16. An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

listened on Audible (11:40)
read by Barrie Kreinik and Julie Whelan
2019 St. Martin's Press
375 pgs.
Adult Psychological Thriller
Finished 2/2/19
Goodreads rating:  4.02 - 14,110 ratings
My rating: 4.5
Setting: Contemporary NYC

First line/s:  "It's easy to judge other people's choices."

My comments:  This was fascinating to listen to and fun to watch unfold.  The so-called "surprise" ending wasn't too, too surprising once the personalities of the protagonists were illuminated.  Listening to it being read by two different readers, both who nailed the nuances of their characters, made it even better.  Oh, such twisted minds there are in the world!

Goodreads synopsis:  The next novel of psychological suspense and obsession from the authors of the blockbuster bestseller The Wife Between Us.
          Seeking women ages 18–32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed.
          When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields, she thinks all she’ll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money, and leave.
          Question #1: Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?
          But as the questions grow more and more intense and invasive and the sessions become outings where Jess is told what to wear and how to act, she begins to feel as though Dr. Shields may know what she’s thinking… and what she’s hiding.
          Question #2: Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?
          As Jess’s paranoia grows, it becomes clear that she can no longer trust what in her life is real, and what is one of Dr. Shields’ manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.
          Question #3: Should a punishment always fit the crime?
          From the authors of the blockbuster bestseller The Wife Between Us comes an electrifying new novel about doubt, passion, and just how much you can trust someone.

71. Fragile - Lisa Unger

Audio read by Nancy Linari
Books On Tape, 2010
10 unabridged cds
11 hrs. 35 min.
327 pages
Rating: 2

The last two disks were not needed. The book went on and on....and on. Yes, it was a mystery, but not the gritty type of mystery that I usually like, where clues mount up until they all fit together. This is not a cozy, but one of the more nicey-nice "thrillers." Sorry, it didn't seem too thrilling to me.

Set in small town The Hollow, New York, where everybody knows everybody and what they had for dinner, we meet the Cooper family: Jones and Maggie and their son, Ricky. We meet Maggie's mother, retired HS principal and a parade of interwoven characters that only a small town could dream up. Ricky's girlfriend Charlene disappears, and it brings back uncomfortable memories for most of the players - when a high school girl named Sarah was murdered 20 years previously. (Like what was kept under wraps for 20 years with this crowd would REALLY be kept under wraps....mmhmm) The blurbs made it sound really intriguing. But....it's ultra-predictable. It's told from different points-of-view and gets a little laborious. Perfect Maggie is the perfect wife, mother and psychologist. Son Ricky is the rebellious though super-smart son that will, of course, go to a major college without too much protesting, husband Jones is the super handsome dynamic cop who was the high school super star....and most of the other characters are damaged pretty much beyond repair or really, really good. There's supposedly redemption at the end, but everything becomes way too pat. Come on!

I've spent a couple of weeks listening to this as I drive back and forth to school. It was pretty endless, I've got to admit. Guess I've got to stick to police procedurals or private eye whodunnits when I look for my mysteries from now on. I'm sure there's a great audience for this book out there, but it's not the genre for me. I wonder how I should separate the mystery genre. Cozies (I know these aren't my cuppa tea), police procedurals, private eye whodunnits, and these mysteries that unfold without cops and private eyes. It's the private eye wodunnits that I really enjoy.