The Shimmering Road

By: Hester Young

Narrated by: January LaVoy

Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

A pulse-pounding mystery from the author of The Gates of Evangeline featuring Charlotte "Charlie" Cates, an unforgettable heroine whose dark visions bring to light secrets that will heal or destroy those around her....

When soon-to-be mother Charlotte "Charlie" Cates begins to have recurring dreams about harm coming to her unborn daughter, she knows these are not the nightmares of an anxious mom-to-be. They are the result of her mysterious gift. But before she can decipher what these dreams might mean, Charlie learns that the mother who abandoned her when she was a toddler is the victim of a double murder in Arizona. The other victim - Jasmine, a half-sister Charlie never knew she had - has left behind a child, a little girl who speaks to Charlie in her dreams and was present on the night of the murders. Convinced that she must help her orphaned niece, Charlie travels to Tucson, Arizona, where she must confront her painful ties to her mother and delve into her sister's shadowy past.

To untangle the web of secrets that will reveal the truth of her nightmares, Charlie can no longer avoid her family's checkered history. Who is in the racy photos that turned up in Jasmine's apartment? Where is her niece's father, whom Jasmine was rumored to have been seeing again on the sly? Was her mother's charity work in Mexico really as selfless as it seemed? And, most important of all, what did her niece really witness on the night of the murders?

The search for answers leads Charlie across the Mexican border, from the resort town of Rocky Point to the border town of Nogales, and elucidates the meaning of her dreams in most unexpected ways. Ultimately, to protect her niece and her unborn child, Charlie must battle not just evil but the forces of nature in one final terrifying encounter in the Tucson desert.

A thrilling mystery that combines literary suspense and romance with a mystical twist. If you love Kate Atkinson and Alice Sebold, you should not miss Hester Young.

©2017 Hester Young (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Whip-smart, adrenaline-fueled.... Young deftly uses Charlie’s supernatural gift to create tension and dread without relying too heavily on it to advance the plot. And a story line involving Donna’s employer - a nonprofit that helps women living in Mexican border towns - both champions charity and gives poverty a human face." (Publishers Weekly)

"Hester Young can tell a ghost story in the blistering daylight and still raise the hair on the back of your neck, and that's what she's done with The Shimmering Road.... Young has done much like what John Connolly has done with his Charie Parker series, and made the supernatural something much more tangible to the reader, much more believable to the skeptic, and most importantly, she's made the real world all that more beautiful for it." (Brian Panowich, author of Bull Mountain)

"Well crafted and captivating." (Booklist, starred review)

Absolutely fantastic!

I have found a new favorite author and January LaVoy is the most amazing narrator ever! I can’t say enough about the last three books I have listened to. You won’t regret buying these! They are amazing!!!

Great Sequel

I bought the first book at a discount store and after reading it. was so happy there was a sequel to the story. I loved this one as much as EVANGELINE.

SECOND BOOKS OF THE SERIES, TERRIFIC

Continuing from the 1st book, the "gates of Evangeline", this was a truly well told and enjoyable mystery.

Good idea, completely unlikable protagonist

I love the premise of all three books. But it is hard to sit through the story as presented from the protagonists point of view. The level of judgmental
whitesavior elitist snobbery is hard to stomach. If you live in a world where everyone is rich white and only wears jcrew or if you are comfortable with constantly weighing characters based on their physical attractiveness or taking on relationships with an adolescent level of emotional maturity you might not be bothered.

Unlikable "heroine"

I found the first book entertaining enough to read this one. Sadly, "Charlie" drove me crazy. I found her to be impulsive, indulging in wild, irrational speculation and none too bright. She gives in to snap judgements about people doesn't seem to know her own mind. I ended up skipping to almost the end to confirm my suspicion about "whodunit." It wasn't hard to guess and Charlie should have figured it out much sooner. No plans to read the third book.

And now that we know the author’s political affiliation

Overall the story was a good one. However, the character refers to herself as a liberal and there are non stop complaints about gun control, border patrol agents, and how Mexican immigrants are treated. I’m one who listens to books during my work day as a means to escape stress. If I wanted to hear political views, I’d just listen to CNN.