Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Innocence Road by Laura Griffin Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld
Published by Berkley, Penguin Audio on November 11, 2025
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 368
Length: 9 hours, 34 minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
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Leanne Everhart left her hometown, and she planned to never look back at those fractured relationships. But the dual obligations of her father’s sudden death and her brother’s drug addiction have compelled her return. Now working as a detective in her artsy hometown near Marfa, her loyalties are split. She understands the severe, untamed beauty of her desert birthplace. But she also knows its ugly side—the racism, poverty, and constant threat of violence in a region crisscrossed by drug traffickers and vigilantes set on frontier justice.
When a nameless Latina woman is found dead on the edge of town, Leanne throws herself into finding the killer, only to find her investigation impeded by her own colleagues. The boys club she works with is more focused on the recent news of a wrongful conviction in the long-ago murder case of a rich, white teenager. At the helm of the investigation was local hero and law enforcement legend, Leanne's own father.
Plagued by her father's mistakes, Leanne pursues both cases, untangling an interconnected web of clues and crimes. Despite her disillusionment, she is desperate to break old cycles and determined to see justice served for the victims who have been silenced in the face of the inexorable forces transforming her hometown.
The setup of this story is one I have seen more often lately. A woman in law enforcement following her father who headed up the organization. The father may have been good, bad or neither but is often dead. Leanne left town and started in Dallas, but came home to help her brother.
Innocence Road is not focused on romance. It is a police procedural of sorts. Leanne is given the case of a dead woman, her boss not giving her any resources and not believing she will solve it. Leanne is well trained and does some work herself, and she convinces Duncan in the sheriff’s department to do her a favor on some things.
A bombshell hits when a case solved years ago by her father and her boss is overturned as a wrongful conviction. This puts their small town in the spotlight. She goes back to old boxes to review her father’s notes on the case. Then another body is discovered. Leanne puts together similarities and finds other cases with shared methods.
Things get exciting as she suspects the real perpetrators and those involved in the coverups. When she goes after the criminals, it gets dangerous.
The pace of the story was steady with a quickening at the end as evidence fitted together. I enjoyed getting to know Leanne as she worked both hard and smart to resolve the cases. The ending has some twists and changes, including a romance for Leanne. I’d be interested to read more if this became a series with slightly more romance but definitely more character growth for Leanne.
Narration:
Saskia Maarleveld is a talented narrator I have heard and enjoyed many times. Our point of view was primarily Leanne and she gave that character life and emotion. All the other voices were comfortable and kept me in the story. There wasn’t really any accent which I might expect in Texas. I listened at 1.6x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Laura Griffin
Laura Griffin is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty-five books and novellas. Her books have been translated into fourteen languages. Laura is a two-time RITA® Award winner (for Scorched and Whisper of Warning) as well as the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award (for Untraceable). Her book Desperate Girls was named one of the Best Books of 2018 by Publishers Weekly. Laura lives in Austin, Texas, where she is working on her next novel.
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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:
- 25-Audio
- 25-COYER
Yes, I’d be happy with this turning into a series too, but I’d also like character growth. I was a little frustrated at times when she didn’t collaborate or share important details!
Agreed! She was closed off in multiple ways.
Saskia Maarleveld is lovely!
yes I think she always does a lovely job.