Welcome to Thriller Thursday, where I share my thought on the latest thrillers I have read. This week, I am sharing 3 audiobooks, 2 from my backlist that I finally listened to, and 1 new release. Listen to the Lie is a mystery and psychological thriller, Dark Angel is a crime thriller and The Seven Doors is a domestic thriller. Scroll down for my thoughts.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera, Narrated by January LaVoy & Will Damron 

Published March 5th 2024 by Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio

4.5 Stars:

After reading great reviews for Listen for the Lie, I requested the audiobook from my library and was excited to listen to this one. Five years ago, Lucy Chase left her small town of Plumpton, Texas under a cloud of suspicion. When her BFF, Savvy Harper was murdered, Lucy was suspected of her death. Lucy was also injured in the attack and had lost her memory of the event. As there were no other suspects, everyone assumed that Lucy had killed Savvy. It is her grandmother’s 80th birthday, and she lures Lucy back to town. Lucy is worried about seeing her old friends again, but she is also going to meet with a true crime podcaster, Ben Owens, that her grandmother wants her to meet. She is sure that he can finally solve the crime. Lucy agrees, not only for her grandmother, but she also wants to know the truth. As she spends more time with Ben talking about the crime and her relationships, as well as being back in Plumpton, the more her memories come back. Who really killed Savvy and why?

I listened to Listen for the Lie, narrated by January LaVoy and Will Damron. They made this story come alive for me. This was a mystery, bit of a thriller and suspense story. This story was told from various POVs. We have Lucy’s POV, but also a voice in her head. She talks to Savvy, trying to sort out what happened. I loved her grandmother. She supported Lucy from day one and completely believed in her innocence. I didn’t like her ex-husband at all, he was judgmental and learning about their past together, I was glad she had cut loose from him. The podcast episodes that were interspersed into the story gave us another perspective. As the clues and tidbits were dropped, I struggled to try and figure out who I thought was the killer. There were enough twists to keep me guessing. The climax/reveal was surprising and I had not suspected at all, but it was sell explained and was believable. This was a quick read with short chapters, and I enjoyed reading this one.

Dark Angel (Special Agent Beth Katz, #1) by D.K. Hood, Lauryn Allman (Narrator)

Published September 12th 2023 by Bookouture, Hachette UK – Bookouture

4 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Beth Katz is an FBI special agent who’s skill to tracking serial killers. She developed this skill after living with a serial killer, her father. Now she tracks them, but also kills them, when she can, a vigilante. The ones she kills are predators, those who prey on young girls. When the book opens, Beth rescues a child and kills the kidnapper, but tells her partner that when she came upon him, he was already dead. She is not believed, and the next thing she knows, she has been transferred to Rattlesnake Creek, Montana to work with (ie train with) FBI Senior Special Agent Dax Styles. She has to learn how they do things out west, but before long, they are tracking down the “Pied Piper” a serial killer who is killing children throughout the state. What Beth realizes is that this killer always takes two girls, one is found dead, the other disappears. Her goal is to find the second girl and find out what has been happening to them. When she comes face to face with the killer, will she turn him over, or will she end his life?

I wasn’t sure when this book started how I would feel. I am not a fan of serial killers, even vigilantes who are killing bad people, but something about Beth’s character called to me. This was an extremely interesting plot, one that was a bit convoluted as one thing led to something else. I really liked seeing how Beth and Dax would work together. He is different from other partners she worked with as he is a bit of a maverick himself. He plays the game with other law enforcement, but supports Beth and believes in her. Styles has always been a loner, so working with Beth was a bit out of his comfort zone. He didn’t completely trust her, and rightfully so as she was keeping secrets and plans from him. The investigation into what happened to the second girls was dark, and nasty, but unfortunately, it was also believable. I’m not going to say much more, except that this was a creepy story, one with twists, extremely tense moments and great characters. The audiobook was narrated by Lauryn Allman and she does an amazing job with the characters, their voices and the storytelling. She pulled me into the story even more. This book is a police procedural, crime thriller and mystery all rolled into one. I am looking forward to the second book in this series. Shadow Angel.

The Seven Doors by Agnes Ravatn, Translated by Rosie Hedger, Charlotte Strevens (Narrator)

Published September 17th 2020 by Orenda Books, ISIS Audio Books

4 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

University professor Nina and her physician husband, Mads, own a house that they are renting out. It is currently being rented by a single mother, Mari, and her small child. When Nina’s daughter shows up complaining that she and her family have to move, Nina suggests she might be able to move into the house that they are currently renting. They go to look at it and Nina’s daughter confronts Mari demanding to be let in to see the house, then telling her that she will have to move out. Mari is terrified and the next day, she has disappeared, leaving her child behind. The police begin an investigation, but they have come to a dead end. Nina feels guilty and begins her own investigation, to find the young mother. The more she finds out, the more it looks like there could be problems and consequences within her family.

The Seven Doors is told strictly from Nina’s point of view. The story starts slowly and gradually builds to the conclusion. Nina has her own life issues as well, nearing retirement, her husband not home often and having a strained relationship with her daughter. The chapters are short, adding to the build up of tension and suspense. This is a dark psychological thriller that is a slow burn, but will draw you in. As I got to the end, I was on the edge of my seat to find out what really happened. The ending was unexpected. The setting of a cold, Norwegian winter added to the atmospheric feel of the story. This book was translated from Norwegian and I found the story seamless. Charlotte Strevens narrates this audiobook and does a nice job with the story.