Audiobook Review: Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger

Blurb:

Three couples rent a luxury cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway to die for in this chilling locked-room thriller by New York Timesbestselling author Lisa Unger.

What could be more restful, more restorative, than a weekend getaway with family and friends? An isolated luxury cabin in the woods, complete with spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. Hannah’s loving and generous tech-mogul brother found the listing online. The reviews are stellar. It’s his birthday gift to Hannah and includes their spouses and another couple. The six friends need this trip with good food, good company and lots of R & R, far from the chatter and pressures of modern life.

But the dreamy weekend is about to turn into a nightmare. A deadly storm is brewing. The rental host seems just a little too present. The personal chef reveals that their beautiful house has a spine-tingling history. And the friends have their own complicated past, with secrets that run blood deep. How well does Hannah know her brother, her own husband? Can she trust her best friend? And who is the new boyfriend, crashing their party? Meanwhile, someone is determined to ruin the weekend, looking to exact a payback for deeds long buried. Who is the stranger among them?

My Review:

The first time I tried to read this book I wasn’t thrilled by it but I’ve found sometimes that rereading in a different format helps so I gave it a go in audiobook.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six is about 3 couples that plan a vacation in a remote luxury rental in the Georgia mountains.

First up is Hannah and her husband Bruce. Hannah is nervous about leaving their baby with Bruce’s mom for their first getaway since Gigi was born.

Then there is Hannah’s tech mogul brother Makko and his yoga influencer wife, Liza. Dark allegations have been swirling around about Makko’s company and Makko himself and he and Liza have been struggling to conceive. They definitely need a getaway.

Finally there is Hannah’s best friend and Makko’s ex-girlfriend, Cricket and her new beau Joshua. What better to bring them closer together than a steamy getaway?

But once they arrive at their luxury rental things begin to go sideways. Their host hovers, the chef tells a chilling story of murder and ghosts, a storm is bearing down… and then the power goes out.

I love locked door mysteries and listening to this one in audiobook definitely did the trick for me. There are a lot of POVs to keep track of and one of them I kept guessing how that character was going to fit in at the end, but it worked. This story dives deep into family bonds, DNA ancestry testing, and children of sperm donors. The DNA ancestry part definitely hit home for me, as I have firsthand knowledge that you can find out things you wish you’d never known doing those tests.

I really enjoyed this one the second go-round and I’m glad I gave it another try! It was tense, atmospheric, and the way the characters blended together kept you guessing.

My Rating:

4 of 5 Knives!

Audiobook Review: Peril at End House by Agatha Christie

Peril at End House (Hercule Poirot #8) by Agatha Christie

Blurb:

Hercule Poirot is vacationing on the Cornish coast when he meets Nick Buckley. Nick is the young and reckless mistress of End House, an imposing structure perched on the rocky cliffs of St. Loo.

Poirot quickly takes a particular interest in the young woman. Recently, she has narrowly escaped a series of life-threatening accidents. Something tells the Belgian sleuth that these so-called accidents are more than just mere coincidences or a spate of bad luck. Something like a bullet! It seems all too clear to him that someone is trying to do away with poor Nick, but who? And, what is the motive? In his quest for answers, Poirot must delve into the dark history of End House. The deeper he gets into his investigation, the more certain he is that the killer will soon strike again. And, this time, Nick may not escape with her life.

My Review:

This one was one of my more recent Hercule Poirot favorites. Here we find Poirot and Hastings as they meet a charming young woman who has been the unfortunate victim of a series of accidents meant to kill her – or are they?

Hercule Poirot is on the case as her gets to know the people in Nick Buckley’s life. The house Nick inherited is a money pit. Her cousin and only living relative has no particular use for the house. And one of her closest friends thinks she’s making everything up. But Hercule is determined to get to the bottom of things – especially when a body turns up while everyone else at End House was watching fireworks.

Who has been trying to kill Nick Buckley? And why?

Through a series of twists an even darker agenda is uncovered. I really enjoyed the twist at the end of this one. I suspected, but it was still an enjoyable ending.

My Rating:

4 of 5 Knives!

Audiobook Review: The Mystery of the Blue Train

The Mystery of the Blue Train (Hercule Poirot #6) by Agatha Christie

Blurb:

When the luxurious Blue Train arrives at Nice, a guard attempts to wake serene Ruth Kettering from her slumbers. But she will never wake again – for a heavy blow has killed her, disfiguring her features almost beyond recognition. What is more, her precious rubies are missing.

The prime suspect is Ruth’s estranged husband, Derek. Yet Hercule Poirot is not convinced, so he stages an eerie reenactment of the journey, complete with the murderer on board.

My Review:

When the daughter of a millionaire is murdered on a luxury train bound for the French Riviera, her face damaged beyond recognition none other than Hercule Poirot is on the case!

Was it the woman’s estranged husband who was broke and having an affair? Was it her lover? Or a complete unknown? Hercule Poirot will use his little gray cells to deduce the killer.

This is one of those mysteries that you never see the killer coming. It was a bit confusing at the beginning with the ruby that is purchased by the dead woman’s father and there seems to be an attempt to steal it and a few other characters that got jumbled along the way but eventually all reveals itself and the killer turns out to be someone I didn’t expect at all.

Overall I liked the story and the cast of characters not withstanding the confusion I had at the beginning, that was probably just a me thing.

My Rating:

4 of 5 Knives!

Audiobook Review: Impact Winter Season 2 by Travis Beacham

Impact Winter Season 2 by Travis Beacham

Audible Original, July 13, 2023

Blurb:

The hit Audible Original series from executive producers of The Walking Dead and the writer of Pacific Rim returns for its highly anticipated second season.

Six months have passed since the Vampire Queen fell silent, and the world balances on a knife’s edge. Rejoin the courageous Dunraven sisters, Darcy and Hope, as they navigate the vampire apocalypse in a sunless, endless winter that grows deadlier with each passing day. Brace yourself for a frigid realm of sacred daggers, mighty swords, secret seaside caves, unthinkable human blood farms, and a superpowered vampire villain on the hunt. Will Darcy emerge from hiding to save her sister? Will Hope venture from the castle refuge and find Darcy first? When all paths converge, everyone in Hope and Darcy’s orbit is in mortal danger, including the sisters themselves.

Dare to listen in the dark again as this thrilling saga expands to new lands, new loves, new weapons, and new warriors. Presented in Dolby Atmos spatial audio, the second season of Impact Winter is designed to haunt you like never before. Hear your heart stop.

Please note: This content is for mature audiences only. It contains adult language and themes. Discretion is advised.

©2023 Shoe Leather Digital, Inc (P)2023 Audible Originals LLC

My Review:

It’s been a while since I listened to season one of Impact Winter but I was able to jump right back in after a little recap.

In this series, which plays like podcast episodes strung together into an audiobook with a full cast of narrators, we follow the Dunraven sisters, Darcy and Hope as they try to survive the post apocalyptic world after a comet hit earth plunging it into eternal night and eternal winter where vampires rule.

Darcy, the Winter Child, the newly turned vampire that is supposed to save the world now has her love Felix at her side as they try to figure out her place. Back at the castle compound Hope is trying to adjust to the new reality that her sister is a vampire along with her budding feelings for a new girl who was rescued from a dark fate.

I loved both of the sister’s journeys in this one. It was interesting to see them grow – and sometimes not for the better. I also loved Penelope. Like Lydia says, she’s almost like a 3rd Dunraven sister.

The story keeps a fast pace that keeps you interested and I loved re-exploring the worldbuilding in this story.

I also love the full cast narration. It brings the story to life so vividly.

I was a little thrown by the ending but I’m definitely going to tune in to season 3 to see what it will mean for all of the characters.

My Rating:

4 of 5 Knives!

Audiobook Review: Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Adult, Mystery, Thriller

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 352 pages

March 5, 2024 by Celadon Books

Blurb

What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn’t matter?

After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life.

But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast “Listen for the Lie,” and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it.

My Review:

When a book is called by multiple reviewers, bookstagrammers, and booktokers the “best thriller of the year” you know I had to check it out.

I got the audiobook, narrated by January LaVoy (my favorite audiobook narrator) and Will Damron.

I immediately got pulled into the story which goes back and forth between present-day Lucy, 5 years ago Lucy, and clips from Ben Owens’s podcast Listen for the Lie.

Lucy is sarcastic, which I loved. She’s been so dogged down by everyone (including herself) believing that she killed her best friend that she’s a little rough around the edges and doesn’t trust easily.

Then there is Ben. Charismatic, attractive – Lucy should steer clear of him and yet they form a tenuous friendship which blooms into more. But what will happen when it’s time for the podcast to end? Will Ben say Lucy is guilty? Or will her buried memories of that night five years ago remind her what really happened and who killed Savvy?

Add in a meddling grandmother and I’m sold.

I devoured this book and it’s definitely in the top three of the thrillers I’ve read so far this year.

My Rating:

5 of 5 Knives!

Audiobook Review: A Welcome Reunion

A Welcome Reunion by Lucinda Berry

Blurb:

From the bestselling author of The Perfect Child comes a short thriller about a couple faced with the terrifying return of a girl they once called their own who threatens everything they hold dear. Janie is the last person Hannah and Christopher Bauer want to see again. But Janie’s moved back to Clarksville. She’s no longer the frail child Hannah and Christopher adopted over eleven years ago. The child who destroyed their lives. Now Janie is out of juvenile detention—a beautiful, confident young adult—and publicly promoting her new tell-all memoir. At just eighteen, Janie has a violent and tragic story to share, brimming with grisly details. Details the public can’t get enough of…and that the Bauers can’t bear to relive. Janie has taken a new name and claims to have reformed her sociopathic ways. She’s ready to make amends. But when the Bauers refuse to meet with her, she takes matters into her own hands. After the social worker formerly assigned to the case makes disturbing revelations about Janie’s calculated behavior, the Bauers brace for Janie’s next move, determined to protect their family—at any cost.

My Review:

A Welcome Reunion is a short story sequel to The Perfect Child. I haven’t read The Perfect Child but I will definitely go back and see how this story began.

This reminded me a bit of a story I once saw on 20/20 or Dateline about a couple who adopted a child and eventually returned the girl due to disturbing behavior.

This was a compelling, well written story about where the girl came back into this family’s life years later but she’s now being treated as a victim of the trauma she endured previous to being adopted and likened to a celebrity. But has she really changed? Or is she still a sociopath?

The narrator was well done on the audiobook and follows the perspective of the adopted mother and the social worker that was initially on the case.

It was definitely a creepy, thrilling read and I’d like to read more by this author.

My Rating:

5 of 5 Stars!

Audiobook Review: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (Hercule Poirot #20) by Agatha Christie

Blurb:

In Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, the holidays are anything but merry when a family reunion is marred by murder-and the notoriously fastidious investigator is quickly on the case.

Christmas Eve, and the Lee family’s reunion is shattered by a deafening crash of furniture and a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs, the tyrannical Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed.

When Hercule Poirot offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. It seems everyone had their own reason to hate the old man. . .

This title was previously published as Murder for Christmas and A Holiday for Murder.

My Review:

Just in time for the titular holiday I sat down and listened to Hercule Poirot’s Christmas… in one sitting.

In the beginning it was a bit hard for me to keep track of all of the sons but I admit the fault being on me as I was distracted and doing other things.

The set-up is easy enough, an elderly father invites his children home for Christmas. There is the devoted son, the son who went into parliament, the long absent son who is always in trouble, and the son harboring resentment and hate years after the death of their mother. The fifth child, a daughter, is dead and her daughter is also in attendance as well as the son of a former business partner. But Simeon Lee is no lovable old man and he didn’t invite his family home to resolve bad blood.

This one involved a bit of a locked door murder, which I personally love. And as usually Poirot is on the case! With many twists and turns I thought for sure a couple times I know who the murderer was but the reveal was very interesting! A little bit of “look over here at these suspects while over there I do that.”

I’ve read a few of the Hercule Poirot books since September and this is probably in my top 4.

My Rating:

5 of 5 Knives!

Audiobook Review: How To Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

How to Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

Blurb:

New York Times bestselling author Grady Hendrix takes on the haunted house in a thrilling new novel that explores the way your past—and your family—can haunt you like nothing else.

When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world.

Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success. Unfortunately, she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale because it’ll take more than some new paint on the walls and clearing out a lifetime of memories to get this place on the market.

But some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them…

Like his novels The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires and The Final Girl Support Group, How to Sell a Haunted House is classic Hendrix: equal parts heartfelt and terrifying—a gripping new read from “the horror master” (USA Today).

My Review:

This was the kind of book that after finishing it I had to ask myself, “WTF did you just read?”

I went into this book expecting another haunted house story. Set of course, like other works by Grady Hendrix, in my favorite city, Charleston, South Carolina and the surrounding area.

The true horror comes in when Louise walks into her newly deceased parents’ house and you realize there is a huge doll and puppet collection. Yeah, Louise was one of those people. I didn’t think dolls were creepy — then I read this book.

With trademark wit infused into this book and dripping with such a sense of southern-ness this book is more than horror. It’s so unflinchingly relatable between Mark and Louise’s squabble after their parents’ death, characters so developed you feel like you’ve met people like this before, and then the author throws you a curveball.

I almost DNF’d this book halfway through when I saw where this was going. I thought this book was too out there. But then I kept reading.

I thought it was very well written and truly bizarre, intending that to be taken as a compliment. I mean who ever heard of a radical puppet collective before this book… suddenly all those childhood mementos I held onto might make me sleep with one eye open.

My Rating:

4 of 5 Knives

2024 Audiobook Challenge Intentions

Hey Bookdragons! In 2024 I’m taking the enjoyment I found in audiobooks in 2023 and challenging myself to read even more audiobooks than last year (or even just as many)! The 2024 Audiobook Challenge is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer and the team at That’s What I’m Talking About!

How it Works:

Choose your level and get those audiobooks ready. Whether you are an audio virgin or an addict, they’ve got a level for you.

Use hashtag #2024AudiobookChallenge on social media to alert others to your listens and progress!

Challenge Details:

• Runs January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024. You can join at any time.
• The goal is to find a new love for audios or to outdo yourself by listening to more audios in 2024 than you did in 2023.
• Books must be in audio format (CD, MP3, etc.)
• All genres count.
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
• You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, Facebook, etc. I recommend creating a shelf on Goodreads titled 2024 Audiobook Challenge. You can keep track and link the shelf. 
• Grab the button and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. You can post on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or X, Threads, Mastodon, your blog etc. about the challenge.
• Updates plus a giveaway will be posted twice during the year. The first update will be July 6, 2024, and the last update will take place on December 28, 2024. You’ll have one week to link up and share your progress and enter giveaway

Achievement Levels:

• Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
• Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
• Stenographer (can listen while multitasking) 10-15
• Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
• Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
• My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30+
• Marathoner (Look Ma No Hands) 50+
• Over-Achiever (Power Listener) 75+
• The 100 Club (Audiobook Addict) 100+
• I Can’t Hear You (earbuds always in) 125-150 
• Audibly Addicted (listening to all the books 24/7) 150+ 

Last Year I Chose vs. Last Year I Listened To:

Last year I chose the Stenographer, aiming to listen to 12 audiobooks, 1 per month.

Instead I listened to: 41!

🎧2024 Goal🎧

This year I’m picking the “My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30+” but I’m hoping to listen to 4 audiobooks per month and get a total of 48!

Follow My Progress

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Are you joining in? How many audiobooks do you want to listen to in 2024? How many did you listen to in 2023? Did you meet your goal? Pass it?

Audiobook Review: It Waits In The Woods by Josh Malerman

It Waits In The Woods (Creature Feature Collection) by Josh Malerman

Blurb:

Some chilling campfire tales ring too true to ignore. For one young woman, an urban legend calls her into the woods in a spine-tingling short story by the bestselling author of Bird Box.

The dense Michigan forest. Haunting wails. The clip-clop of demon hooves on a bridge to nowhere. It’s more than a tall tale to Brenda Jennings, whose sister disappeared in those woods one fateful night. Three years later, on a solo stakeout in the dark, Brenda goes in after her. She’s desperate for answers, and terrified to find what lies waiting on the other side of that bridge.

Josh Malerman’s It Waits in the Woods is part of Creature Feature, a collection of devilishly creepy stories that tingle the spine and twist the mind. They can be read or listened to in one petrifying sitting.

My Review:

I wish I would have listened to this over Halloween!

It Waits in the Woods is a perfect story bite for anyone who grew up telling spooky stories with their friends and who still love a good urban legend.

Though short, this book fully brings you into the setting and has you on the edge of your seat as Brenda enters the woods, recording what she sees, and stumbling upon a dark creature that was just supposed to be a story.

The narrator on the audiobook was good, I especially liked when she did the creature’s voice – definitely eerie when you’re listening in the dark by yourself.

I would love to read more about this creature, maybe an origin story or it luring in another victim. Like all short stories of course I want them to be longer.

Overall, this is a perfect spooky listen for a chilly night by the fire. You might just sleep with one eye open.

My Rating:

4 of 5 Stars!