Four able narrators keep the pace and the plot on track through most of this implausible thriller, but the denouement will disappoint listeners still hoping for a satisfying resolution. Though the story begins with a girl being held captive by a monstrous couple, the focus is on her family and neighbors. It's soon revealed that two women in the neighborhood are gone--one missing and the other dead. Are they connected to each other--and to the girl? Sadly, the author has chosen to tell the story from four different characters' perspectives while toggling between the girl's disappearance 11 years earlier and the present day. Much of the time, it's difficult to figure out what's going on and why we should care. L.W.S. 2022 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: May 18, 2021
Duration: 11 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781488211690
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
C.J. Box writes about life in wild Wyoming, short stories of people living a rugged life by choice or by circumstance. David Chandler narrates in a rough-edged whiskey voice that suggests summer heat, bitter winters, and windswept prairies, guiding the listener through 10 adventures of men like Fish and Game Officer Joe Pickett. Chandler brings the listener into this strange world where, more often than not, men have to create their own justice. His performance of the economical stories, some rarely seen, is perfect. The tale of the frozen body of a Native American basketball player turned speed freak, her arm reaching through the ice of a lake in a final jump shot, is one of the most fascinating in the collection.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781470392796
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The cast sustains an intense atmosphere and guides listeners toward a chilling yet satisfying conclusion.
The exquisitely haunting multivoiced narration sharpens the edges of this compelling psychological thriller. Isuri Wijesundara, Lipica Shah, and Vikas Adam perform the story’s shifting perspectives with authenticity, vulnerability, and intensity, lending distinct layers to a tale of privilege, betrayal, and murder. The story centers around Ali who, in an arranged marriage, weds Maryam Khan, a talented, straight-laced doctor. Ali has a scandalous relationship with his rebellious sister-in-law, Farhan. Both the sisters and Ali yearn for the approval of family patriarch Abbas, a New York real estate tycoon. Wijesundara and Shah draw listeners into Farhan and Maryam’s psyches. As accusations mount and loyalties fracture, Adam nimbly moves the story toward an unveiling of the Khans' secrets.
The cast sustains an intense atmosphere and guides listeners toward a chilling yet satisfying conclusion.Pub Date: April 7, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 46 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250433237
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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