Child's Play: The Elle Harrison Series

De: Merry Jones

Narrado por: Karen Rose Richter

Since her husband's murder two years earlier, life hasn't been easy for Elle Harrison. Now, at the start of a new school year, the second grade teacher is determined to move on. She's selling her house and delving into new experiences, like learning trapeze.

Just before the first day of school, Elle learns that a former student, Ty Evans, has been released from juvenile detention where he served time for killing his abusive father. Within days of his release, Elle's school principal, who'd tormented Ty as a child, is brutally murdered. So is a teacher at the school. And Ty's former girlfriend. All the victims have links to Ty.

Ty's younger brother, Seth, is in Elle's class. When Seth shows up at school beaten and bruised, Elle reports the abuse, and authorities remove Seth and his older sister, Katie, from their home. Is Ty the abuser?

Ty seeks Elle out, confiding that she's the only adult he's ever trusted. She tries to be open-minded, even wonders if he's been wrongly condemned. But when she's assaulted in the night, she suspects that Ty is her attacker. Is he a serial killer? Is she his next intended victim?

Before Elle discovers the truth, she's caught in a deadly trap that challenges her deepest convictions about guilt and innocence, childhood and family. Pushed to her limits, she's forced to face her fears and apply new skills in a deadly fight to survive.

©2017 Merry Jones (P)2017 Merry Jones

Great story

This the first time I read anything from this author and it will not be my last. The story was believable and fast moving never a dull moment. Beautifully written and will bring tears to your eyes at the end.
I received this free for an honest review from the author or narrator.

Surprising mystery

I like a story that takes me by surprise. I thought at first that this was a horror book, probably because the title threw me off, so going into it without a clue was a good thing for me.

The main character Ella was a strong character, and I like strong women in books. There were a few times when I had to hit rewind to keep up and make sure I didn't miss anything, but that was probably because bad drivers distracted me from the book while I was on the road, not because of any fault of the book.

Narrator Karen Rose Richter did a terrific job with the reading, and her ability to do both male and female voices is amazing. That's not always the case with female narrators, but Karen's narration was a home run.

Be patient with this story and allow it to draw you in. It's worth it in the end. I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Psychological thriller

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, I enjoyed the overall story, but much of the book is spent in the head of Elle and in my opinion too much time. A lot of the in her head conversations were meaningless and became too much at times

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The overall story and the mystery

Would you listen to another book narrated by Karen Rose Richter?

The narrator did a good job and I had a mental image of the scenes for much of the book. I would listen to another book narrated by Richter.

Was Child's Play: The Elle Harrison Series worth the listening time?

I did enjoy the book and it was a quick listen, but too much time is spent with the internal struggle in Elle's head so it's unlikely I will listen to any more books in this series.

Any additional comments?

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Love love love

Any additional comments?

I heart this book a lot. I don't usually listen to mysteries so I was dubious but gave it a chance anyway and was pleasantly surprised. It was quick, complicated enough to keep my interest (but not so complicated that it was difficult to listen to), and the voice of the narrator was perfect. In other words, it was the perfect audiobook.

I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I won't go into too much detail but it had me until the end.

Please note that I received this title for free in exchange for an unbiased review

Thrilling Rollercoaster

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed 'Child's Play' but then again, I am a sucker for a good mystery/thriller that stars several awesome female protagonists. This story revolves around Elle, a teacher who has the tendency to slip away into her mind, and who seems to be surrounded by murder. I thought this tale had a great mix of gruesome horror elements, horrifying realities such as child abuse, a spooky stalker (or two), love between friends, and the desperate need to survive. A well rounded story, 'Child's Play,' was one that I had a really hard time putting down. Karen Rose Richter does a phenomenal job of narration. I would recommend this book to any of my friends, really! 10/10

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.