Trail of Secrets by Eileen Goudge Published by Brilliance Audio, Viking Books on March 1st 1996
Genres: Women's Fiction
Pages: 443
Format: Audiobook
ISBN: 067086191X
ASIN: B001KPW8EK
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When a baby is snatched in the night, three lives are changed forever in this engrossing novel by the author of Garden of Lies. Contrasting the blue-blooded equestrian world with the blue-collar beat of a mounted cop, Trail of Secrets sparks a fire that draws three women into the heart of jealously guarded, dark secrets.
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#SandraBurr #BabySnatcher #SecretsAndLies #Equestrians #Cops @eileengoudge
Eileen Goudge is an author whose work I’ve been reading for years so I’m surprised that Trail of Secrets is the first of her books I’ve listened to. I can always count on Ms. Goudge’s ability as a storyteller. Her books are detailed and it is obvious she does her research on the topics that involve specialty areas. Despite the fact that I’ve left the dark realms of my last three reviews behind, I did find one similarity in Trail of Secrets. As you might guess from the title, the storyline evolves from a quagmire of secrets and lies not unlike Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. Skylar Sutton is a young woman who has led a privileged life. Her wealthy adoptive parents adore her and she is a winner on the equestrian circuit with plans to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. Despite everything she has, the one thing she doesn’t have is knowledge of the woman who gave birth to her. Her adoptive mother Kate lives in fear that Skylar will discover the truth of how she came to be her daughter. When her infant daughter is stolen from her, Ellie Nightingale rises from her ashes like the Phoenix after experiencing what no parent ever should. These three women’s lives will intersect through an act of serendipity or misfortune depending on one’s perspective as they embark on their journey of discovery down a trail of secrets.
Sandra Burr is not a narrator I’ve listened to before Trail of Secrets. I found her to be a very good performer. She has the knack for giving the characters slightly different inflections in their voices so you easily recognize who is speaking. She also does well with accents and children’s voices. There is a kind of other-worldly voice that she used to communicate “thoughts” the characters were having which I found a bit disconcerting. I thought it was a great idea which could have benefitted from an engineering tweak so there wasn’t such a volume change from the other narrative.
Trail of Secrets is a fine example of the type of storytelling that has made Ms. Goudge a popular writer. The relationships are complex with lots of family drama. There is joy, there are tears, and an ending that is satisfying. The author is particularly sensitive in her treatment of the relationship between Tony Salvatore and his friend Jimmy Dolan who is a gay man with HIV. I think listeners will love some of the characters and hate others; they will be horrified, touched, shocked, but highly entertained by this story.
About Eileen Goudge
I’m a writer by day, with 16 fiction titles and 1 cookbook to my name, and wife of a film critic by night. Be careful what you tell me or it might end up in one of my novels. I come from a large family with a few skeletons rattling around in the closet. I’m also a mom and serial wife (my current husband is not my first, though he’s without a doubt the last). Fortunately my friends and family are still speaking to me, and readers continue to read what I’ve written. Maybe because I’m not afraid to go there. So, please, pull up a chair if you dare.
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