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Intimate Bondage
- The Kate Dawson Thrillers, Book 1
- Narrated by: Chaz Allen
- Series: Kate Dawson, Book 1, The Kate Dawson Thriller Series, Book 1
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery
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Publisher's Summary
Someone has a fetish for murder.
Detective Kate Dawson is willing to go undercover to catch a serial killer. But this time, undercover may be exactly what the killer wants.
Two very rich and powerful men in San Francisco have been murdered by a mysterious woman, nicknamed “The Angel of Death” by the press. Stephen Collins is targeted as the third victim. Naked, Collins welcomes a red-headed woman, dressed as a dominatrix, into his Pacific Heights home, and together they engage in sadomasochistic play. The play turns deadly when she produces a blade, hidden in the handle of her whip, and slashes Collins’ throat.
When this rich, politically-connected CEO is found murdered - shackled in his own private dungeon - on a foggy San Francisco morning, Detective Kate Dawson and her partner, Frank Miller, are assigned the case. Dawson was once an up-and-coming star of the San Francisco police department, but her daughter’s senseless death with Kate’s own service revolver put her on a downward spiral. Now, she sees the murder investigation as a chance to redeem herself. Miller, an African American who is a few weeks short of retirement, is looking for one last, big win. Their only lead is a provocative email from “Crystal Rose” with an IP address at the University of San Francisco.
Before long, Kate's on the trail of a serial killer who uses the seedy underworld of porn shops, internet sex sites, and S&M clubs to target victims. She knows the only way to catch the killer is to become part of that world. Her investigation is further complicated by a psychology professor with a penchant for playing mind games.
John Flynn is the three-time, Hugo-nominated author of the Kate Dawson thrillers, a series about a good but tormented cop who walks the dark side and knows its shadows all too well. The other books in the series include The Architects of Armageddon, Murder on Air Force One, Terror at G-20, and Merchants of Death.
What listeners say about Intimate Bondage
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John J. Johnson
- 09-02-19
Masterful! Reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock!
Alfred Hitchcock's greatest films - Vertigo, Rear Window, North By Northwest, Psycho - were psychological thrillers, in which the hero (or heroine) was always in too deep, way over their heads, and just barely managed to get out alive but with grave, often psychological, damage. If Hitchcock were alive today, Intimate Bondage would have been made into his next great thriller. The audio book is simply masterful, with many of the Master's great touches. Kate Dawson is a newly-minted homicide detective; she has survived a number of scrapes, not the least of which is having her daughter killed in a senseless shooting with Kate's own handgun. She knows that one more mistake will end her career, so she's determined to catch the "Angel of Death" serial killer and restore the department's faith in her ability as a detective. She's like the Jimmy Stewart character in Vertigo. A serial killer has murdered several people in San Francisco's BDSM underworld, and in order to catch him/her, Dawson must go undercover with the help of a twisted, game-playing psychologist who has written a book about BDSM. The tension mounts with every scene as Kate pursues her killer, under the watchful eye of Frank Miller, her mentor, an African-American detective who is a few months shy of his retirement, and the help of a nerdy scientist who has been stalking her with a FEMA satellite system he built. As allegiances change throughout the story, you never know who is really on Kate's side and who is purposely working against her. Throw in Hitchcock's The Wrong Man and Rope, and you've got a real mystery-thriller that will have you listening until the final page for the answer. Chaz Allen does an exceptional job with the twists and turns of John Flynn's narrative, making this audio book one of the best on the market today. This book launched the Kate Dawson thriller series, so once you survive this one, you've got four more books in the series. Great job!
6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mitchell Ryan
- 09-14-19
Entertaining! Enjoyable! Exciting!
As an audio book, Intimate Bondage was entertaining, enjoyable and exciting. I was entertained by the twists and turns of the plot. I found the diverse group of characters enjoyable, especially Kate Dawson's broken police detective and how she turned the crisis of a serial killer to her advantage in solving the killer's larger plans. I was riveted by the exciting race against time in the last few moments of the book...You know that, if Kate can't stop the serial killer, more people are going to die, and it comes down to a showdown between the two of them. A car chase, and Kate's car is at the impound lot. How exciting and fresh. I would highly recommend this book to whoever enjoys well-plotted murder mysteries.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- George Hill
- 09-13-19
Forget 50 Shades! This is the Real Deal!
I've been telling those fans of 50 Shades of Gray and its two sequels that the real deal is Intimate Bondage. Released about the same time, Intimate Bondage was written by Christian Gray's therapist, Dr. John Flynn, and it is the romance-mystery tale that 50 Shades should have been. Intimate Bondage is now available as an audio book. I'm on a mission to tell the world to buy this book if they want truly, extraordinary characters, a Dom-sub romance, a real murder mystery set in the fetish underground of San Francisco, and a well-constructed plot that will keep you guessing. I enjoyed reading it twice when it came out, and now that I've listened to it on audio books, my love for this book has been rekindled. Do yourself a favor, and cuddle up with a well-written work. You can thank me later.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Caroline Heat
- 09-12-19
Batten down the Hatches! A Hurricane of a Mystery!
My family and I had just battened down our shudders in anticipation of Hurricane Dorian. We had a couple of long days and nights ahead of us. So I ordered a new mystery from Audible, and settled in for the long wait. Intimate Bondage turned out to be one incredible potboiler, one that every member of my family enjoyed. I had listened to Flynn's Merchants of Death already, so I knew him to be a very capable writer. What I wasn't prepared for was just how remarkable this story truly was! Even better than his first audio book. I loved it, and the time passed quickly, like Hurricane Dorian. I'll be reading more of Flynn's Kate Dawson mysteries in the future!
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David Edwards
- 09-12-19
Shhhh! Don't Reveal the Solution to this Mystery!
Shhhh! I still don't believe it! I just got through listening to the end of this audio book, and I can't believe the answer, but I promise I won't reveal to the solution to this great mystery! This review will not include any spoilers. Let me say, I love mysteries, particularly ones like this that keep me guessing until the final page. The clues were all there, right in front of me. I should have put them altogether, but I didn't. The author snookered me, but in a really brilliant way. The characters were first rate; the setting was extraordinary, like a great travelogue. The book starts off with a startling murder, and with each development of the plot, lures you in hook, line and sinker. I plan to listen to the audio book again tonight. I'm sure I missed a key detail the first time I listened to it, and maybe this time, I'll be shaking my head when the solution is finally revealed. Do your friends a favor: Don't breathe a word about this book, particularly the ending. Just tell me that it's the best damned mystery ever! They'll thank you later.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tia Rektor
- 09-12-19
Great Book! Once is Not Enough!
I love this book! I read it years ago on the advice of a friend who knew I liked 50 Shades of Gray and its sequels. She said Intimate Bondage had been written by Christian Gray's therapist. She was right. Dr. John Flynn did write Intimate Bondage. Well, after reading the book, I realized just how much better it was than 50 Shades. There's an actual mystery at the heart of the love story which develops between Kate Dawson, a police detective, and her psychologist lover/dominant. With the release of the audio book last week, I renewed my love affair with Intimate Bondage. The narration is excellent, and actually makes the story come alive with all the voices the narrator uses to portray the characters. Of course, at the heart of the story is the on-again, off-again love story between Kate and Dr. Monroe; he treats her so badly, but as a submissive, she keeps coming back for more because she just cannot get enough of his charm, intellect, and rugged manliness. Like most great romances, you have to wait until the last page, and the author does not disappoint. There's plenty of other great stuff going on...including a murder mystery worthy of Hitchcock. I just loved the book. Once is truly not enough...you'll want to keep returning to this audio book, particularly on a rainy, lazy Sunday afternoon.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Christina Hariss
- 11-17-19
The 51st Shade of Gray! Great Romantic Novel!
I was once a huge fan of the 50 Shades books, but after seeing the movies and digesting exactly what was going on, I stopped being such an avid fan. I loved the romance, but I just could not bare the thought of a woman submitting her body to Gray's out of control hatred of women I, for one, don't want to be beaten by my husband...there's no love worth that BDSM nonsense in my estimation. So, naturally, I was skeptical when my girlfriend told me Christian Gray's therapist - Dr. John Flynn in books 2 and 3 - had written a book about BDSM, Not another woman submitting to a beating! Then I learned the fictional character of Dr. John Flynn was actually based on a real-life therapist by the same name. Not only was Flynn the model for Gray's therapist, he was also a clinical psychologist Erica James had consulted and relied upon for some of the research she did into BDSM. Real life is actually so much stranger than fiction. The real John Flynn wrote Intimate Bondage as a thriller set in the fetish world of San Francisco's BDSM nightlife. Kate Dawson, Flynn's female homicide detective, is in pursuit of a serial killer nicknamed the "angel of death" who meets her victims through a fetish dating site known as Intimate Bondage.com. She was no empty-headed fool like Anastasia, but a strong woman who refuses to put up with a man beating her. She consults with a psychology professor who has written extensively about BDSM, but their romantic entanglement is one of equals, not some experienced Dom with a little, foolish girl like Anastasia. I preferred the romantic elements in Flynn's novel, and could more easily identify with Kate. I love the by-play between them, as the heat gets turned up high throughout their scenes together. Flynn's novel actually has a great deal more substance to it than 50 Shades because Intimate Bondage is first and foremost a psychological thriller. I absolutely adored this book, and if you are a fan of 50 Shades, you'll love Intimate Bondage even more.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- James B. Jordan
- 11-15-19
Great First Book! Debut Novel for Kate Dawson!
Intimate Bondage was the first book in the Kate Dawson thrillers series. For a debut novel, it introduces the female homicide detective to readers/listeners, and charts the course for future adventures. Kate is new to the Homicide Bureau, but is keenly mentored by a 20+ year veteran of the San Francisco Police Department named Frank Miller. Like his rumpled trench coat and well-worn oxford shoes, the senior inspector has seen plenty of homicides in his day. This one - being a sex crime - is pretty gruesome, but he takes it in stride. Retirement for him is just around the corner, and this will likely be his last investigation. Both he and Dawson work with a handful of other detectives and the medical examiner - each developed with their own unique abilities and quirky behaviors. James Roberts, the head of homicide, does not get along with the veteran inspector and by extension mistrusts Kate as well. The City is also a major character in the story. Clues from the crime scene lead in a specific way, and before long, Frank Miller and Kate Dawson are plunged into San Francisco's dark underbelly of sex clubs, strip joints, and porn shops, in particular the Black Rose, a club that caters to the BDSM crowd. Kate meets a psychology professor who may be a person of interest because he has written a book about BDSM. Divorced, she is attracted to him, and finds herself playing a cat-and-mouse game with him, as she tries to catch her serial killer. The suspense from page one to the last page is incredibly intense as the bodies begin to mount up and her partner is taken off the case by the Chief of Police for impugning a witness friendly with the Mayor and the Mayor's costly redevelopment plans for the city. Like a pawn in a very elaborate chess game, Kate feels blocked at every turn, but still manages to keep after her killer. Dawson fights for every last clue, starting the story as a rookie homicide detective, and eventually earning her stripes as a fully-fledged investigator. This is a phenomenal debut novel, with plenty of twists and turns, and a surprise ending worthy of the great Alfred Hitchcock. With Dawson now fixed in place at the SFPD, she is ready to take on other homicides in future tales written by an impressive John Flynn. I loved this book, and I highly recommend it to others who like well-written and plotted crime thrillers.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David Collins
- 11-13-19
Incredible Writing! Raises bar of Verisimilitude!
A couple of nights ago, Author John Flynn was the guest on a radio show in Austin, and he spoke about the research that went into his writing. In particular, he spoke about Intimate Bondage and verisimilitude. For his depiction of the scenes set in the BDSM club known as the Black Rose in his novel, he visited its real-life model in Washington D.C., which is called the Black Rose, and formed the basis of his fictional club. He said he introduced himself, explained his purpose for wanting to know everything that he could find out, and worked with several couples who showed him the ropes, so to speak. The scene in the book is one of the key sequences, and showcases his incredible writing skills, transforming a real-life club into a fictional one that comes across as being very real. If I didn't know better, I would have thought the Black Rose was an established club in San Francisco. He also reveals his in-depth knowledge of the BDSM lifestyle through his fictional psychology professor's discussions with Kate Dawson. Again, incredible writing skills that raise the bar of verisimilitude. I am now even more impressed with Flynn's writing. Good research is what separates the truly remarkable from a ho-hum story. I think Flynn raises the bar for what is expected from the work of other writers. Great job!
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Frank Pearce
- 11-01-19
Tricks and Treats! Fun Book for a Night of Horror!
I listened to this audio book last night (Halloween), and enjoyed plenty of tricks and treats. With very few children trick-or-treating in my community, I settled in last night to listen to my new book. I wasn't disappointed. Right from the very beginning, there is a gruesome murder, worthy of Hitchcock, the first of several tasty treats.. Then the tricks started happening as author John Flynn led his Kate Dawson on a dangerous chase through the nightmarish underworld of BDSM in San Francisco. I've heard from a radio interview he gave that Flynn actually joined a BDSM club in Washington D.C. so that he could tell his story with realism and authority. Well, it seemed pretty real to me. The story became even more terrifying once the college teacher/psychologist entered the story, and began playing psychological games with Dawson's psyche. Part "Psycho" and part "Rear Window" is the best way for me to describe what follows in the story without giving much away. The final treat at the end of the story was the best of all. This was a fun book for a night like Halloween.
2 people found this helpful