Review – Audiobook: The Perfect Stranger by Wendy Corsi Staub
A Rapid Review
The Perfect Stranger by Wendy Corsi Staub
Publisher: HarperAudio | July 2014
Format: Audio Download | 11½ hours | Rating: 3 stars
Audio Listening Level: Intermediate
During the darkest period of her life, Landry Wells found solace in a group of bloggers who had been in her shoes and lived to tell the tale. She’s shared things with her online friends that even her husband and children didn’t know. Things that now, looking back, make her uneasy. One of the bloggers is dead, victim of a random crime—or was it?
When Meredith, a popular breast cancer blogger, is murdered in her own home, the other bloggers in her circle of friends become worried that someone may have been stalking her through her writing. A major concern of the bloggers is how much information revealed is too much. They are planning to meet in person for the first time to attend Meredith’s funeral, but thoughts of a stalker following their moves heightens their fears, and at times borders on paranoid.
With multiple characters and perspectives, and a lot of personal detail, the murder mystery became secondary to the dangers of an online stalker. While I enjoyed the book, I didn’t feel the tension or suspense a murder mystery should evoke until almost the very end. It felt more like a warning about the dangers lurking on the internet and social media.
Audio production:
The book was narrated by Allyson Ryan who nicely captured the feelings of emotion and fear in each of the women while at the same time providing distinct voices for each of them. Because of the multiple perspectives and changing scenes, the audio requires a little extra focus and attention to detail.
Audio Sample:
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Source: Review copy provided by HarperAudio.
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Under My Apple Tree 
That’s too bad this one didn’t have the suspense and dramatic tension it should have had. I wonder if it would be a better book to read instead of listen to the audio. I’m new to audio and still trying to figure out what works! I do want to try this author but it doesn’t sound like this is necessarily the book to start with. Thanks for sharing!
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If you’re new to audio this is not the best choice. It’s written in the third person present tense, and there are five bloggers to remember. It’s easier to flip back a few pages than to rewind if your mind wandered and you didn’t catch who the narrator was talking about. I had to do that a few times.
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It sounds like this might have a little too much going on for me to enjoy the audio version.
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