The One I Left Behind

By: Jennifer McMahon

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 12 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

The summer of 1985 changes Reggie’s life. An awkward 13-year-old, she finds herself mixed up with the school outcasts. That same summer, a serial killer called Neptune begins kidnapping women. He leaves their severed hands on the police department steps and, five days later, displays their bodies around town. Just when Reggie needs her mother, Vera, the most, Vera’s hand is found on the steps. But after five days, there’s no body and Neptune disappears. Now, 25 years later, Reggie is a successful architect who has left her hometown and the horrific memories of that summer behind. But when she gets a call revealing that her mother has been found alive, Reggie must confront the ghosts of her past and find Neptune before he kills again.

©2013 Jennifer McMahon (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers

Bit slow to start

Absolutely loved the narrator. You could picture each character as she talked about them.
It took a bit to get the story going and keep me interested but I loved it anyway. I enjoyed her writing and can’t wait for another book by Jenifer McMahon.

It’s good then real good then *meh*

I enjoy Jennifer McMahon’s writing, but I am a bit frustrated with the ending. The story keeps you guessing and engaged and you want to know what happens next and then it feels a bit rushed… *shrug*

really good

I love books that leave me guessing and this one did just that....all the way until the end.

Kept me guessing

Another great story by Jennifer McMahon. Interesting story with plenty of realistic characters and a plot line that keeps you guessing. Julia Whelan’s expressive reading voice adds to the story.

"This storyline had me from the first paragraph"

This book is the second that I've read from Jennifer McMahon (The first being Winter People). The story takes you back to 1985 and then toggles between the past and present, where a serial killer comes to a bedroom community and changes the lives of so many people, namely, the main character, Reggie and her two childhood friends. The story is concise, and leaves no T's uncrossed, and no I's un-dotted. I was never confused or unsure about the timeframe I was listening to. The author can be a bit 'wordy' at times, but not so much that I lost interest. I was impressed that I couldn't figure out who the killer was until the end, and there was enough suspense that I could imagine many characters being the villain. I think my biggest complaint about this book is the narration. Julia Whelan sounded at times that she was almost making fun of the characters. At the very least, it would seem like she was forcing her vocal performance so much that it felt like an exaggerated version of the character, almost like a caricature. If I'm being honest, it almost put me off listening to the book altogether, but the story, in the end won me over. Definitely a good read. I highly recommend it. -Karen Carlson

Yet Another McMahon Masterpiece

What can I say? I am a huge McMahon fan and this one is as wonderful as the others I have read. Her books do have similar themes and characters, which may be annoying to some people but I have come to appreciate this. Its as if she takes her characters and replaces them in different times and places and different combinations of circumstances to see what they will do. And the answer to this is always very surprising.
Anyway, it's a wonderful edge-of-your-seat-small-town-thriller! Narrator does an excellent job engaging the plot as well.

Enthralling

I stayed up late into the night to read this fast paced, suspenseful novel.
The novel switches between 1985, when protagonist Reggie is 13, and 2010 when Regina is a successful writer. In 1985, a serial killer lurks in Reggie's small hometown. Named Neptune, he kidnaps women, shops off their hands leaving them on the steps of the police station, then kills hid victims. Reggie's mom Vera, his last victim is never found. In 2010 Vera is found alive and Regina returns to her home town. Vera, confused and ill, can't explain where she's been or who kidnapped her. Who is Neptune and will he kill again?
Then Regina's friend goes missing...
Rooting for Reggie/Regina is easy. She's multidimensional, both as an adolescent and as an adult. The book was fast paced, although at times switching back from the presence slows down the current mystery.
McMahon, a writer I've enjoyed before, knows how to grab readers' interests with unique plots, complex characters, and great writing, don't miss this novel.

Couldn't Stop Listening ~ Sucked Me In!!!

What did you like best about this story?

I really liked how the author told the story, alternating between 1985, 2010 and excerpts from the fictional book within the book about the case. Doing it this way not only added suspense to the story but wonderful background, clues and was a great way to tell us important info in a creative way. There are a lot of sub plots as well which were very entertaining. She also describes scenes in a way that is realistic and easy to visualize. Great story, great ending.

What does Julia Whelan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I actually bought this book BECAUSE Julia narrated it. I clicked on her name to see what else she has done after I heard her in Gone Girl. I think I'll keep selecting books this way. Not only did she go to college in my hometown (side note) :) but she has an amazing ability to capture any character with a different voice no matter if they are old, young, male or female. It's all believable. Her natural voice as a narrator is confident, has an excellent cadence and very easy to listen to. It never sounds like it's the first time she's reading the book (unlike other narrators).

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES! I listen to books in the car during my commute. With this book I found myself listening at home with headphones during any free moment!

Overall another great mystery by McMahon

I loved this book! I am a huge true crime fan, and it really felt like this was a true crime novel. I had to remind myself that Vera and Reggie weren't real people! Some of supporting characters were never fully fleshed out, but overall the story was just fascinating!

Excellent narration as usual and one of my favorite new authors! Do yourself a favor if you like mystery, suspense, true crime or just a good old fashioned yarn, you will like this book...maybe love it!

I loved it from beginning to end! A MUST listen!!

I loved the story all the way through! I thought I had it figured out 20 times and was guessing until the end! I loved the narrator as well. if you want a great thriller..., this is definitely it!!!