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99 Red Balloons
- Narrated by: Sarah Ovens, Victoria Riley, Maggie Ollerenshaw, Dean Williamson, Paul Tyreman
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Women's Fiction
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Dreadful book!
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She
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Ben can’t believe his luck when Bella walks into his life, just when he needs her most. Sexy, impulsive and intelligent, Bella is everything he ever wanted. And Bella wants him. All to herself. In fact, Bella decides that everything is better when it is just the two of them, making it harder for Ben’s friends and family to stay in touch. And then a sudden tragedy triggers a chain of events which throws Ben headlong into a nightmare.
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She
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Summary
Two girls go missing, decades apart. What would you do if one was your daughter?
Eight-year-old Grace is last seen in a sweetshop. Her mother, Emma, is living a nightmare. But as her loved ones rally around her, cracks begin to emerge.
What are the emails sent between her husband and her sister? Why does her mother take so long to join the search? And is there more to the disappearance of her daughter than meets the eye?
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This is a gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist that will take your breath away.
Critic reviews
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What listeners say about 99 Red Balloons
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Chrissie
- 10-09-17
Very Good.
Excellent storyline and well performed by all narrators. Really enjoyed this book and will look for more by this author.
5 people found this helpful
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- A. Bambridge
- 14-11-17
Brilliant
Absolutely loved this. At one stage i drove an extra 10 miles out my way to avoid having to stop listening. Storyline was great and the characterisation was wonderful.
3 people found this helpful
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- S. Christie
- 14-07-18
Confusing read
Was expecting good things from this book but was left a bit disappointed. The suspense was quite good but the story dragged. It was full of padding and boring details that added nothing to the story ( the description of bingo for example) I got to the stage I just wanted it to be over, not that it was particularly bad, just slow and too long. The story was confusing, jumping back and forth between time periods and the narration didn’t help. All the female characters ( with the exception of the child) sounded exactly the same and it was difficult to distinguish between who was speaking. I kept waiting for a twist at the end which never came and I was left feeling that the whole book was distinctly ‘Meh’.
2 people found this helpful
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- FELICITY GAINARD
- 04-09-17
Boring
Glad this book has finished . Found it long drawn out and very boring and tedious.
3 people found this helpful
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- Obi
- 23-09-19
Enjoyable
I got a little confused, with who was who, when it mattered but more my fault than the book. I got distracted at the most important time, therefore after that, I played catch up to the end. Enjoyable book and easy to listen to. I like all the performances also.
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- Nicola Millar
- 27-08-19
worth a read/listen
I found that it had a great twist but then it got a bit boring after that
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- bennieblue
- 07-06-19
Lovely book
a very nice read. Lovely book. characters are believable and easy to get on with. narrators were very good also.
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- Nicks
- 23-09-18
Great story but jumps around a lot
Overall a 3 star - although the story and performance is good. But it jumps around too much, sometimes with a character speaking for less than a minute! Can be hard to follow if you don't pay attention, especially around 2/3 of the book...
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- Kateinthe
- 31-07-18
Couldn’t put down. Great twist and turns.
A brilliant read. Narration was very good especially the Male narrators.
Kept me hooked all the way through.
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- JAJA
- 14-06-18
great book
i really loved this book, the story is very clever and the narration is perfect
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- Listening Queen
- 17-07-18
I was waiting for soooo much more.....
I was really excited by all the reviews of this book! i thought it was going to be tremendous. I kept reading about the twists and turns, and the surprises... and there were some surprises... but i wanted so much more. There were so many unanswered questions, and so much that could have been explained more. I think my biggest issue with the book is the character development, I still have no idea who Katherine and Emma are, and after listening to the whole book, I don't understand the dynamic between all of them, or why? I am confused and left unsatisfied ...
3 people found this helpful
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- Simone
- 07-12-17
Great Twist!
This book was very interesting at first – albeit a little slow paced, but after the twist was revealed it was downright captivating!
I did not see it coming at all; I did not suspect a thing!
3 people found this helpful
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- Nicole Neal
- 23-01-18
Wonderful book!
Excellent book. I loved how the characters were separated by their own story and slowly linked together. Suspenseful, heartbreaking and joyful The narrators were wonderful.
1 person found this helpful
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- Kimmi
- 10-03-20
Quick read. Good plot.
This book started off slow. It goes back and forth between characters. The narrator's did a very good job. But I found myself going back to remember which character was talking. Eventually I caught on and then I couldn't put it down. Good plot with twist and turns and an ending I did expect. Childhood abduction is difficult to wittness, which makes this book hard to read at times. But I needed to know what happened to these two little girls. I don't regret it. ENJOY!!
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- Cari Hayward
- 20-08-19
Pretty Good!
I wish the story of the characters were in depth like Maggie, but overall it was pretty good. Missing the main reason of why the girls were taken. But really not a bad book!
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- Maggie
- 05-04-19
It was entertaining but a tad bit slow
The story itself was well done and included a very interesting plot twist I did not see coming.
A true thriller that is every parents nightmare of your young child going missing.
I purchased a paperback version first and when I realized I wasn’t going to be able to read it in time for my book club I bought the audiobook. The audiobook was a tad bit slow for my liking and I almost switched back to the paper back.
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- liz
- 30-11-18
3 .5 stars. pretty decent book.
as always there will be no spoilers in my reviews
ok. this was a good book. I wanted to like it more but. I found parts if this book sweet the character of Maggie and Jim . steady paced no huge lulls . my only quirk was towards the end the characters were supposed to be in a car and then someone pulled up a chair. odd . I will also said I struggled with the who is who here and there but quickly got back on track.
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- customers coins
- 05-10-18
99 Red Balloons
What a great book. So bittersweet, so sad too. What a picture in your mind ,as you listen, as though your watching as you listen. This is a good author. Minus language, expressive, but doesn't take away from the book. In its raw expression in adds the human feelings, I guess. Not always necessary though. Thank-you
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- Kelly
- 30-05-18
Wow. What a beautifully written book....
Great title too. Yes it was a thriller but it was realistic, plausible and honestly I was so invested in the characters I was sad it was over.
This book has not gotten nearly the attention it deserves. I will be watching and waiting for more good reads from this author.
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- AudaciousMe
- 26-04-18
Listen again; sick in bed. Love this story
I listened again because I'm sick and in bed. Even though I know the ending, I catch new clues, nuances, Maggie is my fav character. Gma of long missing 5 year old Zoey. Stephanie is Aunt of just missing 8 yr old Gracie. The abductors POV is also included. Trust nobody. Save Gracie. Is it too late for little Zoey? Maggie? 5/5