#shesnotsorry #marykubica #andiarndt #takeyourbreathaway #linwoodbarclay #joeknezevich #georgenewbern #hillaryhuber #petesimonelli  michaelcrouch #laurenfortgang #jimmeskimen #karissavacker #theunraveling #vikeeland #courtneypatterson #aidensnow #startervillian #johnscalzi #wilwheaton
October is the month when all of my listens should have been horror stories  in keeping with the Halloween theme, but since I find it hard to sleep at night after listening to some books with a scary storyline, I decided that one book with a supernatural theme and with a few villains tossed in might be enough; however, the one book I chose to reflect the creepiness of the month turned out to be more humorous and adorable than creepy. As it happens, one of my usual psycho specials was far more creepy than my chosen bow to Halloween. So, what we have is three psychological thrillers which should suffice to scare you into a few sleepless nights, and an amazing satirical novel that includes super villains, dolphins that form unions, and cats who type.
By Mary Kubica
Narrated by Andi Arndt
There are no good guys in Mary Kubica’s chilling novel, She’s Not Sorry. There are only bad guys and worse guys and there is no genuine happy ending, just a conclusion that condemns the characters to looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives. Yet, despite the despicable nature of most of the characters, I could hardly put down my EarPods!!! The author has written a complex and compelling storyline that will keep you in a constant state of suspense. A woman has been critically injured. Was it an accident or attempted murder? As nurse Meghan Michaels cares for her patient, she seems to learn more than she ever wanted to know about the woman and her family and their uncanny connection to her and her own family. Best to keep your thinking cap on or you will miss some of the turns this winding road takes you around as we move toward an ending that, to me as a retired nurse, was almost incomprehensible. The only thing I will say is there are times when what seems to be a lucky break condemns one to the curse of an uncertain future. Andi Arndt’s riveting performance was perfect for this bizarre tale.
By Linwood Barclay
Narrated by Joe Knezevich, George Newbern, Hillary Huber, Pete Simonelli, Michael Crouch, Lauren Fortgang, Jim Meskimen, &Â Karissa Vacker
My first observation about Take Your Breath Away is this may be the most narrators I’ve ever had for one book; the second would be they were all excellent! This compelling storyline revolves around a woman named Brie who is missing and presumed dead, but as so often happens in psychological thrillers, the dead may not be dead after all. When a woman who appears to be Brie shows up at her old home, all the lives that were upended with her first disappearance are upended again. This time her family and the persistent police oficer who has never really stopped investigating this case refuse to quit until they have answers to all their questions. As with all good thrillers, there are twists and turns some of which you may anticipate and others that will be surprises. Just hang on till the end and author Linwood Barclay will fill in all the blanks for you.
By Vi Keeland
Narrated by Courtney Patterson & Aiden Snow
Vi Keeland’s book The Unraveling was the perfect antidote to my obsession with twisty plot lines. Not only was I left totally in the dark about the ending, but I’m going to come clean and admit I went to another blogger’s spoiler website to see if anything I heard made sense. I truly believe there are people in this world who are just as twisted as the characters in some of the books that capture my imagination. To have an author offer me up a platter of psychos that defies even my vivid imagination is just too delicious. Meredith McCall is a widow. Gabriel Wright is a widower. Sounds like the foundation for a perfect match except it really isn’t, because Meredith’s dead husband is responsible for the death of Gabriel’s wife and child except maybe he isn’t. Meredith becomes obsessed with Gabriel; then Gabriel becomes obsessed with Meredith. Meredith is stalking Gabriel and Gabriel is stalking Meredith and then there’s Rebecca. Wait! “Who’s Rebecca?” you say. She’s the key, so listen carefully to this complex tale of love, betrayal, and obsession. Courtney Patterson’s narration is excellent and the perfect prelude to Aidan Snow’s chilling performance of the final chapter.
By John Scalzi
Narrated by Wil Wheaton
I had forgotten how much I enjoy Wil Wheaton’s narration until I listened to John Scalzi’s satirical and downright funny novel, Starter Villain. This should be a scary novel, right? I mean, you’ve got super villains, talking dolphins, and typing cats. You’ve got bad guys that stab corpses at funerals and then burn your house to the ground hoping you’re in it. To top it off, you have super villains who are also super rich but only on paper and they want you to join them so they can use the money you’ve just inherited. If you’re interested in what a starter villain is, you’ll have to read or listen to the book. But don’t be surprised that it is exactly what it says. Even villains have to start somewhere and you can imagine our hero Charlie’s surprise that his uncle, whom he barely knows, is the very wealthy top dog in a super villain business, and guess what? Uncle Jake has left poor down-on-his-luck Charlie his money and his business. What exactly does the owner of a super villain business do? There again, you’ll just have to read or listen to the adventures of Charlie and his two cats Hera and Persephone –they just happen to be AI cats who type – to find your answers. I’ll confess right now that I laughed out loud more than once (OK, it was almost continuously) while walking on my treadmill and listening to Wil Wheaton’s delightful performance of John Scalzi’s work. Anytime you choose a book by Mr. Scalzi, you can expect a trick and/or treat whether it’s Halloween or not!
Thank You For Following Us at Literati Literature Lovers and Happy Listening in November!
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