Hurry Home

May 18, 2020
Alex and Ruth Van Ness, the sisters at the heart of this serviceable suspense novel from Nay (Our Little Secret), are as different in temperament and life choices as they are in appearance. Blond, smart Alex, a social worker, lives with her good-looking boyfriend in Denver. Older, dark-haired sister Ruth has a prison record and a string of violent and dangerous boyfriends. Tired of being compared to her perfect younger sister, Ruth left home in rural North Dakota at 15 with her drug dealing boyfriend and disappeared. Ten years later, Ruth knocks on Alex’s front door, pregnant and with nowhere else to go. A boyfriend from whom she has stolen drugs and money is after her. Meanwhile, Alex is obsessed with the removal of an infant from a home she deems unsuitable, and will go to any lengths to achieve her goal. The secrets that have divided the sisters but that also bind them together slowly emerge. The characters aren’t particularly distinctive, and the predictable action builds to an overly tidy resolution. Veteran genre readers have seen all this before. Agent: Carolyn Forde, Transatlantic Agency.

Siblings often share secrets that they promise never to reveal, yet this audiobook, narrated adeptly by Hillary Huber, demonstrates how even the best plans can go awry. The novel focuses on Alexandra Van Ness, whose life seems perfect in every way. But when her sister, Ruth, appears, Alexandra's perfect life becomes anything but. Huber's delivery is ideal, complementing novelist Roz Nay's precise dialogue and highlighting the sisters' differing emotions as they confront their long-buried secrets. The story is told from the viewpoints of both sisters, and Huber presents their perspectives using distinctly different, and highly effective, tones and pacing. Listeners will enjoy every moment of this exhilarating story. D.J.S. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine