November 17

Bad Memory (Audiobook) – Lisa Gray

Quiet towns keep big secrets.

Private investigator Jessica Shaw is leading a quiet life in a Californian desert community, where she spends her days working low-level cases. But when a former resident asks Jessica to help her sister, Rue Hunter—a convicted murderer whose execution is days away—Jessica can’t resist the offer.

Rue doesn’t remember what happened the night two high school students were killed thirty years ago, but everybody in town is certain she’s guilty. As Jessica looks for answers, she finds that local rumors point one way and evidence points another. And nobody wants to face the truth. Meanwhile, Jessica can’t shake the feeling that someone is stalking her—now more than ever, she knows she can’t trust anyone.

As Jessica digs deeper, she encounters local secrets in unlikely places—including the police department itself. But the clock is ticking, and Jessica must find the truth fast—or Rue’s bad memory may be the death of them both.

 

I bought this audiobook through my Audible subscription. Sometimes I can take an age deciding how to use my monthly credit, however, having recently read the first Jessica Shaw thriller by Lisa Gray (Thin Air) I was keen to hear more of Jessica’s adventures. It was a good purchase decision!

Bad Memory is a story which spans a generation.  Thirty years ago Rue Hunter killed two of her friends at a deserted make-out spot on the edge of town. She was found guilty in court after confessing to the crime and sent to death row to await execution.

That was then – the reader (listener in my case) gets to be with Rue at the time the crime takes place.  We see how she finds the couple, she is a little drunk, she is a little stoned and she has a knife. The reader lives the murder with Rue as she plunges the knife into the back of her victim. There is blood – lots of blood – and Rue’s fate is sealed.

Into the now.  Jessica Shaw is approached by Rue’s sister.  She wants Jessica to help prove Rue is innocent of the crime that everyone thinks she committed and that she herself confessed to committing. Thirty years down the line and with just a few days until Rue is due to face lethal injection Jessica will have her work cut out to discover if there were any missed clues. One thing which may help is that Rue no longer believes she committed the murders but if she is telling the truth now then why did she lie thirty years ago?

Despite the lack of pages in an audiobook – this was a definite page turner.  Bad Memory has that terrific “one more chapter” feeling which just keeps the reader glued to the story.  Lisa Gray achieves this by keeping the story punchy, switching narrative and timeline between the present and the past and a secondary story, which does partly overlap with Jessica’s investigation, was also very engaging. Pacing is perfect as the story zips along and the deadline to Rue’s execution looms ever closer.

Despite this being the second Jessica Shaw story you can easily pick up Bad Memory without reading Thin Air. Jessica’s private life gives the reader a nice distraction from the ongoing investigations. Things are distracting too for Jessica as she has a few issues she needs to address as she contemplates leaving town and settling down elsewhere.

I do need to give a special shout-out to the narrator of Bad Memory: Amy Landon.  She has the perfect voice for this story, very listenable while giving distinctive voice to different . She adopted a pleasant drawl which suited the small-town and seemingly sleepy locations where Bad Memory is set. An audiobook is made or ruined by the talent of the narrator and Amy Landon is a name I shall look out for in future audiobook purchases.

In short – I am calling this an inspired audiobook purchase.  The story had me gripped and kept me entertained throughout. Exactly what I need from a good crime thriller and Bad Memory is a very good crime thriller.

 

Bad Memory is published by Thomas & Mercer and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07Q8FD47T/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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July 17

The Last Place You Look – Kristen Lepionka

Sarah Cook, a beautiful blonde teenager disappeared fifteen years ago, the same night her parents were brutally murdered in their suburban Ohio home. Her boyfriend Brad Stockton – black and from the wrong side of the tracks – was convicted of the murders and sits on death row, though he always maintained his innocence. With his execution only weeks away, his devoted sister, insisting she has spotted Sarah at a local gas station, hires PI Roxane Weary to look again at the case.

Reeling from the recent death of her cop father, Roxane finds herself drawn to the story of Sarah’s vanishing act, especially when she thinks she’s linked Sarah’s disappearance to one of her father’s unsolved murder cases involving another teen girl. Despite her self-destructive tendencies, Roxane starts to hope that maybe she can save Brad’s life and her own.

With echoes of Sue Grafton, Dennis Lehane and the hit podcast Serial, The Last Place You Look is the gripping debut of both a bold new voice and character.

 

My thanks to Lauren at Faber for my review copy and the chance to join the tour.

 

I feel bad when I devour a book in just two sittings.  I know how much time and effort goes into the writing and editing and publication of a novel so to sit down and race through The Last Place You Look in just 4/5 hours of reading – I get a bit guilty. But when I read a book I am enjoying I just want to keep going so The Last Place You Look is a victim of its own success – it was too good to not read.

Roxane Weary is a Private Investigator.  As the book opens she is still reeling from the death of her father, a cop killed in the line of duty. Roxane has a fondness for whisky, a diminishing bank balance and a potential client who wants Roxane to find a missing girl.

But the “missing girl” (Sarah) has been assumed dead for 15 years – her boyfriend of the time (Brad) is on death row, guilty of the murder of his Sarah’s parents and, despite no body being found, of killing Sarah too.  Roxane’s client is Brad’s sister. She believes that she has spotted Sarah and that if Roxanne could find Sarah then it may be possible that Sarah could provide an alibi for Brad which would save him from his impending execution.

Realising that the chances of success are slim Roxane begins her investigation. Happily for readers it is not long before Roxane realises that she has taken on a challenge more complex than just finding a missing person.  Her investigations will overlap with a case her father had been looking into prior to his death and looking back into events which occurred more than 10 years ago will give Roxane the benefit of seeing other, seemingly unconnected, events which may actually have an impact on her case.

At the risk of spoilers I cannot give much more detail, however, I will confirm that Roxane is a fun lead character and she carries the story brilliantly. The investigation is really well structured and kept me guessing where it may lead next. The initial missing person search is never forgotten, however, Roxane’s digging will result in her search branching into unexpected areas and I got hooked.

The Last Place You Look is highly recommended, fun, thrilling and some nasty twists to keep a reader enthralled.  Go get this one!

 

The Last Place You Look is published by Faber & Faber and is available in paperback and digital format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Place-You-Look-ebook/dp/B06XCRC4W6/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

 

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