5 Stars from me
This is a double review in a way as it is my thoughts upon Vengeance is Mine by the supremely talented Mr Michael Wood, and it is also my first ever experience of an audiobook.
Largely because it was only released on audiobook…
So, with a long drive ahead of me I decided to dive in – initially I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the story and drive but it was no problem at all. In fact, quite the opposite, it turned a mundane drive into the perfect time for an exciting story.
Once I’d stopped sulking that Vengeance is Mine wasn’t about Matilda and co, I found myself quickly engrossed with the story and followed little Stephanie White down the street on her rollerskates on that fateful day.
Dawn Shepherd was a great character to follow and there was a good mix of people integral to the main storyline, murkying the waters for us mere mortals as we try to work out the real truth of the situation.
Some great moral conundrums throughout and a top notch crime thriller – of course.
Being new to audio books I found it firstly exciting that Jill Halfpenny was the narrator (having seen her in Chicago) and then just as I got used to her reading it seemed to swap to Mark Stobbart (I am guessing this is normal for audiobooks?) whose inflections and tone really brought the second half to life. Great work all round!
Am I sold on audio books? Yes, for certain situations like long car journeys or if I were to be walking to work (should leaving the house ever become a thing again…) then yes I think I would.
Please, do yourself a favour, read the DCI Matilda Darke books in order:
The Fallen
For Reasons Unknown
Outside Looking In
A Room Full of Killers
The Hangman’s Hold
Stolen Children
The Murder House
Time Is Running Out
Survivor’s Guilt
The Lost Children
And out on audiobook only: Vengeance Is Mine
Blurb: A standalone thriller from the author of the DCI Matilda Darke crime series. Perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride, Mark Billingham and Val McDermid.
A killer has done his time but has justice really been served?
On her 13th birthday, Stephanie White was abducted from the streets of Newcastle and brutally murdered. Her death shook the neighbourhood and devastated the lives of everyone around her. Twenty years later, the killer is due to be released from prison and one woman can no longer keep the secret she vowed never to tell. The secret that the father of her child is a convicted murderer.
Dawn Shepherd always longed to have a father but when her mother finally reveals his identity after 20 years, Dawn realises you should be careful what you wish for. Her father has always maintained his innocence but how much can Dawn trust a man she has never met who has been convicted of murder? Disgusted and intrigued in equal measure, Dawn goes on a mission to uncover what happened to Stephanie and work out if a killer’s blood runs through her veins. Clues are resurfaced, witnesses reinterviewed and wounds reopened in the search for truth and justice. After delving deep into the past, Dawn soon discovers that all is not as it seems.
Join us on a journey into the heart of family loyalty, on a path to discover whether blood really is thicker than water.
Read and Rated 