Beth Ann

Should be a Series!

Reviewed: 06-26-24

This is a beautiful novel and a satisfyingly modern murder mystery expertly combined into one wonderful book.
There is a deep theme of racism in southern culture. In addition there is a rich theme of religion, loss of faith and the hypocrisy of some church-goers. The complexities of love for family and partners is handled beautifully as well. I’ve read that this novel is considered Southern noir. In an interview given while he was writing the book (The Guardian 7/31/2021), Cosby described it as a southern gothic murder mystery.
I love the pacing of this book. There are generous stretches inside (main-character) Titus’ mind and heart, punctuated by abrupt action that keeps the pace from sagging. The effect is a richness, a feeling of lush atmosphere to the prose, that harkens back to classic literature. Yet the plot uses some recognizably modern crime and murder situations and a more current momentum to keep the effect from being old-fashioned. The overall result is a rewarding combination of the best of both worlds. The character of Titus is rich and fascinating. This totally needs to be the first in a series. I sincerely hope that Cosby is working on book two—get on that ASAP please!
This book is amazing in many ways. Cosby manages to combine beautiful, perceptive prose with a modern murder mystery, rich characters with depth and authenticity, and a satisfying plot. The crimes are standard modern ones, but Cosby spins them in a unique way that keeps the story feeling fresh.
I listened to the Audible version and the reader was excellent.

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Too Intense for Me

Reviewed: 01-02-23

I don’t normally appreciate trigger warnings—I feel like they are spoilers—but this book needs them! The story includes a terrifying and extended school shooting/hostage scenario and a 14-year-old girl repeatedly threatened with sexual assault. It’s extremely intense and it was too much for me.
Having said that, the book is expertly crafted and I did finish it. The plot is very timely. Extremist conspiracy theorists break into the school with guns, following their delusional hypothesis that they are saving children from a terrible fate. The author does a good job of portraying these wackos in a way that is understandable and frightening.
This is the second book in a trilogy. I see now that Goodreads refers to this as a thriller series, so that makes sense. I normally read mysteries rather than thrillers. The first book felt much more like a mystery to me.
I love the character of Abby Mullen and her fascinating background of having survived a cult as a child comes into play in this story. All the characters are well-crafted. I have to say also that the plot is extremely well-crafted, even though I found it too intense for my preference. This book leaves you with a cliffhanger, wanting to jump right into the next book. I probably will read the final book in the series, just to see how it all wraps up.

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Not a Favorite

Reviewed: 11-02-22

A woman is found dead at the base of a cliff in a beautiful, exclusive town on the coast of western Canada. Did she fall accidentally or was she pushed? As the victim’s life comes under scrutiny, all the seemingly lovely lives around her are revealed to be far from perfect.
This is not my favorite type of book. It’s more of a psychological thriller rather than a traditional who-done-it, although there is a mysterious death to be solved. What I don’t enjoy about this type of book is that there is no hero or heroine, no one to really root for. All the characters are morally questionable and not entirely likeable, although they are interesting.
Another aspect that was off-putting for me was in the style. The book jumps around a lot between characters and time frames. It uses third-person narration, but the author dedicates chapters to the viewpoint of different characters, jumping from one to another often, both adults and children. The moving from distant past to recent past, then day-by-day around the death is tricky to follow. I listened to the Audible version, and the reader was good, but it might have been easier to follow the disjointed timeline if I had the paper book to see visually. The jumping around weaves an obsession with a much older case into the current situation, leaving the reader wondering if the old case has something in common with the new investigation.
The author seemed to go to an amazing amount of trouble to piece together the story in a way that keeps the reader working to put the clues together. While it’s somewhat effective, it felt heavy-handed and contrived to me. That said, I was fully engaged as the story really started to heat up three quarters of the way through the book.
The author does a good job of presenting numerous potential suspects. The ending was fairly satisfying, if not surprising. I would rate it 3 ½ stars. I won’t rush to read this author again.

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AMAZING!

Reviewed: 06-02-22

I loved this! This is the whole package. The performances were fantastic. The story was fascinating and poignant. I knew almost nothing about Marie Curie prior to listening to this. It made me what to dig deep into her biography. I was amazed by the glimpse into history and the lives these women led at a time when women didn't even have the right to vote. The relationship depicted between the two friends was incredibly moving to me. I highly recommend this.

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LOVED IT!!

Reviewed: 06-11-17

I loved everything about this audio book! The two readers were wonderful, the story was amazing and the way it came together -over a series of flashbacks- was fantastic. I highly, highly recommend!

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Awful narration!

Reviewed: 06-23-16

I normally love it when an author reads his or her own work, but Tracy is an exception. Here's someone who absolutely should have hired a professional narrator. His tone and voice quality were just awful. It detracted from the good ideas in this book, which by the way you've probably heard all of them before. The ideas serve as a good reminder, but don't pay full price for this.

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3 people found this helpful

Twists and Turns

Reviewed: 04-14-15

This is a satisfying story. I love the characters of Joe Pickett and his family. This story pulls in someone from Mary Beth's past in an interesting way. I especially enjoy the descriptions of Wyoming's natural landscape and its beauty. The plot moves at a good pace. If you liked the first book in the series, you will like this one too. I'm about to download the next one.

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Loved it!

Reviewed: 03-27-15

This is a great book! I loved the character of Joe Pickett and the plot really kept me guessing and interested. This story worked on all levels. The mystery, the family sub-plot and the Wyoming setting were all terrific. I highly recomend it. I can't wait to get the next book in the series.

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Amazing!

Reviewed: 01-10-15

I'm a big fan of mysteries and The plot shocked me. The Narrators were fantastic. I'm in awe of this book. Highly recommend.

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Special Treat

Reviewed: 09-18-14

I really enjoyed this. The narrator has a beautiful, authentic sounding African accent. The style of writing takes a bit of getting used to, but overall, it's a beautiful book.

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