Close to Home

By: Lisa Jackson

Narrated by: Joyce Bean

Length: 15 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

From number-one New York Times best-selling author Lisa Jackson comes an atmospheric and riveting novel of suspense that uncovers the horrifying secrets buried within a ramshackle house....

Vowing to make a fresh start, Sarah McAdams has come home to renovate the old Victorian mansion where she grew up. Her daughters, Jade and Gracie, aren’t impressed by the rundown property on the shores of Oregon’s wild Columbia River. As soon as they pull up the isolated drive, Sarah, too, is beset by uneasy memories - of her cold, distant mother, of the half-sister who vanished without a trace, and of a long-ago night when Sarah was found on the widow’s walk, feverish and delirious.

Ever since the original mistress of the house plunged to her death almost a century ago, there have been rumors that the place is haunted. As a girl, Sarah sensed a presence there, and soon Gracie claims to see a lady in white running up the stairs. Still, Sarah has little time to dwell on ghost stories, between overseeing construction and dealing with the return of a man from her past.

But there’s a new, more urgent menace in the small town. One by one, teenage girls are disappearing. Frantic for her daughters’ safety, Sarah feels her veneer cracking and the house’s walls closing in on her again. Somewhere deep in her memory is the key to a very real and terrifying danger. And only by confronting her worst fears can she stop the nightmare roaring back to life once more....

©2014 Lisa Jackson LLC (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Creepy Mystery-Thriller Psychodrama

What made the experience of listening to Close to Home the most enjoyable?

The mystery hung together well and everything made sense in the end. Although it was a little too creepy for me, there was the satisfaction that the puzzle ultimately made sense.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Close to Home?

There was a satisfying love story that was a great counterbalance to the creepy, scary parts of the story.

Have you listened to any of Joyce Bean’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Joyce Bean was a great reader and did a wonderful job with different voices, both male and female.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Would be a spoiler to say.

Any additional comments?

"Close to Home" was a lame title and did not give enough of a hint of what the story was about. I was not prepared for it to be as creepy as it was.

A roller coaster ride cut short!

The beginning is a little slow but it does keep you reading. Overall a great book, I only wish she would have dabbed more on Angelique. It seems the author wanted to wrap everything up in the last few minutes and left some loose ends.

Very Intriguing...

This is the first time I have bought this author for an audible book BUT I am glad I did! I enjoyed the plots, twists and turns in the story. I can honestly say I never got bored with the book. I will definitely purchase another audio book by this author.

Great mystery love story

I enjoyed the mystery and interesting twists. One character was murdered and body found but superseded by more excitement. I don't think that was fully dealt with but it was a non issue for the plot so I'm just being a detail person. I enjoyed it and would read more of her books.

Good narrator, decent story

Not one of my favorites, but this is an adequate mystery with ghost story overtones. The main character, Sarah,is not drawn in much detail. The plot is okay, with a fair number of characters some who are interesting. It is decent summer reading, but I will probably not be looking for more work by this author.

Entertaining, but definitely not deep

Basically, this was not much better than a Harlequin romance with a bit of a ghost story thrown in. I enjoyed it for why it was, but am glad I got it at a steep discount.

Sudsy

A true soap opera! I don't know why I stuck with it. But the best of the story was the wind up. So I'm glad I did. I would NOT recommend it.

great story

loved it there is never a dull moment with a Lisa Jackson novel...and the narrator Joyce Bean excellent as always.
A must reas

Excellent

It didn't flow cohesively sometimes but it definitely was worth listening to. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Meh...

A fast pace mystery with a paranormal twist. A mother of two young girls moves back to her small town to remodel an old family mansion after splitting from her husband. I thought it was going to be the same as many other tell tale, starting over stories, but when a heartless villain is added it gets interesting. Young girls in this quiet, small town start disappearing and we are privy to the fact that the abductor is hiding in plain sight but we are not told until the end who it is. There are a few holes in the story, for example the youngest girl falls over a dead body and even after the police arrive it is not discussed at all. The narrator did an okay job but her male voices sound like she is possessed. A daily deal so it was worth the time.