The Hand That Feeds You

By: A.J. Rich

Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee

Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

From celebrated authors Amy Hempel and Jill Ciment writing as A. J. Rich, a smart, thrilling, sexy, and emotionally riveting novel of psychological suspense about an accomplished woman involved with a man who proves to be an imposter.

Morgan Prager, at age 30, is completing her thesis on victim psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. She is newly engaged to Bennett, a seductive but possessive and secretive man. She returns from class one day to find Bennett mauled to death, and her dogs - a Great Pyrenees and two pit bulls she has rescued - covered in blood. Bewildered and devastated that her dogs could have committed such violence, she worries that she might suffer from one of the syndromes she studies: pathological altruism, when selfless acts do more damage than good.

When Morgan tries to locate Bennett's parents to tell them about their son's hideous death, she discovers he was not the man he said he was. Everything he has told her - where he was born, where he lives and works - was a lie. In fact he has several fiancées and fits the clinical definition of a sociopath. And then, one by one, these other women are murdered. Suddenly Morgan's research into Bennett takes on the urgency of survival: To stay alive, she must find out who is killing the women Bennett was closest to.

Unsettling and highly suspenseful, this is a brilliant collaboration between two outstanding writers.

©2015 A.J. Rich (P)2015 Simon & Schuster Audio

Ludicrous and annoying

I am at a loss to understand how two experienced writers could produce such a mess. I caution potential readers not to be taken in by the premise, which is interesting, nor by the back story about the novel's genesis, which is poignant. The book itself is a hot mess.

Implausible, nonsensical and just plain bizarre. Here are just a few examples: A 30-year old protagonist whose cultural reference points are consistently those of people of the authors' generation. Passages of undigested psychological content just plopped in with not even an attempt to integrate them into the action. A denouement that is as perfunctory as it is unsatisfying. A villain who it is established very early is known by different people by different names, and yet, everyone seems to refer to him by the name by which he is known to the protagonist. At the conclusion, the murderer is charged in New York City with several crimes and murders, even though one of the murders was committed in Massachusetts, one on Long Island and one in Canada.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Too Easy

If you are used to serious intricacy you won't find it here. I expected more...

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

The narrator diminishes this book and story.

What disappointed you about The Hand That Feeds You?

I am simultaneously reading and listening to this book and am enjoying the story. I find the narrator totally inappropriate for this book, however. She sounds like she is reading a bedtime story or preparing a patient for hypnosis while saying words about about very traumatic events. Because I read many detective novels and mysteries, I will avoid books narrated by her in the future.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Really captures the reader attention

Is very interesting and the reader learn a bit about dogs behavior and psychological trials.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Horrible.

It took 28.5/31 chapters to get to the "good part". I would not recommend this book to anyone.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Excellent!

This was an amazing story! If you like thrillers and want something where u can't stop listening... Buy this one! Amazing! Gripping edge of the seat book!! Loved it!!!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Be carful who you befriend!

Wonderful storyline, kept me on the edge until the end. Narrator was very good and voice very easy to listen to.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

super read

I heard about this book on npr. (well I think it was npr) and just had to read it.

Don't worry about the death that kicks off the story there is tons of dog love in this book. It isn't about bad dogs only bad owners.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

A car wreck

The main character is not likeable. She’s weak, and not in the underdog “I want to root for you” kind of way. In the way that’s annoying and you want to shake her. (Part of this may be due to the narrator’s weak voice.) She’s apparently working on her PhD specializing in victimology but she comes off as dumber than a door nail- spilling her guts to every stranger she meets, going home with a random from Tinder thinking “Nothing bad can happen on Thanksgiving.” Seriously? Or when she’s on her way to the police station to give a statement about a murder victim and she has a small aside where she says “riding on the back of a bike hugging into a man is a sexy ride.” What?? Pointless trashy side commentary like this lowers the overall strength of her writing. Another example is the masturbation scene with the Tinder rando; it did nothing to advance the plot or develop the character. Many more examples of this throughout the novel. Glad this car wreck is over.

Great listen.

Keeps you on the edge of your car seat. A great car companion. Will keep you tninking.