Author: Charlie Donlea
Narrator: Vivienne Leheny
Publisher: RB Media
Publication Date: December 2021
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Hiding her own dark past in plain sight, a TV reporter is determined to uncover the truth behind a gruesome murder decades after the investigation was abandoned. But TWENTY YEARS LATER, to understand the present, you need to listen to the past…
Avery Mason, host of American Events, knows the subjects that grab a TV audience’s attention. Her latest story—a murder mystery laced with kinky sex, tragedy, and betrayal—is guaranteed to be ratings gold. New DNA technology has allowed the New York medical examiner’s office to make its first successful identification of a 9/11 victim in years. The twist: the victim, Victoria Ford, had been accused of the gruesome murder of her married lover. In a chilling last phone call to her sister, Victoria begged her to prove her innocence.
Emma Kind has waited twenty years to put her sister to rest, but closure won’t be complete until she can clear Victoria’s name. Alone she’s had no luck, but she’s convinced that Avery’s connections and fame will help. Avery, hoping to negotiate a more lucrative network contract, goes into investigative overdrive. Victoria had been having an affair with a successful novelist, found hanging from the balcony of his Catskills mansion. The rope, the bedroom, and the entire crime scene was covered in Victoria’s DNA.
But the twisted puzzle of Victoria’s private life is just the beginning. And what Avery doesn't realize is that there are other players in the game who are interested in Avery’s own secret past—one she has kept hidden from both the network executives and her television audience. A secret she thought was dead and buried . . .
Accused of a brutal murder, Victoria Ford made a final chilling call from the North Tower on the morning of 9/11. Twenty years ago, no one listened. Today, you will.
My Thoughts: I enjoyed this book much more than the last one by this author. This tale delivers all the twisty, jaw-dropping suspense I look for with this genre. There are so many secrets hidden by many of the characters to be uncovered. The anticipation was keenly felt and I had to backtrack several times just to make sure I was hearing what I thought I heard. My inner monologue was in high gear with a lot of wait, what? and oh, no you didn’t which just added to my enjoyment.
The author does a very good job of balancing the numerous plots going on with these characters so that the reader doesn’t feel lost. The reader is given the details of the past with Victoria Ford and the death of her lover, her being charged with the crime, her death in the North Tower on 9/11 and the voicemail she left for her sister begging for her innocence to be proven, which was quite enthralling. Twenty years after 9/11, Avery Mason is working to feature this story on her news show while dealing with a father who is on the run from the feds for fraud and has reached out to her for help. As she changed her professional name years ago, not a lot of people know who she or her father are, or so she thinks.
This story moves at a great pace, keeping details fresh and concise with enough suspense to keep me engaged and eager for more. The switching between past and present was done smoothly and drove the story forward. The narration of this audiobook was expertly performed by Vivienne Leheny. Her ability to captivate the reader with the perfect blend of emotion and tension adds to the enjoyment of the story.
My Final Verdict: Overall, this book has reminded me that I may not enjoy every book an author writes, but I should always remain receptive to being surprised and this book delivers many surprises. I highly recommend this book to readers who like twisty suspense novels that culminate in shocks you didn’t expect.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Twenty Years Later from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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