Come Sundown

By: Nora Roberts

Narrated by: Elisabeth Rodgers

Length: 17 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

A novel of suspense, family ties, and twisted passions from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Obsession...

The Bodine ranch and resort in western Montana is a family business, an idyllic spot for vacationers. A little over thirty thousand acres and home to four generations, it's kept running by Bodine Longbow with the help of a large staff, including new hire Callen Skinner. There was another member of the family once: Bodine's aunt, Alice, who ran off before Bodine was born. She never returned, and the Longbows don't talk about her much. The younger ones, who never met her, quietly presume she's dead. But she isn't. She is not far away, part of a new family, one she never chose - and her mind has been shattered...

When a bartender leaves the resort late one night, and Bo and Cal discover her battered body in the snow, it's the first sign that danger lurks in the mountains that surround them. The police suspect Cal, but Bo finds herself trusting him - and turning to him as another woman is murdered and the Longbows are stunned by Alice's sudden reappearance. The twisted story she has to tell about the past - and the threat that follows in her wake - will test the bonds of this strong family, and thrust Bodine into a darkness she could never have imagined.

©2017 Nora Roberts (P)2017 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Heart-rending story... good overcomes misogyny

4.5 - NR can be hit or miss with me but when I love her...I REALLY love her. And I loved this one. With NR you know what you're going to get, and Come Sundown is no exception: light romance, a disturbing mystery, strong and independent female heroine, bull-headed yet kind and sensitive male hero, disgusting excuse for a human being baddie, and the good guys always win, the bad guys always get what's coming to them, and love conquers all. But this one seemed to go deeper than a typical NR novel, she doesn't seem to rely quite so much on the usual plot conveniences, and there is a definite message which borrows on disturbing themes right out of our current climate. At the rate NR pumps out a story, I have to assume she's been influenced by recent turns in the social and political zeitgeist. Anyway, excellent story, plot, characters, setting, and emotional build-up. In fact, I teared up a few times over some breakthrough moments for a very damaged character. A good novel is designed to play with the reader's emotions, but if not done well, it can feel like contrived manipulations unless cleverly arranged to build upon smartly written plot points, world-building, and character development. These moments felt so authentic, it was like I was there experiencing them with the characters. I have a few quibbles, but very few...not enough to expound upon nor ruin my experience. This is a great book for NR fans and also a good choice for a first NR read, especially for those reticent to give her a try. NR is not going to break into any exciting new literary movements, but she is damn good storytelling.

182 of 188 people found this review helpful

Wasn't my cup of tea

I started out interested in the abduction of Alice , but I agree with others - too graphic and disturbing . And the rest of the story I struggled through -
Grew tired of the perfect family , and the narration - didn't care for so much " acting".
Just wasn't for me, but that's ok.

38 of 40 people found this review helpful

wanted to like but ended disappointed.

I really wanted to love this book. It started out great and it was going to be on the list of my favorite books. But the story just took a weird turn in the middle with the shooting that just seemed to be thrown in without having any real reason for it. Then the fight over the shooting was even more over the top ridiculous. I finished the book feeling like so much more could have been done with the storyline. At the end of Nora Roberts books I usually have a sadness because I want to know more about what happened to the characters after the book ended but this time I have no feelings like that.

33 of 35 people found this review helpful

One of her best!

Although I wasn't sure at first if I was going to like it, this book turned out to be one of my favorites by Nora Roberts. There were times in the story when it broke my heart. Alice was braver and more resilient than many people would have been in that situation. The support of her family and community was amazing. There are many strong characters in this book to help keep the plot strong. I will definitely be listening to this book again.

44 of 47 people found this review helpful

Rape as Entertainment? Nope.

the book included a bunch of graphic rapes. and all the men sounded exactly the same to me. This is one of the few Nora Roberts books that I have actively skipped sections. some of it actually made me sick to my stomach . I don't consider that level of violent rape in my head to be entertainment.

85 of 92 people found this review helpful

From JD Robb to Nora Roberts!

I, an avid JD Robb listener, was hesitant to try a Nora Roberts book - I thought it would be mushy romance, but I was pleasantly surprised to find strong female characters and multiple mysteries! I LOVED this book!

26 of 28 people found this review helpful

Dark and Depressing

Rather atypical for a Nora Roberts story which are usually entertaining and way more light hearted . This story was too depressing for my taste... More like what one would expect. to find under the JD Robb name. I don't read books written under the JD Robb name for that reason. I was disappointed in this book.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Alright

This book is alright. What really kept me coming back was Alice's story. I shed some tears for Alice and everything that she went through. While Bo and Cal are the main characters Alice's abduction and life are the real story lines. I have to say there was no real romance drama or real crazy romance story just a couple that used to be attracted to each other (when they were kids) that got reunited. Jesse and Chase's quirky romance was a lot more interesting. The narrator was great. She did a great Job bringing the characters to life. I always wish the ending included a bit more. The epilogue needed to be more detailed maybe a look into the future.

61 of 69 people found this review helpful

Slow pace, hard to get into story

I struggled to stay with it and the combination of the slow narration and the slow pace of the story didn't do much to keep me interested. I could have skipped the first half of the book and been just fine. Normally I can rush right through a Nora Roberts book in no time, but this one was hard. With the rapes and brutality in Alice's storyline, it is definitely not a book to listen to in public. The killer was no surprise, but the ending was satisfying. I don't think I'll be rereading this one.

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

Totally Awesome book

This book was so different from the normal Nora Roberts that I have grown to love. As I listened to it I could picture the horrific way Alice was treated and feel her heartbreak over the babies Sir took away. I pictured the ranch and resort. The characters as always become real people and make you feel emotions and hope for them and their families. I will definitely recommend this book to everyone who reads her books and anyone who doesn't yet.
Ms.Roberts is an awesome writer and this book is another shining example of how well she does it.

15 of 17 people found this review helpful

Great saga

Very well narrated. Often female find it harder to do a convincing male voice but this one excellent. Length allows one to settle into a story and characters. If you like wide sky montana cowboy-type love stories: One for you

10 of 11 people found this review helpful

Average book, slow story, weak plot

It's a thriller. One main story line that's pretty bleak. Not much else goes on in the book and it's not particularly redemptive. A little too slow and not enough action. Didn't captivate, wouldn't read another of her books sadly

20 of 23 people found this review helpful

another great story by Nora Roberts.

really great narration of a lovely story. a lot sadness but with a happy ending

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

Excellent

It was another fantastic story by Nora Roberts. Just finished it and going to read it again, loved it. It is different from other books of hers that I've read, I cried and laughed and was shocked by some of the revelations. It still has a lovely romance to it. All round excellent read. Another amazing book by Nora Roberts.

12 of 14 people found this review helpful

Brilliant

One of Norah Roberts best audio books. Loved the characters and the story. Well written

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

Superb as always

As a huge fan I was looking forward to hearing this story...and I wasn't disappointed as I couldn't put it down! Maybe it was easy to guess the outcome but that doesn't detract from the great characters and the story! I cried and laughed in equal measure!

9 of 11 people found this review helpful

Good Book by Nora Roberts

I love Nora when she writes as JD Robb. This is a good story, Nora shows an idyllic family living on a Montana Dude Ranch and the missing family member, who disappeared 25 years earlier.
I found Alice's story hard to read. The position she found herself in was a woman's worst fear. I expect you are intended to know, as I realised who Alice's son, was very early in thew story.
The narration was good - well worth it's credit

8 of 13 people found this review helpful

come sundown

As I love Montana, horses, cowboys and ranching.. this book was written for me ..

6 of 11 people found this review helpful

loved it

The audio was easy to listen to and thoroughly enjoyable. I will be reading her books again

Seemingly two different writers

This book seems to have been written by two different writers. It has one really engrossing, well imagined and well-written story threaded through it, which is well worth listening to. But it's padded out with a totally different genre and style of writing, which isn't worth listening to. It's like Thomas Harris (Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon) has been forced into a writing partnership with someone who writes really poor Romance stories that 15 year old girls read (Danielle Steele?).

I did finish it - because the good side of the story kept me going - but it was difficult to listen to the rest. The worst bit was having to listen to lengthy descriptions of the processes of the admin department of a family ranch business. Oh, and the cringing sex scenes. The best bit - all of the good part of the story, which was moving and disturbing but totally gripping. That part was like an episode of Criminal Minds.

I'd say read it because it is really good in parts, but listen to the boring bits on double speed.