Stranger in the Woods

By: Anni Taylor

Narrated by: Harriet Gordon-Anderson

Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Photographer Isla Wilson is thrilled she's landed her dream job, but the clients who hired her are getting stranger by the day.

It sounded so perfect—a month's assignment at the lush Scottish Highlands property of architect Alban McGregor, and his wife, Jessica.

But in the woods, there's a playhouse with a chilling history.

Two years ago, the McGregors' daughter Elodie was abducted and then died in that playhouse. The townspeople insist her abductor had to be a stranger in their town. Alban refuses to knock the playhouse down, even keeping a picture of it on his wall.

Sensing the McGregors and townspeople are keeping terrible secrets, Isla plans to discover the truth.

But the closer Isla comes to uncovering answers, the more the danger mounts. And with a dense cover of snow now blanketing the town, all chance of escape might already be gone.

ANNI TAYLOR lives on The Central Coast, north of Sydney, Australia, with her partner and four boys. Her thriller novels include The Game You Played, Birds in Flight and Poison Orchids.

©2018 Anni Taylor (P)2022 Audible Australia Pty Ltd.

The end has twist you won't see coming!!

I loved this book. I loved the narrator. And the ending twist was great!

One interesting story!

Quite some surorises in this one. I commend the author for keeping the story interesting, and the narrator was skilled as well. The beginning was slow, so a few could abandon the book before the plot began to unfold. I am a 40+ year nurse, so the blocked memories were a stretch, but the seizure diagnosis and mental trauma helped make it a bit more believable. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

Amazing!

Great book! The narrator did a fabulous job of changing between the different accents of the characters!

highly recommend

captivating plot, great presentation with good accents and voice acting. multiple story lines with twists and turns. enjoyed greatly

unexpected twists!

great story and fabulous performance by the reader. enjoyed the intertwined storylines and unexpected twists.

Twists & Turns

There were many plot twists, and I had to rewind some parts to ensure I understood them correctly.

Adventure and Mystery

The author’s detailed and descriptive language transported me to Scotland, as if I were there with Isla, observing her whole adventure. As the mystery unfolded, I was unable to put down the book until the end.

The narrator’s use of changing voices and accents, and the lack of any obvious errors kept me there in the story, deepening the experience.

Accent’s readers

Twisted story. Not what I thought ! Keep going, it starts kinda slow, but it builds and entangles you.

Quite the Journey!

The main character, Isla Wilson, embarks on, what turns out to be, a very circuitous trip of inner revelation from Sydney, Australia, her home, to out in the sticks somewhere up north near Inverness, Scotland, on a professional photography gig, her being the professional.
I liked that the author took the time (lots of time to be had in a 14 hour Audible book) to develop the characters well AND the story. I had all kinds of half-conclusions about why things were happening the way they were--all of them wrong.
The narrator, which in my opinion, can make or break the Audible version of any book, is absolutely outstanding without being too overdone. I hope she narrates more books by Anni Taylor.

Didn't see THAT coming!

I wasn't sure what to make of this book, until I finished it, as my feelings changed throughout listening. In the end, I'm glad I stuck with it. It started out good, and I enjoyed the main character as the author explained her background and journey.

About halfway through, the main character started acting completely opposite of how the author described? She was a smart, sensible girl the first half of the book. Then, just like that, she's making idiotic decisions that seem nothing like her! I abhor idiotic women characters who constantly question themselves and make stupid decisions. So, I was pissed off when five hours in, the main character unexpectedly morphed into one if these idiots. Though I was already forming my scathing review in my head, I decided I had come this far and would stick with it. I was glad I did.

I have to say, the author DID keep me guessing as to who the real villains were. I honestly thought I had it all figured out, at times, but would be proven wrong.

Then near the end, came a twist that I never saw coming. I read a lot of "psychological thrillers", and this is the first time my jaw actually fell open in real life. This made it all worth it.

Dear Author (and all Authors / Editors in this genre): Please refrain from making your characters do stupid things, just so you can create tension and suspense in a story. If you can not create suspense without idiot characters, then don't write the book. (Ahem. I'm talking to you, Ruth Ware.)

This book's author has a lot of potential, as long as they stick to this golden rule!