
City of the Sun
A Novel
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $18.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Scott Brick
-
By:
-
David Levien
About this listen
Jamie Gabriel gets on his bike before dawn to deliver newspapers in his suburban Indianapolis neighborhood. He is 12 years old. Somewhere en route, he vanishes without a trace.
Fourteen months later, Paul and Carol Gabriel are on the verge of abandoning all hope. Crushed by frustrating dead ends and exhausted by a police force that cannot (or will not) find their son, the Gabriels finally stumble upon a name - an elusive private investigator who may represent their last chance for answers.
Frank Behr is an enigmatic mountain of a man, a former cop who is reluctant to help - he knows better than to promise the Gabriels a good result. But Paul’s plea for closure stirs up old personal demons that Behr can no longer ignore. Going against everything he fears, Behr enters into an uneasy partnership with Paul on a quest for the truth that is, in turn, dangerous...and haunting.
Richly textured and crackling with suspense, City of the Sun weaves a moody narrative that hinges on the bond between a damaged detective and a lost father. David Levien masterfully peels back the layers of his gripping story, taking listeners on an investigation like no other.
©2008 David Levien (P)2008 Books on TapeListeners also enjoyed...
-
In Cold Blood
- By: Truman Capote
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.
-
-
Still the Best
- By Lisa on 01-10-06
By: Truman Capote
-
The Ice Limit
- By: Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 16 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The largest known meteorite has been discovered, entombed in the earth for millions of years on a frigid, desolate island off the southern tip of Chile. At four thousand tons, this treasure seems impossible to move. New York billionaire Palmer Lloyd is determined to have this incredible find for his new museum. Stocking a cargo ship with the finest scientists and engineers, he builds a flawless expedition. But from the first approach to the meteorite, people begin to die....
-
-
This book just cries for a sequel
- By Doug L on 08-19-10
By: Douglas Preston, and others
-
You're Next
- By: Gregg Hurwitz
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mike Wingate, abandoned by his father at four and raised in foster care, is finally living the life he always dreamed of - he's happily married with a precocious 8-year-old daughter, and his construction company is about to finish a "green" housing development that will secure a solid future for them all. But then something from his own past, a past he doesn't even remember, comes back to visit terror upon him and his family.
-
-
Edge of my seat.
- By Janice on 07-18-11
By: Gregg Hurwitz
-
Mystic River
- By: Dennis Lehane
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When they were children, Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus, and Dave Boyle were friends. But then a strange car drove up their street. One boy got in the car, two did not, and something terrible happened - something that ended their friendship and changed the boys forever. Twenty-five years later, Sean is a homicide detective. Jimmy is an ex-con. And Dave is trying to hold his marriage together and keep his demons at bay - demons that urge him to do horrific things. When Jimmy's daughter is murdered, Sean is assigned to the case.
-
-
Punches you in the face!
- By DaWoolf on 11-11-14
By: Dennis Lehane
-
The Woods
- By: Harlan Coben
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paul Copeland, a New Jersey county prosecutor, is still grieving the loss of his sister twenty years ago - the night she walked into the woods, never to be seen again. But now, a homicide victim is found with evidence linking him to the disappearance. The victim could be the boy who vanished along with Paul's sister. And, as hope rises that his sister could still be alive, dangerous secrets from his family's past threaten to tear apart everything Paul has been trying to hold together....
-
-
Coben's worst I've read
- By Barry S. Sharpnack on 05-27-08
By: Harlan Coben
-
Kill the Messenger
- By: Tami Hoag
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the end of a long day battling street traffic, bike messenger Jace Damon has one last drop to make. But en route to delivering a package for one of L.A.'s sleaziest defense attorneys, he's nearly run down by a car, chased through back alleys, and shot at. Only the instincts acquired while growing up on the streets of L.A. allow him to escape with his life, and with the package someone wants badly enough to kill for.
-
-
An entertaining read
- By Bethany on 07-24-04
By: Tami Hoag
-
In Cold Blood
- By: Truman Capote
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.
-
-
Still the Best
- By Lisa on 01-10-06
By: Truman Capote
-
The Ice Limit
- By: Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 16 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The largest known meteorite has been discovered, entombed in the earth for millions of years on a frigid, desolate island off the southern tip of Chile. At four thousand tons, this treasure seems impossible to move. New York billionaire Palmer Lloyd is determined to have this incredible find for his new museum. Stocking a cargo ship with the finest scientists and engineers, he builds a flawless expedition. But from the first approach to the meteorite, people begin to die....
-
-
This book just cries for a sequel
- By Doug L on 08-19-10
By: Douglas Preston, and others
-
You're Next
- By: Gregg Hurwitz
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mike Wingate, abandoned by his father at four and raised in foster care, is finally living the life he always dreamed of - he's happily married with a precocious 8-year-old daughter, and his construction company is about to finish a "green" housing development that will secure a solid future for them all. But then something from his own past, a past he doesn't even remember, comes back to visit terror upon him and his family.
-
-
Edge of my seat.
- By Janice on 07-18-11
By: Gregg Hurwitz
-
Mystic River
- By: Dennis Lehane
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When they were children, Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus, and Dave Boyle were friends. But then a strange car drove up their street. One boy got in the car, two did not, and something terrible happened - something that ended their friendship and changed the boys forever. Twenty-five years later, Sean is a homicide detective. Jimmy is an ex-con. And Dave is trying to hold his marriage together and keep his demons at bay - demons that urge him to do horrific things. When Jimmy's daughter is murdered, Sean is assigned to the case.
-
-
Punches you in the face!
- By DaWoolf on 11-11-14
By: Dennis Lehane
-
The Woods
- By: Harlan Coben
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paul Copeland, a New Jersey county prosecutor, is still grieving the loss of his sister twenty years ago - the night she walked into the woods, never to be seen again. But now, a homicide victim is found with evidence linking him to the disappearance. The victim could be the boy who vanished along with Paul's sister. And, as hope rises that his sister could still be alive, dangerous secrets from his family's past threaten to tear apart everything Paul has been trying to hold together....
-
-
Coben's worst I've read
- By Barry S. Sharpnack on 05-27-08
By: Harlan Coben
-
Kill the Messenger
- By: Tami Hoag
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the end of a long day battling street traffic, bike messenger Jace Damon has one last drop to make. But en route to delivering a package for one of L.A.'s sleaziest defense attorneys, he's nearly run down by a car, chased through back alleys, and shot at. Only the instincts acquired while growing up on the streets of L.A. allow him to escape with his life, and with the package someone wants badly enough to kill for.
-
-
An entertaining read
- By Bethany on 07-24-04
By: Tami Hoag
-
Becoming Quinn
- Jonathan Quinn Series Prequel
- By: Brett Battles
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meet Jake Oliver. The day will come when he's one of the best cleaners in the business, a man skilled at making bodies disappear. At the moment, however, he's a 22 year old rookie cop, unaware his life is about to change. In a burning barn a body is found--and the fire isn't the cause of death. The detectives working the case have a pretty good idea about what went down. But Officer Oliver thinks it's something else entirely, and pursues a truth others would prefer remain hidden - others who will go to extreme lengths to keep him quiet.
-
-
Battles and Brick - a great combination
- By AudioAddict on 04-24-14
By: Brett Battles
-
The Black Echo: Special Edition
- Harry Bosch, Book 1
- By: Michael Connelly
- Narrated by: Titus Welliver
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For maverick LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch, the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal...because the murdered man was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat" who had fought side by side with him in a hellish underground war. Now Bosch is about to relive the horror of Nam. From a dangerous maze of blind alleys to a daring criminal heist beneath the city, his survival instincts will once again be tested to their limit.
-
-
Titus Welliver has really stepped in it!
- By George Moneo on 04-08-20
By: Michael Connelly
-
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- A Lisbeth Salander Novel
- By: Stieg Larsson, Reg Keeland - translator
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 16 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.
-
-
A Classic Mystery with Wonderful Characters
- By Robert on 12-22-08
By: Stieg Larsson, and others
-
Mr. Mercedes
- A Novel
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes. Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil, from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable.
-
-
King and Patton create a winning combo
- By David Shear on 06-04-14
By: Stephen King
-
The Coldest Case: A Black Book Audio Drama
- By: James Patterson, Aaron Tracy, Ryan Silbert
- Narrated by: Aaron Paul, Krysten Ritter, Nathalie Emmanuel, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 52 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Coldest Case: A Black Book Audio Drama, homicide detective Billy Harney sends his new partner, Kate, deep undercover in a notorious Chicago drug ring. When several members of the ring soon turn up dead, Billy abruptly pulls Kate out, blowing her cover. Kate’s informant inside the gang quickly disappears. As does the ring’s black book.... When Billy can’t find the informant, he wonders if Kate is secretly harboring her, since the two grew close during Kate's weeks undercover.
-
-
Rizzoli & Isles, minus Isles, and starring Frankie
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 03-11-21
By: James Patterson, and others
-
Triptych
- By: Karin Slaughter
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Atlanta's wealthiest suburbs to its stark inner-city housing projects, a killer has crossed the boundaries of wealth and race. And the people who are chasing him must cross those boundaries, too. Among them is Michael Ormewood, a veteran detective whose marriage is hanging by a thread and whose arrogance and explosive temper are threatening his career. And Angie Polaski, a beautiful vice cop who was once Michael's lover before she became his enemy.
-
-
Spoiler Alert
- By Patricia on 12-13-15
By: Karin Slaughter
-
Relic
- Pendergast, Book 1
- By: Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 13 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Just days before a massive exhibition opens at the popular New York Museum of Natural History, visitors are being savagely murdered in the museum's dark hallways and secret rooms. Autopsies indicate that the killer cannot be human.... But the museum's directors plan to go ahead with a big bash to celebrate the new exhibition, in spite of the murders.
-
-
Non-Perishable
- By Snoodely on 05-26-10
By: Douglas Preston, and others
-
Naked in Death
- In Death, Book 1
- By: J. D. Robb
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. In over ten years on the force, she’s seen it all - and knows her survival depends on her instincts. And she’s going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire - and a suspect in Eve’s murder investigation.
-
-
Don't Judge the Series by the First Book!
- By Fee on 03-10-12
By: J. D. Robb
-
Missing You
- By: Harlan Coben
- Narrated by: January LaVoy
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Number-one New York Times best-selling author Harlan Coben set huge sales records with last year’s Six Years - and he’s poised to do it again in his next breathtaking stand-alone thriller. Harlan Coben, author of six consecutive instant number-one New York Times best sellers and a total of 24 award-winning, best-selling, and internationally acclaimed novels, returns with another ripped-from-real-life thriller full of impossibly high emotional stakes and the real-to-life characters for which he has become famous.
-
-
I Ain't Missing You
- By Susan on 03-20-14
By: Harlan Coben
-
Jury Master
- By: Robert Dugoni
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Sloane is the best wrongful death attorney in San Francisco. He's a lawyer who can make juries do anything. But despite his professional success, he's plagued by a nightmare of a childhood he cannot consciously remember. When he receives a package from a White House confidant who then turns up dead by apparent suicide, the contents reveal a history he never could have imagined.
-
-
Action! Action! Action!
- By Nancy on 04-03-07
By: Robert Dugoni
-
A Drink Before the War
- By: Dennis Lehane
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With novels like Mystic River and Shutter Island, Dennis Lehane has dramatically altered the landscape of the crime thriller—while boldly overstepping the boundaries that have long separated mystery from literature. Now two of his sensational early novels have been combined in a single volume—two gritty and mesmerizing masterworks of suspense featuring the private eye duo of Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro.
-
-
White Bread
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 06-30-12
By: Dennis Lehane
-
The Body Reader
- Detective Jude Fontaine Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Anne Frasier
- Narrated by: Emily Sutton-Smith
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For three years, Detective Jude Fontaine was kept from the outside world. Held in an underground cell, her only contact was with her sadistic captor, and reading his face was her entire existence. Learning his every line, every movement, and every flicker of thought is what kept her alive. After her experience with isolation and torture, she is left with a fierce desire for justice - and a heightened ability to interpret the body language of both the living and the dead.
-
-
Go Jude!
- By AudioAddict on 01-21-17
By: Anne Frasier
Critic reviews
"City of the Sun is one of the best books I've read in years. Compelling doesn't begin to describe it. All consuming is more like it. A gripping, lightning-paced trip to the dark side of town that will leave you shaken, and the better for it. A great read!" (Christopher Reich, New York Times best-selling author)
“City of the Sun is hard, mean, beautiful, touching - a dazzling novel. With this book, David Levien has placed himself among the best writers in the field. Elvis Cole and Joe Pike would be proud to call ex-cop Frank Behr their friend.” (Robert Crais, New York Times best-selling author of The Watchman)
“Here’s what to expect when reading City of the Sun: relentless suspense that will not let you out of its grasp, and a cast of characters who are so utterly real you’ll forget you’re reading fiction. David Levien’s novel is moody, riveting, and special.” (Harlan Coben, New York Times best-selling author of The Woods)
What listeners say about City of the Sun
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Shane
- 05-21-15
Another GREAT David Levien Novel!
I love this Frank Behr series. This was a really good book. I could not stop listening. I can't wait to read the next two novels.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Don M.
- 10-12-16
Great story, end leave you hanging.
Would you listen to City of the Sun again? Why?
Maybe in the future. The characters are engaging and grow throughout the narrative.
What other book might you compare City of the Sun to and why?
Pretty much your stereotypical hard boiled detective thriller.
Which scene was your favorite?
At the compound - exciting and emotional.
Any additional comments?
Well written, although it did use some well worn tropes that aren't necessarily accurate in real life. Cops unwilling to search for a missing kid until 24 hours has elapsed for example.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- WJ84078
- 01-27-16
Too dramatic
I used to really like Scott Brick but he over dramatizes everything. There isn't any build up to exciting parts. Someone cooking eggs is as dramatic as a gun fight. Otherwise, it's a great book. I think it will be a great series.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J. Kromrie
- 11-11-15
a beautiful story of love, courage and redemption
I loved this novel - no negative s, it was well told, captivating and although perhaps improbable, I wouldn't have had it end in any other way than it did. going back to find more by this author (ideally more read by Scott Brick). look forward to a great story and listen to this book!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Bob
- 02-23-09
Almost Great
With inferior material, Scott Brick's highly dramatic narration can become a distraction; with really good material, he can make the story soar. The latter is the case here. Levien's story is a good one and the plot development, the writing and the characters are superb thriller material.
Three quarters of the way through I thought this was a five star book. Once the story turned to Mexico and the denouement, it went a bit flat. It often happens in the thriller genre that endings get a bit too fantastic or otherwise lose their center.
It would have been quite an achievement for Levien to satisfy the set-up here, especially with the emotionally explosive material, the kidnapping of a 12 year old by some bad people. Still a good tale and riveting listen, but the story is clicking on all cylinders while in Indianapolis, and veers off track once it moves south.
The PI Frank Behr is a superb character; I hope he returns.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Molly
- 04-05-17
What Happened to Jamie?.....4 STARS~
PLOT: a missing paper boy has the parents bring in private eye Frank Behr.
Paul and Carol Gabriel have never given up hope their "missing" son Jamie would be found. As their marriage totters on the brink Paul brings in private detective /ex cop Frank Behr. Behr has tragedy of his own including a failed marriage and son that was accidentally killed. Behr searches clues and reports that are several years old.The trail leads to a south of the border child trafficking ring. This is a very good story. The details about the low life scum who deal in this trade are part of what makes you stay glued to the over all story. Frank Behr has a personal life down in the toilet most of the time and so his personal demons often surface as his own choices. The middle of the story drags a bit but the end is well worth the "keep going" to see how it is resolved. I give it 4 STARS over all and 5 STARS for Scott Brick who gives life to Frank Behr.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Adrian Zytkoskee
- 11-13-17
enthralling but tough
We'll written and exciting, but theme tough for me as a parent. even so, I recommend it highly.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Either
- 12-19-09
I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN
Wow!!!!WOW!!!! Can this guy write!!! every sentence seemed to be loaded with action and suspense. I couldnt put it down. One of the best I have heard in a long time
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- B A
- 11-09-15
Could been so much better
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Yea I liked it. Started so good. Last quarter let down a bit.
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
That's not my department. I'm not a writer.
Which scene was your favorite?
Beginning.
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
Yes.
Any additional comments?
Worth the time. Could of been better
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- JenniferLOVESThrillers
- 04-12-15
So good!
Great story ! This was an excellent mystery thriller and Bear was of course fantastic. I enjoyed all the characters and justice. If you like movies like "taken" u will enjoy this story too.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!