Otherwhere

A Gripping Psychological Thriller

De: Andrea Smith, M.J. Rigel

Narrado por: Alexander Cendese

For lovers of "Gone Girl" take a trip to Otherwhere . . .

Joelle Lawton wishes for a simpler life . . . a life where her husband doesn't cheat, her children don't resent her, and her career doesn't pose veiled threats. She wishes she could get past the depression that seeped into her life over a year ago, after the loss of her third child.

But you know what they say about being careful what you wish for...

Soccer mom Joelle Lawton's life is about to get way more complicated when danger lurks at every turn and she suddenly disappears without a trace to . . . otherwhere.

©2023 Andrea Smith (P)2024 Andrea Smith

A Thriller!

WOW! This one was a humdinger. It had me biting my nails and I couldn’t wait to see what happened. Alexander did a great job narrating it. I loved how he could use different voices with the characters.

Just when I thought . . .

This is one of those books that simply keeps you guessing, and just when you think you have it figured out---BAM! There's another twist tossed in. It was different from what this author generally writes, but darn if it wasn't good, suspenseful and the narration by Alexander Cendese, who did the voice-acting on ALL of the characters delivered an award-worthy performance. He so captured each character as if he knew them personally. One of my favorite listens of 2023!!

Serendipity?

Joelle Webb Lawton's disappearance made for an interesting listen. The back and forth with the dates was hard to keep straight sometimes, but I was intrigued by the story as a whole.

I had my suspicions, but I liked the curveballs that were thrown throughout that had me questioning my thoughts.

Everyone's a contender, even her sister, Mia Webb Parker, who has no problems throwing shade. Her husband... well, duh. Of course the slimeball is a suspect. The psychic, neighbor, and a couple of others are thrown in the mix for good measure. I know I said this already, but I like that it kept me second guessing myself.

There are some very dark subjects covered, so keep that in mind. A couple of big ones are violence and murder, human trafficking, and non-con.

There's a little romance going on for some that lightened the subject matter some.

I received an author's copy of the audio book. The narrator is Alexander Cendese. I have a like / dislike thing with his narrations. Sometimes he over acts female voices, making them whiny and tough to listen to. Thankfully, most of the time that didn't occur here. It was one of my better listens from him.

Story: 4 stars
Narration: 3.5 stars
Listening Speed: 1.6x

Haunting story!

If you're looking for a well-written, fascinating, truly twisted story, Otherwhere is the one for you. It's a story about love, betrayal, resentment, loyalty, infidelity and so much more. Joelle and Eric Lawton have a rocky marriage amidst the pain of losing a baby, but Eric used her withdrawal as a justification for his cheating ways. Joelle is a dedicated teacher and is fully aware of her husband's infidelity, but doesn't want to have to face it. His recent side piece lives right down the street and has been in her house and her children are aware of her. Logan is a fellow teacher and friend. He knows that Eric is a poor excuse for a husband and hopes he has a chance with Joelle. When she and her sister, Mia, go to a psychic, Joelle is warned to be careful, but it won't be strangers. It can't get much worse than this, right? It gets a lot worse when Joelle goes missing after taking the dog for a walk and Eric doesn't seem too concerned that she's missing. Detective Victoria Mason has an ulterior motive in taking the case, because when her sister was taken in the same way she didn't get there in time. This story is crafted in a unique format. From 4 months before her disappearance to the day she is rescued, we see the story unfold through the eyes of each of the characters involved. It's a brilliant way to fill in all the blanks and to give you an idea of what's coming next. It's a tremendous story that I highly recommend.
I always look forward to audiobooks narrated by Alexander Cendese and he meets and beats my expectations with his presentation of this delightful cozy mystery. His dynamic, emotional voice and solid pace and modulation are perfect from start to finish and the characters feel alive.

Incredible book! Narrated beautifully.

A mastery of twists and turns, “Otherwhere” will keep you on edge from start to finish. Soccer mom Joelle Lawton goes missing. Her sister reports it, but her husband is reluctant to consider it anything other than his wife being overwhelmed by her life.

All is NOT as it seems. The book is done in timeline increments, laying out the possible suspects in her disappearance, and just when the reader/listener thinks they’ve cracked the case – BOOM – another twist is introduced.

What stood out to me was the mastery of the talented voice actor, Alexander Cendese. He plays each character, whether male or female, as if he’s assumed their personality and gives a stellar performance throughout.

He captures the essence of this psychological thriller, and his expertise is evident in particular with the villain, tossing in maniacal laughter and psychotic responses as appropriate for the role. I highly recommend!