Hole in the Woods

By: Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

Narrated by: Marni Penning, Lauren Ezzo, Elise Randall, Byron Wagner, Timothy Howard Jackson

Length: 9 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

July 1989, in a sleepy Michigan town, high school grad Nina Laramie heads out with her friends and is never seen alive again. Months later, her skeleton is found near a remote party spot in the forest.

The ME determines Nina has been brutally raped and bludgeoned to death. Fear and anger ripple through this tight-knit community when the case goes cold.

Thirty years later, Riley St. James, a Detroit PD assigned to Nina’s case, is determined to get her first big cold case win despite having a similar past to the victim. Relying on her investigative prowess and gut instinct, Riley tracks down a witness who saw Nina Laramie’s murder. But as the truth comes to light, Riley must face the killers who want their secret to stay in the Hole in the Woods.

Hole in the Woods is based on the 1989 true-life murder case of Shannon Siders of Newaygo County, Michigan. After the case went dormant, a Michigan cold case team formed in 2011 and uncovered new evidence that enabled them to arrest, try, and convict the killers, who were sent to prison for Shannon’s murder in 2015.

©2020 Jennifer Graeser Dornbush (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

victim's justice

the story is ghastly but not gratuitously delineated. because it's based on reality , it's predictable. the readers are good except for the main narrator's constant under current of unexplained trauma.

Great story

So, the story was great, and most of the voices were good too. One of the voices sounded condescending and annoyed to be reading, it kinda threw me off a bit. Overall great story, and the fact that a portion goes to cold cases is 5 stars from this mama bear.

Great story and excellent narrators

Hope there are more real cold cases can be solved, bringing solace to the grieving families

Amazing

This was an amazing story based on a true story… twists and turns… it flowed like a river, smooth with a fast current. The performance was spot on. I didn’t want to put it down or shut it off I should say

Really cool!

With the use of multiple voice actors I didn't know how it would effect the overall story but it ended up giving a lot of depth. I really liked too, that the book is based on a true cold case which the author speaks about in the end. Also, no one has to be worried about any animals dying :)

Beautiful book!

I loved this book. The way the author portrayed the victim was perfection. I enjoyed her character development and prologues and epilogue. Will definitely read more from this author.

Deeply emotive

The store itself, from multiple perspectives, is heartwarming and insightful. The story line will pull at your heart for any/every woman who has been a victim of violence. I felt that some of the readers could have better portrayed the emotion that some of the chapters carried but Riley St. James is a quiet heroine who has you rooting for her from the beginning, has you hoping that she’ll overcome her own backstory, and has you routing for her to find her own resolution, leading to her to find the ‘person’ of her future. Great storyline but perhaps a lost opportunity for both resolution and romance.

A lot of what you expect

I shouldn’t have started this book. I somehow thought that there would be one or two descriptions of the rape. Nope more than one person experienced it. And it is told from multiple viewpoints. Even if all of it is not graphic, it was too much for me.
It reminds of a painter I knew who painted depictions of abused women. They were painfully accurate. She wanted people to viscerally understand. I am not sure if people that need to understand are capable of that empathy.
I can’t make that judgment for this book or those paintings. I couldn’t finish this book. I couldn’t fairly critique the paintings.

Good book

The story unfolds like a true crime miniseries. A cold case 30 years in evolution. Told and tied up neatly. Good narration.

Great story telling

I loved the way the author persevered the authenticity while adding her own storytelling skills. The narrartion was good. It felt very real. I also appreciate that a portion of this book goes to the Cold Case Foundation. I think it’s a great idea. I would support purchasing more books that support this cause.