Autumn is here and I’ve been on a crime and thriller binge lately! There’s something about thrillers on audio; they’re so immediate, addictive and easy to listen to. They completely draw you in until you can’t do anything else. I’m pretty new to this genre, so do reach out on @aminasbookshelf if you have any crime and thriller recommendations!
The Plot: ‘None of This Is True’ is a psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own true crime podcast. At a local pub, two women are celebrating their forty-fifth birthday. Podcaster Alix Summers and seamstress Josie Fair aren’t related, but they start talking and realise they were born at the same hospital on the same day in the same year. They’re birthday twins. After this chance meeting, Josie starts listening to Alix’s podcast and thinks she might be an interesting subject. They begin working together as Alix interviews Josie about her complicated life, but when Josie disappears there’s a trail of destruction left behind.
Rating: This audiobook is riveting. Dark and twisted, I listened to the whole novel within three days because I couldn’t get enough. Initially, I was a bit confused as the audio mentioned a podcast and a Netflix documentary and I couldn’t work out what was going on (I think this is probably clearer in the physical book due to the page layout). However, once I settled into the book, I thought this mixed-media concept was riveting and worked so well on audio with sound effects. Both Josie and Alix are point-of-view characters, but the novel also features podcast interviews and TV interviews with some of the secondary characters. These add to the story and reveal little tidbits that keep you guessing. The build-up is pitch perfect, and I loved how the breadcrumbs were revealed to keep the reader invested. I’ve seen some people negatively review the dark themes, but I loved the complexities of each character and the trauma that informed their choices. There’s no good or bad, black or white, in this novel. There’s so much grey area and that’s what makes it a car crash you can’t turn away from.
The Plot: ‘The Hunting Party’ is a murder mystery in the tradition of Agatha Christie. It’s New Year’s Eve and a group of old friends are celebrating at a fancy hunting lodge in the Scottish Highlands. They have fun drinking champagne and hunting deer until an immense blizzard seals them off from the outside world. Tensions grow, old resentments fester and secrets are revealed. Then, by New Year’s Day, one of them is dead. But who is the murderer?
Rating: This is a fun romp of an audiobook that will keep you guessing. With multiple point-of-view characters, there are several different narrators and sound effects that draw you into the world. This novel works particularly well on audio because each of the five POV characters speak directly to the reader, as if they’re trying to convince you of their version of events.
The main group of characters are deliciously messy and well-drawn. Mostly Oxford graduates, the friendship group is a beguiling commentary on education, privilege and class. However, I found some of the characters, such as Bo and Samira, were blandly relegated to the background, and the POV characters who worked at the lodge, Heather and Doug, felt like exaggerated stereotypes. In particular, Doug’s ex-army background and constant oblique references to his dark past and wrongdoings felt overblown.
The plot is suspenseful, with plenty of twists and red herrings. I wish we were told who the victim was earlier, as you have to wait for the majority of the book. Although this is a somewhat effective device to keep you guessing (otherwise the murderer is a bit obvious), I think we could’ve had a stronger reveal at the midpoint to escalate the stakes. This would provide a new line of intrigue, rather than giving the reader anticipation fatigue for the original curiosity seed.
The Plot: ‘Carrie Soto Is Back’ is a commercial novel about the best tennis player in the world. Carrie Soto’s determination to win at any cost has not made her popular. But, having no friends, no relationships and dedicating her life to tennis has been worth it. She’s won twenty Slam titles, after all. But, six years after her retirement, her record is about the be beaten by a new, younger player. At thirty-seven years old, Carrie decides to come out of retirement and reclaim her glory for one epic final season.
Rating: Look, there’s no doubt that TJR can write. Her characters have a strong want and need, her plots follow all the structural rules and her dialogue is witty. As a result, this novel is easy to read and sufficiently entertaining. However, there’s something formulaic about this story, which feels off-putting. Though I loved the message about women in sports/media and ageism, Carrie’s character arc is so obvious as she inevitably learns that she doesn’t have to be the best in the world. Because it was so predictable, the middle portion dragged. Plus, there was so much tennis. Like, so many matches (games? sets?). And, I get it’s somewhat necessary for this book but we needed to skip the explanations of every point in every match.
Finally, I also can’t ignore that Latinx bookstagrammers have highlighted the problematic nature of a YT author writing this main character. Generally, I believe that authors can write from any POV they want. However, I do feel authors should face the consequences of those decisions. And, when listening to this on audiobook the exaggerated Spanish accents and phrases, particularly coming from Carrie’s father Javier, do feel rather stereotypical and a tad icky.
The Plot: ‘I’m A Fan’ is a literary novel about a woman who’s obsessed with an unavailable man and the other woman he’s dating. The unavailable man is old-money literary elite and the other woman he’s dating is a social media ‘activist’-influencer aesthete, leading our narrator to critique our cultural obsession with status.
Rating: While I understood and admired what this book says about race, class and wealth, it feels like a polemic rather than a novel. The protagonists’ stream-of-consciousness paragraphs about political and social issues would be great in a Guardian article, but they felt peppered into the story to bulk out the wordcount. They don’t feel authentic to the character because these reflections are too self-aware for someone who acts so erratically, and they had no bearing on the protagonist’s actions. Generally, I don’t mind an unlikeable protagonist and fragmented writing style, but when you boil down this book it’s just the 2020 equivalent of Bridget Jones. I didn’t understand why the narrator was obsessing over a man for seemingly no reason and was so one-dimensional. The graphic sexual mentions seem to be there for shock value and the ending was so abrupt, I thought “was that it?”. I just don’t think this novel is as clever as the author, or the publishing world who shortlisted it for so many prizes, thinks it is. At its heart, this book is a bit basic.
If you’d like to purchase these books, you can get a discount, support @aminasbookshelf and support independent bookshops via bookshop.org (affiliate links).
None of this is True – Click here to purchase for £9.49
The Hunting Party – Click here to purchase for £9.49
Carrie Soto Is Back – Click here to purchase for £9.49
I’m A Fan – Click here to purchase for £9.49
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