Stolen Things

A Novel

By: R. H. Herron

Narrated by: Xe Sands

Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

With one call, her daughter’s life is on the line.

Laurie Ahmadi has worked as a 911 police dispatcher in her quiet Northern California town for nearly two decades. She considers the department her family; her husband, Omid, is its first Arab American chief, and their teenage daughter, Jojo, has grown up with the force. So when Laurie catches a 911 call and, to her horror, it’s Jojo, the whole department springs into action.

Jojo, drugged, disoriented, and in pain, doesn’t remember how she ended up at the home of Kevin Leeds, a pro football player famous for his on-the-field activism and his work with the CapB - “Citizens Against Police Brutality” - movement. She doesn’t know what happened to Kevin’s friend and trainer, whose beaten corpse is also discovered in the house. And she has no idea where her best friend Harper, who was with her earlier in the evening, could be.

But when Jojo begins to dive into Harper’s social media to look for clues to her whereabouts, Jojo uncovers a shocking secret that turns everything she knew about Harper - and the police department - on its head. With everything they thought they could rely on in question, Laurie and Jojo begin to realize that they can't trust anyone to find Harper except themselves...and time is running out.

©2019 R. H. Herron (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Exciting storytelling and great characters make Stolen Things a powerhouse read. The writing is superb and I can’t wait for her next book!” (Iris Johansen, New York Times best-selling author)  

"An addictive thriller that starts with a bang and only gets more twisted as you read." (Hello Giggles) 

"Herron has worked as a 911 dispatcher for many years, and her debut is infused with both the emotional truths and daily details of her life’s work.... A textbook study of tension and secrets in small-town America." (CrimeReads) 

Not Afraid to Go Places

Let me start by saying my favorite part was the narrator's performance matching the author's grit. What I mean is the author doesn't keep niceties (political correctness) amongst her topics/ characters and the narrator ebbs and flows with those emotions; truly bringing them to life.

Stolen things touched on a lot of hot button issues currently in America and weaved them beautifully amongst the storyline from beginning to end. Just what all things have been 'stolen' and from whom might surprise you the most!

This is 1st title I've ever read from Heron and look forward to reading more.

Fast-paced, non-stop action, full of suspense

I love this book. I could barely tear myself away. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, the story took an unexpected turn. The characters were very likeable, and the emotions were intense. Also a fun (and slightly scary) look into the world of first responders.

What the h*** did I just listen too.

I chose this book because I thought it was something I would enjoy. Turns out it’s all political. I listen to books to get away from all that not hear more about it.

What ???

Who wrote all the good reviews ? I thought this was just awful...bad writing, terrible characters ( I wanted to slap Laurie and JoJo), and on top of the irritating characters, the plot was slooooow. Xe Sands is a hit-or-miss narrator for me, definitely a miss here. Yeah, I really didn’t like it.

Narration amazing but only thing I liked

I found it hard to like the main characters in this book ... while the subject matter was quite controversial on many levels... I respect everyone experiences and opinions, but that wasn’t even my issue with this book. The 16 year old was the most disrespect dependent child ever! The fact that her parents allowed it and in fact admired their kid over most all others made it even worse! Difficult for me to finish, but narration was amazing enough to keep me interested where it was going.

Yikes.

I enjoy mysteries and suspense, but this seemed too repetitive and far-fetched, I also don’t want to listen to teenage sex scenes and horrific threats about raping women. This was written poorly and could even be considered cheesy. I’m sure the author tried, but that was rough from start to finish. I listened through thinking it would get better...

Gripping and intense

I’m still reeling from finishing this story. Characters I thought I wouldn’t like feel like family now and I don’t know what to do now that the tale is told. R. H. Herron has given us a nuanced modern parable, a gripping thriller, a call to action, and several heartbreaking love stories all wrapped in a tale of human imperfection. I loved every minute of it, I am better for having read it.

A note on the performance: I listen to 60+ hours of Audible books a month and this is one of the finest performances I have found. The reader gave subtle shades to the characters, sometimes a simple as a spec of vocal fry, or the rounding of an R to help the listener stay present with who is speaking or thinking. She struck the perfect note of exhaustion triggered by an overwhelming situation. Thank you for this gift.

LOVED THIS BOOK!!

Someone told me about this book and I bought it in hard cover then audible so I could listen on the train!!!.Gave the book to one Dr and told 2 other coworkers about it.They loved it also!! Twists and turns and suspense all of it!!

A great book

I really enjoyed this one. The narrator was fantastic and I look forward to more novels of this narrarator. Great story too.

OMG

This book will grab you from the first sentence
The narrator Xe Sands is amazing and brings this book to life
And also is my favorite narrator on Audible
Do not miss this one !!!!!’

Boring

Narrator had a whinging voice making all characters miserable. Also the story was padded out with little stories that bore no importance to the story . I found myself shouting at the narrator to “ get on with it “

Expletive deleted

I've read most of Racheal's books going back.a very long time.
She is an author whose characters have voices.
This is her first thriller. it is awesome.
It's also the first I've listened to; I listen in the car on my commute. Only I've listened to the end of this in bed with my daughter's cat on my lap; she demanded cuddles as I got home and I couldn't leave the end until tomorrow.
Read it. Gasp. Be shocked.

and yes, my first title for this review simply said, Fuuuuuck!

Every Parents Nightmare!

Laurie Ahmadi lives with her husband Omid and her 16 year old daughter Jojo (Joanne)

She is a 911 dispatcher and has been for nearly 20 years, she loves her job and the people in her department, and thinks of them as her family.
The rest of the department feel the same way toward her, and have watched her daughter grow up, and think of Jojo as one of their own, Jojo knows them all and loves visiting the station to see everyone.

Laurie's husband Omir is the Chief, and is the first Arab American to rise to that position, and Laurie is very, very proud of his achievements.

Whilst at work one day Laurie and her work colleague play their usual game of 'who can answer first', Laurie wins and answers the call, it turns out to be one of the worst days of her life!

"911 how can i direct your call"
"Mama"
"Jojo?"
“Mama? Help me.”

Jojo wakes up in pain, she doesn't know where she is, or how she got there, she is really scared, and where the hell is her best friend Harper?

Kevin is a Pro football player, but why is Jojo in his house, and why is there a beaten bloody corpse in his bathroom?

With things not seeing quite right Jojo and Laurie become detectives and start diving into the clues left behind to try and find out where Harper is, does someone have her? Is she ok?

When Laurie and Jojo stumble across something that should have never been found, they start to think that they don't know anyone at all.

This one will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat, it literally dives straight in to the action, and doesn't let up for a minute.



**Trigger warnings for Rape/Suicide/Child Abuse**

🎧🎧

Narrated by XE Sands, and oh my, I have found myself a new #VoiceCrush

Her voice was absolutely amazing for this story, her male voices were perfect, and I had no problems differentiating between each character, I am currently stalking her other releases, and will be filling up my Wish List on Audible

A brilliant novel

Great suspense is created right from the beginning. The complicated relationship between teenagers and their parents, between the police and the public, including racial attitudes, is exposed brilliantly through the female characters. The realistic and credible reflections reveal their uncertainty and doubts to speak up to the broken atmosphere in the police department, together with
desperate attempts to take action in highly dangerous situations.
A thrilling novel, really worth listen, and the narration by Xe Sands is excellent and emotional.