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  • Chiefs

  • Will Lee, Book 1
  • By: Stuart Woods
  • Narrated by: Mark Hammer
  • Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (53 ratings)
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Chiefs cover art

Chiefs

By: Stuart Woods
Narrated by: Mark Hammer
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Summary

In 1919, Delano, Georgia, appoints its first chief of police. Honest and hardworking, the new chief is puzzled when young men start to disappear. But his investigation is ended by the fatal blast from a shotgun. Delano's second chief-of-police is no hero, yet he is also disturbed by what he sees in the missing-persons bulletins. In 1969, when Delano's third chief takes over, the unsolved disappearances still haunt the police files.

Author Stuart Woods' riveting novel spans three generations while also probing deep into Southern small-town attitudes and behavior. The residents of Delano, with their reluctance to disturb a familiar social order, provide the perfect backdrop for this tale of dark secrets and murder.

Over 40 years ago, Woods found a battered chief-of-police badge in his grandmother's house. It had belonged to his grandfather, who had been shot in the line of duty. The story of the lawman's death inspired Woods to write Chiefs, which won an Edgar Award and was made into a popular TV miniseries.

©1981 Stuart Woods (P)2006 Recorded Books LLC

Critic reviews

"A riveting story of the Deep South that mixes murder mystery with political intrigue." ( Publishers Weekly)
"A fascinating, compelling tale." ( The New York Times)
"The homey wisdom of [Hammer's] voice, coupled with Woods's engaging story, makes this audiobook memorable." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Chiefs

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A wonderful audiobook

I have just listened to Chiefs and cannot recommend it too highly; it works both for lovers of a great detective story and those who like a very good story, beautifully narrated.

Like many of the books I've chosen since joining Audible, this is yet another author I seem to have missed - much to my regret - but I certainly cannot wait until next month when I will listen to the same author again.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional

Over the past couple of years I have listened to a constant stream of crime and thriller audiobooks. Though most are enjoyable, there are very few that stand out as memorable. This is one. It is a well written and beautifully read. It made an impression on me to an extent that I remember the plot and characters and enjoyed the fact that not all the ends were tied up at the end. I can recommend this as a truly entertaining download.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My most favourite book of all time

it pains me that no one I ever come across has ever read this book. it is simply the best story I have ever read. I must the 25 times in and it just gets better. the narrative is exceptional, the story never let's up. it is amazing.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping

Great book to listen to. I was impressed with the several stories which the author effortlessly assembles in one book. Inevitably, the book is lengthy, but all story lines deserve to be told. Emancipation of afro americans in the south, small town living and a gripping murder story evolving through the years, it all blends together. Since listening to this book, I am a fan of Stuart Woods.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A very fine book and superbly narrated

I've not much to add to what other reviewers have said. This is a very fine book indeed, and works on three levels - as a first class thriller/detective story, as a thoughtful novel of the Deep South's painful evolution from racism, and a very convincing picture of how a town evolves and grows over time. Despite its length, the book never slackens in pace or lose the interest.

The narration is really fine too - apart from a rather clunky English accents for one of the characters, but this is only a minor point.

Strongly recommended.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Chiefs

Finding this book a bit slow and difficult to get into - not gripping me at all. So I’m going to leave it at about 50% as I don’t want to return it but I may revisit it. Not a bad book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Huge Story Spanning Generations

I thoroughly enjoyed this. it's divided into 3 parts and the gear change is always difficult, but I soon found myself invested in each new section.
The narrator is perfect, the exact fit for the story.
I never give away a plot in a review, suffice it to say this one weaves in and around small town Georgia, the politics and the Politics of the place and the evolution of both.
There is a crime story underpinning it and an enormous historical car crash approaches throughout, which we will know, but the characters will not.
Excellent stuff.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best page turners I've read in ages .

if this book doesn't keep you on the edge of your seat nothing will! and I'm sure you'll fall off that edge many times as the plot twists and turns throughout many decades

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superbly achieved debut novel.

CHIEFS has a wonderfully tangled plot that demands attention from start to finish and - for such a prolific writer - it has been a huge surprise to me that Mr Woods has, in my opinion, subsequently failed to produce anything quite as outstanding. His weaving of a tale of three hugely differing chiefs of police in Georgian small town America, over four decades, is brilliant in its conception and complexity.

For once, however, I have to be critical of the usually superb Mark Hammer who, on many occasions, sounded ponderous and on others rushed. His treatment of male voices often showed little differentiation, leaving me wondering who said what to who. There were times, too, when his delivery sounded wet or slurred as though he was speaking through loose teeth ... quite a distraction hence the marking down by two stars.

Please don’t let my criticism of the narrator put you off: I’m simply telling it as I see it, and the book is a superb listen nonetheless.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Couldn't turn it off.

The story was really engaging. The characters are well written and I loved the pace of the book, he took his time giving you the details so it never felt rushed but it never dragged either. I was always waiting for the next event. Mark Hammers voice is hypnotic, I really could listen to him all day and in fact that is exactly what I did. I listened to this story non stop, all 17 hours of it, I couldn't shut. it off.

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