Criminal Paradise (by Steven M. Thomas)

CRIMINAL PARADISE by Steven M. Thomas (unabridged) is presented by Blackstone Audio and comes with what is perhaps the best audiobook app available (see FEATURES, below).

Robert Rivers, an honorable thief by vocation, has his comfortable existence shaken when a routine robbery uncovers a photograph of a teenaged Vietnamese girl hidden in a restaurant safe.

Self-contained, this audiobook app is perfect for your commute, on a trip, or while relaxing. Based on a library-quality recording, this app was built especially for your iPhone and iPod Touch. No unreadable text, no endless scrolling on a tiny screen. The audio is of higher-than-normal quality, making for a great listening experience that will not tire your ears or grate on your nerves.

NOTICE: This app includes the exact same 5-star recording offered elsewhere at much higher prices. It was professionally recorded by Blackstone Audios Earphones® Award-winning narrator Patrick Lawlor. You are not buying yet another amateur or volunteer narration. No clicks, background noises, throat clearing, mispronunciations, tinny voices or monotones will be found here.

“Lawlor does justice to Thomass story of conscience and crime, lending a solid storytelling style to a disturbing tale….This is one of those books for which a happy ending seems impossible, but the author pulls it off.”—AudioFile


•EXPERIENCE. About 9 hours of narration. Created as a Folium enhancedAudio™ edition, this book includes extra functions and features not found on lesser players.

•PLAYER CONTROLS. Includes listen (play), pause, multi-speed fast forward/reverse, jump ahead/back, chapter skip, volume control, one-touch chapter- and bookmark browser. There is also a “scrub” bar that finds any point inside the chapter with just a tap.

•SLEEP TIMER. Have you ever fallen asleep watching TV or listening to a book? If so, youll love this feature. Once set, the book will stop, place a bookmark, and allow you to jump back to where you probably began dozing.

•CLEAR & ELEGANT DESIGN. Simple, clean, intuitive, and smarter than average.

•CHAPTER TIMINGS. Always know how much time it will take to finish a chapter. Plus, the progress bar at the top of the screen shows how far into the book you’ve come.

•OFFLINE LISTENING. You are airplane-ready! Once downloaded, listen uninterrupted without threat from a lost network connection. Downloads are usually just 5-10 minutes, but depend upon your network speed.

•AUTO-BOOKMARKING. The player remembers where you stopped listening and returns to that exact spot when you open the book again.

•TELL-A-FRIEND. An easy way to recommend the book to your friends or Twitter feed.

•FEEDBACK. Share your ideas for books, functions, and features. We are very responsive to our listeners and appreciate all feedback and ideas.


RATING: 12+ for sexual content and crime-related mature themes.

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Honorable thief Robert Rivers has made a decent living conducting well-planned heists on the various businesses that dot the idyllic environs of Southern California. But during a routine robbery of a local steakhouse, Rivers comes across something that shakes him from his comfortable existence. Stuffed inside the restaurant’s safe, alongside the money, is a photograph of a teenaged Vietnamese girl. Though Rivers tries to enjoy the money and move on, he finds himself haunted by the picture.

Soon, Rivers comes face to face with the realization that there are dark things afoot in Orange County, deeds that make his heists look like fun and games. And when an old friend shows up hoping to get in on the action, Rivers is forced to wrestle with questions of loyalty and conscience, which just might lead him to some kind of redemption.