The One I Left Behind

By: Jennifer McMahon

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 12 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

The summer of 1985 changes Reggie’s life. An awkward 13-year-old, she finds herself mixed up with the school outcasts. That same summer, a serial killer called Neptune begins kidnapping women. He leaves their severed hands on the police department steps and, five days later, displays their bodies around town. Just when Reggie needs her mother, Vera, the most, Vera’s hand is found on the steps. But after five days, there’s no body and Neptune disappears. Now, 25 years later, Reggie is a successful architect who has left her hometown and the horrific memories of that summer behind. But when she gets a call revealing that her mother has been found alive, Reggie must confront the ghosts of her past and find Neptune before he kills again.

©2013 Jennifer McMahon (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers

Another great story by McMahon

Where does The One I Left Behind rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I listened to this at work and I had a hard time leaving because I wanted to listen to what happened next! While this isn't my favorite story of this author's it seemed to fit pretty well with other things she has written. There wasn't as much of a supernatural note in this one but the story made up for it in other ways. My only problem was that the twist wasn't very unpredictable. Even so, she has you going on so many other theories that its still exciting when you finally find out the answer to the mystery!

Which character – as performed by Julia Whelan – was your favorite?

I really like how she performed Vera!

Any additional comments?

I love how much the main character grows throughout the book as she discovers and re-discovers things about her past. She starts off not totally unlikable, but she does have some very human quirks (which is also refreshing, no one likes a perfect hero!), then by the end some of her ideas change. The picture you get of the characters and their lives change as the main character discovers more and its like you're learning with her. I don't want to give away too much but its a good story. I was a little discouraged by the bad reviews, but if you like mysteries, especially other ones written by McMahon, then I am guessing you will like this one too!

Secrets can keep you imprisoned.

The story of a women who is forced to unravel the web of secrets which started with her childhood. She had an unconventional family and a collection of weird friends.

Great story, great narration!

I had only read one McMahon novel (The Winter People) before listening to this one. Though I found it slightly slow to get into - which might have had less to do with the actual story and more to do with my own schedule at the time - once I did, I couldn't stop listening until it was finished....and this was one I hated to see end. Very suspenseful, great character development, wonderfully narrated - overall great listen!

Riveting

So many twists and turns in this book, you never see things coming. Highly recommend.

Intricate but I was bored

This was a nicely woven story with all the makings of a dark mystery. For me though, the author didn't delve into the real heart of darkness I feel the story required, especially given the rich material in the relationships between girls and their mothers. So much rich potential there yet emotionally, motivationally it all fell flat. Too often if felt Nancy Drew meets Judy Blume and even then it felt very surface. Seemed McMahon was reaching for something deeper with the different subject matter but didn't get there. I liked Whelan's narration in other audible books but here her 'voices' went sideways sounding more like cartoonish mimicry when not reading the part of the main character and there are a lot of different characters in this. I only finished it because I bought it, but from about a third of the way in, the ending was no surprise. I wish I could be kinder with this review.

ONLY mystery is why many others liked this book!

This was a depressing, dreary story. Think of a rainy, gloomy day and this would describe this book. There was absolutely nothing which was dramatic or suspenseful at all. Every character was made to be flawed, unlikeable and unrelateable. The story kept flipping from past to present and at times, it took a bit to know which was being read. I particularly didn't like the self mutilation cutting - it was almost glorified - which it definitely is not. The whole premise of the book just didn't sit right.... without giving a spoiler, the 'one I left behind' should have just gone to the police!! By the end, I could care less who lived, who died and who the murderer was (and why). My recommendation would be to skip this book and LEAVE IT BEHIND!!

Leave it behind.

This book was very slow moving and difficult to finish. Poor narration and story line.

Could not get through it

Perhaps this is my fault, but I could not get past the pathos. The characters leave such incredibly depressing lives (the ones who didn't have it that bad felt that they did)...and, quite frankly, I did not feel that McMahon was going to make the ending worthwhile. There were too many implausible "twists" already. Too many relationships that simply did not add up. A better listener might have struggled on and gotten to the ending that other reviewers are praising, I couldn't. Listened to about two thirds of the book and gave up.

Very Hard to follow

Would you try another book from Jennifer McMahon and/or Julia Whelan?

Julia Whelan is awesome, that is why I chose this book since she was the narrator.

What could Jennifer McMahon have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

This listen was very hard to follow.

Very long.

Quite a mess of a story. Moved slowly, jumbled minor details, & jumped around in nonsensical sequence.