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Homicide detective Frost Easton doesn't like coincidences. When a series of bizarre deaths rock San Francisco - as seemingly random women suffer violent psychotic breaks - Frost looks for a connection that leads him to psychiatrist Francesca Stein. Frankie's controversial therapy helps people erase their most terrifying memories...and all the victims were her patients.
You went to bed at home, just like every other night. You woke up in the back of a taxi, over 250 miles away. You have no idea how you got there and no memory of the last 10 hours. You have no phone, no money, just a suicide note in your coat pocket, in your own writing. You know you weren't planning to kill yourself. Your family and friends think you are lying. Someone knows exactly what happened to you. But they're not telling....
A teacher goes missing under suspicious circumstances and a man is murdered at a local reservoir. For Detective Robyn Carter, there's no obvious link between the cases. But as she starts to delve into them, her investigations lead her to Abigail, perfect wife and mother to beautiful little Izzy. What was Abigail's connection to the victims? And why is she receiving threatening messages from an anonymous number?
They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer...wrong. Louisa's new best friend has it all - the house, the status, the money. But she's also hiding a dark secret. And as Louisa is drawn deeper into her friend's life, events take a chilling turn.
At the grisly murder scene of a teen prostitute, Virginia state trooper Riley Tatum's past roars back to haunt her. When she was a teenage runaway, she was kidnapped, drugged, and left unconscious on the streets. She has no memories of what happened, only strange recurring dreams of two men playing cards. Former FBI agent Clay Bowman, Riley's old flame, is Shield Security's newest member. He's plagued by the unsolved case of a serial killer nicknamed the Shark who murdered girls as part of a sadistic poker game.
Joe Pickett is the new game warden in Twelve Sleep, Wyoming, a town where nearly everyone hunts and the game warden—especially one like Joe who won't take bribes or look the other way—is far from popular. When he finds a local hunting outfitter dead, splayed out on the woodpile behind his state-owned home, he takes it personally. There had to be a reason that the outfitter, with whom he's had run-ins before, chose his backyard, his woodpile to die in.
Homicide detective Frost Easton doesn't like coincidences. When a series of bizarre deaths rock San Francisco - as seemingly random women suffer violent psychotic breaks - Frost looks for a connection that leads him to psychiatrist Francesca Stein. Frankie's controversial therapy helps people erase their most terrifying memories...and all the victims were her patients.
You went to bed at home, just like every other night. You woke up in the back of a taxi, over 250 miles away. You have no idea how you got there and no memory of the last 10 hours. You have no phone, no money, just a suicide note in your coat pocket, in your own writing. You know you weren't planning to kill yourself. Your family and friends think you are lying. Someone knows exactly what happened to you. But they're not telling....
A teacher goes missing under suspicious circumstances and a man is murdered at a local reservoir. For Detective Robyn Carter, there's no obvious link between the cases. But as she starts to delve into them, her investigations lead her to Abigail, perfect wife and mother to beautiful little Izzy. What was Abigail's connection to the victims? And why is she receiving threatening messages from an anonymous number?
They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer...wrong. Louisa's new best friend has it all - the house, the status, the money. But she's also hiding a dark secret. And as Louisa is drawn deeper into her friend's life, events take a chilling turn.
At the grisly murder scene of a teen prostitute, Virginia state trooper Riley Tatum's past roars back to haunt her. When she was a teenage runaway, she was kidnapped, drugged, and left unconscious on the streets. She has no memories of what happened, only strange recurring dreams of two men playing cards. Former FBI agent Clay Bowman, Riley's old flame, is Shield Security's newest member. He's plagued by the unsolved case of a serial killer nicknamed the Shark who murdered girls as part of a sadistic poker game.
Joe Pickett is the new game warden in Twelve Sleep, Wyoming, a town where nearly everyone hunts and the game warden—especially one like Joe who won't take bribes or look the other way—is far from popular. When he finds a local hunting outfitter dead, splayed out on the woodpile behind his state-owned home, he takes it personally. There had to be a reason that the outfitter, with whom he's had run-ins before, chose his backyard, his woodpile to die in.
He's a self-described beach bum who won his houseboat in a card game. He's also a knight errant who's wary of credit cards, retirement benefits, political parties, mortgages, and television. He only works when his cash runs out, and his rule is simple: he'll help you find whatever was taken from you, as long as he can keep half.
Eve Hardaway, newly single mother of one, is on a trip she’s long dreamed of - a rafting and hiking tour through the jungles and mountains of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico. Eve wanders off the trail, to a house in the distance with a menacing man in the yard beyond it, throwing machetes at a human-shaped target. Disturbed by the sight, Eve moves quickly and quietly back to her group, taking care to avoid being seen. As she creeps along, she finds a broken digital camera, marked with the name Teresa Hamilton.
It's 1991. Near Checkpoint Zulu, 100 miles from the Kuwaiti border, Thomas Benton meets Arwood Hobbes. Benton is a British journalist who reports from war zones in part to avoid his lackluster marriage and a daughter he loves but cannot connect with; Arwood is a Midwestern American private who might be an insufferable ignoramus or might be a genuine lunatic with a death wish - it's hard to tell.
From the outside, Alix London appears to have it all. Unfortunately for Alix, what you see isn’t exactly what you get. A brilliant, once-promising art student, the daughter of a prominent New York art conservator, Alix and her world were left in ruins when her father went to prison for art forgery. Then she meets Christine Lemay, a novice art collector with deep pockets and a handle on a recently discovered painting by American master Georgia O’Keeffe. Chris needs the painting authenticated....
Two hundred years ago a loyalist family fled to England to escape the American War of Independence and seemingly vanished into thin air. American genealogist Jefferson Tayte is hired to find out what happened, but it soon becomes apparent that a calculated killer is out to stop him.
According to sixteen-year-old Zander Osborne, nowhere is an actual place - and she's just fine there. But her parents insist that she get out of her head - and her home state - and attend Camp Padua, a summer camp for at-risk teens. Zander does not fit in - or so she thinks. She has only one word for her fellow campers: crazy.
"Wilderness," a darkly intriguing short story first published as an e-book original, was written as prelude to Dean Koontz’s novel of mystery, suspense, and strange wonder - Innocence.
Dr. Hector Carpentier leads a very quiet life, until he meets legendary police officer Vidocq, who has used his mastery of disguise and surveillance and his extensive knowledge of the Parisian underworld to capture some of the most notorious and elusive criminals.
In 2061 a young scientist invents a time machine to fix a tragedy in his past. But his good intentions turn catastrophic when an early test reveals something unexpected: the end of the world. A desperate plan is formed: recruit three heroes, ordinary humans capable of extraordinary things, and change the future.
To all appearances, Dan Chase is a harmless retiree in Vermont with two big mutts and a grown daughter he keeps in touch with by phone. But most 60-year-old widowers don't have multiple driver's licenses, savings stockpiled in banks across the country, and a bugout kit with two Beretta Nanos stashed in the spare bedroom closet. Most have not spent decades on the run.
For DEA Special Agent Marshall Everett, life as he knows it is over once a gunshot wound renders his arm useless. Barred forever from the undercover work he loves, he has nothing - no close friends, no family, no hometown or base, and no desire to settle for life behind a desk. He's called to action in the most unlikely of places when he stumbles upon a beautiful girl burying an old steel box in a Parisian park.
In 1988, 43-year-old Jeff Winston died of a heart attack. But then he awoke, and it was 1963; Jeff was 18 all over again, his memory of the next two decades intact. This time around, Jeff would gain all the power and wealth he never had before. This time around he'd know how to do it right. Until next time.
Each winter the crew at the Shackleton South Pole Research Facility faces nine months of isolation, round-the-clock darkness, and one of the most extreme climates on the planet. For thirty-something mechanical engineer Cass Jennings, Antarctica offers an opportunity to finally escape the guilt of her troubled past and to rebuild her life.
But the death of a colleague triggers a series of mysterious incidents that push Cass and the rest of the forty-four-person crew to the limits of their sanity and endurance. Confined and cut off from the outside world, will they work together or turn against one another? As the tension escalates, Cass must find the strength to survive not only a punishing landscape but also an unrelenting menace determined to destroy the station - and everyone in it.
This is a book that I bought purely on the cover. I bought the Kindle edition in early January, and then picked this up as a Whispersync deal once it was released on audio. I featured it in my new and notable releases of the week when it was released -- all based on the cover. Once I dug below the permafrost, I realized that there was a lot going on with this story.
Matthew Iden weaves an incredibly emotional story in The Winter Over. It tells of a research station in the middle of nowhere -- on the South Pole. The people who "winter" here are researchers, scientists, and engineers who are looking to either prove something to someone or themselves. Or as it was put "they say everyone who comes to Antarctica is either running from something or to something." The Winter Over tells the story of someone who might be doing a little of both, Cass Jennings is ready to stay the long and grueling winter months of no light and no way out of the station.
The story itself weaves in and out of a few main characters but focuses mainly on Cass and her struggles. She was an interesting character because, for 75% of the book, you have almost no idea what her back story is, but you know it's important. Once you figure it out, it's almost too late in the story for you to feel good or bad for her.
The other characters that are introduced all play their parts well, and with the twists and turns that Iden throws in, you won't know what hit you... or who.
The narration was done by Karen Peakes who does a pretty nice job. My only complaint was the accents. I know that the characters were foreign, most likely with an accent -- but they weren't really well done and sometimes they were hard to understand. Along the same was the announcement in the book -- these were done a little muffled (on purpose to give it more of an authentic feel). This usually works for me, but something about the way that Peakes did it didn't work for me. But, overall, her narration was good and enjoyable allowing the story to progress nicely.
Overall, The Winter Over felt a little long and drawn out to me, but it was still enjoyable. I picked a book by its cover and I wasn't disappointed! I just checked on Amazon to see how this book was categorized, and I was surprised that Thriller and Psychological Thriller weren't listed. That is definitely the type of story this is.
69 of 71 people found this review helpful
Any additional comments?
I loved the premise of this and was hoping it would be great, but I didn't love it. It was entertaining for the most part, although some parts really dragged and some parts were great. I kept expecting some big reveal - the build-up hinted at such but we never really got it. I really liked the interactions between Cass and Vox, but there were a few times when the characters made really stupid choices considering their situation. I also thought the ending was disappointing.
32 of 34 people found this review helpful
This story kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't stop listening and it was awful to have to hit pause.
I'll be looking for more from Matthew Iden and from Karen Peaks.
Karen's performance was remarkable!
12 of 14 people found this review helpful
Started a little slow but picked up the pace as the story progressed. The further along, the more exciting it became. There was a mystery and the last part of the story was a real gripper. I loved the book and would recommend it to those who love to read (or listen, as the case may be). I really think it would make a good movie.
11 of 13 people found this review helpful
...detective novels. I've purchased and listened to all five of Matthew Iden's Marty Singer books available in audio. All were outstanding, so I purchased his new release The Winter Over. The novel is not just bad; it is horrible. It is set in Antarctica in a US camp during the winter when the sun never shines. The protagonist Cass is likable enough as is her "boyfriend", a Russian from a nearby camp. The plot is a total mess and the ending is worse than not credible; it is impossible. I simply cannot imagine anyone enjoying this novel.
37 of 47 people found this review helpful
The descriptions of the South Pole and the detail of the underground tunnels made you feel like you were there, especially when reading during a cold, blustery night. The identity of "the Observer" wasn't a surprise at all, and the conclusion of the story was a little too pat, but overall a nice distracting read.
12 of 15 people found this review helpful
Can't even remember what this was about. Need I say more? Just plain forgettable.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
The Antarctic and Arctic have always interested me, especially the psychology of those who live and work there. I'd read the story of the doctor who diagnosed her own breast cancer while wintering over at the Pole, Icebound, which included a lot of detail about life at the Pole. Iden does a great job with those details, by the way, one of the things about this book that really stands out. His prose and attention to detail are superb throughout the book.
Cass, the lead character, is well-written, and makes you want to cheer for her. Most of the other characters are done well, although a few are a bit one-dimensional, like the security chief. Her best friend on the station, another janitor, is especially good, and the narrator does her Scottish accent quite well. I enjoyed the narration, and felt that she did a pretty good job at some difficult accents.
The story begins well, and I really enjoyed the first about 3/4 of the book. It sucked me in, and I really wanted the hero, Cass, to get to the bottom of the problems that were going on and save the day. I'm trying not to spoil the story for those who haven't yet read or listened to it, so all I can say about the last 1/4 or so of the book is that it felt like the author was on some kind of deadline and had to rush to tie up all the loose ends, which I didn't feel that he did well at all.
The climax was rushed; people did things that it didn't make sense for their characters to do, and I was left with more questions than were answered. I really felt the last part of the book was thrown together, and I would have rather had the author stick with the measured pacing of the earlier sections. I was torn between three and four stars, but in the end, I gave the story only three because I had so many unanswered questions. The narration I gave five stars; sometimes female narrators have voices pitched too high for my ears, but this one had an enjoyable voice that added to the story.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
this story kept me engaged to the very end. awesome book, especially if you like nail-biters!
11 of 14 people found this review helpful
Vivid descriptions with interesting characters that keep you guessing set in a fascinating location. loved it,
9 of 12 people found this review helpful
What would have made The Winter Over better?
If the story had been even a little bit credible.
Has The Winter Over put you off other books in this genre?
No
What didn’t you like about Karen Peakes’s performance?
She did her best with poor material. I hated the story so much that it has probably warped my view of the narration to be fair to her.
What character would you cut from The Winter Over?
All of them. It was such a mess that none of the characters were believable.
Any additional comments?
If I had been reading this book I would never have got to the end. As I was listening to it whilst gardening, I was just about able to tolerate it. The author tried desperately to conjure up tension but it just didn't work. There's more tension in an episode of Coronation Street!
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
What was most disappointing about Matthew Iden’s story?
It was a great idea, but didn't really follow through as credible. It was long and windy for no real reason, I kept getting distracted as I wasn't engaged enough. For its length is feels like vast amounts of the book are just waffly background noise with no real substance.
Would you listen to another book narrated by Karen Peakes?
She's an ok narrator and tried to add depth & tension, I just don't think the story was good enough to pad it out.
You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?
The narrator did a good job, I just don't feel the content was good enough.
Any additional comments?
This is just not a book for me :0(