Secret Smile

De: Nicci French

Narrado por: Anne Flosnik

Duración: 9 h y 50 m

Resumen del Editor

Miranda's sister Kerri has a new boyfriend. He's a handsome charmer who seems to dote on Kerri. But Brendan isn't the man he says he is. Miranda should know. She broke off her own affair with him just a few weeks ago when she found him reading her diary.

Now Brendan claims that it was he who ended their short-lived relationship - and everyone believes him. When he and Kerri announce their engagement, Miranda's parents are thrilled for their shyer, less confident daughter. Then Kerri and Brendan beg Miranda to let them live in her apartment until their new home is ready. Against her better judgment, Miranda agrees.

Like a virus, Brendan starts spreading destruction throughout her life. He invades her privacy and disrupts her relationships with her family and friends. And then the real nightmare begins...

Like the obscenities he whispers into her ear, his onslaughts are as undetectable as they are devastating. Those closest to her begin to doubt her mental stability and accuse her of the very thing she believes drives Brendan: obsession. When Miranda decides to take off the gloves, fight back, and discover what is behind her enemy's secret smile, the consequences will be terrifying.

©2006 Nicci French (P)2004 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Frustrating Plot

What did you like best about Secret Smile? What did you like least?

The book would be a good summer vacation read.

It has a lot in common with the Frieda Klein series.

1. All the books are well written. You can see the places and feel the emotions. You get caught up in them.

2, The heroine of the Secret Smile, Miranda, is a lot like Frieda Klein Both are smart, capable, out-spoken, and independent women who make stupid, self-defeating mistakes.

3. The villains in both stories are violent, evil stalkers who manipulate the heroines' lives.

Even so, I didn't like the Secret Smile. The book was really frustrating to read. Miranda keeps playing into the villain's hands. She doesn't do things to head him off or to protect herself. The problem is that this is the only plot line.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The book would have been much better if there were more story lines interwoven with the Miranda/Brendan conflict.

Also, Miranda needed to try to get ahead of Brendan early in the story. Even if she failed, the story would have been more believable and less frustrating.

What about Anne Flosnik’s performance did you like?

She gave each character a different voice. She puts lots of feeling into her reading.

Was Secret Smile worth the listening time?

Worth listening time, but not worth an Audible credit.

Any additional comments?

The Secret Smile seems like a first try at what became the wonderful Frieda Klein series.

I didn't like the end

If you could sum up Secret Smile in three words, what would they be?

interesting, good story (except the end), beautifully worded

What other book might you compare Secret Smile to and why?

To the Frida Klein series from Nicci French

What about Anne Flosnik’s performance did you like?

Very well read, I really like her style. The different personalities are well distinguished

Any additional comments?

I knew that the end will be surprising but I just didn't really get it. I would probably have to read it again

Another Caricature of a Boundary-less Woman

Super disappointed with another main character who is so weak and boundary-less. It seems that the authors' see women as unable to stand up for themselves, too concerned with being polite, and absent of any sort of backbone. To the authors: ENOUGH WITH THE MISOGYNY ALREADY!

I want my 9 hours back

Terribly boring, slow, anticlimactic book. I use the word book because story is a stretch. Weak characters and storyline. The narrator was TERRIBLE. Her voices made me cringe for 10 chapters before she wore me down.

Ridiculous

This was one of the worst audible books I've ever listened too. The narrative was overly dramatic and the ending was anticlimactic. The only reason I continued to listen was because audible wouldn't return it and I was on an eight hour drive. After complaining about it once I got Wi-Fi back, they returned it. I was very disappointed because I had read the Frieda Kline mysteries by the same authors.
The protagonist was unbelievably stupid at times.