In the Vanishing Hour Audiobook By Sarah Beth Martin cover art

In the Vanishing Hour

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In the Vanishing Hour

By: Sarah Beth Martin
Narrated by: Melora Kordos
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Massachusetts, Summer, 1951: When a boy drowns in the Charles River, a family is devastated, and the town of Norumbega is changed forever.

Eight years later, Frances Adams lives in the shadow of her dead brother, Mac. At her window dresser job, she befriends model Gwen, who inspires Frances to reinvent herself. When Gwen vanishes into the river, Frances becomes obsessed with her memory, and transforms herself into her likeness.

An investigation begins, and the police question three young men. Frances and friend Iris follow them to the local riverside park, where one of the men—the suspicious Harris—mistakes Frances for Gwen. Frances is intrigued by the idea of haunting him, and continues to pursue him in secret. As the mystery unravels, shocking revelations about its connection to a long-past family tragedy come to the surface.

Set in the haunting atmosphere of 1950s and 1970s New England, In the Vanishing Hour weaves suspense and mystery into a story about loss, identity, and the secrets best left untold.

©2022 Sarah Beth Martin (P)2024 Sarah Beth Martin Thriller & Suspense Psychological Suspense Fiction

Critic reviews

"Highly recommended for fans of literary suspense." —Independent Book Review
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I absolutely loved the atmosphere and the lush descriptions of both the settings and of each unique character. So much thought has been put into every subtle detail. This book kept me riveted and I found myself trying to solve the mysteries. I really felt like I was “there”. I highly recommend this beautiful book.

Beautifully crafted story with interesting and credible characters.

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Listener received this title free

Received as an audio review copy from Story Origin, this is an honest review. Narrated beautifully by Melora Kordos, In the Vanishing Hour is haunting and poignant gem of a story as the tragic is drowning death of a young boy in the 50s echoes in the soul of a woman named Frances that lost her brother when he was young. The dogged pursuit to discover those behind the death of woman shatters everything Frances understood.


Highly recommended.

Tragic death with harrowing consequences

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Listener received this title free

I haven’t finished this book yet but the easy to follow writing style has kept my attention as a before-bed treat. I would read or listen to more of this author’s work.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Kept my attention

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Listener received this title free

The story itself, conceptually good, but the 'telling instead of showing' writing style makes for a dull delivery. I’d be interested in a re-read if this were ever revised and re-released.

2 stars.


Audio:
Truly awful.
The overall sound quality was fine—not as perfectly clear as professionally produced books tend to be, but pretty good. However, the narrator sounds like AI. In fact, I've heard audiobooks that used ACTUAL AI narration that sounded less robotic than this narrator does. It was extremely hard to remain engaged through this noise, and it got physically painful on my ears.

Also: there were long pauses in between chapters, to the point that I kept thinking something was wrong with my device … my device was fine. For some reason this producer just recorded or inserted long pauses.

Interesting concept.

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Already haunted by her brother’s death, Frances lives her life quietly and without fuss. Gwen, a budding model, helps Frances transform herself into a stunning woman with new confidence. Then the unthinkable happens – Gwen disappears, and the police begin to investigate. The mystery of Gwen reveals secrets best left alone.

The author, Sarah Beth Martin, weaves an intense and suspense-filled mystery. Her writing style vividly paints images that allow the listener to see the story as it unfolds. Martin’s dialogue feels authentic and propels the story forward steadily and solidly. In addition, her well-thought-out character development blends into the storyline naturally and seamlessly.

The narrator, Melora Kordos, is perfect for this audiobook! She skillfully balanced emotion and energy while maintaining a steady pace. I felt the storyline was easy to follow and her voice was clear and resonated appropriately.

I love mysteries so listening to this one, I had high hopes that this book would be entertaining and engaging. I was NOT disappointed! This was a well-written mystery with a strong narrator.

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.

Poignant and Haunting

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