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River Road  By  cover art

River Road

By: Carol Goodman
Narrated by: Madeleine Maby
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Publisher's summary

From the award-winning author of The Lake of Dead Languages comes a chilling new psychological thriller about a professor accused of killing her favorite student in a hit-and-run accident.

Nan Lewis - a creative writing professor at a state university in upstate New York - is driving home from a faculty holiday party after finding out she's been denied tenure. On her way, she hits a deer, but when she gets out of her car to look for it, the deer is nowhere to be found. Eager to get home and out of the oncoming snowstorm, Nan is forced to leave her car at the bottom of her snowy driveway to wait out the longest night of the year - and the lowest point of her life....

The next morning, Nan is woken up by a police officer at her door with terrible news - one of her students, Leia Dawson, was killed in a hit-and-run on River Road the night before. And because of the damage to her car, Nan is a suspect. In the days following the accident, Nan finds herself shunned by the same community that rallied around her when her own daughter was killed in an eerily similar accident six years prior. When Nan begins finding disturbing tokens that recall the death of Nan's own daughter, Nan suspects that the two accidents are connected.

As she begins to dig further, she discovers that everyone around her, including Leia, is hiding secrets. But can she uncover them, clear her name, and figure out who really killed Leia before her reputation is destroyed for good?

©2016 Carol Goodman (P)2016 Simon & Schuster

What listeners say about River Road

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    3 out of 5 stars

Possibly Unfair Review

I haven't listened to much Carol Goodman; she's one of my favorite writers and other than her recent YA series, I routinely pre-order her books. River Road is the first adult book Goodman has written since I began listening to audio books.

It's a lackluster story; certainly not her best.
Goodman's older books are strongly archetypal, filled with mythological figures. They are superbly plotted, haunting stories written in beautiful prose. And perhaps that is part of the problem- really fine prose is easily buried in this audio book medium. If you enjoyed this and are new to Carol Goodman, read 'The Night Villa', The Ghost Orchid', 'The Lake of Dead Languages' or 'The Seduction of Water'.

And now I've made myself want to reread them.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Feeling warmth

Makes you thankful and happy. love it ❤️ Great story with a greatful breath

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

one of my favorite goodman books

I prefer her older books to the newer ones. this book, the widow's house, and the lake of dead languages are my favorite novels

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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BRAVO!

I have listened to many books by Carol Goodman and this one does not disappoint. I was bummed when it came to an end as I never wanted to stop listening to it! There are many twists that keep the reader guessing and makes the story less predictable then it appears. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the narrator performed the characters superbly! Bravo!

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

disappointing read

this story started off strong but quickly went down hill as the story was just like every other story she's written. very predictable plot.

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4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Good enough

An interesting mystery , some good mrks for that. Characters OK and a bit of romance fot the ewhite knight resder. A nice cozy for winter readjng,

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1 person found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not the mystery I wanted

The mystery was interesting, but seemed to take a back seat to the main character's personal story

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I LOVE THIS BOOK!

The audiobook River Road by Carol Goodman, Narrated by Madeleine Maby is defintiely 5-stars across the board! It is one of my new top favorites! I was originally drawn to it because I am a teacher, and I like reading stories that involve students, teachers, or education in general. I'll let you read the plot synopsis on your own so I do not accidentally give anything away. I was fully engaged from page one through to the very end. I couldn't stop listening, and I was shocked when the "whodunit" part of the story was revealed! Wow! I loved the characters and felt like I knew everyone personally. I could easily visualize everything that was going on and didn't at all feel like there were any boring or unnecessary scenes. River Road is so well-written and I plan to listen to much more from Carol Goodman!

The narration was fantastic! Madeleine Maby's performance was right on, and she was very enjoyable to listen to! Her voice, tone, and storytelling technique was consistent throughout. This is the first time I have listened to her work. I loved her, and I plan to check out more of her work! I feel like her narration added to this story, and made me feel like I was watching a movie. In fact, River Road should be turned into a movie! Great job!

As I stated, this is one of my new favorite listens. I rate it 5/5 stars. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy mysteries, thrillers, or suspenseful books. I am confident you will enjoy it as much as I have. :-)

Thank you for reading my review. I hope it was helpful.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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So Beautiful

Carol Goodman is an excellent storyteller and this a wonderful story, full of pathos and clarity. The narrator is excellent at reading the story, completing a great experiences.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

OK but nothing special...

Any additional comments?

Was it me or was this a little easy to figure out before it was revealed. I didn't find myself caring about the main character - or any of the others characters for that matter.

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7 people found this helpful