The Candidate

By: Lis Wiehl, Sebastian Stuart

Narrated by: Devon O'day

How far will a candidate go to become president? Erica Sparks—America’s top-rated cable-news host— is about to find out.

Mike Ortiz is a dynamic war hero favored to win the White House. Standing by his side is his glamorous and adoring wife, Celeste. But something about this seemingly perfect couple troubles Erica. Is Celeste really who she seems? And most importantly, what really happened in that squalid Al-Qaeda prison where Mike Ortiz spent nine months?

But more than the nation’s future is at stake. Erica’s relentless search for the truth puts the life of her preteen daughter Jenny in danger, even as Erica’s own dark past threatens to overtake her.

In her latest Newsmakers thriller, New York Times bestselling author and Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl weaves a taut and chilling story. The Candidate is packed with political intrigue and media manipulation as the lust for power turns deadly indeed.

Solid book

Plot was decent. You won’t like it if you are looking for a conservative Christian book but it is reasonably clean if you are simply looking for entertainment without foul language and sex scenes.

Loved it, hard to put down...a must read

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, easy to follow

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Afraid in this crazy world this could happen.

What does Devon O'Day bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

You felt like you could see what was going on. I had to sit in my car a few times and just listen to the story.

Any additional comments?

Waiting for the follow up to the story.

Good Book

I really enjoyed the book.The only thing I would change, is, I feel that two people should have narrated the book. Sometimes it was a little confusing on what character was speaking with just one person narrating.

Excellent political thriller

Harvard Law grad Lis Wiehl has become a darned good author of suspense thrillers. Top reporter Erica Sparks is covering the Democratic Party presidential campaign in this book. Just read the publisher's summary and then listen to this outstanding novel. Devon O'Day's narration is pitch perfect. This is only my second Lis Wiehl novel, but I will listen to others. Recommended! 4.5 stars.

The worst audio book I have ever listened to.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

There is no way it could have been a better experience because it was so poorly written. It has a loose "Manchurian Candidate" type theme to it, but it was so poorly executed that it was cringe worthy. Bad character development, inept attempts at dialogue, metaphors that didn't make sense, action scenes that were amateurishly described and ludicrously unbelievable. I really can't believe that this inferior story even made it to print, let alone audio.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I will go back to a more prominent author's work.

What didn’t you like about Devon O'Day’s performance?

She probably did her best with a bad story. However, she was not very good at differentiating between characters with her voice and inflection. Sometimes I couldn't tell which character was talking.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Candidate?

All of them. Especially her time in captivity. And the debate scene.....really...so unbelievable!