The Block Party & Simply Lies

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Block Party by Jamie Day
Narrator: Megan Tusing, Suzy Jackson
Published by Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press on July 18, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Domestic
Length: 12 hours 31 minutes
Pages: 384
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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Raves for the hottest thriller of 2023!

"This is wicked fun." --Publishers Weekly

“Absolutely amazing. Readers are going to flip!” —Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling author of ONE STEP TOO FAR

"Like a firecracker on a hot summer night . . . If you like my novels, you’ll love THE BLOCK PARTY.” ―Elin Hilderbrand, #1 Bestselling author of THE HOTEL NANTUCKET

This summer, meet your neighbors.

The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other.

On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder.

But, who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold—discovering that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing—and no one—is ever as it seems.

This was a fun thriller that kept me guessing! The story opens at a Memorial Day block party and we know that someone is killed but we don’t know who the victim is, who the killer is, or any of the motives. We then go back in time to the year before to find out exactly what happened on this cul-de-sac during the fateful year leading up to the murder. I found this to be incredibly entertaining and hard to put down.

The story is told from two points of view, Alex, a middle age woman who always seems to have a glass of wine in her hand, and Lettie, her 18-year-old daughter. The group of characters that live on this street have a lot of things going on and I couldn’t wait to see how things would play out. As the pieces started falling into place and the murder drew nearer, I became more and more hooked by this story. There were a few surprises worked into the story that helped to keep things very interesting.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrators did a great job with the story. Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson both did an excellent job of bringing this story to life. I enjoyed the various voices that they used to represent all of the characters in this cul-de-sac. I thought that they added just the right amount of emotion to their reading. I do believe that their narration only added to my overall enjoyment.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was an entertaining and exciting thriller with enough twists and turns to the pages turning quickly. I plan to keep an eye out for future works by this talented author.

I received a review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio.

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Simply Lies by David Baldacci
Narrator: Lisa Flanagan, Corey Carthew
Series: Mickey Gibson #1
Published by Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Audio on April 18, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Length: 11 hours 44 minutes
Pages: 432
Format: Audiobook, Hardcover
Source: Publisher, Purchased
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The 6:20 Man comes a twisting new psychological thriller in which two women—one a former detective, the other a dangerous con artist—go head-to-head in an electrifying game of cat and mouse.

Mickey Gibson, single mother and former detective, leads a hectic life similar to that of many moms: juggling the demands of her two small children with the tasks of her job working remotely for ProEye, a global investigation company that hunts down wealthy tax and credit cheats.  

When Mickey gets a call from a colleague named Arlene Robinson, she thinks nothing of Arlene’s unusual request for her to go inventory the vacant home of an arms dealer who cheated ProEye’s clients and fled. That is, until she arrives at the mansion to discover a dead body in a secret room—and that nothing is as it seems.   

Not only does the arms dealer not exist but the murder victim turns out to be Harry Langhorne, a man with mob ties who used to be in Witness Protection. What’s more, no one named Arlene Robinson works at ProEye.  

In the blink of an eye, Gibson has become a prime suspect in a murder investigation—and now her job is also on the line until she proves that she was set up. Before long, Gibson is locked in a battle of wits with a brilliant woman with no name, a hidden past, and unknown motives—whose end game is as mysterious as it is deadly.  

I had a great time with this book! I haven’t read too many books in David Baldacci’s impressive backlist but I have enjoyed the ones that I have picked up, so I was thrilled to get the chance to dive into his newest book that kicks off the new Mickey Gibson series. I liked the characters right away and was quickly absorbed by the mystery. I am so glad that I decided to give this book a try.

Mickey Gibson is a former detective turned private investigator and single mother of two small children. Let’s just say that she has her hands very full juggling the demands of her children with that of her job. She is lucky enough to be able to work remotely from her home but when she gets a call to check something out in person, she agrees. She finds a body belonging to a man that had been a part of the witness protection program. Mickey is soon pulled into a case that might be bigger than she could have ever imagined.

Mickey was an incredibly authentic character. I liked the fact that motherhood was not glamorized in this book but it was obvious how much Mickey loved her kids. She was a smart and intuitive investigator who refused to give up. I felt like there were just the right amount of twists and turns to keep things very interesting and I couldn’t wait to see how things would work out in the end.

I thought that the narrators did a great job with this audiobook. Lisa Flanagan handled the bulk of the narration with Corey Carthew covering all of the male dialogue. I thought that they both had a wonderful range and I loved the voices that they used that helped to bring this cast of characters to life. Their voices complimented each other nicely and I thought that their performance added to my overall enjoyment.

I would recommend this book to others. I was hooked by this story immediately and found it hard to put down. I am excited by the fact that this is the first book in a new series and cannot wait to go on further adventures with Mickey Gibson.

I received a review copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing.

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