The Heavens May Fall

By: Allen Eskens

Narrated by: David Colacci, Amy McFadden, R.C. Bray

Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Detective Max Rupert's and attorney Boady Sanden's friendship is being pushed to the breaking point. Max is convinced that Jennavieve Pruitt was killed by her husband, Ben. Boady is equally convinced that Ben, his client, is innocent. As the case unfolds, the two are forced to confront their own personal demons.

Max is still struggling with the death of his wife four years earlier, and the Pruitt case stirs up old memories. Boady hasn't taken on a defense case since the death of an innocent client, a man Boady believes he could have saved but didn't. Now he is back in court, with student Lila Nash at his side, and he's determined to redeem himself for having failed in the past.

Vividly told from two opposing perspectives, the truth about the stunning death of Jennavieve Pruitt remains a mystery until the very end.

©2016 Allen Eskens (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Eskens keeps the reader guessing as the tale takes several unexpected twists before reaching the satisfying denouement." ( Publishers Weekly)

Recommended but with trigger warnings

First of all, the warnings: If you are grieving the loss of a loved one, dealing with custody issues, or would be triggered by themes of murder, this book is probably not for you. The descriptions of the crime are not overly gratuitous and were delivered skillfully only to support the plot but I don't want to send anyone in without adequate caution.

I listened to this after listening to The Life we Bury by the same author. I enjoyed that and this one I found to be very similar in nature but the story was different enough to keep me from feeling like I was listening to the same story with different characters. The story is told from two perspectives, that of the detective investigating the crime and from the perspective of the defense attorney defending the accused. I found this to be very well-executed and my loyalties tended to shift depending on which perspective I was listening to at the moment. It created some internal drama for me caring about both characters and knowing that they couldn't both be worthy of my sympathy and care.

Overall the plot was clever and well-planned. I admit that I wasn't completely shocked by the ending but did feel some thrills of excitement at details that I hadn't anticipated. I also felt personally betrayed to some extent by the final revelations that proved some of my sympathies were misplaced (although I knew it was coming). The evil actions in the story and my personal investment of empathy felt betrayed which is the hallmark of a skilled author. I applaud Eskens for his skill in creating such complex emotional response from the reader.

If you have not read The Life We Bury, I'd recommend you start there. We have some character cameos that I think make the story more interesting knowing the background relationship of Bodie, Max and Lilah. However, the author does give a high level overview of how they are connected so it isn't going to ruin the book if you skip the earlier book. But I caution that there is some additional depth in those relationships that will add value to your experience in this story. The complexities of Max Rupert's struggle are definitely enhanced by knowing more of his background from the earlier story.

I mostly listen to my audiobooks on my commute and last week included a business trip with a long flight and this was a perfect distraction for the monotony of travel and navigating the airport. While it wasn't something I felt a rabid need to return to at the cost of sending calls to voicemail and avoiding activities that required my attention, I did find myself looking forward to listening and looking forward to picking it back up when I was away from it. I reserve that 5th star for the books that make me rabid though so please don't consider my four star rating a detraction, four stars is "just short" of my highest recommendation.

The one thing I did not like as well was the narrator that told the story from Bodie's perspective. I found his narration was a bit unnatural feeling. The narrator almost felt like he belonged narrating one of those nature shows explaining mating cycles of the three toed sloth instead of a novel. Once I got into the story, the narrator's pace and inflection for Bodie bothered me less and less until by the end, it didn't phase me. However, Bray's performance as Max Rupert was just spot on (and I freely admit Bray is my favorite narrator). My less than stellar review of the the other male narrator is not enough to keep me from recommending this title, though. I think most people that like a crime drama with a bit of clever plotting will find their time well-spent in this one. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for other works by this author.

Total Goals—A Story Supremely Told

Here is my brief take on a book that already has thousands of ratings.

This book is written by a skilled, caring hand and has everything— Intrigue, suspense, complex personalities, complicated relationships, and a medley of twists and turns, all of which are devoid of too much stretch on the imagination or too much sap.

The funny thing is, a year-and-a-half ago, I read “The Life We Bury” without realizing it the first installment of this “series.” I do not see the connection to “The Heavens May Fall” but that may be either due to my flawed memory; because I didn’t read book two, “The Guise of Another”; or both. Either way, I am glad this book stood upright and independently tall on its own. I’ll probably reread “The Life We Bury” and “The Guise of Another” to my reading list.

R. C. Bray, David Collacci, and Amy McFadden’s narration was on par with the remarkable storytelling.

Interesting premise for a murder mystery

I enjoyed listening to this book because it wasn't predictable. The characters were human and relatable. There were several twists and turns and didn't go where I thought it would.

surprisingly good

I didn't realize this was going to be such a mystery/twist book. I thought it was just going to be a law procedure style story. What a happy surprise.
I would definitely recommend this book.

A fun ride

Eskens takes an entertaining courtroom turn in this story. Nice twists and turns but suspend belief at the villain's motives.

Ending or tease for a sequel?

The ending was confusing and didn't quite do justice to the rest of the book.

Great story and character development

This story was very compelling. It was intriguing and the characters were well developed.
The narration was excellent. #excellent #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Great thriller

Even when the narrative says there is a surprise ending, I never saw the twist. Couldn’t stop listening, until the conclusion. If I had had a paper copy, I would have flipped to end to find the killer. This was so much better to have to listen to the whole tale!

Great Book!

Loved it! You won't want to stop listening. Allen Eskens is a great author. I have loved all his books.

Well crafted and kept my attention

I think Allen Eskens is an under-appreciated mystery writer. This is another of his absorbing and complex stories and there was just enough variety in the subplots to keep me totally hooked.