Gretchen

A Thriller

By: Shannon Kirk

Narrated by: Rebecca Soler, Allyson Ryan

Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

The new tenants have a terrible secret. So do the landlord and his daughter…

Ever since Lucy was two, she’s been on the run alongside her mother. She’s never understood the reason for a lifetime of paranoia, aliases, and lies. All she understands are the rules: never lock eyes with strangers, never let down your guard, and always be ready to move on.

Finally, after thirteen years and eleven states, their next hideaway seems perfect. An isolated, fortresslike place in the New Hampshire woods is the new home they share with its owner, a gentlemanly pianist, and his lonely daughter, Gretchen. She’s Lucy’s age and soon becomes Lucy’s first real friend.

But Gretchen and her father have secrets of their own - and an obsession with puzzles that draws Lucy into a terrifying new game of hide-and-seek. Lucy’s dark past is about to come calling. And this time, for her and her mother in the house on the hill, it might be too late to run.

©2019 Shannon Kirk (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic Reviews

“…[A] brilliantly constructed novel…The pieces of the characters’ broken lives finally slip into place in a truly thrilling climax. Kirk draws the reader into a fascinating world of shifting truths whose details are by turns grotesque, funny, creepy, thoughtful, and exhilarating.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) 

“Gretchen terrified me, made me laugh, made my jaw hit the floor…I had to wonder what kind of sorceress Kirk is, to have wormed her way into my brain and then written exactly the kind of story that makes me jump out of my skin and burns its way into my memory. The best kind.” - Emily Carpenter, bestselling author of Until the Day I Die

“I’m so glad I read this during the daytime, when the sun was shining and I was in a plane full of people…Five terrifying stars.” - Kimberly Belle, bestselling author of Three Days Missing and Dear Wife 

LOVED THIS BOOK!

I really don't like to give reviews because I don't have time to really get into it but I will say that this book definitely deserves 10 stars if I could get it. Super exciting and literally could not stop listening to. All the twists and turns and excitement I wish there were more books like this

No,no,no.....

Bad writing, unbelievable situations, terrible plot.....the only good thing about this is that it’s over and it can be returned. Truly painful to listen to this. ZERO stars

Princess Mary Sue

I listened to this because of Amazon Prime/books. If I would have paid for it, I would have never finished it and would have asked for a refund. This is a YA "thriller" / "horror" (not classified as such) and is hardly believable. It's a thriller only because the reader can't wait for the main character to stop her very drawn out / high-drama internal dialogues and GET ON WITH THE STORY.

A must have suspense audio book!

A wonderful & thrilling book that will keep you spell bound until the end.

Decent, until the end

I thought this was a decent mystery, until the bonkers final act where everyone went insane. I guess they had to deal with the whole Gretchen storyline somehow, but what they did was pretty unbelievable and kinda ruined it for me.

I absolutely loved this book!

Gretchen is my new favorite book. I enjoyed the story and love the narrators. Thank you to the authors that don't listen to ppl who say in reviews, "this would never happen." You know the meaning of the word fiction.

Best book in a long time

This is the best book I have read in a LOOOOONG time. Excellent story, excellent narration, all around perfection.

Twisted

I only got this bc it was offered free to listen on Audible via Kindle Unlimited & I love psychological thrillers, BUT I didn’t have high hopes for it based on the vague summary.

It’s a bit slow at first (I’ll admit I almost gave up on it), but stick with it bc once Gretchen is introduced...you’d better buckle up!

There are so many twists, some predictable based on prior events (not bc I’m one of those that’s always “trying” to predict what’s coming :P) & so many that just sneak up on you! I RARELY rate a book with 5 stars, but this one deserved it...or maybe I‘m just in a really good mood. ;)

A great listen!!

I found the story to be weird and intense! I loved it though! Well written fantastic plot, good character developement! Good job Shannon Kirk!!

Sometimes Rambling BUT

Overall great story! While you know early on something is “up” with the characters, it isn’t until later it all comes together. Not your typical suspense books. The narrator does a great job. I recommend this book.

Protracted

I really enjoyed some sections of this book but overall it was a bit too drawn out. The narration is good but there are a lot of characters so it's sometimes hard to follow who is who. Easy to listen to if you want something not too gripping.