March 25, 2014 / Leslie

Review – Audiobook: North of Boston by Elisabeth Elo

North of Boston
by Elisabeth Elo
Narrated by Marguerite Gavin

Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publish Date: January 23, 2014
Format: Audio CD, 12 hours | 5 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Intermediate
Rating: 4 of 5

Publisher’s Synopsis:

When the fishing boat Pirio is on is rammed by a freighter, she finds herself abandoned in the North Atlantic. Somehow she survives nearly four hours in the water before being rescued by the Coast Guard. But her fisherman friend Ned, the boat’s owner, is not so lucky. Compelled to look after Noah, the son of the late Ned and her alcoholic prep school friend, Thomasina, Pirio can’t shake the lurking suspicion that the boat’s sinking and Ned’s death was no accident.

My Thoughts:

Pirio Kasparov has miraculously survived a boating accident and was rescued by the Coast Guard after four hours in freezing cold water. The owner of the boat and Pirio’s friend, Ned, did not survive. She clearly saw the boat that struck them and does not believe it was an accident.

Pirio is not the type to take no for an answer and wants to find out who is responsible for Ned’s death. She begins asking questions and conducting research on her own, eventually uncovering a complex and devious plot. In the last third of the book the story begins to come together and the action accelerates. Like most strong heroines, Pirio engages in risky behavior and even while she admits that what she is doing is dangerous and she shouldn’t do it, she does it anyway.

I liked Pirio. She’s a strong female protagonist who is smart, tough and persistent while retaining compassion and kindness which can be seen in her concern for Noah, Ned’s son, who is being raised by an often negligent alcoholic mother. Not that Pirio doesn’t have her own problems from the past, a mother who spent her time on her perfume business and a father who considered her a problem child, which continue to haunt her.

This fast-paced thriller is also a compelling mystery with an interesting cast of well-developed characters and a story-line that held my attention even though it often moved in several different directions. Family dynamics, whaling, the environment, and the perfume business are just a few of the topics. I would like to read more about Pirio, and in the end there were enough unanswered questions about her past and her family to continue the story with another adventure.

Audio Production:
Marguerite Gavin was a new narrator for me and an enjoyable experience. There are many characters in this book and she did a wonderful job altering tone, accent and inflection for the different speakers. The alcoholic Thomasina immediately comes to mind! The complex plot and large number of characters makes this an audio that requires staying attuned, but the compelling plot should keep most minds from wandering. Overall, a well-paced and excellent production.

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Source: Review copy provided through Audiobook Jukebox.
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