Don't Look Back

June 16, 2014
In this thrilling standalone from bestseller Hurwitz (Tell No Lies), L.A.-based Eve Hardaway, whose husband has recently left her for a younger woman, decides to push “beyond her comfort zone” by taking a vacation in the jungles of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. At the Días Felices Ecolodge, Eve stumbles on disturbing artifacts left by a previous guest as well as the cabin of a man who will kill to keep his identity hidden. Meanwhile, bad weather and sabotage combine to cut off Eve and the others at the lodge—they must make increasingly desperate decisions if any are to survive. While a crafty foe stalks them, Eve and company also contend with such natural challenges as a raging river, rugged terrain, and unrelenting rain and heat. Despite some plot holes, Hurwitz skillfully ratchets up the tension as his characters prove their mettle through nerve-wracking and exciting trials. Agent: Lisa Erbach Vance, Aaron Priest Literary Agency.

A group of Americans find themselves on a working vacation in a rugged and sparsely populated area of Mexico. When one member of the party, Eve, stumbles across signs of a missing woman, she becomes suspicious. And that suspicion is heightened by Cassandra Campbell's excellent narration. Campbell alternates between voices for Eve, American women and men, Mexican guides, and a little boy whose voice is done especially well. She's consistent with tone shifts and accents, and her Spanish is pronounced with clear diction. As for Scott Brick, who portrays the voice of the madman in the jungle--he could read the fine print on a box of cereal and make it seem dramatic. Together, the two keep a tense story moving as it dovetails to a dramatic conclusion. M.B. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine