The Roach cover art

The Roach

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The Roach

By: Rhett C. Bruno
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
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About this listen

A string of killings. An identity stolen. Only he can find the truth.

Reese Roberts was the guardian of Iron City. Its fearless protector. The only one willing to do whatever it takes...until he was shot on the streets and left paralyzed from the waist down. Now, the vigilante known as the Roach has disappeared. Faded into legend.

It’s been years since Reese could take on crime and clean up the streets. He’s a shriveled old drunk, living like a hermit and waiting for his life to end. All that’s left to do is wallow in the mistakes that led him here. To wonder if he went too far.

But when a copycat steals his suit and takes justice into his own hands, a new killer emerges, leaving brutal messages behind. He wants to eliminate the Roach for good this time.

It’s time for Reese to re-emerge from his shell and fight back. Who else can stop the flurry of killings? Definitely not the corrupt police department. Iron City needs the Roach again. Only, this time, he’ll need to save it without his legs.

©2020 Rhett C. Bruno (P)2020 Podium Audio Adventure Crime Thrillers Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction Superhero Thriller Thriller & Suspense Crime Scary Suspense Exciting

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Critic reviews

"A dark and powerful journey into the broken mind of a crippled vigilante, clawing his way out of despair to protect his legacy and his city. Reader beware: once you crack this novel open, you won't be able to close it!” (Jeremy Robinson, NY Times best-selling author of Tribe and The Others)

“A world worthy of being a sister city to Gotham. Gritty, grimy, and mesmerizing.“ (Actor Lou Diamond Phillips, Prodigal Son; La Bamba)

“Great narration and dialogue, Rhett C. Bruno brings to life a character who’d rather be dead...or at least has a death wish." (Darick Robertson, co-creator of The Boys - now a Prime Original Series)

“White-knuckled and unfiltered. The Roach plunges you into the filth of the city and holds you under.“ (James S. Murray, number-one best-selling author of the Awakened series and star of truTV’s Impractical Jokers)

All stars
Most relevant
Can't ask for more. Good work guys. Would recommend and would re-listen in the future.

awesome story, awesome narrator

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Not my usual genre of books but I found the story to be gripping from start to finish. I am always a big fan of R.C. Bray's narration, and in The Roach he just gives the story life and character. I do hope there will be further collaboration between Rhett C. Bruno and R.C.Bray in the future

Very well written and performed.

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I always enjoy books narrated by RC Bray and I also really liked the Children of Titan series of books. So it's no surprise that this was a great listen for me.

However, I was blown away by this book in particular because it's offers a perspective that I don't think I have seen before in this genre and tells the story so intimately.

Basically, I can't recommend it highly enough if you enjoy superhero stories but if you also read a lot of crime thrillers, like I do, this is definitely for you.

Finally, some originality in the superhero genre.

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Rhett C.Bruno has provided us with get another complex character: The Roach, a superhero keeping the Iron City free of crime and fear.

Except, well, he isn't.
Instead he's a sad remains of a man, now wheelchair bound, paralysed from the waist down, bitter, paranoid and hiding from those people he'd once tried to help. Forgotten, mostly, except by Laura, the last victim of crime that he almost saved, who still comes to look after him, sometimes, despite his pleas to her to leave him alone. And unwelcome Chuck, the journalist who was obsessed with outing his identity and calling him a criminal in his articles.

Rereading, this time as an audiobook, some three months later, the Roach has lost none of it's sparkling originality and tension, excitement and underlying sadness. R.C.Bray's narration carries the whole gammit of emotions in his charismatic reading, bringing the broken character even more vividly to life. A fine performace.

Great writing, as with all of Bruno's work, and a character, flawed and sad, the fallen comic book hero, to incite both pity and jdisgust. My thanks to Aethon books for freely gifting me with a complimentary copy of this Audible edition. Great story for all comic book fans, and great, too, for readers curious about the inner workings of the heart and mind, for those looking for a thrill ride - or just a really good read.

Recommended.

"Sort of like Robin Hood."

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Brilliant! From star to finish its, dark, gritty and real!
It’s just a great story, written really well with plenty going on throughout!
Amazing narration too; RC Bray is perfectly suited to this book. He has great character voices and pulls off the tension and atmosphere perfectly!
A great team for a a great book! I’m definitely adding more from this pair to my wishlist!
This is my honest opinion on a free review copy.

“I’m still kicking. Figuratively speaking”

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