growing until they became a yawing plot gorge. To give one example not a spoiler, the hero, an FBI agent, more than once talked about how his gun was on a hair-trigger. Then, without any mention of unloading it after taking it away from someone, he "tosses" it into the car. Time and time again he and his partner ignore the law and act recklessly and irresponsibly. Eventually little and not so little things like that piled up, the story lost credibility with me, and I stopped reading about half way through and skipped to the end--the resolution of the mystery was silly. This is also the second novel out of six read so far on a romance novel recommendation list where the heroine was involuntarily committed for mental illness by her husband and is on the run to avoid being sent back. (Sweet Nothings is the other.) Is this something common in the romance genre or what? Part of the FBI Thriller series--I'm going to pass on the rest.
    • 5/5
      This first book in what will be her FBI series, is a suspense-filled nail-biter... When she escapes from a mental hospital, Sally runs to her aunt who lives in a small town known for its fabulous ice cream. FBI agent James Quinlan looks for her there, his cover story is that he's looking into the disappearance of an elderly couple who were traveling in their camper three years before. His nosing around begins a chain of events that ends with two startling revelations --- one concerning a number of missing citizens who have stopped for ice cream, and the other about Sally's "guilt" in the murder of her father.
    • 3/5
      I don't know--maybe it's just me, but I couldn't shake the "Harlequin Romance" feeling from the cover of this one. Interesting enough story, actually a mini mystery set within a romance story. Both were predictable but the two going at once was the only exciting thing happening here.Coulter gets way off with over-developing some very minor characters that we didn't need and totally left out the needed info regarding the main characters.
    • 4/5
      Sally Brainerd escaped from an asylum just in time to wonder if she was the one that killed her father. FBI Special Agent James Quinlan was sure that if Sally didn't kill her father, she would know who did, so he tracked her down. Both ended up in a little town , The Cove, thats claim to fame was the 'World's Greatest Ice Cream' shop and the nicest picture postcard type town you have ever seen. After meeting and talking to Sally, James wasn't at all convinced she could kill her own father and in the process the sleepy little town of The Cove has 2 murders of their own.The basic story of James, FBI man, finding then changing his mind about Sally, insane murder suspect, was a great classic romance story. The other plot, the Cove, its beauty, its murders, its missing persons, was a strange twist to a typical story. I felt it could have been two different books.
    • 2/5
      This really caught my attention at first......but then it went downhill from there, unfortunately.First of all, the characters were quite cliche and flat. No development of them at all from beginning to end. There's the troubled, helpless, vulnerable, yet spunky heroine and the rugged, strong, handsome, yet sensitive hero.And the plot... is just... so far-fetched that it needs to be delivered in an extraordinary way to make it work as fiction... but for me, Coulter just doesn't pull it off.Not a complete waste of my time, but definitely not one I'd recommend to anyone but an enemy.
    • 4/5
      Great mystery! From the beginning, I felt drawn to the characters and their problems. Coulter draws her locales so clearly you can see them in your head. The hero James Quinlan and heroine Sally go through many twists and turns trying to uncover the real murderer. The surprises keep you guessing until the last page.