BrainWeb

Nick Hall returns in this near-future techno-thriller, the second installment in Douglas E. Richards' gripping series. Hall carries a burden most would envy: brain implants that let him browse the internet telepathically and perceive the thoughts of those around him. He wants nothing more than to disappear. That plan collapses when terrorists seize control of the Academy Awards, threatening to execute the world's most recognizable celebrities on live television. Pulled back into a world he tried to leave behind, Hall must deploy his extraordinary abilities while navigating a web of shifting allegiances and a betrayal that strikes painfully close.

Adam Verner brings a measured intensity to the performance that suits Richards' tightly wound prose. His voice carries the story's dual registers well, balancing the paranoid urgency of Hall's predicament with quieter moments of character interiority. At just over eleven hours, the runtime moves efficiently, and Verner's clean pacing prevents the high-concept premise from ever feeling overwrought. Listeners who enjoy science-grounded thrillers with real momentum will find the audio format an ideal way to experience this one.