Ransom River

By: Meg Gardiner

Narrated by: Angela Dawe

Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Rory Mackenzie is juror number seven on a high-profile murder case in her hometown of Ransom River, California. It's a place she vowed never to visit again, after leaving behind its surfeit of regret and misfortune and the specter of a troubled past that threatened to disturb the town's peaceful façade.

Brilliant yet guarded, Rory has always felt like an outsider. She retreated into herself when both her career aspirations and her love affair with a childhood friend, undercover cop Seth Colder, were destroyed in a tragic accident.

While most of the town is focused on the tense and shocking circumstances of the trial, Rory's return to Ransom River dredges up troubling memories from her childhood that she can no longer ignore. But in the wake of a desperate attack on the courthouse, Rory realizes that exposing these dark skeletons has connected her to an old case that was never solved, and bringing the truth to light just might destroy her.

Departing from her popular series novels, Meg Gardiner has gone deeper than ever into the utterly convincing lives and compelling pasts of her characters. Ransom River is an intimate crime thriller with a dark mystery at its heart - one that will keep listeners breathless.

©2012 Meg Gardiner (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

very good story. had 2 get use 2 the performance.

had 2 get use to the performance but it got better as she got into it. really enjoyed the story

Good and bad..

Ok, I really like Seth and Rory as adults but that bullying crap from Boone and Rissa was just ridiculous. We just keep going for ‘now to then.’ If the bullying hadn’t stopped when it did I don’t think I would have finished this book. The bullying didn’t have to take up so many pages so I’m assuming that was to make up more printed pages in the book, rather than telling you something important. I mean, the story could have just said “Boone and Rissa bullied Rory when she was a kid” and we would have gotten it. Instead we had to read pages and pages of HOW and when they bullied her. I finally ended up skimming a lot of pages in order to get to something that had to do with the present and not the past. This book did NOT have to be 368 pages. It could have been 100 pages less and been really good. There was way too much useless descriptions of furniture, grass, trees, cars, everything no one really cares about.

This story was about a twenty year old 25 million dollar armored car heist: the men who were caught, the one who got away, and where the money went, since it was never found until the end of the book.

There was not one iota for desire or lust or passion between Seth and Rory, not even a near kiss, and then at 72% they had fade-to-black sex. How stupid was that? And the F-bomb was used 18 times.

I did like Samantha and Will, Rory’s parents, and Petra, her BFF. But I gotta tell ya’ that Rissa and Boone were two sick puppies. From childhood on they were out to torment Rory, and kill her if need-be.

As to the narrator: This is one of Ms.Dawe’s earlier books (2012), when she used to hesitate too long and too often during her reading BUT I can deal with that because her men sounded like men, which I can’t say for about 95% of female narrators back then. When a book describes a man with a deep husky voice and HE sounds like a GIRL, that’s the sign of a bad narrator. Angela Dawe has become one of my favorite narrators so I can, pretty much, forgive her anything. In fact, I can forgive any female narrator anything as long as the men sound like men.

Just doesn't let up!

The story and characters are revealed through non-stop action. Believable characters, flawed and human, even the bad guys have motivation. Don't expect to read this one at bedtime unless you can stay up all night. Great performance on the audio version, too.

Excellent!

Very exciting storyline, lots of surprise twists and turns, excellent performance by reader. I loved the inclusion of the cops and Mafia.

Good book

The book was a pretty good listen. Good plot and characters. Moved at a good pace

"Betrayal and Justice For All"

Would you consider the audio edition of Ransom River to be better than the print version?
Gads, this started out fast and 11 hrs later, ended with the same fast pace! This kept me on the edge nearly the entire listen. This is a pure mystery with a small amount of romance, so beware, if you wanted a steamy romance, this is not it.

What other book might you compare Ransom River to and why?
This was a great thrill ride with lots of mini stories that got connected and kept the listener glued to the listen to find out the how and why of the story. If you like the reader, check out Phillip Magolin's "After Dark" it will not disappoint and has this same emotional thrill.

What does Angela Dawe bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I purchased this author because Ms Dawe was the reader and was thrilled that the story was so fast paced.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
generally, I don't think many of my listens would translate to film, but this one most certainly would. Think in terms of the film, "LA Confidential ".

Any additional comments?
this author left room for more books with these characters so we can only hope she did write them and they will be produced for Audible.

Was I as shocked as the main character

Would you listen to Ransom River again? Why?

I wouldn't listen to Ransom River again because knowing the ending spoils the story. The ending was not what I expected and not knowing was great.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

At times, I felt as shocked and confused as the main character. I wasn't sure if I should keep listening or take a break.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed the ending of the book, where assumptions I made about the confronting scenes earlier in the book were turned in a different direction.

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

Finding out what the relationships were between the family members and having the stories told and retold with mistruths and truths.

Any additional comments?

If you like a bit of drama, and don't mind starting a book in the same state of urgency and confusion as the main character, this book is worth a listen. The story plays out with solutions and corrected solutions until you understand the true motivation behind the plot.

started slow but picked up

I have read most of Meg Gardiner books so picked this one up as soon as it came out. It started out slow -- but picked up the pace as the book went on.
I am not sure about the ending -- did not make much sense - but the story was good

A better narrator would have made it 5 stars

The narrator sounds like she just finished the speech class . I’m having trouble paying attention. It’s too monotone and scripted like she’s trying hard to keep the voice inflections correct in every sentence. There’s no emotion. I’ll have to try again later.