Bryan's Bluff

Alex Abrams Mystery Thriller, Book 1

De: CD Sharpe

Narrado por: Cheryl May

Bryan's Bluff

A Pulse-Pounding Mystery Thriller Debut

The most dangerous enemy is the one hiding in plain sight.

When the mysterious death of a childhood friend forces homicide detective Alex Abrams to return to her hometown, she’s pulled back into a world of dark secrets and painful memories she thought she’d left behind. Alex, a battle-hardened Iraq War veteran, is forced to confront the ghosts of her past—and the deadly truth lurking in the shadows of her tight-knit community.

Teaming up with her twin brother, Lucca, Alex soon uncovers a chilling pattern of so-called "accidental" deaths—each one more calculated and chilling than the last. But as the body count rises, Alex realizes they’re not dealing with a simple string of tragedies; someone is orchestrating these deaths with a deadly precision.

The closer Alex gets to the truth, the more personal the stakes become. A ruthless psychopath is hell-bent on tearing her world apart, and her brother may be next on the killer’s list. With every step, Alex faces a race against time to stop a monster who’s always one step ahead.

Will Alex uncover the killer before it’s too late, or will the twisted secrets of her hometown claim her—and her brother—forever?

In Bryan’s Bluff, debut author CD Sharpe delivers a heart-stopping, unforgettable mystery thriller filled with betrayal, small-town secrets, and a heroine with everything to lose. If you’re a fan of twisty, edge-of-your-seat thrillers like The Housemaid by Freida McFadden or First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston, you won’t be able to put this book down.

Don’t miss a minute of the action—click BUY NOW to dive into this gripping series debut.

©2024 CD Sharpe (P)2025 CD Sharpe

decent, but has its issues

I got a free version as a promotion. The story while in the shorter side had parts that were difficult to follow. I still can't figure out if the author was trying to alluded to three different people being the kill and I just honed in on the correct person asap or if the other guys were meant to be that stilted. I kind nd of expect one of them to be the killer in the next one.

Enjoyable Short Thriller Story

This book follows Alex, a homicide detective, going back to her small hometown in Florida when she hears of a previous classmate and friend dying in a way that seems very out of character for him. Once she gets back, she learns of even more deaths that occurred that year that were originally ruled as accidents and begins to suspect something more is going on. The book is enjoyable and short to finish at only about 5.5 hours long. The ending does wrap up some but also leaves a cliffhanger to lead into the next book in the future. The narrator is very good. Her voice tone actually reminded me of the narrator in The Housemaid by Freda McFadden, albeit with a bit less emotion/acting.

Pros:
-Had some small accurate details sprinkled in about Florida (ie - a veterinarian seeing a ferret patient that got his degree in Gainesville. There's a huge program at UF that lots of exotic vets here go for their degree and training).
-Narrator was a good fit
-Strong Female Lead

Cons:
-Needs to have some more time on character development
-Would've liked a little more suspense

Great listen

amazingly written and perfect narration. Great look at ptsd from both veterans and loved ones point of view. story line keeps you engaged and wondering. Great book.

The end left me wanting more.

Listening to the novel left me wondering who was speaking sometimes. I felt as if I missed something or drifted off and didn’t pay attention. I was pretty sold that this wasn’t the series for me, until the last few sentences. I’m eager to hear more.

I’m curious how the storyline will progress.

I Am A Good Swimmer Who Drowned in Bryan's Bluff

I enjoyed Bryan's Bluff much more than I expected. Character drama strengths help a murder mystery along. The writer seems to be having fun with things and the plot gives a structure to hanging out with Alex, her twin brother, and crew through their past trauma and current hangups. While it is a book about a surprising number of deaths it is also first a book about people. I really liked the breezy vibe of the social circles. The murder mystery stuff helped lend a gravity to things. Sometimes the mystery plot seemed to proceed too easily, that the hero happened to see a somewhat obvious discrepancy no one else found but thankfully that's really not the focus for suspense (since it's an after the fact investigation). There is a military culture vibe that gives some character to people here but seems like it may be more important in future books. I am looking forward to Cooper's Creek.

Thrilling murder mystery

4.5 stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟✨
If you’re a woman looking for a solid murder mystery this is a solid pick. I was afraid that the story would end on a cliff hanger but it all summed up nicely by the end and leads right into the next book
Pros:
-Shocking twists
-Tons of inner dialogue and descriptions that my wife would appreciate.
-Female Narrator does a terrific job with the female voices. Even a grandma. The male voices are gruffer so the change is appreciated and distinguishable from the female characters. One notable instance is when the lady talks to the dog.
-Motivations and backstory of killer are believable.
-No sex
Cons:
- Vulgarity throughout so heads up
- Strong independent woman from a lineage of strong woman who also orders her own food, has a six pack, can outrun and can take down her male policeman coworker without a resistance. Maybe the physicality added to the believable climax but the feminist stuff didn’t jive when she was drooling over a good looking man.

Overall this is one I’d recommend to my wife and any woman interested in a good murder mystery.

I enjoyed it.

More than one story in this book. The narration is so good and the dialogue is so realistic.