Someone’s Listening by Seraphina Nova Glass
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing, for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Gist
Over the last few months I have noticed a theme has emerged that is giving my reviews a certain flavour, shall we call it?
This theme is that it’s hot. I’m hot and not like the strutting down the beach in my beachwear, turning heads with my confidence that makes me desirable, yet approachable.
No, I’m talking about the constant sweat stains, the film of oil that has permanently settled on my face and the raging headaches I get from overheating. Yeah, that kind of hot.
So, when I’m sitting in the semi-dark cave that is my shoebox-sized apartment, the portable air condition unit working overtime just to get the temperature down a few degrees, reading a mystery/thriller in my skivvies that is set during the fall/winter, I rejoice.
Call me biased, but it gets a few brownie points by giving me the mental break from the third heat wave my hometown is having since the end of June.
Also, a certain type of mystery/thriller is just more atmospheric with gloomy weather as its backdrop.
The Details
The protagonist, Faith, is a bit of a mess. And she finds herself in a bit of a messy situation, which doesn’t bode well.
I appreciated reading the story of a relatable character. She is still suffering from past trauma, practices some unhealthy coping strategies and isn’t shy to talk about her anxiety and panic attacks. All this while managing to become quite successful in her career.
She is stubborn and sometimes her decisions and the subsequent actions she takes makes the reader want to cringe a bit as they look like a train wreck in slow motion.
Yet, she isn’t afraid to take matters into her own hands. Good for her!
She isn’t perfect and her decisions are at time questionable, but her heart is in the right place.
There are also plenty of secondary characters that make you wonder about their intentions. How do they fit into this story? Why are they here? And what could it all mean?
Each character had their specific role without appearing to be just that: a means to an end. They enriched the story without cluttering it.
The story is narrated from the first-person point of view, which works very well for a number of reasons.
Firstly, it adds to the mystery surrounding this story. The reader will always doubt the first-person narration, because it is difficult to determine how much we can trust this character.
This seedling of doubt spices up this particular story and keeps us guessing right up until the last chapter.
Secondly, in the past I have come across stories narrated by the protagonist that got caught up in the minute-by-minute description of their every thought, feeling and wrinkle in their sweater. It gets tedious after a while and distracts from the story.
Having a story that is told through the protagonist’s perspective and that doesn’t lose itself along the way is a treat. And this story nailed it.
The plot, generally speaking, was very straight forward as I look back on it now. But while I was in the middle of untangling the mystery, I scrutinized every suspect and puzzled over every possible outcome.
The Verdict
Overall, I have to say this was a great read. It kept me on the edge of my seat. I wanted to keep reading. I was invested. This was a mystery/thriller after my tastes.
The twists and turns throughout, the protagonist and the atmosphere all made for a great reading experience.
I highly recommend it to any mystery/thriller fans.
About the Author
Seraphina Nova Glass is a professor and Playwright-in-Residence at the University of Texas-Arlington, where she teaches Film Studies and Playwriting. She holds an MFA in playwriting from Smith College, and has optioned multiple screenplays to Hallmark and Lifetime. Someone’s Listening is her first novel.
