The Voicemail

By: Jack E. Davis

Narrated by: Katie Hagaman

Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

After listening to a brutal murder take place over her phone's voicemail, schoolteacher Samantha Harris sets out to discover who's responsible for the crime. Unfortunately, while trying to solve one murder, she inadvertently uncovers another. Now, pulled into the center of her normally quiet town's latest murder, Samantha begins to see her enigmatic friends as cold-blooded murderers.

Armed with only a 15-pound dachshund by her side, Samantha is determined to uncover the truth. But when a new mysterious stranger blows into town, they bring up a few skeletons from this not so quiet town's past...from both the dead and the living.

©2023 Jack E. Davis (P)2023 Jack E. Davis

entertaining murder mystery

Loved it. Agatha Christie style who dunit. The story kept me thinking and I liked the banter and humor between Sam and Suzy.

I really liked the narrator. Her voice was perfect for the characters.

Awesome unique storyline

The murder in this story was really inventive. Over the years I've read and listened to quite a few audiobooks, and I must say this is one of my favorite murder scenes. I absolutely loved the heroine Samantha, and that determined "go get em" attitude she had throughout. It ended on a cliffhanger, so I'm hoping there's a part two. I recommend this book.

Loved it

Awesome thriller, I was intrigued the whole time. The reveal was unexpected and the narrator was exceptional.

Truly one of the most frustrating and insufferable books I ever had the misfortune to read.

This book was truly awful. I bought it on sale for 7$ and even that feels like I was cheated.
First things first Samantha is probably the most insufferable PoV character in existence. She is a self important idiot with neither survival instinct or any sense of priorities.
This book truly felt like an overwritten, both over and under explained fever dream with not a single person actually feeling like a human being.
Also the author strikes me as misogynistic with his cartoonish character Suzy, the evil, mean, slutty Barbie Bimbo with even less depth as her description would lead you to believe. Her character literally has no other purpose besides making Samantha look like the "better" woman, but this book is so poorly written, that the author even fails at that.
this book gave me severe tonal whiplash several times, like when it goes from "let's confront a murderer" to "but first let's talk about how HOT this character looks in their skintight shirt"
the writing is incredibly repetitive during dialogues, with constant he/she verb adjective-ly. characters are constantly shouting and yelling or shrieking during regular conversations.
everything in the book is so painfully overwritten, as if the reader isn't trusted to understand ANYTHING. no you don't have to remind the reader Samantha saying something persuasively, when she's actively trying to persuade someone of something.
The entire book I spent frustrated and baffled at every persons behavior.
there is an honest to god "and everybody clapped" moment in this book. Sam arbitrariy puts people on her suspect list with no real rhyme or reason. Suzy she just puts on there because she's mean. and honestly? suzy has a point in disliking Sam Sam. I couldn't stand her the entire book.
the author loves dragging out so much of the story and every reveal. he gives so much information, but hardly any information that is actually important. people routinely forget a bunch of stuff to make plot happen.
I wouldn't listen to this again if someone paid me. I ended up putting it to 1.5x speed to just get through the book, since I read this for a book club. So disappointing, because the premise was genuinely a great one, but the execution was dreadful.