Audiobook Review: Unbalanced by Jason Parent
Unbalanced
Author: Jason Parent
Narrator: Joe Hempel
Published: April 4, 2022
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: July 6-12, 2022
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
By-the-book Detective Asante Royo can only clean up Fall River’s filth for so long without getting dirty. When he’s called to an apparent suicide at an apartment complex notorious for its prostitution and drug trade, he doesn’t shed a tear for the life wasted. Yet something about the scene haunts him, and when his investigation gets swept under the rug, he has a hard time living with the stain.
Jaden Sanders is an unstable loner who lives across the hall from the crime scene. When three men break into his apartment, Jaden is ready for a fight. He kills two of his attackers in self-defense then stalks and stabs the third in the back. Jaden is soon arrested for murder.
With no clear motives for the home invasion or Jaden’s violent response, Royo must uncover the true story before more people get hurt. His only leads are derived from the version of events extracted from a truly unbalanced mind. Is Jaden a victim being steamrolled by cold justice or a murderer capable of killing again?
Jessica’s Review:
We have murders, an apparent suicide, and more in this police procedural/ thriller from Jason Parent. The novel starts fast and doesn’t ever really drop. First, we have a suicide and then months later in the apartment across the hall a home invasion where the victim killed his attackers. Or did they actually end up being victims themselves? We have Detective Royo who responded to both calls. We also have Jaden Sanders who lives in the apartment and defended himself… Or did he?
What seems as separate cases may actually not be and then we have a case of an unreliable narrator. Once I realized that was the case I got nervous, since those types of books are hit or miss for me. Fortunately, this one was not a miss! I was intrigued the whole time and looked forward to what was going to happen next. I was intrigued with Jaden and did he defend himself, is it some kind of mental illness or was he actually a killer? I had differing opinions throughout the read. The courtroom scenes were great! I also liked Royo and would enjoy another book with him in it.
If you like thrillers, police procedurals, court cases, then you might want to check out Unbalanced!
I was sent an audiobook copy to listen to and review from the author. Many thanks for the chance to introduce yourself to a new reader/listener!
ARC Audiobook Review: Stay Awake by Megan Goldin
Stay Awake
Author: Megan Goldin
Narrators:
Imogene Church
January LaVoy
To Be Published: August 9, 2022
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: July 19-25, 2022
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. When she’s dropped off at the door of her brownstone, a stranger answers―a stranger who now lives in her apartment and forces her out in the cold. She reaches for her phone to call for help, only to discover it’s missing, and in its place is a bloodstained knife. That’s when she sees that her hands are covered in black pen, scribbled messages like graffiti on her skin: STAY AWAKE.
Two years ago, Liv was living with her best friend, dating a new man, and thriving as a successful writer for a trendy magazine. Now, she’s lost and disoriented in a New York City that looks nothing like what she remembers. Catching a glimpse of the local news, she’s horrified to see reports of a crime scene where the victim’s blood has been used to scrawl a message across a window, the same message that’s inked on her hands. What did she do last night? And why does she remember nothing from the past two years? Liv finds herself on the run for a crime she doesn’t remember committing as she tries to piece together the fragments of her life. But there’s someone who does know exactly what she did, and they’ll do anything to make her forget―permanently.
Jessica’s Review:
Whoa! Stay Awake was quite the ride to go on! It kept reminding me of the movie Memento, with some similarities and a murder mystery. I love that movie, though it has been many years since I have seen it. It might be time to watch that one again!
Stay Awake has dual timelines: present day and two plus years ago. It also has two narrators: Liv Reese, our main character with memory issues (every time she falls asleep she forgets everything from the past two+ years. We also have a female detective Halliday as our other narrator, who is trying to figure out a murder case and putting things together.
Once I realized we have an unreliable narrator with Liz I got nervous as those novels can be hit or miss for me. But it reminded me so much of Memento, I really enjoyed it! It was fast paced, intense and everything I love about thrillers! This is one you won’t want to put down because you just have to know what’s going to happen next!
I liked both Liz and Halliday. You can’t help but feel for Liz with her memory issues and not knowing what is going on, who to trust (basically no one!) and you just want Halliday to solve the case! The two narrations and dual timelines all come together to wind everything up in an intense conclusion.
The narrators are Imogene Church and January LaVoy, both whom I have listened to previously and also enjoyed. Imogene Church portrayed Liz perfectly with her confusion and LaVoy was just as good with portraying Halliday.
If you choose to read the physical book/kindle I can see a reader doing their best to stay awake and finish this in one sitting! I really enjoyed Stay Awake many thanks to Macmillian Audio for granting me an audio arc to listen to and review!
Pre-Order Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Book Review: First Blood by David Morrell
First Blood
Series: Rambo: First Blood #1
Author: David Morrell
Published: 1972
320 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 3 stars
Book Description:
First came the man: a young wanderer in a fatigue coat and long hair. Then came the legend, as John Rambo sprang from the pages of First Blood to take his place in the American cultural landscape. This remarkable novel pits a young Vietnam veteran against a small-town cop who doesn’t know whom he’s dealing with—or how far Rambo will take him into a life-and-death struggle through the woods, hills, and caves of rural Kentucky.
Kim’s Review:
I’ve been watching Rambo movies since I was a kid. Of course we had to watch the tv edited versions because they’re rated R, but honestly, they’re not much different! I re-watched the first three recently and I noticed that it said that First Blood was based on a novel, so of course, I bought and read the novel. And I was so disappointed! This is a rare case where the movie is absolutely better than the book! Stallone did an excellent job adapting it and improving on the original story. I did not like John Rambo in the book. I sympathized a little, he absolutely was not a victim. Everything the sheriff did, with the exception of a little bias initially, was appropriate and within the law. Everything was more extreme; Rambo killed everyone! And I don’t want to give away the ending, just in case anyone wants to read it. But it sucked!! If you want to know Rambo’s story; go watch the movies.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
