Narrated by: Karen Peakes
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Length: 18 Hours 1 Minute
Audiobook Publication date: September 17th 2014
Original Publication Date: March 3rd 1997
My rating: 4.5 stars
Terror stalks the streets of Bayou Breaux, Louisiana. A suspected murderer is free on a technicality, and the cop accused of planting evidence against him is ordered off the case. But Detective Nick Fourcade refuses to walk away. He’s stepped over the line before. This case threatens to push him over the edge.
He’s not the only one. Deputy Annie Broussard found the woman’s mutilated body. She still hears the phantom echoes of dying screams. She wants justice. But pursuing the investigation will mean forming an alliance with a man she doesn’t trust and making enemies of the men she works with. It will mean being drawn into the confidence of a killer. For Annie Broussard, finding justice will mean risking everything—including her life.
The search for the truth has begun—one that will lead down a twisted trail through the steamy bayous of Louisiana, and deep into the darkest reaches of the human heart.
My
Thoughts:
I read A Thin Dark
Line some years ago (more than ten) and loved it, so when it was offered on
an Audible Daily Deal I snatched it up.
The audio just enhanced an already riveting mystery!
Annie Broussard is a Deputy in Bayou Breaux Police
Department hoping to make Detective. When a suspect in the brutal murder of Pam
Bichon is exonerated on a technicality the community is outraged along with the
Detective in charge of the case, Nick Fourcade.
Annie already had ties to the murder because she was the officer who
discovered Pam Bichon’s body, but when she crosses paths with Nick she gets
dragged further into the case and the dark side of Nick. Annie is both
fascinated and wary of him, and scared of the electric current of attraction
they share.
Annie is a newer cop with ideals, innocence, and
determination that Nick sees as an asset to the case. The fact that Marcus Reynard, the chief
suspect, is suddenly fixated on her doesn’t hurt matters either. Nick’s
convinced Marcus is guilty, but as Nick and Annie team up and dig deeper, Annie’s
not so sure. She doesn’t want to pin a
murder on the wrong guy, she wants justice and she wants the truth. It’s evident that Annie is rattling someone
with her investigation, because gory “presents” and more sinister threats start
coming her way.
The mystery as well as the internal politics Annie must
navigate in the police force made for a captivating read. The romance was just icing on the cake. Nick
and Annie’s relationship felt dangerous and passionate, and an element to the
story made it sort of forbidden, or at the very least ill advised, but these
two couldn’t stay away from each other.
After finishing A Thin
Dark Line this time I was impressed and haunted. I couldn’t stop thinking of the solution and
how things turned out, while the romance aspect was everything I hoped for, I
was very sad for a particular character, and I think the voice and inflection
the narrator gave this character every time he/she had a scene made their
predicament resonate with me deeper than it did with just reading the pages. I
highly recommend the narration; Karen Peakes made Annie Broussard’s character
come to life, and did a fine job with the male voices as well. The accents and
the Cajun French were spot on!
I was held in the spell of A Thin Dark Line all over again and I totally recommend it to any
fan of romantic suspense/mystery! Fans
of Sandra Brown, Linda Howard, or Lisa Gardner will gobble this up. There were
a couple of issues that were a little too tidily wrapped up, and a couple of
things I still had questions about by the end, but it didn’t impact my enjoyment.
The mystery, while published more than eighteen
years ago stands up well, and didn’t feel dated. As I said above, it had been years since I
read this, so I totally forgot the identity of the murderer. I thought I remembered, but I ended up being
completely wrong. Nice to be surprised twice!
Rating:
Story: 4 Stars
Audio Narration: 5 Stars
Overall: 4.5 Stars
15 comments:
I love romantic and suspense! I've been finding myself exploring this lately, particularly with J.D. Robb's In Death series. I would love to give this one a try, although you sure are making me nervous about that particular character you felt sad for. *Crossing my fingers this isn't a death of some sort*
Faye at The Social Potato
Accents are a really big reason to listen to something on audio and Cajun French is not an 'accent' my mind can muster. I was actually thinking "this novel seems to have some Sandra Brown themes", so I was pleased to hear that you felt the same way after actually reading the book. A novel that leaves you impressed and haunted is certainly a story that leaves it's mark. I'll definitely watch out for this one, the fact it's been out for a while won't bother me so long as the narrative still works. Great review honey.
This does sound like a haunting novel, the suspense with the romance sounds awesome though - the premise does sound spooky enough, I'm going to add this to my TBR soon. Thank you for the amazing review, & I do agree with Annette, I do get Sandra Brown vibes from this novel. <3 Benish | Feminist Reflections
I think there was a different book by this author that recently caught my eye, but I can't seem to remember what it was. Nevertheless, it's good that she has your recommendation, it means a lot, and I'm sorry I missed this daily deal. So silly of me, but I have too many audiobooks and I rarely pay attention to those emails.
I love romantic suspense and have had this book on my bookshelf for years. I really need to pick it up!! I'm glad you enjoyed it again, Rachel! Thanks for the recommendation.
This sounds like a wonderful book, Rachel. I hadn't heard of it but everything from the mystery to the romance appeals to me. I will have to check it out for sure and I might do the audio way since you loved it so much.
Lovely review, Rachel.
This is one deal I shouldn't have missed. I love a good mystery now and then, which is even better with a little romance is sprinkled on top :) Great recommendation!
Impressed and haunted is a great way to leave a book like this
I love a good mystery novel that also manages to deliver on the romance front. Especially if it's a stand-alone and not part of a looong series where I need to read thirteen-some books for the romance to reach fruition. Thanks for putting this on my radar, Rachel--I'm definitely going to be picking it up this summer for sure! :)
I'm so thrilled to see this as an audiobook review! I mean, I love to read print books, but there's something about being read to that can really bring a book to life -- or absolutely kill it. Glad to hear that, in this case, it's the former.
This sounds good, I love a good crime mystery novel and this could be right up my street! Great review!
Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings
I love a good mystery with surprising twists, especially because it happens quite rarely nowadays that a story can surprise me. This sounds intriguing. Glad the story was good for you even for the 2nd time, great review!
Our tastes in romantic suspense similar, so I think I’ll like this book. Great review, Rachel!
Okay, this sounds great. I enjoy mysteries but I usually find myself feeling like something is missing (and that's the romance lol) so I'm really curious reading this has both a chilling and complex mystery AND a passionate romance!
Lovely review!
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