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Thank you to NetGalley for the audio version of this book for review.
Are you a fan of suspense novels? I’ve read a few, but it has been a long time since I’ve picked one up. This one was a heartbreaker.
BOOK DETAILS
Title: The List
Author: Kiersten Modglin
Narrators: Jennifer Jill Araya, David Bendena, and Michael Crouch
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Publication Date: 22 August 2023
Genre: Crime Thriller
Format: Audiobook
Listening Time: 7 hours and 44 minutes
ABOUT THE BOOK (from the book)
Ten years ago, the small town of Bates, South Carolina was changed forever with the appearance of a slip of paper.
Six names.
Six people set to die.
Six months later, they were gone. But the list maker was far from done with their town.
Like clockwork, new lists come out every six months. To keep their names off of them, the citizens go to extraordinary lengths and keep terrifying secrets.
Someone is controlling their town. But who? And, most importantly, why?
When Connor and Jordyn Atwood move to Bates, they see firsthand how far their new neighbors are willing to go to protect themselves. Will the Atwoods succumb to their newfound surroundings? Or will they fight to protect the town they now call their home?
With everything at stake and no one to trust, the Atwoods quickly learn the list maker has one important rule:
Do what you’re told…or find your name on The List.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kiersten Modglin is an Amazon Top 10 bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her books have sold over a million copies and been translated into multiple languages. Kiersten is a member of International Thriller Writers, Novelists, Inc., and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She is a KDP Select All-Star and a recipient of ThrillerFix‘s Best Psychological Thriller Award, Suspense Magazine‘s Best Book of 2021 Award, a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Suspense, and a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Overall Book of 2021. Kiersten grew up in a rural western Kentucky and later relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where she now lives with her family. Kiersten’s readers across the world loving refer to her as “KMod.” A binge-watching expert, psychology fanatic, and indoor enthusiast, Kiersten enjoys rainy days spent with her favorite people and evenings with her nose in a book.
Keep up with Kiersten Modglin on Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, and Twitter.
ABOUT THE NARRATORS
Jennifer Jill Araya is an Audie-Award-winning narrator. Keep up with Jennifer on Facebook and Twitter.
David Bendena is an actor and narrator of a variety of audiobooks.
Michael Crouch is a New York City-based actor specializing in voiceover. Keep up with Michael on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
BOOK REVIEW
Story
The story opens with new parents, Jordyn and Connor, relocating to a seemingly idyllic town, looking for a fresh start. Although things are a little mysterious from the start, they blow it off as small town quirkiness, however, it’s not long before Jordyn discovers the town harbors a deadly secret. As is almost always the case, Connor blows Jordyn’s instincts off as exhaustion intensified by post-partum depression. And, I’m not gonna lie, that part really irritated me. Even after Jordyn was able to provide proof that children died at a higher rate than should be considered normal, Connor still refused to believe her.
But she finds a group of fearless women who join her in wanting to solve the mystery and end the deaths. And that is when the town’s secrets are exposed.
Narration
This audiobook is narrated by multiple people. Initially, I thought trying to differentiate between the multiple voices would be overwhelming, but it wasn’t. I think having each narrator voice a different chapter actually added to the flow of the story and heightened the suspense.
Overall
Kiersten Modglin is a new-to-me author, but I’ll definitely add more of her books to my list. The story was unpredictable and kept me guessing all the way until the end. I wasn’t prepared for the twist at the end, but it was a good one.
I appreciate that this story was driven by strong female characters. The writing was tight and the story flowed with barely a lag in the narrative.
If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers, you definitely want to add this book to your TBR shelf. It’s sad and will keep you guessing until the end.
I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars because I did enjoy the story as a whole and it made for easy listening during my travels between campuses.
Trigger Warnings
Child Murder. Physical violence.
IT’S YOUR TURN
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? Let’s discuss in the comments below. If you haven’t, feel free to purchase the book using the link below.
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