Everything to Lose

A Novel

By: Andrew Gross

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

A determined, (down on her luck) mother caring for her handicapped son becomes entangled in a murderous conspiracy to keep a 20-year-old secret buried in this blistering thriller, set during the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, from Andrew Gross, the New York Times best-selling author of 15 Seconds and No Way Back.

While driving along a suburban back road, Hilary Blum, who's just lost her job and whose deadbeat husband has left her alone to care for her son with Asperger's, witnesses a freakish accident. A car ahead of her careens down a hill and slams into a tree. Stopping to help, she discovers the driver dead - and a satchel stuffed with a half a million dollars.

That money could prevent her family's ruin and keep her special-needs son in school. In an instant, this honest, achieving woman who has always done the responsible thing makes a decision that puts her in the center of maelstrom of dark consequences and life-threatening recriminations - a terrifying scheme involving a 20-year-old murder, an old woman who's life has been washed out to sea, and a powerful figure bent to keep the secret that can destroy him hidden.

With everything to lose, everything she loves, Hilary connects to a determined cop from Staten Island, reeling from the disaster of Sandy, to bring down an enemy who will stop at nothing to keep what that money was meant to silence, still buried.

©2014 Andrew Gross (P)2014 HarperCollinsPublishers

What a tough listen

I really struggled to finish this. I mean to start how do you feel sorry for someone who had so many, many options.
I don't know sell your giant diamond ring, declare bankruptcy, cut out exercise class, cut out the nanny. All things that should and could have been done before you were so far behind.

Overall the character came off as selfish and whiny through most of the book. Also she was just stupid in how she handled most everything. Oh no one can find me at this place that is owned by family. no one can possibly find my son at the Nannies.

The voice narrator was a real let down for male characters. Her tone was fine but she has 0 ability to do a male voice. It really came off as jarring.

Based on the writing I doubt I will try another of the authors books.

Mostly excellent

EVERYTHING TO LOSE held my interest for the most part, even though I would have preferred several happier endings. The narrator was convincing except for her histrionics relating to her son. I get it, but overdone to the point I pulled my earbuds out until the scene was over. Creative concept and interwoven plot. 6/21/18

Fantastic

This author has so many great books I can’t say this is his best. It’s definitely one of the best suspense thrillers I’ve listened to in the past 2 years. On top of that the narrator is beyond fantastic-possibly the best female narrator I’ve ever listened to. I wish Mr Gross would put out a new book soon-it’s been a while but I will be waiting when it arrives.

Protagonist is missing a moral compass!

Another excellent book by Andrew Gross.
As others people have written in reviews, the protagonist in this book is not a very likable character. Hilary had been married to a wealthy man but is now divorced and he of course is a dead beat dad. They have one son with Asperger's syndrome. She has gotten him into a private school for children on the autism spectrum and he's doing very well. Now she's lost her job. She's kept her upscale home in Westchester, NY. She has kept all of her expensive jewelry and maintained her lifestyle of mani/ pedicures, Starbucks daily, nights out with the girls, housekeeper and exercise classes a few times per week.
When a man hit a deer and goes off the road she tried to help him but it's too late, he's dead. On the passenger side there is a satchel with $500K cash. She throws it into the woods and waits to see if it get reported as missing. Meanwhile another good samaritan stops and Hilary leaves him with the body saying she has to pick up her son. She just doesn't want to be connected to the dead man or his money.
Anyway, a series of events including the murder of the other other man at the accident scene makes her decide to return the money to the family but they don't know where it came from either.
Hilary's sense of entitlement is a real put off. Her only saving quality is that she seems to be a good and very concerned mother. Quite a few people are killed over this cash, some sadly unexpected.
The story behind where the money came from is intriguing and makes up for the short comings of the protagonist.
I might not have liked her but the book sure held my attention.
Tavia Gilbert narration was a bit slow and I had to turn the speed up to 1.5.
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Everything

This book was wonderful. I was anxious to get in my car & Drive. Can’t believe I hadn’t listened to this before. I listened to THE BLUE ZONE & knew I wanted to listen to more of his stories.. This was a great listen book & kept you in suspense from the start.!!

Intense

Completely hooked after the first page. Author Andrew Gross, takes you into each scene and you become one with everything that’s going on.

Tedious book, weak narration

The plot was very thin, padded to book length by drawn-out, repetitve internal monologues by the characters. I ended up increasing the listening speed for these long and unnecessary passages just to get through them. The plot is weakened by its dependence on coincidence for a couple of important plot points, such as when a key piece of lost evidence conveniently washes up on a beach after a hurricane, and when someone just happens to tune in the tv news in time to hear something that helps to resolve a mystery. The narration was just weak. The attempts to sound ominous were actually hilarious in places, and the eastern european accent of an important character was farcical. I've enjoyed a lot of Gross' books, but not this one.

The consequences of entitlement

Is there anything you would change about this book?

If I changed anything, it wouldn't be the same book. The mother's sense of entitlement led to her downfall.

What could Andrew Gross have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The book would be more enjoyable if the mother had actually taken responsibility for trying to make ends meet. She needs money, but lives in a palatial house (ok, it's all about the school district), but she can't sell her jewelry???

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

no

Any additional comments?

If you listened to Be Frank with Me (with Tavia Gilbert as the narrator), you'll keep thinking it's Frank talking as she used the same voice for the son in this book.

Who is worse - narrator or protagonist? Close call

As many others have noted, narrator grossly overdramatizes. If you are driving in traffic, hearing this emotional freefall would certainly amp up your anxiety level. The listening blurb does not provide an adequate sample of the nearly constant hysteria. Protagonist deserves some sort of dumb award -- Ex isn't paying child support while driving a Porsche and skiing in Vail? Beg and whine and make excuses for him instead of initiating NY's remedies for deadbeat dads. Need to hide from a killer? Choose somewhere he would never think of, like your parents' house. Hide your child from the killer? The nanny's house. Brilliant! Buried in these soap opera elements is everybody's favorite puzzle - how would you handle it if you secretly found a bag with hundreds of thousands of dollars cash? Hopefully better than this book suggests...

Narrator Ruins the Listening Experience

What didn’t you like about Tavia Gilbert’s performance?

The narrator uses a whiney, shrill, and frantic voice for the female character throughout the book. The voice is so annoying that it literally ruins the listening experience. I do not recommend purchasing this audiobook.