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Who are you? What have we done to each other? What will we do? Just how well can you ever know the person you love? These are the questions that Nick Dunne must ask himself on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police immediately suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they aren't his. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone.
Random House presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Into the Water by Paula Hawkins, read by Imogen Church, Sophie Aldred, Daniel Weyman, Rachel Bavidge and Laura Aikman. The addictive new psychological thriller from the author of The Girl on the Train, the runaway Sunday Times Number One best seller and global phenomenon. In the last days before her death, Nel called her sister. Jules didn't pick up the phone, ignoring her plea for help.
Alice Howland is proud of the life she worked so hard to build. At 50 years old, she's a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics with a successful husband and three grown children. When she begins to grow disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis changes her life - and her relationship with her family and the world - forever.
Jane stumbles on the rental opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to live in a beautiful ultraminimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect, on condition she abides by a long list of exacting rules. After moving in she discovers that a previous tenant, Emma, met a mysterious death there - and starts to wonder if her own story will be a rerun of the girl before. As twist after twist catches the listener off guard, Emma's past and Jane's present become inexorably entwined in this tense portrayal of psychological obsession.
Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder - and that the killer is a member of his own family. He employs journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, truculent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history.
Shortlisted for the Audiobook Download of the Year, 2007.
When the queen chases a straying corgi through the grounds of Buckingham Palace, she happens upon the City of Westminster travelling library, and begins a journey of discovery.
Who are you? What have we done to each other? What will we do? Just how well can you ever know the person you love? These are the questions that Nick Dunne must ask himself on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police immediately suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they aren't his. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone.
Random House presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Into the Water by Paula Hawkins, read by Imogen Church, Sophie Aldred, Daniel Weyman, Rachel Bavidge and Laura Aikman. The addictive new psychological thriller from the author of The Girl on the Train, the runaway Sunday Times Number One best seller and global phenomenon. In the last days before her death, Nel called her sister. Jules didn't pick up the phone, ignoring her plea for help.
Alice Howland is proud of the life she worked so hard to build. At 50 years old, she's a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics with a successful husband and three grown children. When she begins to grow disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis changes her life - and her relationship with her family and the world - forever.
Jane stumbles on the rental opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to live in a beautiful ultraminimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect, on condition she abides by a long list of exacting rules. After moving in she discovers that a previous tenant, Emma, met a mysterious death there - and starts to wonder if her own story will be a rerun of the girl before. As twist after twist catches the listener off guard, Emma's past and Jane's present become inexorably entwined in this tense portrayal of psychological obsession.
Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder - and that the killer is a member of his own family. He employs journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, truculent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history.
Shortlisted for the Audiobook Download of the Year, 2007.
When the queen chases a straying corgi through the grounds of Buckingham Palace, she happens upon the City of Westminster travelling library, and begins a journey of discovery.
Paige has only a few vivid memories of her mother, who abandoned her when she was five. Now, having left home and her father for dreams of art school and marriage to an ambitious young doctor, Paige finds herself with a child of her own. Emotionally and physically exhausted, overwhelmed by the demands of her family, Paige cannot forget her mother’s absence or the shameful memories from her own past. Her next step would have been unthinkable before her doubts about her maternal ability crept into her mind.
When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case.Strike is a war veteran - wounded both physically and psychologically - and his life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get - and the closer he gets to terrible danger...
Harlan Coben was voted winner of the Bestseller Dagger at the 2009 Crime Writers' Association's Crime Thriller awards .
Myron Bolitar might have a slightly dubious past, but he knows how to handle himself and is doing just fine as a sports agent. And then he meets Brenda Slaughter, one of the hottest female sports stars around. She's gorgeous, funny and single, and also seems to have mislaid her agent. But when her father disappears, and the Mob starts leaning on her, it soon becomes apparent that potent forces are at work. And the more Myron tries to help, the closer he gets to losing his heart - and his life.
The story of a mother, her son, a locked room, and the outside world. It's Jack's birthday, and he's excited about turning five. Jack lives with his Ma in Room, which has a locked door and a skylight, and measures 11 feet by 11 feet. He loves watching TV, and the cartoon characters he calls friends, but he knows that nothing he sees on screen is truly real – only him, Ma and the things in Room. Until the day Ma admits that there's a world outside....
When Simon Serrailler was a rookie constable with the Met, he did something reckless in the course of a night's work which caused a man's death. But his act was praised by his colleagues, and he was called a hero. Years later, now a detective chief superintendent who has been badly injured in the course of duty, he receives a medal for bravery at Buckingham Palace while recollecting that fateful night of his early career, when chance disguised itself as bravery.
A missing girl. A buried secret. From the acclaimed author of I Found You and the Richard & Judy best seller The Girls comes a compulsively twisty psychological thriller that will keep you gripped to the very last moment. She was 15, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone. Ten years on, Laurel has never given up hope of finding Ellie. And then she meets a charming and charismatic stranger who sweeps her off her feet.
When lawyer Lily marries Ed, she's determined to make a fresh start. To leave the secrets of the past behind. But when she takes on her first criminal case, she starts to find herself strangely drawn to her client. A man who's accused of murder. A man she will soon be willing to risk everything for. But is he really innocent? And who is she to judge?
Alan Bennett, master storyteller, reads four of his highly-acclaimed stories. Whether comical or quirky, Alan Bennett's poignant stories are rightly regarded as modern classics.
World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. What he discovers is unimaginable: a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization, the Illuminati. Desperate to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, Langdon joins forces in Rome with the beautiful and mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra.
Lou Clark knows a lot of things. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop, and she might not love her boyfriend Patrick. Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live, and now everything feels small and joyless. What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.
People are capable of almost anything. Fast-paced and addictive, The Couple Next Door announces a major new talent in thriller writing. You never know what's happening on the other side of the wall. Your neighbour told you that she didn't want your six-month-old daughter at the dinner party. Nothing personal, she just couldn't stand her crying. Your husband said it would be fine. After all, you live only next door. You'll have the baby monitor, and you'll take it in turns to go back every half hour.
Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive - but not how to live. Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend. Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything. One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world....
What would you do if you caught a glimpse of something you weren't supposed to see? Would you come forward? Would you let yourself get sucked into the mystery?
Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She's even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life - as she sees it - is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy.
And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. Now everything's changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she's only watched from afar. Now they'll see - she's much more than just the girl on the train....
I have never given a book such a bad review before but I honestly do not understand how this book is so popular. The story was painfully slow, the characters were pathetic and I was so glad when it was over. I'm surprised I made it to the end but I think I was holding out hope it was going to get better at some point. Really disappointed.
15 of 17 people found this review helpful
Where does The Girl on the Train rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Top 3
Who was your favorite character and why?
Rachel. The primary character, and her complex personality drove me crazy at times but my support for her throughout never wavered. Accurately narrated. The life of an alcoholic can often be misrepresented, but has I learned through my profession in health care, this depiction never strayed from the reality. Don't let this guide you alone, the story of three women and three men holds you all the way through to its climatic conclusion.
Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favourite?
Megan. Again, superbly narrated as the story introduced us to her topsy turvy world.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No. I never do, you need a break to build up the anticipation for the next instalment.
Any additional comments?
Only one criticism. The three narrators had separate characters, which of course enabled you to build up pictures of the characters. However, one character (Kamal), was narrated by two. Both narrators used different voices for him, and for several chapters I thought they were different characters, one the real Kamal, the other someone pretending to be him. Obviously now I realised I was wrong, two of the women characters encountered him, and each narrated for Kamal's character too, hence the confusion. In other words, don't draw anything in to it, like this dim wit here :)
121 of 144 people found this review helpful
Would you try another book written by Paula Hawkins or narrated by the narrators?
The narrators were great, so of course. Regarding the author, the quality of the writing was good, so yes, if the synopsis appealed to me.
What was most disappointing about Paula Hawkins’s story?
I listened to well over half of it, then gave-up as it wasn't getting any better. I found none of the characters appealing. The story dragged on and remained dull throughout. No doubt there will be an interesting twist at some point, but I just can't care enough to continue.
Any additional comments?
I looked forward to listening to this as the premise promised a really interesting story. This novel has been compared to Gone Girl - one if my favourite books. It doesn't come close in my opinion.
65 of 78 people found this review helpful
Started off really interesting. Couldn't stop listening. Got bored midway through and was sick of the constant referrals to the train.
Thought the ending was poor. Really disappointed:-(
13 of 15 people found this review helpful
After reading the reviews I was excited to listen to this book. I'm puzzled by the majority of other people's reviews which describe this as 'fast paced' or 'captivating'. I found the story line one which was obvious, terribly slow and very disappointing. The characters were typical and the layout of the story matched. The only thing I liked was Anna's voice, I found it comical.
85 of 103 people found this review helpful
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
A decent plot and some proper direction.
What could Paula Hawkins have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more had there been at least one character who was not consistently and gob-smackingly stupid, worthless and self-obsessed. Even the tragic one for whom I think we were supposed to have felt sympathy was so suicidally brainless I wondered how she managed to make it to the age she did.
What aspect of the narrators’s performance might you have changed?
There were three narrators and the direction was a complete disaster.
Two of the narrators had such similar voices it was occasionally difficult to differentiate them — to be fair, not that the writer’s characterisation helped — but unforgivably when two different women see the same psychiatrist, one of them speaks his words with some sort of an unidentifiable foreign accent, and the other one gives him the voice of an Oxford graduate. I cannot blame the actresses for that, they got their scripts and read them as they saw fit. Was the director asleep?
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Girl on the Train?
The scenes between Chapter One and The End
Any additional comments?
The themes were adult but I was put in mind of all those schoolgirl stories in which young Felicity notices something nefarious going on in her boarding school and after an extravagant catalogue of tribulations during which no-one believes her and her fellow pupils send her to Coventry, she discovers that Mam’sel Odieux (the French teacher who bullies her mercilessly), turns out to be a German spy after all. Having exposed the dastardly plot in front of the whole school Felicity—suddenly the school heroine—is carried on the shoulders of all her newly-admiring school friends to be treated to a cream cake tea with the Headmistress. Happy ending and not a backward thought to all the bullying that went before.
95 of 116 people found this review helpful
We;;, my female partner sight-read it and I listened. She said it was okay but lacked any surprises. I found the characters hard to empathise with, not a problem in itself, but also hard to believe. Maybe this was partly because the reading irritated me rather than drew me into a fairly run of the mill story line. The actor reading Anna does a particularly poor job in my view, but throughout there are just too many complete failures of getting tone and emphasis right- maybe they didn't understand what they were reading? In summary, not the worst best-seller I’ve listened to recently, but close to it. And if you haven’t guessed, I thought Gone Girl wildly over-rated too.
33 of 40 people found this review helpful
Sorry but this was awful. So boring, banal inane musings of three very unlikeable women, too long, far too much detail of unimportant rubbish. I couldn't have cared less who killed ? I would happily have killed all of them.,,
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I was really looking forward to this book, but I genuinely cannot understand how it has received so many good reviews (and there are a lot). I found it to be repetitive, predictable and painfully slow. The outcome was obvious from about half way through, the plot was weak, and the characters wholly unlikable.
I found it ironic that a book which highlighted the dangers of alcoholism had me wanting a gin and tonic just to get through it.
97 of 125 people found this review helpful
What did you like most about The Girl on the Train?
The female characters are utterly engaging; you care about so very much. The male characters with one exception are brutes but three dimensional brutes, ordinary men on the surface, but in a domestic situation, tyrants.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Rachel, lost, foolish yet lovable and human. You would be pleased to have her as a friend.
What about the narrators’s performance did you like?
The three female protagonists are voiced by three different women, all very different in tone reflecting the various aspects of their individual characters.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
This is an emotional roller coaster; full of suspense, full of pain. It made me wince rather than cry.
Any additional comments?
By far and away the best thriller I have listened to for years.
51 of 67 people found this review helpful
A really great story, very intriguing and original, read by wonderful voice actors who fit the story perfectly - highly recommended.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The author had me guessing who the killer actually was till almost the end. This is one of those books that would be hard to put down. Very entertaining.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
What did you love best about The Girl on the Train?
It really was a thrilling ride!
What did you like best about this story?
The three viewpoints, all in first person.
Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?
All the characters were flawed - in a pretty major way.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I wanted to slap Rachelle!
Any additional comments?
This was an excellent reading of a great thriller. I highly recommend reading it before it's turned into a movie.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Entertaining, well written, page turner, never dull, recommended for the lovers of mystery, suspense, crime, and plots that are hiding below the surface of apparently normal lifes
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
This novel was full of suspense . It was well read and easy to listen to ,with a lot of twists. A thou rally enjoyable read .
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I must admit, I got this book because it was said it’s a bit like Gone Girl. Even if I can imagine what readers meant, I find the two stories are not so much alike. I enjoyed the book nonetheless, especially because the the main narrator does such a great job. With the second and third narrator I had some problems but that was maybe because I couldn’t get a good grip on the characters they were reading.
However, the book is well worth the credit and listening time. If you like your stories wicked, you should give it a try :)
Have fun!
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Great story which kept me guessing all the way trough, could be somewhat slow sometimes though. I loved the voices of Rachel and Megan but hated the voice of Anna, it was almost unbearable to listen to. Overall I ended up loving the book!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Loved it! Beautifully told and narrated story, compelling listening, with lots of unexpected twists and turns.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I bought it because of the buzz around it. It worth the time and the money. Loved how the story evolved only with the help of the characters and their feelings. I liked the unexpected twists of situations. It kept me wanting more.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Loved it, didn't want it to end. An engaging story, very well narrated. Kept me guessing!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful