Tracy Patchell has delivered a smart, absorbing, standalone mystery/suspense with steady pacing. I started listening and was immediately hooked by the wonderful writing and narration. I like the 13-hour length for a really meaty mystery with marvelous character development and a fascinating cast of characters. The atmosphere of the novel is suspenseful, but I wouldn’t call it a thriller because such a small percentage of the book has thriller-type scenes. I was also really impressed by the multiple twists in this mystery plot.
The reader really gets to know Indira, her brother Amir, and their family. The Indian-Canadian culture in Vancouver is very interesting and lends extra depth to the story. Indira is an admirable and slightly flawed heroine. Once her brother is arrested for murder, she sets her brilliant computer engineer’s mind to the problem of proving him innocent. I sometimes rolled my eyes at the “perfect brother” Amir being pompous or stupid, but the story is totally worth persevering through his scenes.
I am very impressed with the dual narration by Allyson Voller, who did all the chapters from female perspectives, and Stacy Carolan, who narrated the chapters of male characters. They both were excellent at accents, pacing, emoting, versatility at male and female voices, and everything. Allyson Voller narrated about 70 percent of the novel. At first I wasn’t sure if I liked the voice that Ms. Voller chose for non-dialogue parts with its careful enunciation, but then I realized it was a perfect Vancouver accent that was appropriate for the setting. I am listening to another one of her works, and she does perfect Australian accents in that one, so Allyson Voller is very talented. I plan to look for more of these two narrators’ previous work.
I requested and received a free review copy, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review. #TheFlockVIPReviewTeam #FiresideAudio