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Frailty cover art

Frailty

By: Betsy Reavley
Narrated by: Ally Murphy
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Summary

How far would you go to protect your family?

Danny and Libby are about to face every parent's worst nightmare.

When eight-year-old Hope Bird disappears without a trace from the idyllic village where she lives, life for her family will never be the same again. Her parents know she would never have gone off alone and the police have no idea where she is. Then a child's shoe is discovered and the case takes an unexpected turn. Soon a suspect is identified but this is only the beginning.

Will they ever find Hope?

Frailty is a haunting, gritty, psychological story about the choices we make.

©2016 Betsy Reavley (P)2016 Bloodhound Books

What listeners say about Frailty

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Terrible

This is the first review I have ever written , but I was so angry that I wasted my money and my time on this awful book.The beginning seemed to have potential , however this it went down hill fast .The subject matter was distressing and I was aware of that, but the author tricked you , I feel in order for you to finish the book , because if the subject matter was not a child I would have abandoned this book very early on . It was slow , boring , flipping you from past to present that made you think " where am I now " , and not in a good way.I depend on reviews when picking a book and if I can save one person from wasting 8hrs I have achieved my motive.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Horribly good book

A well written, terrifying story, told in a very good way.
I really enjoyed listening to it, even though it was very emotional.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

An OK story

I found this book just interesting enough to see it through, but that's as far as it goes for me. I didn't like the parts written as the child, as she seemed to use very adult words and phrases, even though it's was supposed to be from an 8yr olds point of view.

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2 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Excellent performance in reading the story

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

I have no idea

Would you ever listen to anything by Betsy Reavley again?

No

Which character – as performed by Ally Murphy – was your favourite?

No specific character, but the performance was excellent with all characters well differentiated. I'd definitely like to hear more read by Ally Murphy.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Frustration

Any additional comments?

Oh this was annoying. All the principle characters with the exception of the children, who being very young couldn't be expected to know better, were unutterably stupid. The parents of the missing child, the abductor and the police drove me to despair. Apparently none of them could make use of any form of logic and I get it, despairing parents may well fall short but the police too? And sure, most criminals, never mind kidnappers aren't the brightest, in reality there are very few if any super intelligent criminals but even so you expect some of the basics of common sense, at least in a work of fiction for the sake of story.
The writer can write, but plotting needs so much more work.
I believe most readers will accurately pinpoint the likely villain of the piece early on and then have to tolerate the frustration of the obvious mislead being dragged out ludicrously and for an incredibly long time before the final well expected reveal right at the end. At the key point of tension, I wanted the father shot, and the rest of the adult members of the family arrested and jailed for life. It's very hard to like a story where you are disgusted and offended by all the principle aggrieved characters, but any and all sympathy for their plight was extinguished long before the end of the book. I normally don't do reviews and I appreciate I'm being harsh here but truly it's well deserved.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Heart breaking, stomach clenching but so worth it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! I already have. Its a brilliantly written novel that is worth all it gives.

What did you like best about this story?

The narration and the story come together to provide an explosive listen.

What does Ally Murphy bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Ally Murphys' narration coupled together with this breathtaking, heart breaking highly emotive story comes together to provide and explosive listen.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If i could i would. It really did put you through the wringer emotionally so perhaps the break did me more good than i thought.

Any additional comments?

Such a fantastic listen. I'd really like to listen to more from the duo of Ally Murphys' narration and Betsy Reavleys storytelling. A winning combination.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Five stars for this harrowing story.

What a heart rending listen. A tough one too as I have two young daughters and anything happening to them is the stuff of nightmares. Fantastic narrator and story - five stars all round.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Heartbreakingly amazing

This has to be the best book I've ever listened to... shocking, painful, heartfelt and the only book I've felt affect me to my very soul .... congratulations to Betsy Reavley for the words and to Ally Murphy for the perfect narration ..... x

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Oh my good God

I haven't read anything by this author before, but the reviews were good ( yes people, honest reviews do matter and do influence 'risk' taking with a new author- so be fair). I was captivated from the start by Hopes pure voice and riveted from there to the end. Ally Murphy narrated superbly, so realistic and accurate in tone and expression. I could go on but it really would spoil it for future readers if I say too much about the plot. I'm a mother and this capture parental feelings so perfectly. Wow. I rarely say that these days about my reads- I'm moved and now I'm going to hug my boy just a bit harder tonight.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Hauntingly Clever

What made the experience of listening to Frailty the most enjoyable?

The narration, and pace of the story was extremely well written/read. It kept me captivated and I could sense the dread and fear of what Libby and Dan were going through.

What about Ally Murphy’s performance did you like?

Her voice, and the change over of characters were extremely smooth. To pull off talking as a child, worked and was beautifully haunting.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, but I don't want to give spoilers, but Hope's Chapters were well written, without being sensationalised.

Any additional comments?

Frailty is an emotive read, that captures family life when a child goes missing and how devastating it is.

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A difficult read

As always..an incredibly well written book. It’s a tough read, I had to skip through some of the more gory scenes for my own sake but that didn’t take away from the rest of the story.

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