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    Poisonfeather
    Poisonfeather
    Poisonfeather
    Audiobook12 hours

    Poisonfeather

    Written by Matthew FitzSimmons

    Narrated by James Patrick Cronin

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A Wall Street Journal bestseller.
    Gibson Vaughn, hero of the bestselling novel The Short Drop, returns in a smoldering thriller.

    When jailed billionaire Charles Merrick hints publicly that he has stashed a fortune in an offshore cache, a school of sharks converges upon his release from federal prison.

    Among his swindled victims is Judge Hammond Birk, the man who saved Gibson Vaughn’s life when he was a troubled teenager. Now Gibson intends to repay that debt by recovering Merrick’s victims’ money.

    But Gibson isn’t the only one on the trail of the hidden fortune.

    The promise of billions has drawn a horde of ruthless treasure hunters, including an edgy ex-con, a female bartender with a mysterious history, a Chinese spy with a passion for fly-fishing, and a veritable army of hardened mercenaries. To stay ahead of the sharks and win justice for his mentor, Gibson will need all his formidable skills. But at the end of the road, he’ll still have to face “Poisonfeather”—a geopolitical secret that just might get Gibson killed…or worse.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateOct 4, 2016
    ISBN9781511372411
    Poisonfeather
    Author

    Matthew FitzSimmons

    Matthew FitzSimmons is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling Gibson Vaughn Series, which includes Debris Line, Cold Harbor, Poisonfeather, and The Short Drop. Born in Illinois and raised in London, he now lives in Washington, DC, where he taught English literature and theater at a private high school for more than a decade. Visit him at www.matthewfitzsimmons.com.

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    Reviews for Poisonfeather

    4/5

    55 ratings8 reviews

    What did you think?

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    • 4/5
      Matthew Fitzsimmons is my favorite writer. Great story-get this book! His characters are so well developed. What wonderful hours I’ve spent with Gibson. When the character Gavin was introduced I bemoaned an entire book with him along on my GV adventure. But “dog”, he took that unlikable character all kinds of places.
      Can’t wait for the 3rd in the series!
    • 5/5
      New characters as Gibson Vaughn continues his quest. Stimulated by a former friendly act by a local judge; Gibson is challenged to find the money that the judge's family lost to a Madoff level swindler. Chinese spies, local hard types and the CIA are involved so things get very complicated. Two intense battle scenes ensue when a Latin American mob enters the lists. Those left standing seem to have things under control when the swindler hurls a final, possibly fatal verbal grenade. Looking forward to book three.
    • 4/5
      Poisonfeather is the second installment in the Gibson Vaughn series by Matthew Fitzsimmons. Once again, Vaughn is at the center of a violent struggle over political secrets. While I normally favor police procedurals and detective stories, I am enjoying this series of thrillers. The novels are tightly plotted and the action moves quickly. Mechanically, Poisonfeather works a lot like itspredecessor: Vaughn is pulled into a murky situation with links to his past, teams up a with a crew of semi-strangers in the face of many enemy factions, and eventually chaos ensues, as the many competing interests collide in spectular fashion. A bit formulaic, perhaps, but definitely a fun ride, with enough twists to keep me happy.What I like most about these books, is that they avoid the worst attributes of popular examples of this genre. Indeed, Fitzsimmons avoids the Hero-complex I associate with most Veteran With a Dark Past thrillers. In many pivotal scenes Vaughn is a bystander, or not present at all. While there is (of course) violence, it's not described with any special kind of luridness. There is also no ridiculous love component wherein some extremely young and pretty woman throws herself at the protagonist. The emphasis falls---as it should---on the turns and twists in the story.As with any thriller, the story is fantastical, but Fitzsimmons drawsthe cast of characters with just enough texture and humor to keep the reader reading rather than groaning. The social backdrop of the series (and this book in particular,) the economic malaise in the aftermath in the Great Recession, likewise colors the story butdoesn't overwhelm it.
    • 4/5
      Gibson Vaughn why do you have to get involved? Gibson Vaughn why can’t you let it go? Gibson Vaughn, it is time to get on with your life. None of that is going to happen in Poisonfeather, Matthew FitzSimmons’ second book in the Gibson Vaughn series.I raced through FitzSimmons first book, The Short Drop, and thought it was better than good. The second book, Poisonfeather, went slower and was somewhat murky. Much has happened since the first book and I would have liked just a bit more of the protagonists’ interim back story. I had issues with the chapters leaving off in one place and picking up in another. The flow wasn’t seamless and I kept saying What? What, where are we? What happened? It took a page and then everything was back on track but it left me with the feeling of unevenness. This was probably due to the abundance of characters and the need to tie their stories into the ongoing plot. Or maybe it was the author’s intention to keep this reader slightly off the mark just when I thought I had a lock on what was coming next.Having said all that FitzSimmons is reaching equal footing with Alex Berenson and his John Wells series, David Baldacci and Oliver Stone and The Camel Club, and Steve Berry with his Cotton Malone series. FitzSimmons writes action and dialog with wit and a sideward glance at morality. He gets inside his characters and opens them up to the reader with clarity and finesse. Now can we talk about the ending? Wow, like a piece of chocolate that melted in your mouth and you have to have another. I am so excited the third in the series is out in two weeks.Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy
    • 4/5
      I took a serious like to the main character Gibson Vaughn in the first in series and in this the second my liking continues. Never had much of an interest in thrillers that featured financial misdoings but these books are so darn easy to read, assessable and just move so quickly. A Madoff type person is the bad guy here, arrogant and soon to be released from prison. Gibson, hacker extraordinaire owes an old man, a judge who he felt saved his life. So the story goes.Likable character, a few new ones I also found favor with, so much action, wonderful antidote for holiday stress and lack of concentration. Don't get me wrong though, Gibson is an awfully smart man, and his partner this time is quite literate despite appearances to the contrary. The ending though was a bit much, a shootout at the okay corral type scenario though this takes place in an hotel. Got a bit confusing with all the players involved. Then of course a major cliffhanger, not too fond of those because by the time the next book comes out unless a reader has total recall, they are in danger of forgetting much from the precious book. At the least, the energy and forward momentum is gone. Gave it a four though, it kept my interest and as I said I do like this character.
    • 5/5
      A nice action packed read that's full of suspense and intrigue. Gibson Vaughn is a hacker who made a mistake of hacking the Vice President. Gibson was a teenager at the time, the long-term results of this error continues to have repercussions for him over a decade later. As Gibson struggles to become the proverbial "productive" member of society, he finds this isn't so easy once you've been in the spotlight for committing such a high-profile crime. He eventually uses his skills to solve other mysteries, and in this adventure he finds himself looking for the fortune of a wall-street con-artist who (several others are certain) has managed to conceal a large sum of money from the government. The clock is ticking as Gibson and others try to locate the hidden fortune before the swindler is released from prison and has the ability to access the money.I love the concept of the flawed hero being played out in this modern "high-tech" environment. Definitely worth reading if you enjoy tech-based mysteries with great characters and a solid story line.Note: I was given a free ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.x
    • 5/5
      I received a free advance e-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Everyone wants a piece of Charles, but where is the money? Wow! What a great conspiracy thriller. This book has a little bit of everything: A sophisticated Ponzi scheme, a Chinese fisherman, political conspiracy, secret operatives, the CIA, murder and a bloodbath. ‘Poisonfeather’ is a very well written thriller with excellent character development, and an exceptional plot. The action never quits. I couldn’t put the book down once I started reading; just had to see what was going to happen next. This book is a keeper that is well worth the read. ‘The Short Drop’ is next on my ‘to read’ list. The ending left me wondering what’s next for Gibson Vaughn. I’ll be looking for the next book in this series.
    • 4/5
      Charles Merrick is an arrogant ass. He’s also a resident of Niobe prison. Once upon a time he was a big time hedge fund manager with millions at his disposal. When Wall Street crashed, he was one of the few convicted of fraud but the end is in sight. Thanks to a deal he cut with the feds, he’ll be a free man in a few months. They had no choice as he had knowledge of a covert government operation in China. To hold up his end of the bargain, he’ll have to leave the country but they don’t know where he’s going. Or about the money waiting for him on the outside.So when a reporter approaches him for an interview before his release, he eagerly agrees. What could go wrong?Actually…a lot. Merrick’s ponzi scheme (a la Bernie Madoff) ruined the retirement dreams of everyone who invested. The resulting article stirs up a hornet’s nest of publicity & some of his victims see their chance for revenge. The feds are not pleased.Gibson Vaughn never heard of Merrick until the family of an old mentor gets in touch. Judge Hammond Birk saved Vaughn from going to jail when he was a teenage hacker. Unfortunately the judge invested with Merrick & lost everything. His nephew is convinced Merrick has some money stashed & wants Vaughn to find it. It’s a ridiculous proposition & Vaughn visits the judge to tell him so. But retirement has not been kind to Birk & Vaughn is shaken to find him living on his nephew’s farm in a trailer, suffering from early dementia. He’s a shell of the man who rescued a stupid teenage kid & Vaughn knows it’s time to repay his debt.To say much more about the plot would lead to spoilers. Just know there are many people watching Merrick to see what he’ll do once he’s free. One by one they descend on the small town of Niobe, West Virginia to await his release. The author does a great job of depicting the effect of an influx of strangers on residents of a dying, rural community with an inbred suspicion of outsiders. The bulk of the book takes place prior to Merrick getting out so we get the back story on all the characters. Each has their own agenda & in a town with one bar & one hotel, it’s inevitable tempers will flare. As for Vaughn, he’s got his hands full. His military background & computer skills are assets but he’s shackled with a couple of partners that take turns driving him crazy. Tracing the money requires them to form uneasy alliances with some of the other characters. Tensions slowly rise & you know it’s just a matter of time ’til something goes horribly wrong. It’s a fast paced thriller full of red herrings & misdirection that will keep you guessing as to how it will all shake out. Vaughn was introduced in last year’s excellent “The Short Drop” & he’s still living with the fallout from events in that book. It was a character driven suspense story while this one is more of an action thriller. But he continues to be a compelling guy. He’s a decent, hard working man who can’t seem to catch a break & you desperately want to see something go right in his world.I’d recommend reading “The Short Drop” first & as this one ends on a cliffhanger, it’s clear there’s more to come. A great cast of characters, plenty of action & intricate plotting make this a book you’ll want to carry with you so you can sneak in some reading time when you get the chance.