Gail Shalan narrates this psychological suspense featuring five aspiring authors who are participating in a writing retreat held at an isolated mansion in the Adirondacks. The five attendees are all women under 30, though they seem younger. The leader of the retreat is Roza Vallo, a renowned feminist horror writer much admired by the young writers. Shalan gives Roza, who is Hungarian by birth, a voice that sometimes sounds warm and sometimes sinister. The story is told by Alex, who hopes the month-long retreat will overcome her writer's block. It does just that but in a way that is terrifying. The plot includes secret passages, underground dungeons, mind-altering drugs, odd sexual undertones, and murder. Shalan makes each writer distinctive and interesting.
Pub Date: Feb. 21, 2023
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797151762
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A top-notch audio ensemble makes this psychological roller-coaster ride breathtaking and unforgettable.
Multiple outstanding performances grace this twisty audiobook. World-famous author Miller, wonderfully voiced by Jean Brassard, takes listeners with him to his death as he falls from a cliff in the mountains near Lake Geneva. Everyone believes it was an accident, as Miller was known for rock climbing without safety gear, but his wife, Sarah, fully inhabited by Saskia Maarleveld, is sure it was murder. Meanwhile, Sarah’s business partner, Karen, narrated by Stephanie Németh-Parker, believes that Sarah has lost her grip on reality. At the center of the plot is a missing manuscript that reveals the truth about what happened to Miller’s sister 20 years earlier. The novel offers a stunning exploration of friendship, secrets, and betrayals.
A top-notch audio ensemble makes this psychological roller-coaster ride breathtaking and unforgettable.Pub Date: May 2, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798228364660
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: April 21, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
A disturbing story elevated by good narration.
Narrator Hannah Church masterfully performs the full range of emotions protagonist Amelia experiences in this domestic psychological thriller. Amelia’s husband, a police detective, is consumed by the search for a serial killer, leaving Amelia lost and lonely. Church expresses Amelia’s anxiety, fear, and confusion as her troubled marriage propels her to join a book club of women who share a hate for and distrust of men. Welcomed into the club, Amelia finds the companionship and support she is desperately seeking. Church effectively differentiates the female characters and skillfully performs the males, and she delivers interspersed chapters from the point of view of the serial killer, who is bent on murdering abusers, in a chilling tone.
A disturbing story elevated by good narration.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 53 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668189733
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: May 12, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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