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When you listen to this audiobook, you will make many assumptions. You will assume you are listening to a story about a jealous ex-wife. You will assume she is obsessed with her replacement - a beautiful, younger woman who is about to marry the man they both love. You will assume you know the anatomy of this tangled love triangle. Assume nothing. Twisted and deliciously chilling, The Wife Between Us exposes the secret complexities of an enviable marriage - and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.
Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can't move. She can't speak. She can't open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn't remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from 20 years ago, this brilliant psychological thriller audiobook asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it's the truth?
Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: He will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned - from the layout of the winding roads to the colors of the houses to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules. Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother - who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter, Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons.
Agatha is pregnant and works part time stocking shelves at a grocery store in a ritzy London suburb, counting down the days until her baby is due. As the hours of her shifts creep by in increasing discomfort, the one thing she looks forward to at work is catching a glimpse of Meghan, the effortlessly chic customer whose elegant lifestyle dazzles her. Meghan has it all: two perfect children, a handsome husband, a happy marriage, and a stylish group of friends, and she writes perfectly droll confessional posts on her popular parenting blog.
Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family's Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge - until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents - but they quickly realize the dark truth.
When you listen to this audiobook, you will make many assumptions. You will assume you are listening to a story about a jealous ex-wife. You will assume she is obsessed with her replacement - a beautiful, younger woman who is about to marry the man they both love. You will assume you know the anatomy of this tangled love triangle. Assume nothing. Twisted and deliciously chilling, The Wife Between Us exposes the secret complexities of an enviable marriage - and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.
Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can't move. She can't speak. She can't open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn't remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from 20 years ago, this brilliant psychological thriller audiobook asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it's the truth?
Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: He will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned - from the layout of the winding roads to the colors of the houses to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules. Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother - who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter, Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons.
Agatha is pregnant and works part time stocking shelves at a grocery store in a ritzy London suburb, counting down the days until her baby is due. As the hours of her shifts creep by in increasing discomfort, the one thing she looks forward to at work is catching a glimpse of Meghan, the effortlessly chic customer whose elegant lifestyle dazzles her. Meghan has it all: two perfect children, a handsome husband, a happy marriage, and a stylish group of friends, and she writes perfectly droll confessional posts on her popular parenting blog.
Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family's Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge - until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents - but they quickly realize the dark truth.
Amber Patterson is fed up. She's tired of being a nobody: a plain, invisible woman who blends into the background. She deserves more - a life of money and power like the one blond-haired, blue-eyed goddess Daphne Parrish takes for granted. To everyone in the exclusive town of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut, Daphne - a socialite and philanthropist - and her real-estate mogul husband, Jackson, are a couple straight out of a fairy tale. Amber's envy could eat her alive...if she didn't have a plan.
When Angela met Jason Powell while catering a dinner party in East Hampton, she assumed their romance would be a short-lived fling, like so many relationships between locals and summer visitors. To her surprise, Jason, a brilliant economics professor at NYU, had other plans, and they married the following summer. For Angela, the marriage turned out to be a chance to reboot her life. She and her son were finally able to move out of her mother's home to Manhattan, where no one knew about her tragic past.
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to 12 years for a crime Celestial knows he didn't commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding.
Cassandra Bowden is no stranger to hungover mornings. She's a binge drinker, her job with the airline making it easy to find adventure, and the occasional blackouts seem to be inevitable. She lives with them and the accompanying self-loathing. When she awakes in a Dubai hotel room, she tries to piece the previous night back together, counting the minutes until she has to catch her crew shuttle to the airport. She quietly slides out of bed, careful not to aggravate her already pounding head, and looks at the man she spent the night with.
Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth; she has charm and elegance. He's a dedicated attorney who has never lost a case; she is a flawless homemaker, a masterful gardener and cook, and dotes on her disabled younger sister. Though they are still newlyweds, they seem to have it all. You might not want to like them, but you do. You're hopelessly charmed by the ease and comfort of their home, by the graciousness of the dinner parties they throw. You’d like to get to know Grace better.
A masterful true crime account of the Golden State Killer - the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California for over a decade - from Michelle McNamara, the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case.
Who is Nola Brown? Nola is a mystery. Nola is trouble. And Nola is supposed to be dead. Her body was found on a plane that mysteriously fell from the sky as it left a secret military base in the Alaskan wilderness. Her commanding officer verifies she's dead. The US government confirms it. But Jim "Zig" Zigarowski has just found out the truth: Nola is still alive. And on the run.
Anna Fox lebt allein. Ihr schönes großes Haus in New York wirkt leer. Trotzdem verlässt sie nach einem traumatischen Erlebnis ihre Wohnung nicht mehr. Anna verbringt ihre Tage damit, mit Fremden online zu chatten, zu viel zu trinken - und ihre Nachbarn durchs Fenster zu beobachten. Bis eines Tages die Russels ins Haus gegenüber einziehen - Vater, Mutter und Sohn. Bei dem Anblick vermisst Anna mehr denn je ihr früheres Leben, vor allem, als die neue Nachbarin sie besucht.
Dr. Noah Alderman, a widower and single father, has remarried a wonderful woman, Maggie Ippolitti, and for the first time in a long time, he and his young son are happy. Despite her longing for the daughter she hasn’t seen since she was a baby, Maggie is happy too, and she’s even more overjoyed when she unexpectedly gets another chance to be a mother to the child she thought she'd lost forever, her only daughter Anna.
Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside - the woman who was killed. She's been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It's a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she'd broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she'd stopped.
Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she's thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy. But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office.
Amos Decker's life changed forever - twice. The first time was on the gridiron. A big, towering athlete, he was the only person from his hometown of Burlington ever to go pro. But his career ended before it had a chance to begin. On his very first play, a violent helmet-to-helmet collision knocked him off the field for good and left him with an improbable side effect - he can never forget anything.
"Astounding. Thrilling. Amazing." (Gillian Flynn)
"Unputdownable." (Stephen King)
"A dark, twisty confection." (Ruth Ware)
"Absolutely gripping." (Louise Penny)
For listeners of Gillian Flynn and Tana French comes one of the decade's most anticipated debuts, to be published in 36 languages around the world and already in development as a major film from Fox: A twisty, powerful Hitchcockian thriller about an agoraphobic woman who believes she witnessed a crime in a neighboring house.
It isn't paranoia if it's really happening....
Anna Fox lives alone - a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times...and spying on her neighbors.
Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, mother, their teenaged son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn't, her world begins to crumble. And its shocking secrets are laid bare.
What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one - and nothing - is what it seems.
Twisty and powerful, ingenious and moving, The Woman in the Window is a smart, sophisticated novel of psychological suspense that recalls the best of Hitchcock.
Bonus: Includes an interview with author A. J. Finn.
After about 90 of the 100 chapters and 10 hours into this book, it took all the willpower I had not to walk away. I was determined to finish it. Every chapter, scene, event, sentence and thought is belabored and drawn out WAY past what is bearable to the listener. Even increasing the narration speed didn’t help. The protagonist. who I believe was supposed to be a sympathetic character, was unlikeable and her own worst enemy. Over eleven hours and 100 chapters evolved into a ridiculous implausible ending with no pay off. Thank GOD it’s over!
90 of 97 people found this review helpful
I love this genre. Between audiobooks and print novels I devour at least 10 per month, but I can’t remember the last time I read one this well crafted. The text is rife with Hitchcock references and I have no doubt that the master of suspense himself would be enthralled with this work. The story arc is solidly constructed and when the ending plays out it doesn’t feel rushed like so many of these types of novels. Instead the twist takes on an arc of its own. I can wait to see what else this author has in store for us.
203 of 221 people found this review helpful
When first considering this purchase I looked at the reviews posted here and noticed how heavily weighted those reviews were on both ends of the spectrum. It was either *Wow,* *Best of the Year,* or *Horrible,* *Couldn't Finish,* *Worst,* -- not much likemindedness or midsection. Jump to: I bought, I listened, then I tried to balance those incongruities with my own experience with this book.
In my opinion, this is a solid middle ground read that requires a commitment to stick with the first 1/2 of the book and pay close attention to the groundwork being put down. This book begins not at the beginning of this story, but somewhere in the middle, the literary term *in media res.* With this approach, expect that the author is going to fill in the backstory as the novel progresses. Attention! What some listeners may have thought was slow or boring is the current lattice-like foundation that is constantly being filled in, so it's important to listen and fill in behind you, as well as keep an eye forward. You could say that the story literally sneaks up on you. Another factor in this novel: the narrator's reliability... let's just say it's impaired. The listener needs to THINK about what is going on with our narrator; take her observations with her condition(s) in mind. She's not exactly giving us misinformation -- you just need to be an investigative listener. You need to see through her *condition* and not dismiss this wounded narrator as unreliable. Let's just say she's NUI...narrating under the influence or NWI, narrating while intoxicated.
Anna Fox, our narrator, is a former child psychologist that has recently suffered a severe trauma. What we know for certain is that because of the trauma she has PTSD and additionally has developed acute agoraphobia, seriously restricting her connections to the outside world. Even an open door or window sets her off. The author has used a formidable backdrop for the story, setting Anna in an affluent area of the city in a 5 story multi-million dollar home that she once shared with her ex-husband and young daughter Olivia -- both of whom she still speaks to regularly on her phone. Her psychiatrist, Dr. Fielding, and a friendly physical therapist visit Anna in her home once a week. Her meals and groceries are routinely delivered to her, as are a bushel basket of prescription medications, and a standing order from the liquor store for an impressive amount of wine. She has also recently taken in a nice looking male tenant that occupies the lower floor of her sprawling home.
Anna/Dr. Fox moves through her dark house mindlessly, usually wandering about in her robe with uncombed hair and the soundtrack from a constant stream of old black and white movies (specifically thrillers) plugged into her TV. Seated at a window, she looks out at the surrounding neighborhood from behind her camera and zoom lens. She focuses in on a home where a ladies' book club meets, following along with the monthly reads. She is particularly interested in watching a beautiful home across the park that has had several owners lately. She watches them come and go, daily routines, a woman doing yoga, a husband approaching the front door while the wife's lover goes out the back, the cost of the home each time as the housing market rises. [Are you possibly thinking Rear Window right now?] When she's caught observing (*spying is such a harsh word) she puts down her camera and goes to her computer. She connects with a support group (her name is *thedoctorisin*), she studies French, and she plays online chess. But in her safe cocoon, it's her movies that she uses to escape her thoughts, repeatedly watching favorites in her vast collection while she guzzles bottles of red wine and gulps handfuls of the medications she keeps on the table in front of the TV. You'd think a doctor would know better, but she forgets.
The author skillfully uses the noir movies to blur the lines of reality for both Anna and the reader. Bits of dialogue slip into Anna's conversations and thoughts. When she catches herself she wonders if those are her own reflections or something from the scene in a movie. ??Isn't that what Bogie said to Bacall in To Have and Have Not? Wasn't that a line from Dial M for Murder, or Rebecca?? Then one day, an unknown teenager rings her doorbell.
Unfortunately, the author takes several hundred pages filling the listener in. But, if you can hang in there and really participate in this listen, it is enjoyable and more than averagely clever. The author has an impressive knowledge of old films and uses the references to color the story with an atmosphere that is really unique and fun. He might try a little too hard to shake you off track, and if you've figured it out, the ending might feel a little anemic, but overall I found the journey entertaining, and this an intelligent debut novel from the author.
Fans of old B & W movies will have a leg up on other listeners and might especially enjoy this.
You just might find yourself asking, *Which woman, and from what window,* instead of relying on what you assumed was a given from the title of this novel. Nothing here should be assumed, nor is anything exactly *reliable.*
371 of 407 people found this review helpful
I downloaded this book after reading rave reviews from authors I love. How? This story is incredibly slow, the lead is very hard to like, the plot is less than believable, and the endless old movie quotes are distracting and hard to follow. Some people are clearly loving this story, and maybe you’ll be one of them? I wish I had read some of the negative reviews. Total waste of a credit for me.
Also, a note about the narrator... although I enjoyed her the character she is supposed to be portraying is 38, but the narrator has a very mature voice (60’s?) and I couldn’t ignore that.
124 of 136 people found this review helpful
I can't fathom how this book garnered so many positive pull quotes. At best, it's a passable read. I didn't hate it, but I didn't look forward to entering the story. It was so very over-written. More adjectives than necessary, so very many metaphors. Despite being trapped in the narrator's head, she doesn't feel like a real person. She feels like a vehicle for noir references and vague statements meant to pass for suspense. It's just not very good.
In short, I can't recommend. This is one of those books that over-promises with its marketing and under-delivers with its content.
110 of 121 people found this review helpful
The storyline is decent
I enjoyed the many references to noir films
Being an old movie buff myself
There were a few surprises, unfortunately, I had them figured out.
I did, however, have a real issue with the narration
Would have much preferred just a reading of the story not such an over the top dramatization
Almost stopped listening a few times, I found it so irritating.
72 of 79 people found this review helpful
At times predictable, at times I was kept guessing. I enjoyed the work more after I sped the narration up to 1.25.
42 of 46 people found this review helpful
My favorite genre is mystery. I particularly enjoy those with an "unreliable narrator". I find debut authors especially appealing. Kids, this book was winner in all these. The performer was perfect. I take reviews that over-rave or under-rave about a book with a grain of salt and rarely give 5 stars. This is definitely worth that credit!
143 of 160 people found this review helpful
Absolute dislike this book and I can’t even remove it from my downloads to swap it for something else. This is very frustrating! What the heck is even going on? I’ve started and stopped this book 5 or more times now and it still has yet to interest me in anyway. This book makes me lethargic like no other book ever has. I am utterly dissatisfied and disappointed.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful
Finally a book that I need to write a review of! It is very reminiscent of Hitchcock, slow to start but hold on there are twist and turns you don’t see coming. Highly recommend this book!!!!!!!!
20 of 22 people found this review helpful