Blowout or Murder?
Review of the Amazon Original Stories Kindle eBook (July 29, 2021) released simultaneously with the Audible Original audiobook edition.

[3.5]
This was a strong suspense thriller short story/novella in the 'innocent seeking justice vs. apparent criminal conspiracy' subgenre. History Professor Jon Talbot seeks answers in his wife Patience's (nickname Pax) apparent accidental automobile death.

It perhaps leaned a bit too much on the 'civilian is more observant than the authorities' and the 'unlikely surprise conspiracy reveal' tropes, but regardless of that, it was well constructed and suspenseful with the gradual unveiling of the clues and the follow-ups. ( )

When Jon Talbot’s wife dies in a single-car crash, at first look, it seems like a simple accident, tragic of course but not suspicious. However, something doesn’t seem right to Jon, especially after he realizes her phone and laptop are not among her possessions returned to him by the police. He begins to investigate on his own and the more he looks, the more he wonders if he ever really knew the woman he had been married to for all those years.

One thing you can be sure of with a Jeffery Deaver novel - it will grab you from the first page and never let you go right until the last sentence and the short story, Cause of Death, is no exception. Another high-octane unputdownable thriller from a true master of the genre.

Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review ( )