Thoughts on 3 audiobooks : The Better Sister by Alafair Burke – Run Away by Harlan Coben – The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka
The Better Sister by Alafair Burke
Narration : Sophie Amoss, Samantha Desz, Mike Chamberlain
Genre : Thriller
Stand alone
About the Book :
Though Chloe was the younger of the two Taylor sisters, she always seemed to be in charge. Nicky was always restless . . . and more than a little reckless—the opposite of her ambitious little sister.
Chloe earned a scholarship to an Ivy League school and moved to New York City, where she landed a coveted publishing job. Nicky married promising young attorney Adam Macintosh, and gave birth to a baby boy they named Ethan.
Now, more than fifteen years later, their lives are drastically different—and Chloe is married to Adam. When he’s murdered by an intruder at the couple’s East Hampton beach house, Chloe reluctantly allows her teenaged stepson’s biological mother—her estranged sister, Nicky—back into her life. But when the police begin to treat Ethan as a suspect in his father’s death, the two sisters are forced to unite. . .
My Thoughts :
This was my second time reading Alafair Burke after reading The Wife earlier this year, which I had thought was fine without being anything new. I feel this one was similar in many ways, but to be honest, I’m glad I borrowed it.
Mostly, I felt the story was predictable and the characters hard to connect with. Everything felt a bit messy and forced, and when secrets started to be revealed towards the end, I didn’t feel convinced by the experience. Also. too much of the plot happened because people conveniently just didn’t talk to each other. I did like the court scenes, but sadly they were only a small part of the novel.
* * *
Run Away by Harlan Coben
Narration : Steven Weber
Genre : Thriller
Stand alone
About the Book :
You’ve lost your daughter.
She’s addicted to drugs and to an abusive boyfriend. And she’s made it clear that she doesn’t want to be found.
Then, by chance, you see her playing guitar in Central Park. But she’s not the girl you remember. This woman is living on the edge, frightened, and clearly in trouble.
You don’t stop to think. You approach her, beg her to come home.
She runs.
And you do the only thing a parent can do: you follow her into a dark and dangerous world you never knew existed. Before you know it, both your family and your life are on the line. And in order to protect your daughter from the evils of that world, you must face them head on.
My Thoughts :
I hadn’t read something of Harlan Coben in years, but I’m so glad I chose to read this one! It was fast paced and well written, and extremely engaging.
I think what made the book great for me was Simon’s narration, as well as his relationships with the members of his family. I felt that the decisions he made were realistic given the context, and I was rooting for him all along. I also really enjoyed the narrator.
* * *
The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka
Narration : Allyson Ryan
Genre : Thriller
Series : Roxane Weary, book 1
About the Book :
Sarah Cook disappeared fifteen years ago, the same night her parents were brutally murdered in their suburban Ohio home. Her boyfriend – black and from the wrong side of the tracks – was convicted of the murders and sits on death row, though he always maintained his innocence. With his execution only weeks away, his devoted sister, insisting she has spotted Sarah at a local gas station, hires PI Roxane Weary to look again at the case.
Reeling from the recent death of her cop father, Roxane finds herself drawn to the story of Sarah’s vanishing act, especially when she thinks she’s linked Sarah’s disappearance to one of her father’s unsolved murder cases involving another teen girl. Despite her self-destructive tendencies, Roxane starts to hope that maybe she can save Brad’s life and her own.
My Thoughts :
Most of the mystery novels I’ve read lately have been psychological thrillers and domestic thrillers, so The Last Place You Look was a nice change of pace.
I really enjoyed Roxane as a main character. Usually I find the “troubled detective with a drinking problem” to be a bit of a tired cliché, but here I felt the author did a great job of creating a complex character I grew to really appreciate. Following Roxane as a private investigator was interesting, but so was her personal life. Overall, it was a well balanced story and I’m looking forward to continuing on with the series.
I know a couple people who like Burke’s work so I’m disappointed you didn’t love The Better Sister. I’ve listened to one Coben book and thought it was terrific. I’m not sure why I haven’t read more of them.
My experiences with Coben have all (I think) been very positive in the past, so now I’m thinking of reading a few more of his books.
I’ve also seen a lot of people who enjoy Burke’s thrillers, so maybe I’m the odd one out on this one? I’d still try another one of her books since I liked The Wife better.
That’s too bad The Better Sister was a letdown, the premise sounds good. The Last Place You Look sounds like a good series to dive into. Thanks for sharing!