The Wonder Test

A Novel

By: Michelle Richmond

Narrated by: Thérèse Plummer

Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Escaping New York City and the espionage case that made her question everything, recently widowed FBI Agent Lina Connerly returns home to sell the house she has inherited in Greenfield, California. With her teenage son, Rory, Lina hopes to reassemble her life, reevaluate her career, and find a clear way forward. Adrift and battling insomnia, she discovers that her father’s sleepy hometown has been transformed into a Silicon Valley suburb on steroids, obsessed with an annual exam called the Wonder Test.

When students at her son’s high school go missing, reappearing under mysterious circumstances on abandoned beaches, Lina must summon her strength and her investigative instincts, pushing her own ethical boundaries to the limits in order to solve the crimes. Meanwhile, an old espionage case called Red Vine keeps calling her back into the fold. While Lina struggles to balance her new role as a single mother and the complex counterintelligence puzzles she is so adept at solving, Greenfield’s shadowy dangers creep closer to her own home.

The Wonder Test is a searing view of a culture that puts the well-being of children at risk for advancement and prestige, and a captivating story of the lengths a mother will go for her son.

©2021 Michelle Richmond (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing

Great novel and narrator

I thought I had it all figured out, but so many twists and turns proved I had not! Enjoyed the suspense!

Hang in there

It took three tries but this book ended up being great the narrator is amazing

A job well done!

This novel is captivating from beginning to end. The writing style takes you there effortlessly. Just the right amount of intrigue, the intimate relationship between mother and son, a mother’s fierce love for her son, the traumatic experience of loosing a husband and a father, the passionate love for a profession with layers of complexity I’d never imagined…
A theme woven throughout the book… the ever-present challenge of making choices that reflect who we really are, instead of allowing ourselves to be guided by the collective rights and wrongs we’ve all been taught, but by listening to our hearts and souls and diving into the consequences of our decisions, no matter how cold the water might be.
A truly excellent read!

loved it

loved this story so much Lina & her son should have her own book series .

Rite of Passage

A deep analysis of grief , greed , elitism , devotion , discipline , ethics , evil . Interesting style with very short chapters but a lot of them that u want more .
A personal philosophy of life that is complex .
Highly recommend to listen & read sometimes to clarify . Narrator one of best voices with touch of French accent either Parisian or Québécois

Wow, so good.

This is only the second book I've read by this author but she if fast becoming a favorite. FBI profiler,, Lena, and her son, Rory, move from NYC to California to escape the stress of Lena's job and the sudden death of her husband. They move into her father's home which is in a very affluent neighborhood with a nationally recognized school district. That's where the mayhem begins. The twists and turns spring to life as the well plotted story unfolds. Lena is a smart woman and the reader should never underestimate her mama bear instincts. Great story.

Wow story and narration

If you’ve had children, you understand the teachings of standardized testing, and how important it is to the schools. This book brings that out and beyond!! And the narration by Therese Plummer sends the story to a new dimension with her amazing voices of the characters! Great read

Narrator should not attempt French words

Generally OK narration but narrator’s execrable mispronunciation of French words was hugely distracting and made it uncomfortable to listen. Given the narrator’s French name that is puzzling. Also, the yucky pony club subplot could have been omitted from the story. One reason I bought the book was for Bay Area/Silicon Valley local color. I found that lacking.

Great plot

I loved the plot and characters. Great narration - she did all the voices well and was easy to listen to. I found the story intriguing and I’m going to listen to the next by this author.

Superb

I enjoyed every second of this wild story. Loved the narrators voice. I miss Burlingame CA.