The Girl in the Maze

Martha Covington, Book 1

De: R.K. Jackson

Narrado por: Hillary Huber

USA TODAY BESTSELLER

Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, and Tana French, R. K. Jackson’s lyrical, twisty psychological thriller debut follows an aspiring journalist as she uncovers dark truths in a seaswept Southern town—aided by a mysterious outcast and pursued by a ruthless killer.

When Martha Covington moves to Amberleen, Georgia, after her release from a psychiatric ward, she thinks her breakdown is behind her. A small town with a rich history, Amberleen feels like a fresh start. Taking a summer internship with the local historical society, Martha is tasked with gathering the stories of the Geechee residents of nearby Shell Heap Island, the descendants of slaves who have lived by their own traditions for the last three hundred years.

As Martha delves into her work, the voices she thought she left behind start whispering again, and she begins to doubt her recovery. When a grisly murder occurs, Martha finds herself at the center of a perfect storm—and she’s the perfect suspect. Without a soul to vouch for her innocence or her sanity, Martha disappears into the wilderness, battling the pull of madness and struggling to piece together a supernatural puzzle of age-old resentments, broken promises, and cold-blooded murder. She finds an unexpected ally in a handsome young man fighting his own battles. With his help, Martha journeys through a terrifying labyrinth—to find the truth and clear her name, if she can survive to tell the tale.

©2015 Randal K. Jackson (P)2025 Randal K. Jackson

Gripping!

Enjoying R.K. Jackson’s captivating storytelling and Hillary Huber’s brilliant narration. This audiobook is a treasured discovery!

A compelling heroine and a vivid sense of place

I really liked the protagonist. She sharp, intelligent, and complex, with her struggles with schizophrenia adding real depth to the story. The earthy, coastal setting feels alive and atmospheric. I also found the narrator's voice soothing and easy to listen to. This really draws you in!

Tightly woven story

Great paced psychological thriller following the plight of a young schizophrenic girl. The story is laced with elements of the supernatural, similar to Riley Sager.

looking forward to more from this author

This author did a great job of keeping me suspended in doubt. He blurred the lines between the main characters mental illness and possible supernatural elements to the point where I couldn't tell if Martha was declining into madness or the supernatural elements of the book were actually happening. I do however feel like there were some unanswered questions in the first book so I was thrilled to hear there was a sequel which I shall be reading next. I'm not a huge fan of thrillers but this was a fun starter book for me to venture more into this category. Definitely had the spooky elements I was looking for in an October book read.

Vivid. Evocative. Grabs you and won't let go

WOW! That's all I can say. This story intrigued me from the beginning. By the end, my heart could hardly take the tension. R.K. Jackson is a writer of extraordinary talent, making you see, hear, and smell the islands off the coast of Georgia and believe that each character lives and breathes. Hillary Huber's narration brings it even more to life. Her ability to develop unique, spot-on voices and bring out the personality of each character is a wonder.

But it's the story that matters, and this one is a dozy. I don't want to give spoilers, but sufficit it to say, while this is a psychological thriller—did Martha see and hear what she thought she did, or is it all manifested from her illness?—it's so much more. Give it a listen. You won't be disappointed.

WOW! I loved this thriller and the performance!

This is a haunting psychological thriller with elements of the supernatural that will keep you listening all night long! The story is beautifully written with vivid descriptions and superb character development. Martha Covington is our heroine and you will be rooting for her as she tries to navigate controlling her schizophrenia and working in a small southern, coastal town. Martha is trying to help the Geechees keep their coastal island, but prominent people want to take their land and will stop at nothing to get it. Martha soon finds herself trapped in a web of past sins, corruption and deceit when she is accused of a murder that she did not commit. On the lamb, Martha finds help from a newfound friend, also trying to save the island. Together, they try to piece together who is the actual killer and what has happened in the town's past. But voices and visions from previous times haunt Martha and she must decide what is real and what is imagined. Hilary Huber gives an incredible performance as the novel's reader, pumping life and substance into all the characters, the town and the island itself. A GREAT listen!

A Complex, Engaging Thriller

This book has a number of things going for it that kept me engaged. I liked the setting in the wetlands on the coast of Georgia and the social and political overtones in relation the threats to the local GeeChee culture by greedy developers. The main character, Martha, fresh out of a psychiatric institute, is especially compelling as she attempts to navigate between the physical and non-physical worlds. I also liked watching her budding friendship with the character of Jerrell develop. Plus there are several mysteries to be solved. Overall, this is a big "thumbs up."

Exceeded my expectation!

Fantastic! I actually applauded... out loud... in my living room when I was finished. That's how much I enjoyed this book! I loved the setting! The islands off the coast of GA. I lived in Savannah for a few years a long time ago and loved it! I never did go to the islands but had friends that went there for vacations. I also thought it was fascinating learning about the Geechee people. This is something I will be looking up and learning more about.

I loved Martha! I just loved her. I really felt the connection with her. I worked in Special Ed. for a long time as an asst. teacher. I had a young girl labeled with childhood Schizophrenia. I adored her. She was one of the most interesting children I have worked with. Hearing about Martha brought me back there. I thought the author did a fantastic job with the character development. Some were wonderful and some were pure evil, while others were just voices.

There was an underlying story within the story that was just as interesting to me. I'm glad the author chose to develop that one just as much.

This book was suspenseful, mysterious, and magical! I loved all of it.

The audio - Wow, the narrator did a fantastic job with this. An audio is tricky for me. The voice can really make it or break it. This one totally made it for me! She was excellent with all the voices. At times I honestly wasn't sure if it was even the same person, (it was).

If you are looking for something a little different, intense, paranormal, and fun - this is it right here!



I voluntarily posted this review after receiving a copy of this book from Partners in Crime Tours. Thank You!

Incredible book and stellar performance!

I had already read RK’s thriller and was a massive fan when I saw the audiobook had launched. However, Hillary Hubner’s performance breathes new life into the characters, and I found myself completely gripped by the storytelling as if I was reading it for the first time again. Whether you’ve already read this great book or not, the audiobook is a must!

I used this for my Intro Psychology course

R.K. Jackson’s stellar Audible novel is the most impressive audio book I have listened to thus far. The exquisite attention to detail is ideally complemented by the professional narration. The synergistic effect of R.K.’s optimal writing with the awesome, varied characters’ communication makes for an exciting experience. My Psychology college students have effectively earned course level extra credit for writing about accurate, relevant details for Jackson’s original e-book version.