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We Are All the Same in the Dark

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We Are All the Same in the Dark

By: Julia Heaberlin
Narrated by: Jenna Lamia, Catherine Taber, MacLeod Andrews, Kirby Heyborne
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The next nail-biting thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Black-Eyed Susans

The discovery of a girl abandoned by the side of the road threatens to unearth the long-buried secrets of a Texas town's legendary cold case.

'Gorgeous writing, interesting characters, a unique setting, and an unsettling, surprising mystery. We Are All the Same in the Dark has it all' Amy Engel, bestselling author of The Roanoke Girls

Ten years ago Trumanell Branson disappeared, the only clue she leaves behind is a bloody handprint.

Her pretty face still hangs like a watchful queen from the posters on the walls of the town's church, police station and high school. They all promise the same thing: We Will Find You. Meanwhile, her brother, Wyatt, lives as a pariah in the old family house, cleared of any involvement by the police but tried and sentenced in the court of public opinion and now in a sensational TV documentary about the crime.

So when Wyatt finds a lost girl dumped in a field of dandelions, he believes she is a sign, someone to lead him to his sister and finally clear his name.

Instead she leads him to young police officer Odette Tucker. She knows they must tread carefully - the town, still waiting for its missing girl to come home, is a tinderbox and this new arrival might just set it alight.

But Odette can't look away.

For in this twisty, atmospheric psychological thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Black-Eyed Susans, one lost girl may finally unearth the truth about another - and a town's dark heart.

'One of my favorite reads of the year. The twisty plot and unexpected revelations propelled me through the pages of this spine-chilling novel . . . Absolutely mesmerizing' Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence

Praise for Julia Heaberlin

'A thriller to make you remember why you love thrillers' Observer

'Gripping' The Times

'Wonderful . . . creepy . . . a work of art' Sunday Express

'Strong characterisation, haunting images, a wonderful sense of place . . . well worth the read' Guardian

© Julia Heaberlin 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

 Crime Thrillers Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Crime Detective Heartfelt

Critic reviews

TENSE, DARKLY ATMOSPHERIC. TAKES YOUR BREATH AWAY WITH ITS SUDDEN TWISTS. GRACEFULLY WRITTEN, WITH CHARACTER THAT LEAP OFF THE PAGE AND INTO YOUR IMAGINATION
Twisty and atmospheric
One of my favorite reads of the year. I wanted to sit and savor Heaberlin's beautiful prose but the twisty plot and unexpected revelations propelled me through the pages of this spine-chilling novel . . . Absolutely mesmerizing
I'm not sure I can put into words how much I loved this book. Gorgeous writing, interesting characters, a unique setting, and an unsettling, surprising mystery. At one point, I actually gasped out loud both from the beauty of the writing and the shock of the story. We Are All the Same in the Dark has it all (Amy Engel)
Exceptional . . . After a devastating twist halfway through, the intense plot builds to an emotional finale. Heaberlin sensitively addresses issues of survival and vulnerability in this heart-wrenching gothic tale
An intense, intelligent thrill-ride of a book - undoubtedly the one I will be recommending all year (Elizabeth Haynes)
A story so deftly told that it pulls you in and swallows you whole (Taylor Stevens)
[Heaberlin] brilliantly captures the atmosphere and rough beauty of a strange and divided state
A disquieting, tense and suspenseful book that promises to keep you reading way into the night
A gripping, richly-layered exploration of haunted souls in a haunted place. Julia Heaberlin's complex and memorable characters propel a story that keeps you guessing at every turn (Lou Berney)
All stars
Most relevant
There aren’t enough adjectives to describe this book. Compelling, thrilling, gripping, thought-provoking, evocative. Can’t wait to read more by this author. The voices on Audible - 10 stars!! Absolutely amazing. Loved every sentence.

Best book I’ve read this year

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Bit of a long, grim read. Creepy male characters and the women cast as victims as usual.
Found it quite depressing. Don’t read it if you’re having a tough time in life or are feeling worn out. It just piles on the grief!
Good narration!

Disappointed

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Excellent storyline and very well narrated by all. Thoroughly recommend and am sorry it's finished!

Enjoyed every minute

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I was recommended this book by a lovely guy I spoke with at Audible a couple of months back when I hadn’t received my monthly credit, which he immediately resolved for me. During that call, we chatted about books and the genres we particularly liked. I was at the time keen to read the next ‘Hoon’ novel of the Scottish J D Kirk crime series, so I saved We Are All the Same in the Dark for my next credit.

Julia Heaberlin is a first class storyteller. I’ll be looking out for more of her work. She writes beautifully constructed prose, within which the imagery and diversity of the enticing lead characters stand out for how they cope with life after losing a limb or eye, each having been developed through thorough research and commitment to understanding such plights via those who experience them and who have medically/aesthetically supported them, leaving us in no doubt as to her sense of responsibility and respect for what it’s like in real life, the obstacles they face and the courage they have to overcome challenges, making this novel relatable as well as educational.

The narrators voices were so perfectly in tune with the characters they performed that if felt like they were talking directly to you, and being let in to their innermost thoughts, fears and unflinching desire for truth and justice, irrespective of the dangers they may encounter.

It’s a deliciously slow burn, which builds in all the right places for the dramas unfolding in this novel’s in among its unforgettable landscape and the places central to the story.

If you love artful literary fiction and strong characters, with suspenseful psychological and criminal elements, I can’t recommend this enough!

So thank you for the recommendation, Audible!

Utterly brilliant

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