One Step Behind

By: Lauren North

Narrated by: Alix Dunmore

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

A woman pushed to the breaking point by a stalker develops an obsession of her own in this shocking new novel of psychological suspense from the acclaimed author of The Perfect Son.

Jenna is a wife, a mother, a doctor. She’s also the victim of a stalker. Frightening "gifts" are left on her doorstep, her home is broken in to, and when she leaves her house to take her children to school, he’s waiting. She feels powerless, and the police are unable to help. 

Then her stalker is brought into the emergency room after a terrible accident, and Jenna has to treat the man who’s been tormenting her for months. With her stalker in a coma, Jenna is desperate to understand the life of this seemingly normal man. When she finds startling images on his phone, she is consumed by her need for answers - and her own obsession leads her down a twisting path of destruction.

Just how far is Jenna willing to go to take back control of her life?

©2020 Lauren North (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“The lives of two troubled women intertwine in this unsettling psychological thriller....A nice see-sawing of emotions and motives will keep most readers guessing to the end. North remains a writer to watch.” (Publishers Weekly)

"A great psychological thriller with twists and turns that keep the reader engaged to the very end.” (Red Carpet Crash)

Likeable until the end

The authors explanation for who and why the main characters was being stalked is weak and disappointing. The book leading up to the end did kept my interest. A better ending would have yield 5 stars.

Psychological suspense

Jenna, a doctor, has been stalked for the past year. She finds disturbing things left on her doorstep and is beyond frustrated because the local DS on the case hasn’t come up with any leads despite all the clues. When the suspect ends up in Jenna’s A&E she must treat him which goes against her current instincts. With him recovering in the hospital Jenna can finally catch her breath knowing the threat is gone. Or is it?

Lauren North’s novel kept me guessing who the culprit was as I learned more about Jenna and the people in her life. I enjoyed it and look forward to North’s next book. Recommended to fans of domestic and psychological suspense.
Alix Dunmore did a fine job with narration.

Kept me guessing

This is my favorite kind of book! It was fun trying to figure out who the “bad guy” was. Kept me hooked until the last moment. The narrator is excellent as well!

Suspenseful

The book was full of suspense, but the story was so unrealistic and crazy at times.

Good listen!

I loved the suspense …. It built up just enough to keep you hanging after every chapter. The only issue for me was the narrator when she portrayed the children. So nasally that it was disturbing. The other characters were done flawlessly.

Didn’t like it

Listened to the whole book was surprised by the who dun it but actually I didn’t like it at all. Wish I hadn’t wasted my time on this one.

I didn't hate it

First, I had to slow the narrator down to 0.95 because she was reading pretty fast. Good narrator but I'm not sure whether to be annoyed with the author for putting in so much kid-talk or the narrator for totally going overboard with the kid talk, especially the doc/woman/stalking victim's son. At one point, wearing ear buds at the gym, I stopped in my tracks and looked around terrified people could hear what I was listening to. The narrator, playing that kid voice, became so bloody loud just squealing and...no. Just stop it. Also, I disliked the main character. A lot. I had ZERO sympathy for her. Otherwise, I figured out some of the plot twists but was surprised by whodunit. So I give it kudos for that. Still, the ending I dreamt up would have been better, IMO.

But, I listened all the way through and that's more than I can say for other books I don't like or whose narrator annoys me.

Excellent!!!

This was superbly written and well paced. The suspense built and I did not predict the ending but now I want more!!!

I wanted to love it...

... and I almost did. "One Step Behind" started out so well and held my attention. Grabbing me from the very beginning, it was such a letdown with the most far-fetched ending. Really? Narration was spot-on and I will be searching for more with Alex Dunmore.

So much tension I skipped ahead!

This really is a psychological THRILLER! By Chapter 39, the author had built so much tension I had to know the ending before being able to listen any longer. Skipping ahead for a peek isn't something I allow myself often as an adult. After that little break, going back to listen to the rest was still enjoyable and worth the time.
Interesting characters and a plot based on a woman being stalked form the basis for this great listen. Some judicious editing to shorten the length would have made it even better and rated 5 stars instead of 4.