🎧 Forsaken Country by Allen Eskens @aeskens ‏@troxbirds @HachetteAudio @mulhollandbooks #LoveAudiobooks

Posted September 27, 2022 by Anne - Books of My Heart in Book Review / 22 Comments

🎧 Forsaken Country by Allen Eskens @aeskens  ‏@troxbirds @HachetteAudio @mulhollandbooks #LoveAudiobooksForsaken Country by Allen Eskens
Narrator: Brian Troxell
Series: Detective Max Rupert #6
Published by Hachette Audio, Mullholland Books on September 20, 2022
Genres: Mystery, Suspense
Length: 11 hours, 9 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
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One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

Max Rupert has left his position as a Minneapolis homicide detective to live in solitude. Mourning the tragic death of his wife, he's also racked by guilt—he alone knows what happened to her killer. But then the former local sheriff, Lyle Voight, arrives with a desperate plea: Lyle’s daughter Sandy and his six-year-old grandson Pip have disappeared. Lyle’s certain Sandy's ex-husband Reed is behind it, but the new sheriff is refusing to investigate.

When Max reluctantly looks into their disappearance, he too becomes convinced something has gone very wrong. But the closer Max and Lyle get to finding proof, the more slippery Reed becomes, until he makes a break for the beautiful but formidable Boundary Waters wilderness with vulnerable Pip in tow.

Racing after the most dangerous kind of criminal—a desperate father—and with the ghosts of their own pasts never far behind, Max and Lyle go on the hunt within a treacherous landscape, determined to bring an evil man to justice, and to bring a terrified child home alive.

I loved The Life We Bury which was the start of the   Detective Max Rupert series, but he is barely present. I think now it may have been renamed as the start of the Joe Talbert series.  Well on Goodreads, it is the start of both series which are intertwined in some parts.   For the past couple of years I thought we had finished with Max Rupert, not really knowing what happened to him, and moved on learning about Joe and Lila.  I’m so happy to be back and continuing with Max.

As you may be able to tell from my introduction, this isn’t really a set of series to jump in at the end, I would start from the beginning. I think reading in the order published may be best as it is mostly chronological.  This author does not disappoint; I was thrilled to be first in line at the library to read this story.  I There are some really tough, horrible things which happen, to Max, to Joe and to Lila.  I felt with them all along.

Forsaken Country is the continuation of Max’s story after he left Minneapolis, and being a homicide detective.  He’s living in his family cabin, up by the Boundary Waters.   A sort of friend, Lyle comes to him when his daughter and grandson, Pip, go missing.  Max really doesn’t want to get involved but he has met them.  He finds he is concerned with the facts and the sheriff doesn’t seem inclined to investigate.  So Max and Lyle start figuring it out.

Max, and Lyle get onto the culprits who take off into the wilderness, and it’s the start of winter.  Things are very dangerous in multiple ways.   I really enjoyed the smart investigation Max does.  He’s out of practice and doesn’t know the wilderness but he isn’t stupid.   He hangs on in bad moments because Pip is only 6.   Pip isn’t stupid either.

I loved the world and setting in Minnesota where I lived for 35 years.  The “police procedural” and legal aspects are things I always find interesting.  The characters were realistic, some very flawed, but oh so real.  I felt for them.  We get everything from Max’s point of view and it was like coming home to an old friend for me.

 

Narration:

The narrator was new to me and new to this series.  I don’t know if it is the time between books or the choice of talented narrators but they have all worked for me.  The voices of the characters were distinct enough and had appropriate tones for male and female, and the child.  I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.

Listen to a clip: HERE

About Allen Eskens

Allen Eskens is the USA Today-bestselling author of The Life We Bury, The Guise of Another, The Heavens May Fall, the Deep Dark Descending and The Shadows We Hide. He is the recipient of the Barry Award, Rosebud Award, Minnesota Book Award, and the Silver Falchion Award and has been a finalist for the Edgar Award, Thriller Award, and Anthony Award. His work had been published in 21 languages and his debut novel, The Life We Bury is being developed for a feature film.

Allen lives with his wife, Joely, in greater Minnesota and is represented by Amy Cloughley of Kimberley Cameron and Associates, and is published by both Seventh Street Books and Mulholland/Little Brown.

Rating Breakdown
Plot
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Writing
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Characters
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Narration (Audio)
One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Overall: One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Anne - Books of My Heart
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Posted September 27, 2022 by Anne - Books of My Heart in Book Review / 22 Comments


22 responses to “🎧 Forsaken Country by Allen Eskens