The Bookbinder

An Unforgettable Story of Obsession and Murder

By: Amanda Larkman

Narrated by: Alex Lee

Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

One woman knows he is a murderer, but nobody believes her. One woman has disappeared. One woman has never been so happy...until a visit from a stranger blows her life apart. Three women. One secret. Liz, Amber, and Sarah.

After years of obsession, Liz is ready to move on. Until she discovers her ex has a new victim. Damaged and dangerous, she's determined he won't get away with it this time. Amber couldn't be happier. Life is finally falling into place. Married to a man she adores, she is looking forward to a bright future. But, when a stranger comes to her door, she learns things aren't all they seem. Sarah was the only one to believe Liz, but she's disappeared, and a killer stays hidden.

For lovers of Lisa Jewell, Sophie Hannah, Liane Moriarty, and Nicci French, The Bookbinder is a twisting thriller that will get your heart racing.

©2020 Amanda Larkman (P)2021 Amanda Larkman

Slow to get started...

This book was slow to get started but after about an hour in I was hooked. Good storyline, unpredictable. Enjoyed the narrator.

OMG THE DUMB IS HUGE HERE….

Lesson learned never review a book until you finish . I reviewed too soon and boy was that a mistake. There were times I thought the author may be drinking or toking while writing this. It’s that absurd.

The book is actually entertaining, so I give one star, mainly for the unintentional humor. But when a book is so confusing, so convoluted you cannot keep the characters straight that’s tedious. But the reason I’m going to give this book a bad review is the characters lack of common sense, any semblance of a brain and completely off the wall scenarios.

The wife in this book was so stupid I was literally embarrassed for a fictional character.

******SPOILER ALERT:

Alex the serial killer hubby was working together with “Curly” and at the end the police finally get a clue after many tips and warnings so they go to the house to pick up “Alex” even though both men live there and it would be obvious they are working together but what can you do? So they announce they are there for Alex….Curly steps forward and says I am Alex (it’s a Spartacus moment) we never find out why he does this. It’s one of the many many weird unanswered questions. The police don’t know what the killer looks like? LOL!

So Mrs. Serial Killer says, “OMG thank goodness Alex I had no idea Curly’s name was Alex also…she begins to apologize. Not only does she take Curly’s word for it, evidently the police never bother to check either, yes, that’s right. She believes they are BOTH Alex and for some reason this exonerates her “Alex” all the times she was being warned of Alex being dangerous of course they don’t mean HER ALEX. Huh? Again, picture, description?

The very last 30 minutes (seemed longer) ,..the big finale - one of the women locked in the basement hidden room /torture chamber that Mrs. serial killer never suspected when renovations are going on, is heard banging the wall (though we are told it is sound proof)she picks up some weights because Mr. serial Killer stays fit….she throws them, breaks through the wall and rescues the woman who through the entire book has agonizingly tried to convince people that Alex is a killer. Apparently, Alex finally had enough and locked her in his custom made hidden room.

So a big ol dumbbell saves the day at the end and I don’t mean the weights.

Really really enjoyed!

I was given a copy of this audiobook and in return I was to write an honest review.

Honestly, I loved it! It had great character development, great story, and some good twists. I had trouble stepping away from listening. Could potentially be a DV trigger, but SO GOOD! Highly recommend!

Binge Listen Worthy!

This psychological thriller is binge listen worthy imo. I sure did. Liz is an interesting, complex character that I thoroughly enjoyed listening about. Very believable character. Amber, on the other hand, is annoying from the beginning and continued to be so right up until the end. Surely there are not women this naive (Trusting? Clueless?). Great writing. Very interesting story line. Narration was excellent as well. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommend.

Loved this book!

Loved this book! Hard to get into at first because the chapters are split up by character, but after a few chapters I was able to catch on. In the end, I loved how it all came together. The reader/listener is able to see how the three main characters develop over some time and the twists are so great!

Warning: There are definitely some hints of domestic violence/abuse that some might not be okay with.

This book was narrated by Alex Lee and Alex did a fantastic job!