Listen

Listen is a suspenseful mystery by Rene Gutteridge. The small town of Marlo was voted one of the top ten places to raise your child. The last violent crime took place 20 years ago. That is until the residents start to mistrust each other and turn to violence after someone posts their private conversations on a web site. As the police deal with the increased violence, the newspaper tries to find out who is behind the web site, the town begins to fall apart and one family desperately tries to stay together.

This book had me hooked from the beginning and was a page turner. The premise was so fascinating. Someone eavesdropping on private conversations and then posting them for the whole world to read, or even worse, for the people you are talking about to read. The power of our words often escapes us. This book makes you think about it. The plot, while centered around this mystery, does twist off the path of it a few times, keeping the book interesting beyond just the main plot line. There are a few plot twists that wrench the heart, and had tears in my eyes. It was an emotional book for me, as a parent, from start to finish that tackled difficult issues like suicide, bullying, gossip, infidelity and even death.

I would have liked to see a few of the characters developed more. The characters that are well developed are likable. The author also has a tendency to jump very quickly from one thing to another, particularly during dialogue. This was a little confusing and I had to reread a few times to make sure I knew who or what was being referenced. I don't know if this is because the author is not an experienced writer (I know nothing about Gutteridge), or if this is just her style. It was a little annoying, but the story was good enough that I could look past it. Overall, this was a good read and I would recommend it.

Happy Reading!