The Beautiful Bad, by Annie Ward
Harper Audio - 2019
Thriller
Audiobook
Narrated by, Xe Sands, Vivienne Leheny, and Paul Fox
Thriller
Audiobook
Narrated by, Xe Sands, Vivienne Leheny, and Paul Fox
10 Hours, 58 Minutes
My Rating (out of 5)
⭐⭐⭐
Not a bad book, but I don't feel like it can compete against some of the other psychological thrillers released as of late.
This is the story of Maddie and Ian, and Jo. Told in alternating time lines from the time Maddie and Ian met through Jo, the time immediately preceding the killing, and the actual day of the killing.
Maddie and Ian met in the Balkans while Maddie was working as a travel writer, and Ian was serving in the British military. They met through Maddie's best friend Jo, who was running a refugee relief organization in the area. The three have a tumultuous and complicated camaraderie that sees many ups and downs between them over the years. Eventually Maddie and Ian marry, but things are still difficult between the three of them.
This is the story of Maddie and Ian, and Jo. Told in alternating time lines from the time Maddie and Ian met through Jo, the time immediately preceding the killing, and the actual day of the killing.
Maddie and Ian met in the Balkans while Maddie was working as a travel writer, and Ian was serving in the British military. They met through Maddie's best friend Jo, who was running a refugee relief organization in the area. The three have a tumultuous and complicated camaraderie that sees many ups and downs between them over the years. Eventually Maddie and Ian marry, but things are still difficult between the three of them.
While Ian suffers from PTSD, Maddie does her best to cope and raise their son Charlie, often on her own as Ian is gone for months at a time for work oversees as a security consultant. Maddie starts in therapy and ultimately reaches out to Jo in an attempt to reconcile.
The police receive a frantic 911 call and arrive to a grisly scene with one body, and three survivors. What happened in this home? How did the past result in a death?
I found the book to be too slow through the periods of the distant past, and it dragged through the middle because of it. I felt a that while the author was probably trying to adequately define the characters and relationships, in reality I found myself somewhat bored by it at times. Also, I found the ending somewhat predictable as well, perhaps because we spent so much time with all the characters and events. There weren't any real "oh WOW!" moments for me, and in a thriller that is often the difference between a good book, and a great one.
The book did do well on other fronts. It broached the subject of PTSD and it's effects on people and relationships, and the story itself was good.
Narration was performed by Xe Sands (quickly becoming a favorite narrator of mine), Vivienne Leheny, and Paul Fox. It was well performed and as with any multiple person cast, characters were easy to identify and follow. All the narrators were clear with a good cadence and range of emotion.
The book did do well on other fronts. It broached the subject of PTSD and it's effects on people and relationships, and the story itself was good.
Narration was performed by Xe Sands (quickly becoming a favorite narrator of mine), Vivienne Leheny, and Paul Fox. It was well performed and as with any multiple person cast, characters were easy to identify and follow. All the narrators were clear with a good cadence and range of emotion.
Happy Reading,
Christine
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