There isn’t much to go on with the ‘blurb’ for Fool Her Once:
Investigative reporter Jenna Sinclair, convinced that the man who attacked her former lover is now stalking her family, must find the man she exposed as a serial killer’s illegitimate son, and follows a trail that leads to a devastating discovery.
It was enough, though, to intrigue me – in fact, it sounded right up my street. And it was. There was plenty intrigue – lying, cheating, stealing, double-crossing – to keep me interested and the story moving along.
Jenna is an interesting character. I really couldn’t decide if I liked or loathed her. She is completely self-centred and self-absorbed and makes some rather dodgy choices – often with little regard for other people. At the same time, she is strong and resilient, willing to put her neck on the line for those she loves.
The other main characters – Zach (her husband) and Dolly (her daughter) are equally unlikeable in a lot of ways – though I decided to forgive Dolly as she was a teenager. Zach is a little (a lot) harder to forgive – and (without giving away too much) – for good reason (when the book opens Zach and Jenna are estranged so that might give a bit of a clue to at least one of his short-fallings).
Often, I don’t like a book when there isn’t anyone I connect with. The story here, though, kept me going – keeping me engaged and (if it wasn’t an audiobook) turning pages. My only real complaint – and it’s why it doesn’t get 5 stars – is it goes on too long. There is one too many twists and one too many missed opportunities to bring it all to a much more timely (and in my humble opinion) enjoyable conclusion.
Whether I would have felt differently had I been reading vs. listening I don’t know. I think not. I actually enjoyed the narration. Rachel Fulginiti’s voice fitted my image of Jenna perfectly and she did a brilliant Dolly (the male voices weren’t as convincing, but this is an issue I have with audiobooks in general).
So, where does that leave me? Would I recommend it? Yes, I would. Would I read another Joanne Elm? Yes, I would (though I might check the page count first!).
Enjoy!
Emma
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(free as an audiobook through Audible in both)
Please note: I received a copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review. All thoughts, feelings, and opinions are my own.
One Readers Thoughts 