Title: Lie in Wait
Author: Eric Rickstad
Series: Canaan Crime series, #1
Narrator: Amy Landon
Published: September 2015, Harper Audio
Length: 11 hours 16 minutes
Source: Library
Summary:
From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Silent Girls comes another unforgettable thriller set in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, featuring Detective Sonja Test
Even in a quiet Vermont town, unspeakable acts of the past can destroy the peace of the present.In the remote, pastoral hamlet of Canaan, Vermont, a high-profile
legal case shatters the town’s sense of peace and community. Anger
simmers. Fear and prejudice awaken. Old friends turn on each other.
Violence threatens.
So when a young teenage girl is savagely
murdered while babysitting at the house of the lead attorney in the
case, Detective Sonja Test believes the girl’s murder and the divisive
case must be linked.
However, as the young detective digs deeper
into her first murder case, she discovers sordid acts hidden for
decades, and learns that behind the town’s idyllic façade of pristine
snow lurks a capacity in some for great darkness and the betrayal of
innocents. And Sonja Test, a mother of two, will do anything to protect
the innocent.
My thoughts: I finally got around to picking up the first book in Eric Rickstad’s Crime in Canaan series. Can I just tell you how much I am loving this series! Fair warning, though – these books are dark and disturbing. They are creepy, psychological thrillers that will stay with you long after you finish reading that last page…and I love them!!!
While I suggest that you read books two and three in order in this series, this book really can be read at any time, as it more or less gives us an introduction to Detective Sonja Test. That’s not to say that if you are new to Eric Rickstad’s books you shouldn’t start with this one – if I had just come across his books, I definitely would have started here – but being that wasn’t the case, I was ok coming back to this one. It was actually nice reading this after knowing a little about her, in fact.
This book focuses on Detective Sonja Test’s first big case – a murder case, no less. And there are many characters, which are all well-developed. But this isn’t just about a young girl that’s been murdered. It also takes a look at morality and there are lots of secrets to be dug into. This book has many twists and turns and really kept me on edge and engaged throughout.
Once again, the author really plays to his strength’s in this book in creating such a strong sense of place. He uses the cold weather and snow to add to the story as well as the rural community. This is a strong feature throughout this series – this sense of place and atmosphere – it really adds a nice element to the story.
I am definitely a fan of Eric Rickstad and am waiting patiently for him to write the next book in his series…I hope it comes out soon!
Audio thoughts: I enjoyed the narration of this book. I’ve listened to Amy Landon before and have enjoyed her work. The pacing and intonation was spot on and her voices were unique for each character.
I’ve listened to the three books in this series, and while I typically like series to be narrated by the same narrator, in this case, I understand the reason for having different ones. There have been different focuses in each book and so having a different narrator has made sense.
Books in this series:
- Lie in Wait
- The Silent Girls
- The Names of Dead Girls
