The Darkness of Others by Cate Holahan #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Hachette Audio for the ALC and @NovelSuspects & Grand Central Publishing, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Darkness of Others in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing / Hachette Audio

Published: August 23, 2022

 

Summary:

USA Today best-selling author Cate Holahan delivers her latest nail-biting thriller, perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lisa Jewell.

Imani Banks lives in a posh Brooklyn Heights neighborhood that has just been rocked to its core. An acclaimed movie director has been murdered, and his blond trophy wife—Imani’s closest friend—is missing. Their neighbors, along with the media, jump to the conclusion that Melissa Walker has killed her husband in a fit of rage and is on the run.

Fortunately for the missing actress, Imani is a psychiatrist as well as a steadfast friend. She will never give up her search and is determined to prove Melissa’s innocence. It shouldn’t take a degree in human behavior to know that Melissa would never leave her daughter behind.

Recently, Imani and her chef husband rented some extra rooms in their house to a struggling waitress from his restaurant. Tonya Sayre has moved in with her teen daughter and the convenient timing and her suspicious behavior soon lead Imani to suspect that the true killer is living right under her own roof. Now all she has to do is prove it.

 

My thoughts:

I first discovered Cate Holahan when I read Lies She Told, which I absolutely loved. I knew after reading that book that I would be reading whatever else she read and so far, I haven’t been disappointed.

This latest one takes place in NYC during the pandemic, and I was all for it. It definitely adds to the tension and stress of the book. Between the multiple points of view – we have five here and even though that might seem like a lot, it totally works! – and their strange connections, I found myself hooked as I tried to piece together what was going on. The best way to put it without giving too much away is to think of it like a jigsaw puzzle where you are giving pieces a handful at a time. That’s how I felt as I made my way through this book. Each time I thought I had something to hang on to, I felt the board shift slightly as new pieces were handed over.

This book is full of interesting characters and secrets that just beg to be revealed. It will have you wondering who you can trust – and I always love books like that. This is an addicting, binge-worthy type of read – I found that once I started, I really had a hard time putting it down and ended up finishing it in two sittings – and that was on the audio! I definitely recommend this one – and make sure to read the acknowledgements where the author explains why she made the decision to include the pandemic in this book.

 

Audio thoughts:

This book was so good on audio – it just translated very nicely to audio and the two narrators, Chante McCormick and Jennifer Jill Araya, did a fantastic job bringing it to life, especially with all the different points of view they had to manage. Both infused just the right amount of tension and emotion into their voices and the pacing was spot on. I really enjoyed listening to this one.