One of Us

By: Tawni O'Dell

Narrated by: Nick Podehl, Amy McFadden

Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times bestselling author of Back Roads comes a fast-paced literary thriller about a forensic psychologist forced to face his own demons after discovering his small hometown terrorized by a serial killer.

Dr. Sheridan Doyle - a fastidiously groomed and TV-friendly forensic psychologist - is the go-to shrink for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office whenever a twisted killer’s mind eludes other experts. But beneath his Armani pinstripes, he’s still Danny Doyle, the awkward, terrified, bullied boy from a blue-collar mining family, plagued by panic attacks and haunted by the tragic death of his little sister and mental unraveling of his mother years ago.

Returning to a hometown grappling with its own ghosts, Danny finds a dead body at the infamous Lost Creek gallows where a band of rebellious Irish miners was once executed. Strangely, the body is connected to the wealthy family responsible for the miners' deaths. Teaming up with veteran detective Rafe, a father-like figure from his youth, Danny - in pursuit of a killer - comes dangerously close to startling truths about his family, his past, and himself.

In this masterfully told psychological thriller in the vein of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, the past and present collide to put Lost Creek’s long-lived ghosts to bed.

©2014 Tawni O’Dell (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Recorded by arrangement with Gallery Books, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

A little too obvious

I liked listening to this in spite of the obvious villan. You will have to pay attention as the author switches between the two central characters.

Funny and dark

Smalltown observations linked with a story with dark and twisting secrets. It’s kind of like Richard Russo meets Tana French. I really enjoyed it a lot. And the acting talent is top rate.

A mystery in a remarkable form

Not only was the story that has one on the edge of their seat, but the performance of the character Scarlett! I know when I read a book, I create a voice in my head that a character is. any voice that I could have created would not hold a candle to the performance on this recording.

Tawni - what happened??

I've read all of Tawni O'Dell's books - (Coal Run and Back Roads are outstanding) but this is a complete mess. It's almost as if someone found her early notes and outline for a story, shuffled the papers, then printed it and called it a novel. The book is part who-done-it, part search for a psychopath, part ghost story set in her usual Pennsylvania backdrop. It's just such a disappointment - don't waste your credit - especially if you are accustomed to her earlier work.