Keeping Hope Alive

Whitley & Keal Mystery, Volume 4

By: Dawn Kopman Whidden

Narrated by: Amy Deuchler

A young couple taking a leisurely walk through the woods is shocked when the quiet, peaceful stroll ends as they come across what is without question a human skull. When detectives Jean Whitley and Marty Keal are called to investigate, two more bodies are uncovered nearby in shallow graves, but unlike the first, these murder victims have just met their demise. Now, not only do the detectives have to discover the identities of all three victims, but they also have to see if the victims are somehow connected or if it’s just a coincidence all three were dumped so close together.

While Jean and Marty search for answers, Marty’s fiancée, psychiatrist Dr. Hope Rubin, is working hard to get her patient Brad Madison released from Armistace Hospital for Children, where he has been living since the brutal murder of his own parents, while trying to take care of her own personal business of planning her wedding. But then the unforeseeable happens. Hope disappears, and Brad claims he knows what happened.

Can the disturbed boy be trusted to be telling the truth, and is Hope’s kidnapping in any way linked to the three victims found in the nearby woods?

Marty and Jean’s search for the killer become much more desperate and horrifyingly personal when Hope is kidnapped. Will they find her before it’s too late? Or will she become another victim? Will the detectives be able to keep Hope alive?

©2016 Dawn Kopman Whidden (P)2018 Dawn Kopman Whidden

Decent Thriller

I enjoyed listening to the book .It was full of twist and turns and when you thought who the murderer(s) was you’re proven wrong. I was not excepting the ending. I do like the lead characters of Marty and Jean they are human detectives investigating murders when old skeletons are found then recent ones are found at same site. In this book Marty’s fiancé Hope is kidnapped a psychiatrist who helping Brad Madison get released from the hospital who then helps her. Recommend to anyone who enjoys mysteries. This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review. Thank you

okay well

I had some problems with the book and I will start with that I will not talk about problems I had with us because it will be spoiler but I did had some measure problem I don't think it touched the book very much and I felt a lot for the main character it was a great Thriller and I think it over all the book was well written and very interesting it was an enjoyable book and overall I did enjoy it very much
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

Good Mystery

All in all it was a decent book. This is the first book I’ve listened to by Dawn Kopman Widden and so obviously the first one of this series but I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. Everything that you needed to know that pertained to this story was provided. Sometimes I felt like things were a little chaotic and maybe a little mixed up but it was a good mystery. It keeps you guessing and wasn’t the standard everything ends up being ok story; which I liked about the book. I am definitely curious about the other books in this series and will most likely listen to them. If you enjoy a good mystery that doesn’t follow the standard storyline that readers (or listeners) expect then this book is for you.

I was provided a free copy of this book at my request for my honest and unbiased review.

Keeping Hope Alive

Intense,emotional,mystery with twists and turns a plenty!I loved it! Amy Deuchler was a good,though sometimes her voices made me laugh.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.' 

Keeping Hope Alive

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Another great book that keeps you guessing and the suspense as to if the good guys will make it in time. I love this book and the author and narrator did an amazing job bringing it to life. Bring on the next!

great mystery with an ending I wasn't expecting

At first I could not get into this. The narrator was not my favorite. But I sped her up to 1.35 and that helped.
The story is really good. Beware there is tough subject matter...rape and murders. So if that is a trigger for you, then avoid this one.
But if you enjoy mystery and suspense, I recommend it! A well done book for sure. With a bit of a cliffhanger, nothing too had though.
I am looking forward to the next as I believe it is a different narrator.

Best book in the series!

This book is, IMO, by far the best one in the Whitley & Keal series! The story runs on parallel paths that keep you wondering 'why?' until they converge...and the ending will leave you saying 'never saw that coming'! Follow detectives Jean Whitley and Marty Keal as they investigate the recent murders of a teen girl and teen boy, whose bodies have been discovered alongside unidentified remains. Meanwhile, Marty's fiancee`, Dr. Hope Rubin, who works as a psychiatrist at Armistace Hospital for Children, is trying to get one of her patients released. Brad Madison has been living at the hospital since he was 9yo, after brutally murdering his parents, but now Hope believes that he should be allowed to live with his maternal grandparents. Back to Jean & Marty...the remains have been identified as Faith, who went missing 50 yrs ago. Is there a connection between this 50 yo murder and that of the teenagers? The parents and uncle of the murdered girl want answers but Jean & Marty have not been able to find any. Hope is kidnapped and Brad is a witness...will the police believe him? Will Jean solve the mystery before it's too late for Hope? The story keeps you on your toes and wondering whodunnit. I get the feeling that we will be hearing more about Brad and Hope and Marty in the future...maybe???
I voluntarily accepted a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Unmarked graves

This is the 4th book of the Jean Whitley / Marty Keal thriller series, 3 of which I have read. I love that there are so many returning characters, that you are able to see how their lives progress. In this book Hope is planning her and Marty’s wedding and trying to get Brad from “A Child is Torn” discharged from institutional life allowing him to live with his grandparents. In the meantime 3 bodies are found in shallow graves. One 40 or so years old and 2 very recent. Detective Whitley and Officer Whitley get involved in the case. Hope is kidnapped, the 2 are intertwined and the outcome is surprising. I once again enjoyed this last book in the series, and with the cliff-hanger at the end, hopefully another one is in the works. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Great “Who Done It”

Keeping Hope Alive is book 4 in a series; however, I didn’t know that until I started listening to the audiobook. They stand alone as this was my first read by Dawn Whidden and I don’t feel as though I missed anything. Thank you for that Dawn!

The main storyline is told from the perspective of Hope, the main character, and Marty, one of series main characters. There is murder, suspense and deceit; but also love, fierce dedication and honor.

The time line went back and forth, and so did the characters. The author did a fantastic job of keeping the listener on track by starting each chapter with the names of the main characters. A few times I caught myself thinking “who is this” or “where are we”; but the author quickly brought me into the setting before I felt confused. She is really good at that.

I have listened to narrator Amy Deuchler read several books. She was the perfect fit for this audiobook. I had no problem distinguishing between characters, and her voice is nice to listen to for this novel.

I definitely didn’t know who the “bad guy” was. And after I did, there was still drama, suspense and questions. I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook and definitely want to listen to the first books in the series. I highly recommend this audiobook as a stand-alone listen. If you enjoy it as much as I did, you’ll be going back for the others too!

I was given a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my unbiased review.

exceptional performance

I received a free code to listen to this book and I did so willingly

This was an excellent conclusion to a magnificent series. Whitley and Keal felt like part of the family. It made quite an impression on me .

A well deserved round of applause for the author and a big high five to Amy Deuchler for a series excellently narrated