Tag: suspense

Audiobook Review: The Good Samaritan by John Marrs

The Good Samaritan
Author: John Marrs

Narrators: 
Elizabeth Knowelden
Charlotte Cole
Matthew Lloyd Davies
Tim Campbell
Published: December 1, 2017
Audiobook: 11 hours 36 minutes

Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: February 6-13, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars

Book Description:

She’s a friendly voice on the phone. But can you trust her?

The people who call End of the Line need hope. They need reassurance that life is worth living. But some are unlucky enough to get through to Laura. Laura doesn’t want them to hope. She wants them to die.

Laura hasn’t had it she’s survived sickness and a difficult marriage only to find herself heading for forty, unsettled and angry. She doesn’t love talking to people worse off than she is. She craves it.

But now someone’s on to her—Ryan, whose world falls apart when his pregnant wife ends her life, hand in hand with a stranger. Who was this man, and why did they choose to die together?

The sinister truth is within Ryan’s grasp, but he has no idea of the desperate lengths Laura will go to…

Because the best thing about being a Good Samaritan is that you can get away with murder.

Jessica’s Review:

The Good Samaritan. The title leaves you to believe we are in for a story about a ‘good’ main character, but Laura is just the opposite: She is the villain that you love to hate!  I actually listened to this one after finishing Dead in the Water but wish I had listened to Samaritan first.

The Good Samaritan is a dark and twisted novel that plays a cat and mouse game with the two main characters: Laura and Ryan. Laura is a volunteer for End of the Line, which is a suicide hotline. She is a master manipulator who abuses her position to get what she wants: People dying.  We also have Ryan who lost his pregnant wife to suicide. He is trying to find answers and Laura is seemingly responsible.

Like always with Marrs’ novels, we have quick chapters that keep a reader/listener coming back for more.  I really had no idea what was going to happen at the end. And when you are finished reading The Good Samaritan go ahead and read Dead in the Water for more in this world.

The narrators did a great job with the narrations and one narrator is back for Dead in the Water.

Needless to say, there is a trigger warning for suicide and suicide attempts.

What will John Marrs bring us next?

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

Audiobook Review: The Quiet Neighbor by J.D. Barker and Adam Roach

The Quiet Neighbor
Authors:
J.D. Barker

Adam Roach
Narrator: Morgan Hallett
Published:
January 27, 2026

Audiobook: 9 hours 16 minutes

Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: January 15-21, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 3.5 stars

Book Description:

A heart-stopping tale of family secrets, buried trauma, and the lengths a mother will go to save her child, even when that child might not want to be saved.

Cynthia Burrows thought she’d built the perfect life—successful law career, loving husband, beautiful daughter. But when eighteen-year-old Tori vanishes without a trace, Cynthia’s carefully constructed world begins to crumble.

The school says Tori was excused by family. Security footage shows her leaving with an older man. And the boy she was supposed to date? His name sends chills down Cynthia’s spine—Alexander Beaufort.

That’s impossible. Alexander Beaufort is the serial killer who destroyed Cynthia’s childhood, murdered her best friend, and forced her into witness protection twenty years ago. He’s supposed to be locked away forever.

But someone is playing a deadly game, leaving clues that drag Cynthia back to her darkest memories. With only three days to find her daughter, she must confront the monster from her past and the shocking secrets Tori has been hiding.

In this quiet suburban neighborhood, everyone has something to conceal. And some neighbors are more dangerous than others.

Jessica’s Review:

J.D. Barker is an author I follow and when I hear he has a new book coming out, whether solely written or co-written, I will look to see what it is about. The Quiet Neighbor is co-written with Adam Roach, and the description of this one intrigued me.

This book has multiple povs and dual timelines: Cynthia’s past and the present. We also have a journal written by an ‘anonymous author’. It’s a race against time as Cynthia only has a few days to find her daughter, and while searching she is learning more about her daughter. How well or little does she know Tori?

There were twists throughout the novel, but the final ‘doozy’ I called very early on.  And even though I called it early I still was in for the journey. I know this is fiction, but parts of the novel were far from realistic.  Cynthia has a friend who is investigating the case and she all but let Cynthia basically take over. This happening just caused a high lack of believability as time went on. Other than that issue, I did enjoy the novel! 

The narrator Morgan Hallett did a good job with her narration.  She was extremely creepy when it came to narrating the journal entries.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me a copy to listen to and review!

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK 

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Audiobook Review: The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware

The Woman in Suite 11
Series: Lo Blacklock #2
Author: Ruth Ware

Narrator: Imogen Church
Published: July 8, 2025
Audiobook: 15 hours 11 minutes

Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: December 5-16, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars

Book Description:

In this follow-up to #1 New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware’s multi-million copy mega-hit The Women in Cabin 10, Lo Blacklock returns to attend the opening of a luxury hotel, only to find herself in a white-knuckled race across Europe.

When the invitation to attend the press opening of a luxury Swiss hotel—owned by reclusive billionaire Marcus Leidmann—arrives, it’s like the answer to a prayer. Three years after the birth of her youngest child, Lo Blacklock is ready to reestablish her journalism career, but post-pandemic travel journalism is a very different landscape from the one she left ten years ago.

The chateau on the shores of Lake Geneva is everything Lo’s ever dreamed of, and she hopes she can snag an interview with Marcus. Unfortunately, he proves to be even more difficult to pin down than his reputation suggests. When Lo gets a late-night call asking her to come to Marcus’s hotel room, she agrees despite her own misgivings. She’s greeted, however, by a woman claiming to be Marcus’s mistress, and in life-or-death jeopardy.

What follows is a thrilling cat-and-mouse pursuit across Europe, forcing Lo to ask herself just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to save this woman…and if she can even trust her?

Jessica’s Review:

It’s been ten years since her ‘adventure’ on the Aurora and Lo Blacklock is back!  The Woman in Suite 11 is Ruth Ware’s first sequel and it was written because fans wanted it. Did we need it, no, but I did enjoy it. It had been nine years since I listened to Cabin 10, so I went for a re-read before I listened to Suite 11.

In addition to the time having passed, Lo is now married with children. She receives an invite to the opening of a new luxury hotel which she takes up. She would like to revive her career and this invite might just be the way to do it.

When Lo arrives at the hotel it is a sort of reunion of folks who were on the Aurora ten years ago. Now, has Lo learned anything from her last adventure ten years ago? Apparently NOT! Lo makes one bad decision after another and gets herself into quite the cat and mouse game across Europe.  My thoughts became ‘here we go again’ with every bad decision Lo made. But she had her own reasoning why each decision would work.  It’s a bit crazy, but I did enjoy the ride despite rolling my eyes with every decision Lo made. I mean, how trusting can one person be?

Despite the craziness that occurs throughout the novel, I did enjoy it. And Anything Ruth Ware writes I will listen to!  And of course, Imogen Church returns as narrator! I can’t really see anymore adventures occurring with Lo, how much more can one woman go through?

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

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