While some of it was clearly easy to figure out, it was written in a way that made you feel like you were in the action. ( )

From The book cover:

Rory Mackenzie has returned home to a place she swore she would never revisit. She is summoned to jury duty and in Meg Gardiner's trademark tale telling, an explosive attack on the courthouse begins a long and terrifying ordeal. Before it's all over, the grim facts of her family's past will rise up to change all she has ever known and believed. Thomas Wolfe says "You can't go home again." Rory learns you can never escape your home.

The action builds to a crescendo of violence in the small town of Ransom River that will overwhelm everyone involved. Danger looms for all touched by Rory. Before it's over, justice must be served, honor returned and past lies exposed and confronted.

My Thoughts:
The characters are emotionally complex, both the good and the bad. She has also created two of the creepiest siblings to be found outside a Stephen King novel. ( )

Rory Mackenzie has returned to her hometown of Ransom River after losing her job. She is selected to be on the jury of a big murder trial involving local police officers. A surprising event occurs during the trial which sends the book in a new direction. One big problem with the book is the surprising event made no logical sense as the book progressed. The book started off exciting but ended full of plot holes. The author also uses tons of metaphors and similes which drove me nuts by the end of the book, she uncoiled like razor wire, his words died like ashes, on and on and on. ( )

The final few pages ruined the book for me. The mystery became more far-fetched and the characters more confusing as the story unfolded and I couldn't take the Star Wars cliche. I could feel it coming but couldn't believe the author would go there...and there it was...and I couldn't go on. The author's imagination flagged and my suspension of belief has limits. ( )

Read for Audio Review
Overall Rating: 3.75
Character Rating: 4.00
Story Rating: 3.50

Audio Rating: 4.00 (not part of the overall rating)

First Thought when Finished: Ransom River is much darker (even though she writes dark thrillers) than Meg Gardiner's normal writing but I liked it! She has a real talent for it!

What I Thought of the Characters: Meg Gardiner really knows how to write compelling characters and in Ransom River she does it again. This is a departure from her series and much darker. The characters reflect this different style. Rory is complex, strong, and emotionally unsure. She is thrown into a horrid situation and works her way through each and every step. You wanted to root for her, pick her up, and you wanted to give her a hug. Seth is also complicated and a little "fishy". You are never quite sure what it is that he is holding back. Those types of characters really make thrillers!

What I Thought of the Story: Ransom River was an interesting twist on the normal Thriller story. It starts out with a big event and then follows the aftermath. On a whole, I think Meg Gardiner did a great job taking that route. The only part that didn't sit well with me was the cousin part of the story. It was part of the overall events but the ending part where that was concerned didn't sit right. If there is a book 2 then I am sure it will work out the way it is supposed to but it was a little open-ended for me. Otherwise, I really did enjoy each turn that the story took. I was never quite sure where it was going next.

What I thought of the Audio: Narrated by Angela Dawe and at a running time of 11 hrs and 19 mins, I thought the audio was very well done. The pacing, pronunciation, and emotion were all done with precision. I thought Angela Dawe was really on point with Rory and did a good job with Seth too.

Final Thought: If you are a fan of Meg Gardiner then you need to read Ransom River.

*NOTE: Meg writes dark thrillers but this one just seemed darker emotionally for the lead character of Rory.* ( )