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    Pulse: A Novel
    Pulse: A Novel
    Pulse: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    Pulse: A Novel

    Written by Michael Harvey

    Narrated by Chris Andrew Ciulla

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    About this audiobook

    The story of a Boston murder that defies all expectations—optioned for film by 21 Laps, the company behind Stranger Things and Arrival

    Boston, 1976. In a small apartment above Kenmore Square, sixteen-year-old Daniel Fitzsimmons is listening to his landlord describe a seemingly insane theory about invisible pulses of light and energy that can be harnessed by the human mind. He longs to laugh with his brother Harry about it, but Harry doesn’t know he’s there—he would never approve of Daniel living on his own. None of that matters, though, because the next night Harry, a Harvard football star, is murdered in an alley.

    Detectives “Bark” Jones and Tommy Dillon are assigned to the case. The veteran partners thought they’d seen it all, but they are stunned when Daniel wanders into the crime scene. Even stranger, Daniel claims to have known the details of his brother’s murder before it ever happened. The subsequent investigation leads the detectives deep into the Fitzsimmons brothers’ past. They find heartbreaking loss, sordid characters, and metaphysical conspiracies. Even on the rough streets of 1970s Boston, Jones and Dillon have never had a case like this.

    Pulse is a novel laced with real danger and otherworldly twists—a master class by an endlessly gifted writer.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateOct 23, 2018
    ISBN9780062865359
    Author

    Michael Harvey

    Michael Harvey is the author of seven previous novels, including Brighton and The Chicago Way. He’s also a journalist and documentarian whose work has won multiple News & Documentary Emmys, two Primetime Emmy nominations, and an Academy Award nomination. Raised in Boston, he now lives in Chicago.

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    Reviews for Pulse

    4/5

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    • 5/5
      very good writing! What a thrill ride, start to finish!
    • 4/5
      Michael Harvey's recently published book, "Pulse," combines fantasy, based on some actual metaphysics, and suspenseful detective story into an innovative novel worth the read.
      Whenever a reader enters into a fantasy novel or a science fiction novel, the reader must "suspend the disbelief," or accept the basic underlying premise of the book, even when it's a real stretch to do so. If the book is based on time travel, for example, the reader must read as if he believes time travel occurs; if taking a potion turns a scientist into a monster (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), the reader must accept that a potion can perform that kind of change. Even in fantasy novels, a modicum of plausibility must be maintained. Once established, however, the "fantastical" premise must be protected and maintained.
      I enter into reading fantasy gingerly because, so often, the author violates the premise he has asked me to accept by including story elements which are inconsistent with the premise. I have rated two books I read this year with 2 stars because they did this (regretting reading them at all), but I have begun and discarded many more because when the violation occurs, when the hole in the plot becomes unbearable, I stop reading.
      Happily this does not occur in Pulse. The author initiates a premise, makes it more or less plausible, and never violates or compromises it. He then weaves the premise deftly into the story line and plot and, in the end, turns our a good book. Primarily a suspense/mystery novel, Pulse propels the reader through a story of murder and intrigue, twisting and turning the events of the story just enough to keep the reader riveted to the book, never quite sure how it will turn out.
      The fantasy feature of the novel is a sort of metaphysical theology that does not interfere with the story but becomes an element of it that must be resolved.
      For me, finding and reading Pulse was a sort of metaphysical event of its own.
      I usually select books to read based on reviews, recommendations and sample portions I preview. For Pulse, however, I was at my local library, already carrying a load of books to the circulation desk. I veered off from the direct route to the counter to pass by a set of shelves that happened to be the "New Books" shelves. I impulsively reached for the first one that came to hand--Pulse. I figured that if it wasn't any good, it didn't matter because I was checking out 4 other books I had already researched and wanted to read. This ended up being a happy decision. The book was wonderful.
      But to extend that a sort of metaphysical happenstance lead me to select this book, what happened when I got to the end of the story startled me even more than deciding to read it in the first place. The author, Michael Harvey, included a list of "Notes and Acknowledgements" that, like most readers, I usually skip. In this case, however, I was struck by the titles and authors he had listed.
      The list included the Dalai Lama, Richard Rohr, Matthieu Ricard and others, and many of the exact titles of their works that I had read. To see these religious, spirituality and philosophic writers as inspirations for the novel absolutely amazed me. In thinking back on the book when I had finished it, however, I did see the influence and thinking of these writers in the metaphysical part of the novel's story. In fact, I have to believe that the ideas they expressed were probably the entire catalyst to Harvey in creating this novel in the first place.
      At any rate, this book is a good read. I am glad I literally happened into it, and I recommend it to anyone seeking an interesting and innovative work of fiction.
    • 3/5
      In 1976 Boston, Daniel Fitzsimmons is alone; his father has never been around, his mother died when he was eight, and his brother, Harry, is away at Harvard. But Harry’s murder, in what appears to be a senseless street killing, leaves Daniel to face both his grief and his strange power, a power he is not certain he can control.Detectives William Barkley “Bark” Jones and Tommy Dillon are assigned to Harry’s case. How, they wonder, can Daniel have known the details of his brother’s murder before it happened? What will the two detectives find when they dig into the Fitzsimmons family history? And what is the strange power that Daniel seems to possess?Interesting characters, a setting that encompasses an explosive time in Boston’s history, and a captivating plot all contribute to this creative, intriguing page-turner that explores the harnessing of light energy by the human mind. However, the narrative spins out its story with a heavy dose of offensive/coarse/harsh language, ostensibly fitting for the setting, but readers will find that the continual barrage quickly becomes off-putting.
    • 4/5
      A gritty look back at Boston in the 1970's with a nice sprinkling of quantum physics to spice up this thriller.
    • 4/5
      This is one of those books that must give publishers the vapours. Police procedural? Sci-fi? Mystery? Grit-lit? Well….yes, it is. All of the above. So instead of trying to label it, I’ll do my best to describe this heartfelt & thought provoking read. The first book I read by this author was the fabulous “Brighton”, a book that remains on my Top 10 of the last few years. This one is very different but similar in all the ways that matter. It’s essentially the story of 2 pairs of brothers. One is related by blood while the other pair are bound by shared history. Daniel & Harry Fitzsimmons have been looking after each other since their mother died 8 years ago (Dad took a hike much earlier). They couldn’t be more different. Golden boy Harry is a football star at Harvard. He’s a straight arrow who’s determined to use his situation to provide a better life for both of them. Daniel is an insular 16 year old who will never be one of the cool kids. Instead, he hangs with fellow geeks Ben & Grace. Daniel knows he’s different. Sometimes he sees things when he touches other people, when he “entangles” his mind with theirs. It can be their darkest secret or an event that hasn’t happened yet. Either way, he always feels a pulse & knows a tiny piece of himself has been changed. Daniel ends up renting a room from the mysterious Simon, a self professed ex-professor of quantum physics. He’s an odd duck who believes human beings transfer information across time through pulses of light & touch. And he seems to know waaaay too much about Daniel. Things are ticking along until 1 fateful night when Daniel gets a premonition & ends up stumbling across Harry’s body in one of Boston’s seedier back alleys.Tommy Dillon & Barkley Jones are “blue” brothers, detectives & partners with the Boston PD. Barkley is a black man who’s all too aware of the racial tension simmering in Boston. It’s 1976 & only 3 years since schools became integrated. Bark is the voice of reason in the partnership, trying to keep a loose rein on the volatile Tommy. So it’s more than a little disconcerting when a woman touches him on the street one day & he feels an odd pulse. And the vision he has…well, that’s just plain weird. They catch the call for a recent homicide & it’s the stuff of nightmares. They have a dead, white Harvard football star & a black suspect. Why was Harry Fitzsimmons in such a dangerous neighbourhood? And how did his kid brother end up at the scene? As the investigation progresses they unearth some disturbing facts about the Fitzsimmons’ past while the media has a field day with the racial implications. And Barkley will have to decide just how far he’s willing to go to protect Tommy from his personal demons. This is a brain bender of a book. The supernatural elements & tidbits on quantum mechanics mean you have to keep an open mind & I’m not going to smugly pretend I understood all of it. But it raised fascinating questions & possibilities. If that’s not your thing, no worries. As with Brighton, Harvey gives us characters that will break your heart while stealing it. Daniel & Barkley in particular will put you through the wringer as they struggle to make the best choices. The setting is another character. From the rarified air of Harvard to the edgy neighbourhoods of Southie, Boston is portrayed in all it’s gritty, divided glory. By the end, no one walks away unscathed & not all will survive. Daniel’s questions (and ours) are answered as the past & true identities are revealed. You’re left with a glimmer of hope that even great tragedy might eventually give way to something better. So if you’re looking for a well written & different slant on police procedurals, this should fit nicely. Besides, it’ll give you a chance to brush off all that quantum physics you’ve been dying to use. Just maybe don’t touch anyone while you’re reading ?.