The Calm Before the Storm: Evan's Sins

Ruthless Storm Trilogy, Book 2

By: Elle Klass

Narrated by: Robert P. Jellison

Length: 6 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

The prequel to Eye of the Storm: Eilida's Tragedy.

Evan O'Conner isn't a normal child. His father's alcoholism and mother's abuse drives him to concoct a plan to rid his life of them permanently. The night is fraught with a horrendous storm, thunder and lightning as the beast inside him is born. Even in her death his mother won't leave. She haunts his subconscious as he attempts over and over to kill her.

Evan meets his match when Officer Burkhlader enters the picture. One of her closest friends and his family fall victim to violent deaths during the worst hurricane Billows Hollow has ever seen. With only a sketch, she learns the identity of the perpetrator and digs into his life, pries into his past - hunting him. Will she stop him? Or will somebody else?

©2015 Lisa M. Klaes (P)2016 Lisa M. klaes

Critic reviews

"I have to say that Elle Klass sure knows how to plot and execute a thriller. She doesn't waste readers' time; she has us gripping the book tightly as she brings in twists and turns we don't expect at all, keeping us hooked page after page." - Viga Boland, Reader's Favorite

Very disturbing but Awesome

If you could sum up The Calm Before the Storm: Evan's Sins in three words, what would they be?

Chilling and Terrifying

What did you like best about this story?

My favorite part was the very end

What does Robert P. Jellison bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Did not read the book, But will be looking for books he has narrated in my future purchases. He has great tone, cadence and voice inflection

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher

EXCELLENT READ!

I absolutely loved it! This book is full of suspense, drama and so many twists and turns it keeps you on your toes! The narration was great and kept me entertained. The author does a great job with the character builds and plot. I look forward to reading more books by this author! I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

very disturbing but Awesome

This book is very disturbing but also amazing.
Follow the mind of a killer while he commits the murders.

The mind of a psychopath

Any additional comments?

Sins of the Mother can create monsters. Evan is sick man. I agree with the other reviewers. A strong stomach is a must. I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Blast for my unbiased review.

Disturbing but Captivating .. Great Book!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I most definitely would and already have. I have recommended the book to my friend because like me, she enjoys a really good thriller. I felt this book provided not only the thrill and the darkness, but also added a little something extra with the backstory of why Evan is the way he is made me believe that she would enjoy it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Calm Before the Storm: Evan's Sins?

There was no one memorable moment for me. From the beginning, the story is engaging and only gets better throughout the rest of the book. The storyline is captivating and never leaves the listener/ reader uninterested or bored.

Have you listened to any of Robert P. Jellison’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I have not had the pleasure of listening Robert P Jellison perform before but will be looking for books he has narrated in my future purchases. He has great tone, cadence and voice inflection. I appreciate how his narration pace reflects what he is reading. For example, Robert increases his pace when a scene is meant to be disturbing or thrilling and can return to a slower pace as the storyline requires. Robert managed to bring this book to life for me and had me engaged from the first sentence he spoke.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did listen to this book all in one sitting. I could not stop listening to it. Lucky for me, I recently had surgery and had the time to do so. I am so happy that I listened to this book. The author Elle Klass and narrator Robert P Jellison are a great team for the writing and narration. Kudos to both on an excellent book and narration!

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com

An amazing, emotionally disturbing, sad story.

Any additional comments?

I loved this sequel or is it prequel to this series. The novel takes off running and is nearly non-stop action until the end. I enjoyed seeing the events that took place before book one through the eyes of the villain, as it gave me insight into his motivations. Not once do I see Evan as likeable character that I could sympathies with, but I like knowing what created such a monster. Seeing the world through his eyes was hard, but I think you need to know what happened to him to understand his behavior.

I'm not going to say too much more about the story because if I do, I'll start spoiling the story. Know this, you have to have a strong stomach to read this novel, but it is worth reading.

I did find the pacing of the story moved too fast in a number of places for me. I listened to this on audio, so if I was distracted for a second, I would have to rewind a bit to see when we shifted scenes in the story. I also found that in some chapters the narrator read too quickly adding to the rushed pace. He may have done so to follow the fast, action-packed flow of the story, but I did have to turn the speed down twice on my Audible app because I wasn't taking in the story as well as I should because of how quickly he spoke.

Overall it is an amazing, emotionally disturbing, sad story that you should definitely read if you've read the first book.

Great Thriller

I definitely recommend this book. Great characters, Evan a psychopath induced from his past and Alice the caring detective. It was great storyline with hurricanes, scary and dark. Good narration. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom. Thank You!

Chilling and Terrifying

My experience is based on the audio book.

I am a fan of this series. It has many elements that make it complex and well written. This story is told through the psychopath of Evan. It was extremely disturbing to be put in his mindset. It gave me the chills and nightmares. I loved it. It was disturbing and completely crazy. Evan is a great main character because of how twisted his mind is. I feel it gives you a glimpse of a mind of a serial killer. My favorite part was the very end. I was clapping and hollering at work while listening. I think my coworkers might think I am crazy. An element of the book is astrology. I thought that was a unique twist and added a more developed plot. I would recommend this series to my thriller loving friends who aren't afraid of some gruesome realities.

My audio experience was fantastic. The narrator added such passion behind each word that I was blown away. I quickly became entranced with his voice and the emotions behind it. I was pleasantly surprised how well he did. I plan on following this narrators career because it is going to be great. I will listen to him again.

A great listen

This was a creepy book and left me guessing a lot of times. The end was even weird, and I will have to listen tot he next one to find out what is going on. I enjoyed the plot and twists and turns

Creepy!!!

Seriously creepy! Evan's past is pretty messed up causing him to be a complete psychopath! This reminds me of something that happened here in Florida a few years ago. Very disturbing! Excellent book by Elle Klass and Robert Jellison does a great job with the narration! Can't wait for the next book!