By: Lori Rader-Day
Narrators: Andi Arndt,
Michael David Axtell, Mark Bramhall
HarperAudio
ISBN: 9780063293335
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: 10/03/2023
Format: Other
My Rating: 4 Stars
From the award-winning author of Death at Greenway and The Lucky One comes a chilling suspense novel in which the discovery of a submerged car in a murky pond reveals betrayals and family secrets that will tear a small town apart.
One rainy night fifteen years ago, a knock at the door changed Liss Kehoe’s life forever.
On that night, Ashley Hay stood on Liss’s front porch and handed over her brand-new baby Callan.
She was never seen or heard from again.
Since then, Liss has raised Callan as her own, and loves him as fiercely as any mother would. But in the back of her mind, she’s always wondered whether Ashley is still out there somewhere—and feared what might happen if she comes back.
When Ashley does reappear, it’s not in the way Liss expected. After all these years, Ashley’s car has been found… in the quarry pond on Kehoe property. But the discovery of the car dredges up more questions than answers. What really happened on the night of Ashley’s disappearance? Was it a tragic accident, or something far more sinister? Someone in town knows the truth, and they’ll go to great lengths to keep it quiet.
As tensions rise in the small community, Liss must fight to protect her family and keep her own secrets hidden—or risk losing everything she loves.
My Review
Lori Rader-Day returns following Death at Greenway and The Lucky One with THE DEATH OF US —the past collides with the present, and dark family secrets are revealed in this riveting small-town suspense crime thriller, keeping readers on the edge of their seat until the last page is turned!
On a rainy night fifteen years ago, Ashley, a frantic woman, knocks on the door and hands a woman, Liss, her baby boy, Callan.
Lissette (Liss) and Link are married, although not happy. He is a cheat and womanizer. He cheated with Ashely, so everyone assumes he is Callan's father. Trust no one!
Liss has raised her son and is highly protective of him. She has always worried about where she went and if she would return one day for her son.
Fifteen years later, an accident leads them to a car round in the dark quarry. Ashley's car and her body. What happened? A tragic accident or murder?
From here on out, a dark web of secrets and lies slowly unravels. How far will those involved go to keep their secrets? Liss is caught in the crossfire when she learns too much. There are multi-generation secrets and lies.
The author creates a winding, twisted road of dark family secrets with unreliable narrators from murder, betrayal, and an unsolved cold case with some good characters caught in the middle.
There are a lot of characters to keep up with in the first half, which is slower-paced; however, in the last half, it escalates and is fast-paced.
Twisty and gripping, and the intense power of love! I enjoyed Mercer, Liss, and Callan's characters. There are some wickedly evil characters, and the scenes with Key were intense! If you enjoy rural small-town twisted mysteries, THE DEATH OF US is for you.
It has been a while since I read one of Lori's books, and I was reminded why I enjoy her writing.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Oct 3, 2023
Praise
"I was up until 4:00am finishing The Death of Us. It's bloody brilliant. So sharp and tight and clear. I'm proud to have my name attached to it."
— Ann Cleeves, New York Times bestselling author on The Death of Us
"Lori Rader-Day hits it out of the park with The Death of Us, which has everything I love in a suspense thriller: unreliable characters, family secrets and plenty of unexpected twists and turns. Atmospheric and unputdownable, this should be on everyone's to-read list."
— Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing
“The Death of Us is a powerhouse of a book. Set in a small town with emotional landmines on every corner, Lori Rader-Day has created characters that will stick with you. Completely absorbing to the last page.”
— Samantha Downing, internationally bestselling author of My Lovely Wife
"Lori Rader-Day is a master of psychological suspense, and her talent shines in The Death of Us. This tale of dangerous secrets and family tensions sucked me right in and kept me reading late into the night."
— Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Spy Coast
"The Death of Us is an utterly mesmerizing and deeply moving novel about the meaning of family, the consequences of betrayal, and the power of love. Lori Rader-Day weaves a tight web, drawing us into a small town soaked in secrets and full of people willing to do almost anything to keep them. I stayed up half the night tearing through this deft, timeless mystery."
— Julia Dahl, award-winning author of Invisible City and The Missing Hours
All of Lori’s considerable gifts are on display in this riveting examination of a small town coming to terms with its secrets: The characters are indelible, the prose is dynamic, and the mystery will keep you up late into the night. Impeccably paced and genuinely surprising, The Death of Us is a small-town suspense novel of the highest order.
— Elizabeth Little, LA Times bestsellingauthor of Dear Daughter and Pretty as a Picture
Lori Rader-Day’s The Death of Us is a deftly crafted, winding road of family secrets, unsolved disappearance, murder, betrayal, and complicated lives caught in the crosshairs of suspicion and lies. Masterful. Riveting. What a ride!
— Tracy Clark, author of the Cass Raines and Det. Harriet Foster series, and winner of the Sue Grafton Memorial Award
About the Author
Lori Rader-Day, Lincoln Square, Chicago, 2021. Photos by Justin Barbin Photography
Lori Rader-Day is the Edgar® Award-nominated and Agatha, Anthony, and Mary Higgins Clark award-winning author of The Death of Us, Death at Greenway, The Lucky One, Under a Dark Sky, The Day I Died, Little Pretty Things, and The Black Hour. She lives in Chicago, where she is co-chair of the mystery readers’ festival Midwest Mystery Conference (fka Murder and Mayhem in Chicago) and served as 2019-2020 national president of Sisters in Crime. She teaches creative writing for Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies. WEBSITE
