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Friday, March 24, 2017

#Audiobook #Review: 5 out of 5 stars for Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard @cathryanhoward @BlackstoneAudio

TITLE: Distress Signals
PUBLISHER: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
PUBLICATION DATE: February 2, 2017
FORMAT: Unabridged audiobook
LENGTH: 11 hrs and 42 mins
GENRE: Mystery, Thriller
A debut thriller that channels Gone Girl, from the newest writer to watch, Catherine Ryan Howard.

The day Adam Dunne's girlfriend, Sarah, fails to return from a Barcelona business trip, his perfect life begins to fall apart. Days later, the arrival of her passport and a note that reads "I'm sorry - S" sets off real alarm bells. He vows to do whatever it takes to find her.

Adam is puzzled when he connects Sarah to a cruise ship called the Celebrate - and to a woman, Estelle, who disappeared from the same ship in eerily similar circumstances almost exactly a year before.

To get answers, Adam must confront some difficult truths about his relationship with Sarah. He must do things of which he never thought himself capable. And he must try to outwit a predator who seems to have found the perfect hunting ground.

MY REVIEW:

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook for voluntary review consideration.

Whoa, I totally didn’t see that coming! What an ending! Loved it, loved it, loved it!!!

I was a bit hesitant when I read that in the synopsis that this psychological thriller featured cruise ship disappearances, because I worried that it might be too similar to The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware (which I read earlier this year and loved). While both stories are set on cruise ships, the stories are very different. I loved them both! I always wanted to take a cruise one day, but now I’m not so sure!

I love how the author told this story from three points-of-view:

  • Adam: He is 30 years old and lives with his girlfriend, Sarah. While he pursues his dream of writing screenplays and waiting for that big day to come when he finally sells a script, Sarah works full-time to support them with nary a complaint. She leaves Ireland to go to Barcelona on a business trip. When Sarah fails to be on the return flight and Adam is unable to reach her, he gets worried.
  • Corinne: She is an older woman in her 60s, working aboard a cruise ship. However, it appears that her job is merely a front for what she is really up to, which is that she is looking for someone.
  • Romain: His mother always compared him to his younger brother, Jean, saying that she wished that he could be more like him. In her eyes, Jean could do no wrong. Romain lives for the weekends, when his dad comes home from working in the city. While Jean is Mama’s favourite, Romain is Papa’s. 

Howard totally hooked me from the first chapter, and I loved how the plots and sub-plots became tangled together. The story moves quickly, and I found myself swept up into the drama. If you enjoy plot twists, you are going to love this one! I can’t wait to see what Howard writes next.

Some books are ideally suited to audio, and this is one of them. The narrators gave an exceptional performance, especially Alan Smyth who portrayed Adam. His narration alone kept me on the edge of my seat because of the fear, desperation, and tension in his voice. He had me riveted. Both Bronson Pinchot and Suzanne Toren were wonderful as well, but Smyth stole the show! He made me wish that my work commute was longer. For me, this audiobook was unputdownable! Here’s a sample of the narration:



MY RATING:
5 stars!! It was superb, and I just loved it and will likely re-read it again in the future! You should definitely put it on your TBR if you enjoy psychological thrillers or mysteries.

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