If You Hear Her

Ash Trilogy, Book 1

By: Shiloh Walker

Narrated by: Cris Dukehart

The scream Lena Riddle hears in the woods behind her house is enough to curdle her blood-she has no doubt that a woman is in real danger. Unfortunately, with no physical evidence, the local law officers in small-town Ash, Kentucky, dismiss her claim. But Lena knows what she heard-and it leaves her filled with fear and frustration.Ezra King is on leave from the state police, but he can't escape the guilty memories that haunt his dreams. When he sees Lena, he is immediately drawn to her. He aches to touch her-to be touched by her-but is he too burdened by his tragic past to get close? When Ezra hears her story of an unknown woman's screams, his instincts tell him that Lena's life is also at risk-and his desire to protect her is as fierce as his need to possess her.©2011 Shiloh Walker (P)2012 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Walker has crafted a taut, scary trilogy opener, deftly weaving multiple storylines together for a real nail biter." ( Romantic Times)

Clever plot but beware........

Firstly, let me say that this is NOT a complete story - you will have to download all 3 books in the trilogy to find out who dunit and, presumably, what finally happens to each of them. It's also much more Mystery/Suspense than Romance but I gave it 4 stars even though it's just not my type of listen because SW managed to weave lots of different plots, twists, sex and characters into this first Ash Trilogy book.

Worth a credit? It was a bit too 'lite' on the romance for me and I will have to listen to the other 2 in the series just to see how it ends, so that's a 3 credit investment in books that's not my preferred type.

I found it a bit dark and depressing and it just didn't leave me with the 'feel good' escapism factor at the end that I like from Romance listens (plot was kidnapping, rape, torture, murder, more murder etc etc etc) and you just can't say "ahhhhh.... nice" when it finishes - so I'd have to say No I wished I'd never started these, but if you're into Mysteries then hit the Add to Cart button, but for me - I wish there was an 'Undo' button.

I have to know...

If you could sum up If You Hear Her in three words, what would they be?

Man oh man...

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I love the fact that it is such a suspenseful who'done'it... and the topic is very conversational, but the way it jumps around from aspect to aspect is a bit challenging.

Have you listened to any of Cris Dukehart’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have heard Cris' performances before. I really enjoyed Cris' performance in this book! Much like Should We Drowned in Featherd Sleep...She did an excellent job of depecting the characters with this book! A++++

i love it could not put it down!!!!!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes...........have alredy

What was one of the most memorable moments of If You Hear Her?

when her dog was growling......he was stocking her!!!!!

What about Cris Dukehart’s performance did you like?

yes

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

yes laugh and cry

Any additional comments?

after the first book i know i had to get all three

I'd Had High Hopes - This One Didn't Deliver For M

Would you try another book from Shiloh Walker and/or Cris Dukehart?

Maybe - but I'd probably stay away from books in a series as a general rule. It is possible I will pick up book 2 in this series sometime. I hate an unsolved mystery and this book left the mystery unsolved.

This book had a lot of characters and a very slow start. Spoiler alert: It ended with only a happy for now ending...and the mystery still unsolved...and I hear remaining unsolved till book #3.

I bought this book really looking forward to it and hoping to add a new favorite author to my list of favorite authors but this one missed that mark for me.

Would you recommend If You Hear Her to your friends? Why or why not?

I recommend a lot of books, but this is not one I could recommend. I liked the characters, particularly the treatment of the blind heroine who likes movies and who works and walks in the woods and does all the other things sighted people do. I liked the hero. I liked the heroine's guide dog and her interaction with the dog.

However, the things I didn't like overpowered the things I did like. I struggled to keep the characters straight, especially early in the book. The scenes without the hero and heroine REALLY slowed the pace of the developing romance in THIS book and though those scenes may have served to plant seeds for the eventual solution of the mystery the mystery still remained unsolved. My major complaint with this book is that the ending wasn't satisfying in any way. The mystery wasn't solved and the romantic relationship just sort of stopped suddenly with the heroine thinking something along the lines of she didn't know what would happen later, but for now life was good. There just wasn't a sufficient pay-off in the ending - in ANY way. If the mystery had resolved or the conflict within the romantic relationship had been stronger and more powerfully resolved I would have been happier.

Great Romantic Suspense Series

I love this author and will read anything she writes!! Luckly did not have to wait long to read all three books since they were added to Audible few weeks apart otherwise would have had to wait for the frustrating cliff hanger conclusion in the second book.

Mildly enjoyable, but flawed

I've read other books by Walker, but not in the suspense genre. I'm not impressed with her ability to put together a coherent and believable mystery/suspense plot. She chose a plot that is common in suspense and mystery fiction today - the serial killer/rapist - but didn't seem to have anything new or original to bring to it, either in the character of the villain or in the police procedural side of the story. Some of the other characters were also unoriginal, as if she found a list of "stock" characters - the strong but damaged police detective, the misogynistic and self aggrandizing local deputy, etc. - and then placed them into her story line as convenient plot devices. Nevertheless the main characters were engaging and I enjoyed the romance part of the story, as long as you take it for what it is.

As for the narrator, this was my first book read by Cris Dukehart. She has a pleasant and expressive voice but didn't seem to use it well for this particular type of story. I'm afraid I was frequently annoyed by some of her verbal habits and nuances of expression. At times her vocalizations sounded inappropriate to me and didn't seem to express what the character would have been feeling in that situation. Particularly in scenes where the female characters were expressing fear, disgust or anger, I felt her voice didn't convey those emotions believably. I did appreciate the fact that although she seems to have (or fake) a slight Southern accent, she didn't attempt to exaggerate it for the purposes of the characters even though the geographical setting (Kentucky) might have tempted some to do so.

Overall I enjoyed the story AND the narration ~

If you could sum up If You Hear Her in three words, what would they be?

Suspenseful
Inspiring in a kick ass kind of way
Sexy

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the heroine, Lena. She is blind, but she hasn't let that stand in her way ~ she's a college graduate, she's a chef, she lives alone w/ only her dog for a companion ~ she's a succesfull, confident, competent woman who doesn't let her lack of sight slow her down for a second.

What about Cris Dukehart’s performance did you like?

I really enjoyed her narration ~ first time I've listened to her, so was really impressed w/ her pacing, the life she brought to the characters ~ it was obvious she'd read the book before hand and knew how each sentence was to come across, whether it was Lena being pissed or spunky, or Ezra being sad or having flashbacks. She did a really good job of keeping the voices seperate, and the SAME tone/inflection for each character.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

If You Hear Her ~ it couldn't be MORE fitting!

Any additional comments?

OK ~~ couple of things. First, this book ends on a MAJOR cliff hanger. So you HAVE to buy the next book ~ which I will, but it's not available in audio yet, lol. Wish I'd known this going in, I'd probably have waited. 2nd...I liked the story, I liked the characters, but I did feel like it wandered some. And AGAIN I mention cliff hangerS ~ yup, there are really several.

All in all, I enjoyed the book, couldn't stop listening because she TOTALLY hooked me into the plot ~ I'd recommend it to anyone who loves suspense. It had a great romance in it, too, but didn't really feel that was the center of the story. She's got me invested in the characters to degree that there is NO way I won't buy the next 2 books when become availalbe.

Romance and Mystery!!!

What made the experience of listening to If You Hear Her the most enjoyable?

I loved how it related to both romance and mystery at the sometime! This was my first book in this category and I absolutely loved it!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lena was my favorite character. The vivid details she tells are amazing.

Which character – as performed by Cris Dukehart – was your favorite?

Lena

Any additional comments?

I loved how the book grabbed your attention and I couldn't put it down. I listened to all 3 books in this series in a matter of four days!

really just rambled

What disappointed you about If You Hear Her?

The mystery was about 5 paragraphs then we had sex not even romance then everything just ended .I will not buy the next book or the one after that as I don't think it will be worth the wait to get an ending.

Would you ever listen to anything by Shiloh Walker again?

no

Have you listened to any of Cris Dukehart’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no but liked the reading .

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment and anger.

Any additional comments?

I'm sorry I just can't say anything better about my reaction to this book.

Disjointed

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This book was not a good read. It is very disjointed and does not come together. The author throws in some steamy sex just for attention. I find that many books now are either not checked before they are published or they are just plain sloppy. Many sentences read over and over again. This was not the author's fault except that she didn't bother to listen before publication. It is not a good book, but could have been with more experience and more bringing together of characters and body.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Women's murder Club

Would you be willing to try another one of Cris Dukehart’s performances?

I don't know.

What character would you cut from If You Hear Her?

The woman who was evidently at the crux of the matter and at the home of Hope and Law. However, she was never introduced in the book and I'm not really sure who she is except they said she was dead.