A Text Before Dying

De: McGarvey Black

Narrado por: Gail Shalan

The perfect murder. The perfect nightmare.

Spying from her window in New York City with high-powered binoculars, conspiracy theorist Zoe spots a man and woman on a park bench. Zooming in, she finds she can read the texts on the woman's phone. Her initial excitement turns to alarm when the woman's texts outline a plan to murder the man she is sitting next to.

The police department is trying to manage a pandemic and catch a serial killer who has murdered six women. So, when Zoe reports the conspiracy to commit murder, the police have little time or patience for her theories.

Committed to saving the life of the man on the bench, Zoe and her best friend Sean pursue all angles until Zoe finds herself in grave danger.

But those around her keep wondering, is there really a murder plot or is it all in Zoe's head?

©2021 McGarvey Black (P)2021 Tantor

engaging story

i listened to the full book with minimal interruptions in an afternoon. I was working in garden so it was easy to listen without too much concentration.

it's funny, not funny, but funny

what a roller-coaster this book is. from laughing to anger in just a page or so. liked it mostly because it held my attention and curiosity.

Great Twist!!!

Great writing although it was a bit slow at first. The narrator was entertaining and enjoyable. Good listen!

Likable Characters and Intriguing Story Line

I really enjoyed the main character and her ‘sidekick’ in this story and I found the storyline unique and fun to try to anticipate.
VERY interesting with it being set during the COVID Lockdown!
I look forward to more of this author’s Titles!

Crazy ride

I loved that it was fast paced and disturbingly relatable. Just when I thought I had figured it out, the twists kicked in and I only had about 50% correct.

Keep guessing

Intricate character details, throughly written plot and story keeping me intrigued for hours and wanting more books from this author.

Better than I thought during the first few chapters

I almost stopped listening to this book at the beginning because the main character seemed so foolish. I’m glad I stuck with it, I really enjoyed it.

Something light and fun for a change

Yes, this is a murder mystery/thriller, and yes, the narrator sounds like she's 14, but it's on the fun side. Not dark and depressing or too serious. While the writing isn't stellar and is sometimes clunky and contrived, I recommend it as a nice way to pass some time, like during a car ride. There's some swearing, which I really hate, but it's not too bad. The performance is good, despite the childish quality of the narrator's voice.

Quick and Quirky

This book has a clever premise. The main character can be annoying in her over the top suspiciousness, especially because we are privy to ALL her thoughts or more accurately -- her stream of consciousness. I could definitely get past that, as well as getting past a very unlikely coincidence, because I liked the people and the premise. Although the particulars of Covid in 2020 in New York didn't seem to be very accurately portrayed, it was a trip down memory lane to that time in our lives. It was much nicer to watch it in the rear-view than it was living through it.

Great story…needs better narration

Great story but the narrator had the main character sound like a whiny teenager which was really off putting. I was mostly annoyed with the main character because she sounded so immature and juvenile. But the storyline was good, so that kept me engaged.