This week’s Thriller Thursday has me reviewing two books, one a slow burning thriller and the other more of a suspenseful story with some twists and lots of adventure. I enjoyed them both and recommend them in either audiobook or whatever format you prefer.

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen, Kate Mara (Narrator)

Published August 1st 2023 by St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio

4 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Catherine Sterling was raised by her mother Ruth. Ruth worked hard to raise her, but often had to move from one place to another. Now it seems it is Catherine’s turn to take care of Ruth. Just as she is ready to take a job at a hospital out of town, and start her career as a nurse, things start happening. Catherine has worked in the memory care unit at a nursing home, so knows the signs of early onset dementia. She can’t leave her, and turns down the job, but things aren’t what they seem. Ruth has kept her background secret and as the story progresses, we learn about her past and why she has kept things secret for so long. The one thing she doesn’t want is for Catherine to leave and go somewhere that she can’t protect her. Catherine suspects that her mother is not being truthful and what she finds out, brings danger to their door.

Gone Tonight is a slow burn, building to it’s crescendo brick by brick, keeping me wondering what Ruth was hiding. The story is told in alternating chapters with both Ruth’s and Catherine’s point of view. I was surprised to hear what happened in Ruth’s past to bring her to this point and am shocked that she has survived and raised Catherine to be a wall-balanced young woman. I don’t want to give anything else away, so will stop there. This was a well developed story with lots of twists that kept me listening well into the night. I was not expecting that ending, but it tied the story up nicely. I just wish it had moved a bit quicker. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Kate Mara. I don’t think I have listened to any books she has narrated before, but I will not hesitate to listen to others. I enjoyed her voices, expression and tone that made this book even more taut and enjoyable. Trigger Warning: There is one scene of sexual assault.

North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan, Eliza Foss (Narrator)

Published August 8th 2023 by Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio

4 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Boyd McIntyre is the head of a Los Angeles crime family, or at least he is the face of enterprise. Five years earlier, his adopted brother and his children’s godfather, took his children with him to escape the family with the help of Boyd’s sister Ruby. They have been hiding out in Montana, but Boyd has finally found them. Trying to escape, the plane they are in is hit by gunfire and it crashes. Kristen and Ryan survive, but Tony, the man they thought of as their father, is seriously injured. He tells them to leave him and they do. Meanwhile Boyd has hired a tracker and he is closing in. Ruby gets a message that the kids are in danger and she heads to the mountain woods to find them, as well as rancher Nick Lorenzo, and his son, Kristen’s best friend. With all these people looking for them, who will find them first and will they survive the storm that is moving in?

North of Nowhere is a standalone thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. Whenever kids are in danger, my emotions are all over the place. Kristen is now eleven, but has had a lot of trauma in her life. She saw her mother killed and was treated terribly by her grandmother. She hated the McIntyre family and wanted nothing to do with them. She has no desire to return to their home in Los Angeles. Ryan is younger and deaf. He doesn’t remember his father and thinks of Tony as his father. He is a bit scared to be out in the woods, but knows he needs to do what he is told to remain safe. I loved the relationship between the siblings. Ruby left home when her fiancé was killed by the family and enlisted in the army, she also wants nothing to do with the family, but is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her niece and nephew safe. There is a lot of tension and suspense in this story, that had me worried about what might happen next. There were some twists that I had expected, but I was still a bit surprised by some of what happened. This is a well plotted story with just the right amount of adventure and danger. If you enjoy a good suspense story with some twists, then I recommend North of Nowhere. I did a read/listen and found the narrator, Eliza Foss did an nice job with the story, the voices and the expression and tone. I have listened to her before and have been pleased with her work.