Wow, I was lucky to pick up these three audiobooks over the last couple of weeks. All of these thriller/suspense stories were wonderful entertainment and had me glued to my kindle or listening while doing my chores outside. I recommend each of them to those who enjoy an escape, a thrilling ride and an a well-written story.

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The Therapist by B.A. Paris, Olivia Dowd & Thomas Judd (Narrators)

Expected publication: July 13th 2021 by Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press

4 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In B.A. Paris’ latest book we find Alice and Leo moving into a new gated community. The plan is to keep Alice’s cottage as a rental, sell Leo’s home and move closer to his work. Alice was a bit apprehensive and when she finds out that the previous owner, Nina, was killed in her home and her husband commit suicide, she is ready to pack up and move out. When a private detective asks for her help in clearing the husband of suspicion (he was hired by his ill sister) she feels uncomfortable but can’t resist passing on information she gleans from the neighbors. Eventually, Alice becomes obsessed in trying to solve this crime of who killed Nina, The Therapist.

This book has received mixed reviews, but I have to say I enjoyed it. I agree, it was not B.A. Paris’ best book, but it was well-written, had me wanting to know what was happening and I did invested in Alice’s story. Alice is a bit naive, paranoid that the murder victim has the same name as her sister, and needs to develop a bit of a backbone. She wants to fit in with her neighbors in this gated community with just 12 homes. The story is told from several POVs and there are some excerpts from the therapist (Nina). As Leo travels for business, Alice spends nights alone in the house. She has the eerie feeling that someone has been entering into the house at night. This story is relatively fast paced, but their are a few slower parts and some repetition. This is more of a mystery than a thriller, but it has some suspenseful moments and one huge twist at the end. With the idea of unreliable sources of information, and several suspects, this one kept me guessing right to the end. This was a nice bit of escapism, a popcorn book that I enjoyed. The narrators, Olivia Dowd and Thomas Judd do a nice job with this story. I always enjoy a book with both male and female narrators to do the voices. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.

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The Shadow Man by Helen Fields, Narrated by Robin Laing & Cathleen McCarron

Published February 4th 2021 by Avon

5 Stars:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I recently read my first Helen Fields’ book and realized that this is an author that I need to read her other publications. I am so glad I grabbed The Shadow Man. The book opens with an abduction and it grabbed me and did not let go. With three victims abducted and being held in a house somewhere, the story is a race to find them and set them free. Will the police find the Shadow Man before there are anymore victims?

I did a read listen with this book and it was creepy. The Shadow Man has something called Cotard’s Syndrome and I had never heard of it before. I actually went online to read more about it. It was a great fit to this story. The story has several POVs, The Shadow Man, An American Forensic Psychologist Connie Woolwine who is consulting on the case, and the various victims. They all mesh perfectly together to give us a full understanding of what is going on. This is one of those books that I just went along for the ride. It was a gripping thriller that I could not put down until I turned the last page. If you enjoy a chilling, thriller with a rather strange perpetrator, then you need to pick this one up and if you can get your hands on the audiobook, even better. Robin Laing and Cathleen McCarron are definitely narrators that I will watch for! I received a copy of the ebook from the publisher upon request, but I got the audiobook from the library to give me that read/listen that I so enjoy. The rating and opinions shared are my own.

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Hurry Home by Roz Nay, Hillary Huber (Narrator)

Published July 7th 2020 by Dreamscape Media, LLC, Crooked Lane Books

4 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is my first book by Roz Nay, but it won’t be my last. I enjoyed this twisty psychological/domestic thriller. Twenty-five-year old, Alexandra Van Ness (Alex) lives in a beautiful apartment with her perfect boyfriend, and has a job she loves. She is a child protection social worker and her first and only goal is to save children that are at risk, no matter what she has to do. When Alex and Minerva investigate the negligence of Buster Floyd, she does not agree with the way her colleague handles it. That night while sharing her day with Chase, Alex’s sister, Ruth shows up at her door. Alex and Ruth do not get along and there are a lot of buried secrets between them. They have not seen each other in over then years and Alex is not happy to see her. Ruth tells her she is pregnant and Alex and Chase allow her to stay with them. Once again, there are things tat Ruth is not saying. Alex will only allow Rut to stay if she promises not to say anything about their past. What are they hiding and how will it affect their loved ones when it comes out?

I really enjoyed this well-written and entertaining book. From the beginning, I was invested in the story and couldn’t stop reading and listening. The story alternates between Alex’s and Ruth’s point of view. Something happened when the sisters were young that changed their family forever. Roz Nay introduces us to some great characters, some I liked, others I wanted to throttle. I thought I knew what was going on, but was sadly mistaken. There were several twists and the final one took me by surprise. I was not sure who to believe and whether either of the sisters were reliable narrators. There is some child neglect and /or abuse occurring in this story, but it is not too graphic and was necessary in the story. Roz Nay delivers a fast-paced, well-written and atmospheric read. With themes of family, trust, secrets and protection of the vulnerable, this book was an entertaining read. I have listened to a few books narrated by Hillary Huber and enjoy her performances. Her voice is pleasant to listen to, using expression and tone to differentiate characters. The performance was well-paced and enjoyable. I recommend this one to those who like a suspenseful and puzzling story with great characters.