The Ascent

· Hachette Audio · Narrated by Charles Halford and Christine Lakin
2 reviews
Audiobook
10 hr 44 min
Unabridged
Eligible
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About this audiobook

In this bestselling thriller, a down-on-his luck cop and the governor’s daughter must team up to escape from a group of dangerous criminals.

"Jaw-dropping, authentic, and absolutely gripping." —Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Kurt Argento is an ex-Detroit street cop who can’t let injustice go—and who has the fighting skills to back up his idealism. If he sees a young girl being dragged into an alley, he's going to rescue her and cause some damage. When he does just that in a small corrupt Missouri town, he’s brutally beaten and thrown into a maximum-security prison.

Julie Wakefield, a grad student who happens to be the governor's daughter, is about to take a tour of the prison. But when a malfunction in the security system releases a horde of prisoners, a fierce struggle for survival ensues.

Argento must help a small band of staff and civilians, including Julie and her two state trooper handlers, make their way from the bottom floor to the roof to safety.

All that stands in their way are six floors of the most deadly convicts in Missouri.

In this bestselling thriller, a down-on-his luck cop and the governor’s daughter must team up to escape from a group of dangerous criminals. "Jaw-dropping, authentic, and absolutely gripping." —Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author Kurt Argento is an ex-Detroit street cop who can’t...

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Ratings and reviews

2 reviews
Shae Wolfe
March 21, 2024
The narration was excellent! I wasn't entirely sold on a prison thriller but it was so well done! A story told from the perspective of a man in grief and at the end of many ropes ended up being more relatable than I'd realized to anticipate. I don't regret any time or money spent on this.
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Eric Pan
May 2, 2025
Great book! Really hoping this gets made into a TV show.
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About the author

Adam Plantinga’s first book, 400 Things Cops Know, was nominated for an Agatha Award and won the 2015 Silver Falchion award for best nonfiction crime reference. It was hailed as “truly excellent” by author Lee Child and deemed “the new Bible for crime writers” by The Wall Street Journal. His second book, also nonfiction, is Police Craft. Plantinga began his career in law enforcement in 2001 as a Milwaukee police officer. He is currently a sergeant with the San Francisco Police Department assigned to street patrol. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, daughters, and Chow Chow named Ziggy. The Ascent is his debut novel.
Adam Plantinga’s first book, 400 Things Cops Know, was nominated for an Agatha Award and won the 2015 Silver Falchion award for best nonfiction crime reference. It was hailed as “truly excellent” by author Lee Child and deemed “the new Bible for crime writers” by The Wall Street Journal. His seco...

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