Review: The Final Target by Nora Roberts

 

The Final Target by Nora Roberts

Publication Date: May 26th 2026 by St. Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio

Pages: 432

Audio Book Length: 14hrs 59min

Narrator: January LaVoy

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Arden’s lifelong dream of becoming a published author finally comes true, but her success draws the attention of a dangerous, obsessive stalker named Dustin. After barely surviving his brutal attack, Arden is left to rebuild not just her life, but her sense of safety. She heals, she grows, and she thrives.

 

Meanwhile, Dustin stews and he focuses on revenge. His determination was chilling adding a constant thread of tension.

 

The Final Target is classic Nora Roberts, and I loved every minute. Arden could’ve shut down after the attack, but instead she chooses to live boldly. Her move to the Pacific Northwest brings new friends, a gorgeous home she pours her heart into, and a community that embraces her. She isn’t looking for love, which of course is exactly when it finds her with Gideon an ex-police detective and current wood-working genius.

 

When Dustin comes for “his woman”, the showdown kept me on the edge of my seat! Arden isn’t alone this time; she has her family, the police, and Gideon at her back. The ending was a thrill ride!

 

I alternated between the audiobook and e‑copy and can recommend both. January LaVoy’s narration was fantastic, truly the icing on the cake! 

5 Stars

Book Description:

A young author becomes the object of a fan’s desire―and rage―in the gripping new thriller by the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Hidden Nature.

He showed up at Arden Bowie’s debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that.

Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistake…

An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitude―but now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound. And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety when Dustin’s wealthy mother helps to get him a paltry five-year sentence at a psychiatric facility.

Arden decides to write a new story for herself, moving to a tiny Oregon town and befriending Gideon, an ex-LAPD detective. But while she learns to thrive, Dustin remains his delusional, twisted self, as fixated as ever and now seething with anger. He still believes Arden's purpose on earth is to serve and please him. And his job is to protect her. But who will protect her from him?

Review: Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts

 

Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts

Publication Date: May 27th 2025 by St. Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio

Pages: 435

Audio Book Length: 14hrs 55min

Narrator: January LaVoy

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Sloan Cooper, a Natural Resources Officer, was shot on duty and barely survived. Having to take time off for recovery she stays with her parents back in her hometown of Heron’s Rest, Maryland where they run a vacation rental business on the picturesque lake.

 

As Sloan works toward recovery the disappearance of a young woman on Thanksgiving Day captures her attention and sticks with her. She does a little bit of armchair detecting, but it gets put on the back burner when nothing turns up. Then there’s another similar disappearance leading Sloan to look for a past pattern.

 

The villains had their POV which was more than a little disturbing and chilled me to the bone! I was on the edge knowing that Sloan fit their victim profile.

 

As this is happening, brothers, Nash and Theo Littlefield buy up a wreck of a house planning on starting their own construction business while renovating the place. Sloan and Nash end up running into each other over and over and the immediate attraction felt slowly turns into something.

 

As with most Nora Roberts’ stories, Hidden Nature was a combination of mystery, suspense, danger and romance happening in amongst an idyllic sort of life: family, friends, dinners, décor, renovations in a gorgeous setting. Heron’s Rest sounded beautiful!  I was captivated by all of it.

 

I alternately read and listened to an audio copy of Hidden Nature and recommend either version. January LaVoy’s voice is rich and pleasing, and she brought all the characters to life, male and female, each distinct with appropriate emotion.

4 Stars

Book Description:

The #1 New York Times-bestselling author presents a new novel about an injured cop who must fight to bring down a pair of twisted killers…

Natural Resources police officer, Sloan Cooper, and her partner had just taken down three men preying on hikers in the Western Maryland mountains. Driving back, she pulled in at a convenience store—and walked right into a robbery in progress. One gunshot from a jittery thief was about to change her world.

After being shocked back to life on the operating table, she has a long recovery ahead, so she moves back to her parents’ peaceful house in Heron’s Rest. As for the boyfriend who dumped her via text while she was in the hospital, good riddance.

She may be down, but she’s not out. So when a woman vanishes, leaving her car behind in a supermarket parking lot, Sloan searches online for similar cases. She finds them, spread across three states. Men and women, old and young—the missing seem to have nothing in common. And the abductions keep happening.

Luckily, the new man in her life shares her passion for solving this mystery. But it will take every ounce of endurance to get to the dark heart of this bizarre case—and she's willing to risk her life again if that's what it takes to stop the horror.

Audiobook Review: Identity Unknown by Patricia Cornwell

 

Identity Unknown (Kay Scarpetta #28) by Patricia Cornwell

Publication Date: October 8th 2024 by Hachette Audio

Pages: 400

Audio Book Length: 10hrs 12min

Narrator: January LaVoy

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm |  Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Dr. Kay Scarpetta is in the middle of a harrowing autopsy, one of a young girl who was reportedly playing with her father’s gun when it went off killing her. However, Kay’s findings raise suspicions. Unfortunately, the parents are wealthy and well-connected and kicking up quite a fuss.

 

As if that’s not enough, Kay is urgently called in to investigate the death of someone close to her with Marino assisting. The case is brutal and unusual and sparks the attention of many in the intelligence community. Kay’s Secret Service niece Lucy and her FBI husband, Benton, are involved in the investigation, as well.

 

Marino was over the top in this installment, his gruff, argumentative side out on full display, especially because it was fueled by jealousy. Kay’s sister, as usual, was self-absorbed and I still can’t believe she married Marino! It’s hot mess.

 

I’ve been loving this reboot of the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series! I appreciate her calm, logical approach to cases, and her personal life and relationships are engrossing! This death hit close to her heart, and she struggled with her emotions. The cases were filled with cutting edge technology, interesting locations, and sinister real-life implications. Riveting from beginning to end!  

 

The audio version was fantastic! January LaVoy’s narration is always a treat! Her calm, rich voice portrayed Kay perfectly! All characters were performed uniquely and distinctly. She definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the story! 

4 Stars

Book Description:

Autopsies can reveal the secrets of the dead.

And this victim is sending Scarpetta a message…

Summoned to an unnerving, abandoned theme park to retrieve a body, Dr Kay Scarpetta is devastated to learn that the victim is a man she once loved. While teaching in Rome during the early days of her career, Scarpetta had an intense love affair with Sal Giordano that led to a lifelong friendship.

The murder scene is bizarre, with a crop circle of petals around the body, and Giordano’s skin is strangely red. Scarpetta’s niece Lucy believes he was dropped from an unidentified flying craft. Scarpetta knows an autopsy can reveal the dead’s secrets, but she is shocked to find her friend seems to have deliberately left her a clue.

As the investigators are torn between suspicions of otherworldly forces, and of Giordano himself, Scarpetta detects an explanation closer to home that, in her mind, is far more evil . . .

Audiobook Review: Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

 

Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

Publication Date: April 30th 2024 by Blackstone Publishing

Pages: 256

Audio Book Length: 8 hrs 26 mins

Narrators: January LaVoy, Cassandra Campbell, Brittany Pressley, Andrew Eiden

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Three estranged siblings, Beth, Nicole, and Michael, reunite after their mother, Laura, passes away. Their meetup is fraught with secrets and resentments, but they band together when they view an old VHS tape with a shocking scene. Their father, who disappeared seven years earlier, is covered in blood with a dead body as their mother films!  They’re blown over, as this is not the loving and attentive parents they knew!

 

Home is Where the Bodies Are was a riveting mystery! I was addicted from the first chapter! What happened years ago is told through their mother’s journals and more video tapes, but also from the three siblings’ recollection of past events. I had an idea of where some of it was going, but was surprised by the revelations, too! I listened intently as it wound up to a thrilling conclusion!

 

The story is told through Beth, Nicole, and Michael’s perspectives, and through Laura’s journals. Each POV had a separate narrator, Beth: January LaVoy, Nicole: Brittany Pressley, Michael: Andrew Eiden, and Laura: Cassandra Campbell, who is a new-to-me narrator. I was thrilled to have a full cast of performers, ones I’ve enjoyed listening to many times in the past. It enhanced my “reading” experience, bringing the characters and story to life! I listened to my usual 1.5x normal speed and faster as the situation became more intense!

4 Stars

Book Description:

From New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage and You Shouldn’t Have Come Here comes a chilling family thriller about the (sometimes literal) skeletons in the closet.

After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. Beth, the oldest, never left home. She stayed with her mom, caring for her until the very end. Nicole, the middle child, has been kept at arm’s length due to her ongoing battle with a serious drug addiction. Michael, the youngest, lives out of state and hasn’t been back to their small Wisconsin town since their father ran out on them seven years before.

While going through their parent’s belongings, the siblings stumble upon a collection of home videos and decide to revisit those happier memories. However, the nostalgia is cut short when one of the VHS tapes reveals a night back in 1999 that none of them have any recollection of. On screen, their father appears covered in blood. What follows is a dead body and a pact between their parents to get rid of it, before the video abruptly ends.

Beth, Nicole, and Michael must now decide whether to leave the past in the past or uncover the dark secret their mother took to her grave.

Review: Mind Games by Nora Roberts

 

Mind Games by Nora Roberts

Publication Date: May 21st 2024 by St. Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio

Pages: 432

Audio Book Length: 14hrs 52min

Narrator: January LaVoy

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Twelve-year-old Thea’s parents are murdered. It’s a senseless and cruel act by a no-good, evil man, but his plans to get away are thwarted by Thea’s unusual gift. It’s heartbreaking, but thankfully she has her loving grandmother and brother. They band together and try and live a good life while remembering their loss. I adored both her brother and her grandmother, Lucy, who was a big-hearted, salt-of-the-earth kind of woman!

Unfortunately, Thea captured the killer’s attention, as they share the same psychic gift and he’s bent on vengeance.  He is a dark presence on and off throughout the story, but Thea’s gift is stronger, and she has her family and loved ones for support. I enjoyed how she fought back!

Mind Games wasn’t a fast-paced story, but it captured and held my attention from page one! I loved the world Ms. Roberts created: family, friends, animals, gardening, cooking in the small, tightknit community of Redbud Hollow. The slow-burn romance was just icing on the cake!

I alternately read and listened to an audio copy of Mind Games and recommend either version. January LaVoy is one of my favorite narrators! She has a rich, pleasing voice, and nailed the wide range of ages, male and female voices here!

5 Stars

Book Description:

The #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Identity presents a suspenseful new novel of tragedy and trauma, love and family, and the evil that awaits.

As they do each June, the Foxes have driven the winding roads of Appalachia to drop off their children for a two-week stay at their grandmother’s. Here, twelve-year-old Thea can run free and breathe in the smells of pine and fresh bread and Grammie’s handmade candles. But as her parents head back to suburban Virginia, they have no idea they’re about to cross paths with a ticking time bomb.

Back in Kentucky, Thea and her grandmother Lucy both awaken from the same nightmare. And though the two have never discussed the special kind of sight they share, they know as soon as their tearful eyes meet that something terrible has happened.

The kids will be staying with Grammie now in Redbud Hollow, and thanks to Thea’s vision, their parents’ killer will spend his life in supermax. Over time, Thea will make friends, build a career, find love. But that ability to see into minds and souls still lurks within her, and though Grammie calls it a gift, it feels more like a curse―because the inmate who shattered her childhood has the same ability. Thea can hear his twisted thoughts and witness his evil acts from miles away. He knows it, and hungers for vengeance. A long, silent battle will be waged between them―and eventually bring them face to face, and head to head…

 

Audiobook Review: Dark Corners by Megan Goldin

 

Dark Corners (Rachel Krall #2) by Megan Goldin

Publication Date: August 8th 2023 by Macmillan Audio

Pages: 352

Audio Book Length: 10hrs 45min

Narrator: January LaVoy, Samantha Desz, André Santa

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Rachel Krall, the investigative podcaster of Guilty or Not Guilty, is brought in by the FBI to interview a prison inmate, Terrance Bailey, who is about to be released in just a few days. He was convicted of breaking and entering but suspected in the killings of six women. More puzzling is that Terrance just had a visit from a popular influencer, Maddison Logan, and she’s now gone missing, which makes them think Bailey has an accomplice on the outside.

Much to the dismay of the FBI, Rachel decides to stay in town to help find Maddison who was in town to attend BuzzCon an influencer gathering. Rachel goes undercover to see if anyone knew Maddison, and any information that might help track her down. I loved the addition of Joe Martinez, the sexy FBI Agent! Rachel and Joe butt heads initially but end up working together. Rachel is adept at getting information where Joe’s guys haven’t had success, and the clock is ticking for Maddison. Rachel’s efforts don’t go unnoticed, which puts her in danger, as well.

The story was told from Rachel and Joe’s POV, but also the killer’s which was a chilling addition! I was on the edge of my seat worried about the characters and ended up listening to this exciting story in one day!

I read and loved Megan Goldin’s The Night Swim back in 2021. I hoped the author would bring back Rachel Krall and her investigative podcast in more installments. I got my wish here with Dark Corners and it did not disappoint! She’s a smart cookie and a determined investigator. I’m hoping for more Rachel Krall mysteries!

I listened to the story and the audio was fantastic! It’s narrated by January LaVoy and Samantha Desz, a combo from the last Rachel Krall story and narrators I’ve enjoyed from the past. January LaVoy performs Rachel in her “Special Reports” and has a rich, sexy voice, and Samantha Desz performs Rachel and all other characters as the story goes along. She has smooth, serious voice, one that I really enjoyed, as well!  André Santa performs voices in the interviews in Rachel’s podcast chapters. There were sound effects as well, making it feel like a real crime podcast. I liked the additional feature! I highly recommend the audio version! I listened at my usual 1.5x-1.75x normal speed. I’d speed up if things were getting intense!

4 Stars

Book Description:

Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster star of Megan Goldin’s acclaimed Night Swim returns to search for a popular social media influencer who disappeared after visiting a suspected serial killer.

Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering, though investigators have long suspected him in the murders of six women. As his freedom approaches, Bailey gets a surprise visit from Maddison Logan, a hot, young influencer with a huge social media following. Hours later, Maddison disappears, and police suspect she’s been kidnapped—or worse. Is Maddison’s disappearance connected to her visit to Bailey? Why was she visiting him in the first place?

When they hit a wall in the investigation, the FBI reluctantly asks for Rachel’s help in finding the missing influencer. Maddison seems only to exist on social media; she has no family, no friends, and other than in her posts, most people have never seen her. Who is she, really? Using a fake Instagram account, Rachel Krall goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference, where she discovers a world of fierce rivalry that may have turned lethal.

When police find the body of a woman with a tattoo of a snake eating its tail, the FBI must consider a chilling possibility: Bailey has an accomplice on the outside and a dangerous obsession with influencers, including Rachel Krell herself. Suddenly a target of a monster hiding in plain sight, Rachel is forced to confront the very real dangers that lurk in the dark corners of the internet.

Review: The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

 

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

Publication Date: August 4th 2020 by Macmillan Audio & St. Martin's Press

Pages: 352

Audio Book Length: 9 hrs 59 min

Narrators: Bailey Carr,  January LaVoy, Samantha Desz

Source: Library

Rating: ★★★★★

Link: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Rachel Krall runs a popular crime podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty. Her newest assignment takes her to Neapolis to cover a controversial rape trial.  As the story begins, we don't know who is telling the truth, the accuser, Kelly, a sixteen-year-old high school student, or the accused, Scott, the local golden boy, an Olympic hopeful. But we know for sure that Kelly’s character is definitely on trial. 

When Rachel arrives in town, she finds a letter left on her windshield begging for help in solving the murder of Hannah’s older sister, which also happened in Neapolis, twenty years earlier. The account is disturbing and as the story is revealed I was both angered and horrified.

Both mysteries were riveting! The difficulties of a rape accusation come into sharp focus. In the case of a “stranger” rape case, consent isn’t an arguable issue. But when the parties are known to each other, consent is at the heart of the case. When one side says it was consensual and the other says no, how do you know who is telling the truth?  And why is some amount of blame assigned to the victim in most cases? As the author pointed out:

“When school kids are shot by a random shooter, nobody asks whether the victims should have taken more precautions. Nobody suggests that maybe the victims should have skipped school that day. Nobody ever blames the victims. So why is it that when women are attacked, the onus is on them?”

As a woman the story really resonated with me.  I hate the feeling of being uneasy or vulnerable in situations with men, how things can turn bad so quickly. Just running or walking on a secluded path can be dangerous. It really angers me that as a woman, I’m not automatically safe. I've had some strange things happen (I now always carry pepper spray), but thankfully nothing as terrible as the events in The Night Swim. My heart ached for the victims as the story unfolded!

The audio was fantastic! The story was told from Rachel and Hannah POV's in alternating chapters, but there was also the addition of Rachel's podcast "Guilty or Not Guilty" as it aired while covering the trial.

Powerful and thought provoking, The Night Swim is a story I won’t easily forget! I hope we get more of Rachel Krall and her investigations in the future!

 5 Stars

 

Goodreads Description:

After the first season of her true crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall is now a household name―and the last hope for thousands of people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.

The small town of Neapolis is being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. The town’s golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping a high school student, the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season Three a success, Rachel throws herself into interviewing and investigating―but the mysterious letters keep showing up in unexpected places. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insists she was murdered―and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody seems to want to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.

Electrifying and propulsive, The Night Swim asks: What is the price of a reputation? Can a small town ever right the wrongs of its past? And what really happened to Jenny?