Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Six Weeks to Live by Catherine McKenzie Narrator: Julia Whelan, Alex Allwine, Eileen Stevens, Caitlin Davies
Published by Simon & Schuster Audio on May 4, 2021
Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Length: 9 hours, 9 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
Jennifer Barnes never expected the shocking news she received at a routine doctor’s appointment: she has a terminal brain tumor—and only six weeks left to live.
While stunned by the diagnosis, the forty-eight-year-old mother decides to spend what little time she has left with her family—her adult triplets and twin grandsons—close by her side. But when she realizes she was possibly poisoned a year earlier, she’s determined to discover who might have tried to get rid of her before she’s gone for good.
Separated from her husband and with a contentious divorce in progress, Jennifer focuses her suspicions on her soon-to-be ex. Meanwhile, her daughters are each processing the news differently. Calm medical student Emily is there for whatever Jennifer needs. Moody scientist Aline, who keeps her mother at arm’s length, nonetheless agrees to help with the investigation. Even imprudent Miranda, who has recently had to move back home, is being unusually solicitous.
But with her daughters doubting her campaign against their father, Jennifer can’t help but wonder if the poisoning is all in her head—or if there’s someone else who wanted her dead.
I was excited to read Six Weeks to Live with its family drama and mystery. The mother, Jennifer, quickly finds some irregularities in her tests and realizes she may have been poisoned. She spends lots of time figuring out who it might have been and how they might have done it.
It was easy to dislike her ex-husband and her daughters weren’t the greatest either. I liked her friend Suzie, but she was gone for 3 weeks in the middle on a trip.  I empathized with her wanting to know what happened and feeling angry at someone cutting short her life and plans. I was caught up in the investigation and mad no one helped her more.
There was some really family drama as over the course of the story so many secrets were revealed. Again, I felt kind of upset when the daughters berated her for the worst moments in her life. She certainly made mistakes but she worked very hard to get past them, too. Things are quite different than they were 25 years ago also.
It was easy to believe various family members were responsible for poisoning her. I never felt Aline had done it but she was very distanced from her mother and rather unkind to her. The actual murderer was a surprise, of course. The ending is very clear. We know all the secrets and who did the poisoning, and Jennifer knows who poisoned her, but not everyone else knows who poisoned or all the various secrets. I wish some of the characters had suffered a bit more consequences for their various actions.
Narration:
Julia Whelan is one of my favorite narrators and influenced my decision to review this audio book. She infuses the story with such authentic emotion. She performs a lot of the story as the mother, Jennifer. We also get sections which are point of views of the three daughters. They were shorter and less time overall in the story. It made it easy to tell who was thinking or speaking because of the distinct voices.
Listen to a clip:
About Julia Whelan
Julia Whelan is a screenwriter, life-long actor, and award-winning audiobook narrator. She graduated with a degree in English and Creative Writing from Middlebury College and Oxford University. While in England, her flirtation with tea blossomed into a full-blown love affair, culminating in her eventual certification as a tea master. When not writing her own books, you can find her reading other people’s out loud into a microphone.
About Catherine McKenzie
Catherine McKenzie was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. A graduate of McGill in History and Law, Catherine practices law in Montreal. An avid runner and skier, she’s the author of numerous bestsellers including HIDDEN, FRACTURED, THE GOOD LIAR and I’LL NEVER TELL. Her works have been translated into multiple languages.
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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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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- C21-Spring
This sounds very suspenseful, especially the fact that she’s dying of a brain tumor! Plus family drama! Thanks for sharing, Anne?
Yes and I was worried that we wouldn’t get to the truth. There were not many likeable characters here.
Yay! Glad this was a win for you, Anne? I love multiple narrators, too, and Julia Whelan is a favorite.
These psychological suspense family drama types can go either way. While I didn’t like the characters, I did enjoy the narration and the clear ending.
I love Julia Whelan, too, and I enjoyed this one also. Terrific review!
Thank you Jennifer. I just felt badly for the mother. Kindness was in short supply except for maybe Emily’s husband Chris.
Wonderful review. I love this narrator, but I’m not familiar with the author. Sounds like a very interesting story. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you. This author has twisty psychological family dramas which I generally like but kind of need to be in the mood to read.
This sounds really interesting and I do love Julia Whelan. I like that the victim investigates her own poisoning.
I liked it. It’s very interesting but many characters are not too likeable.