Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Herd by Andrea Bartz Narrator: Karissa Vacker, Emily Woo Zeller
Published by Penguin Audio on March 24, 2020
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Length: 10 hours, 59 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
The name of the elite, women-only coworking space stretches across the wall behind the check-in desk: THE HERD, the H-E-R always in purple. In-the-know New Yorkers crawl over each other to apply for membership to this community that prides itself on mentorship and empowerment. Among the hopefuls is Katie Bradley, who's just returned from the Midwest after a stint of book research blew up in her face. Luckily, Katie has an "in," thanks to her sister Hana, an original Herder and the best friend of Eleanor Walsh, its charismatic founder.
As head of PR, Hana is working around the clock in preparation for a huge announcement from Eleanor--one that would change the trajectory of The Herd forever. Though Katie loves her sister's crew, she secretly hopes she's found her next book subject in Eleanor, who's brilliant, trailblazing—and extremely private.
Then, on the night of the glitzy Herd news conference, Eleanor vanishes without a trace. Everybody has a theory about what made Eleanor run, but when the police suspect foul play, everyone is a suspect: Eleanor’s husband, other Herders, the men’s rights groups that have had it out for the Herd since its launch—even Eleanor’s closest friends. As Hana struggles to figure out what her friend was hiding and Katie chases the story of her life, the sisters must face the secrets they’ve been keeping from each other. From the author of The Lost Night comes a thrilling novel that shows just how dangerous it can be when women's perfect veneers start to crack, crumble, and then fall away all together.
This is totally a women’s story. The Herd chronicles the difficulties women have in a world with men. Bright women went to Harvard, and started new companies. The Herd is an elite, co-working space for women only and to support each other.
When Eleanor disappears, all her choices, past and present, start coming into focus. Katie and Hana both try to figure out what happened to Eleanor. Hana is a public relations agent and does this work for the Herd. Katie is a freelance writer.
The story is told in four parts with the two sister’s point of view. Hana is the older sister, who went to Harvard with the group of bright women. Katie is the younger sister, who knew the women, and is sort of part of the group. Their history and relationship adds another dimension to story. Both sisters have emotional pain from their past or present. Their parents divorced; their mother is suffering from cancer. I love their perspectives from their own emotional, flawed views. They are both good people who have some insecurities, secrets and have made some mistakes.
We have supporting roles in Eleanor’s husband, parents, her high school boyfriend and his younger brother, and more women who are part of the Herd. They each add a piece to the investigation and to Eleanor’s life.
I thought this was very well done and I was intrigued, trying to understand the sisters and figure out what happened to Eleanor. The more I learned, the less I felt I knew. The police were quite separate and not really involved in the story. The sisters were the ones to solve what happened. I loved this clever, insightful and fascinating look into a very successful woman’s life and her supporting friends and family.
Narration:
I know both these narrators and have loved them. Knowing their work influenced my decision to choose The Herd for review. They added to the enjoyment of the performance so much. I was able to listen at my normal 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip:
About Emily Woo Zeller
Audie award-winning actor, voiceover artist, dancer, and singer Emily Woo Zeller (member SAG-AFTRA) is based in Los Angeles, though her work has been seen and heard internationally. Her wide range of work has included theater and extensive dubbing for film and television in Southeast Asia. Emily’s lifelong theater and dance work includes performance with Ellis Wood Dance, Dutch Kills Theater, FACT/SF, Facing East Dance and Music, Oracle Theater, and physical theater collective Lampazo Group.
Audiofile Magazine named Emily as one of the “Best Voices of 2015” in Nonfiction and Culture for her work on THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP by Marie Kondo and “Best Voices of 2013” in Nonfiction and Culture for her work on GULP by Mary Roach. Awards include 2018 Audie for FIRE ROAD by Kim Phuc Phan Thi, Ashley Wiersma; 2015 SOVAS VOICE ARTS AWARD for THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP by Marie Kondo; 2015 Audie Nomination for her work on THE BEAM: SEASON 1 by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant; Audiofile Magazine Earphones Awards for narrations of THE POPPY WAR by R. F. Kuang; FIRE ROAD by Kim Phuc Phan Thi, Ashley Wiersma, AFTER THE ECLIPSE by Sarah Perry, KITCHEN CHINESE by Ann Mah, UNDER A PAINTED SKY by Stacey Lee, THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP by Marie Kondo, GULP by Mary Roach, and TIES THAT BIND, TIES THAT BREAK by Leslie Namioka; the 2009 Tristen Award for Best Actress as Sally Bowles in CABARET; and the 2006 Roselyn E. Schneider Prize for Creative Achievement.
Emily holds a degree from the University of California, Berkeley in Dance and Performance Studies, with a minor in Nutritional Sciences. She is a certified yoga teacher.
About Andrea Bartz
Andrea Bartz is a Brooklyn-based journalist and author of the forthcoming thriller THE HERD. Her debut thriller, THE LOST NIGHT (Crown, 2019), is being developed for TV by Mila Kunis. It was named a best book of the year by Real Simple, Glamour, Marie Claire, Library Journal, Crime Reads, Popsugar, She Reads, and other publications. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, Martha Stewart Living, Elle, and many other outlets, and she’s held editorial positions at Glamour, Psychology Today, and Self, among other titles.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Love your review, Anne? It sounds exactly like what I was hoping for. Can’t wait to get to it.
Thank you. I try to give a sense without spoiling anything. This one is unusual.
I think this sounds fascinating. And your review is wonderful. This is going on my list.
Thanks. It has a bunch of current business sorts of things and interesting business concepts and careers. I like the focus of some of the businesses on women. The viewpoint of two sisters is a great way to tell this story.
Happy to see you enjoyed this one so much here, it has a unique premise. Great review.
Yes it felt very modern.
This sounds really good. I didn’t have this book on my radar at all but it really does sound like something I would enjoy. Great review!
I had trouble starting it but I think only because I was distracted. I started over a couple days later and it was fine. It has layers and emotions and is really quite great. I think you would enjoy it.
Love your review, Anne. This book is definitely on my radar because I loved The Lost Night by this author. She is definitely a smart writer.
I liked it a lot. I hope you get to read it.