Thriller · Audiobook Review

True Believer

by Jack Carr
Our Review

A fugitive SEAL pulled back into the fight, a terror plot spanning continents, and the thriller many fans rate as Jack Carr's best — narrated by Ray Porter.

What it's about

After his brutal campaign of vengeance, James Reece is the most-wanted domestic terrorist alive — and he's gone to ground deep in the wilds of Mozambique, sheltered by the family of a former SEAL teammate. But when a wave of devastating, coordinated terrorist attacks rocks the Western world, the CIA comes looking. They have one asset who can get close to the shadowy former Iraqi commando orchestrating the chaos: Reece. In exchange for a presidential pardon and immunity for the friends who sheltered him, Reece becomes a reluctant tool of the government, traveling the globe to target terrorist leaders and unravel a conspiracy that runs through a traitorous CIA officer and toward a sinister assassination plot. It's a bigger, more international story than The Terminal List — and one Carr's real-world experience makes feel uncomfortably plausible.

Narration

True Believer is the more sprawling of the early Reece books, and it gives Ray Porter more to do — a globe's worth of characters, accents, and dialects, from African villages to European capitals to the corridors of Washington. He keeps the enormous cast legible and the relentless pace intact, and his Reece deepens here: still lethal, but more weary, more human, carrying the weight of everything book one cost him. Porter's control is what lets the slower opening build instead of sag, and what makes the back half — when the action ignites across continents — land at full force. Listeners frequently single out his performance as the reason the series is best experienced on audio.

Who it's for

Fans of The Terminal List who want more Reece, lovers of globe-trotting espionage and military action, and anyone who values authentic tradecraft from an author who lived it. A perfect long-haul listen for travel or the commute.

Who should skip it

This isn't a starting point — it leans on the events and emotions of The Terminal List. And if you need nonstop action from page one, the deliberate, slower-burning first act asks for a little patience before it pays off.

Verdict

Listen to it. A bigger, bolder follow-up that many fans rate above the original, with Ray Porter delivering one of his strongest thriller performances. If The Terminal List hooked you, this is non-negotiable.

Bottom Line
The second James Reece thriller, and many fans' favorite of the series. A fugitive Reece is offered a pardon to hunt the mastermind behind a wave of terror attacks across Europe. Ray Porter narrates a sprawling, 15-hour international cast without dropping the pace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I listen to The Terminal List first? +
Yes. True Believer is the second James Reece book and picks up directly after the first. Start with The Terminal List.
Is True Believer better than The Terminal List? +
Many listeners think so — it's more globe-spanning and ambitious. Both are narrated by Ray Porter and widely loved.
Who narrates True Believer? +
Ray Porter, who voices the entire James Reece series. He handles a large international cast of accents and characters here.
How long is the audiobook? +
About 15 hours and 44 minutes — the longest of the early Reece books, befitting its globe-trotting scope.
Is the tradecraft realistic? +
Author Jack Carr is a former Navy SEAL, and the detail is notably authentic — he's noted that parts of the book were redacted by the Department of Defense.
Audible Free Trial
Get this audiobook
free.
30-day trial · cancel anytime · keep your books forever
Start Free Trial →