The Grownup

Julia Whelan narrates this ghost story with insight, depth, and passion. Her reading of Gillian Flynn's Edgar Award-winning short story reverberates with the hardened attitude of its chronicler, a young woman who splits her money-making activities between being a prostitute and a fraudulent clairvoyant. Whelan is energetically matter-of-fact as she shares detailed character background, making what could be sluggish content compelling. The swagger of her performance gradually morphs into terror as the story's plot twists grow darker and more sinister. As she skillfully merges the deceptive characters, a haunting tone, and compelling events, the audiobook doesn't need mood music. Whelan can raise goosebumps and keep listeners on the edge of their seats all by herself. J.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

February 1, 2016

While Flynn's high-flying Gone Girl hasn't wandered far from best sellers lists, the wait is on for what she'll publish next. She's reportedly working on a delayed new novel--a murder set in the Midwest--and has signed on with "The Hogarth Shakespeare" series to reimagine Hamlet any way she sees fit. For the time being, her audiences can listen to this stand-alone novella. Originally titled "What Do You Do?," it won a 2015 Edgar Award after appearing in George R.R. Martin's 2014 collection Rogues. A twentysomething woman once "gave the best handjob in the tristate area" until she was forced to quit because "carpal tunnel syndrome is a very real thing." Well read--in books and people--she moves on to interpreting auras at Spiritual Palms. One rainy April morning, Susan Burke walks in, then comes back four days later. Soon enough, our narrator finds herself in Susan's creepy Victorian home--and she's definitely not alone. VERDICT Veteran narrator Julian Whelan is the perfect voice for Flynn's latest seductive thriller. She's got just the right inflections to lure, mislead, divulge, and shock. Here's your gloriously creepy warning: Don't believe a thing you hear!--Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC

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