Eric Altheide excels at projecting the tension in this compelling novel about a young fiction writer whose actions thrust him into dramas beyond any he ever imagined. Altheide portrays the ambitious writer David Trent, who is determined to publish and thrilled when an award lands him in the limelight. In order to retain his status, he becomes immersed in lies, cheating, and murder. Key to this story arc is Altheide's excellent portrayal of antihero Silas Hale, a lauded writer whose sadistic bullying is unknown to his adoring fans. Altheide successfully manages the novel's twisting plot, memorable characterizations, and satirical tone. This audiobook reveals the danger, darkness, and infighting that may lurk beneath the surface of literary fame.
Pub Date: Dec. 2, 2025
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063445307
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Altheide makes the most of this complex narrative, which explores reputation, desire, and flawed judgment.
Novelist Steven Hammer’s declining career and strained marriage leave him increasingly drawn to Astrid, the family’s Norwegian au pair. Eric A. Altheide’s subtle shifts in tone highlight Steven's many missteps of obsession, insecurity, and self-justification. Listeners have front-row seats to a middle-aged man’s inability to transition from fame to obscurity. Altheide portrays Steven's growing fixation on Astrid with mounting tension. His performance maximizes the overlapping circles of passion, manipulation, and power as Steven and Astrid's choices produce larger and larger consequences and a public scandal eventually erupts.
Altheide makes the most of this complex narrative, which explores reputation, desire, and flawed judgment.Pub Date: June 30, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 34 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063457201
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
This audiobook immerses listeners in a bloody Texas summer.
Garrett Michael Brown narrates this exciting summer camp slasher. Sheriff’s deputy Tom arrives at the scene of a massacre, with only one teen survivor left to tell the story—a situation eerily similar to a massacre at the same summer camp a decade earlier. Narrating in a Southern accent, Brown adopts an unhurried pace as the story unfolds like a police procedural. Tom examines the remains and digs into details others want to bury. While Brown’s characters are mostly differentiated, some voices are too similar to distinguish among them. Elizabeth Cappuccino delivers the survivors’ firsthand depictions of both massacres.
This audiobook immerses listeners in a bloody Texas summer.Pub Date: June 16, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 25 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668651056
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: June 16, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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