An Audio Original Thriller
By: Lucinda Berry
Narrators: A.J. Cook & Tessa Albertson
ISBN: 9781797160900
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Publication Date: 03/12/2024
Format: Audio
My Rating: 5 Stars (ALC)
A Novella
A suicide prevention hotline volunteer answers a call that may implicate her own son in a serious crime, in this edge-of-your-seat audio original thriller by the bestselling author of The Perfect Child and The Best of Friends, performed by A.J. Cook (Criminal Minds) and Tessa Albertson (Younger).
Felicia, a single mother and lawyer by day, volunteers at a local crisis center to give back to her tightknit community in a small Wisconsin town. One night, a phone call turns her life upside down: through tears, a frantic teenage girl tells her that she was a victim of sexual assault at a local house party.
Felicia is shocked, and breaking protocol, she begins communicating with the girl on her own, determined to keep her safe and hold her assailants accountable. But she can’t shake the potential connections being drawn to her son, Hunter, who she knows attended the same party. Felicia and her only child, Hunter—a straight-A student and star athlete—are incredibly close. He couldn’t possibly be involved in such a violent crime.
As Felicia earns the girl’s trust and more details emerge about the incident, she faces a gut-wrenching battle between the maternal instincts to protect her child and the moral responsibility to do what’s right. This taut thriller is the perfect listen for fans of The Push, Wrong Place Wrong Time, and We Need to Talk About Kevin.
My Review
Lucinda Berry, a former clinical psychologist and leading researcher in childhood trauma turned novelist, uses her expertise in her latest profoundly moving and gripping thriller audiobook novella, ONE OF OUR OWN.
Sharply written, an intense psychological thriller exploring the lengths one mother will go to seek justice for a troubled teenager she's never met.
Set in Wisconsin, Felicia has been a divorce lawyer for 10 years, a single mom who volunteers at a local crisis center, manning the phones for national suicide prevention calls.
Her sister Holly died by suicide in college, and her therapist thought it would help her to volunteer once a month at the center—to assist others when she was unable to help her sister with no clue she was suicidal.
One evening, at the crisis center, Felicia takes a call when someone goes on break from a troubled, distraught teen girl who is thinking of shooting herself. Something horrible happened to this girl.
Felicia keeps her on the line talking. She listens and tries to understand her dilemma. The girl begins to confide in her. She was not drinking alcohol but Sprite at a party. Someone drugged her. Then, she was assaulted by a group of guys, and it was videoed and circulated to her school and social media.
She is devastated and cannot tell her parents. She is ashamed and embarrassed. She did not go to the police. She thinks she has no other choice but to end her life. She cannot face the kids at school who have seen the video. The boys are monsters, and later she decides she will make the boys pay.
Felicia is shocked when she learns the girl attends the same private prep school, Buckley, as her teen son Hunter (age 17). Felicia wonders about the girl's identity (later finds out it is Chloe) and is desperate to help, so she gives out her cell phone (which is against the rules). She worries about the girl and asks her son if he knows anything.
She recalls she picked her son up one night near the old historical water tower near the school. He had been drinking and had a scratch on his face. He said it was a fight with his best friend.
Felicia cannot stop thinking about Chloe and encourages her to tell her parents. The girls stay in touch, and Felicia worries she will hurt someone or herself and is caught in the middle of reporting it and keeping their conversations confidential.
Her motherly instinct is telling her something is wrong. Her son denies knowing anything about it. She is thinking about her fears of her past. But her son has always been a good son, helpful at home, makes good grades, and is an all-star athlete.
What happened at the party? Is he covering for his friends? She was a minor. Was he involved? Did her son have anything to do with this girl and the events at this party?
What happens next leads Felicia to second-guess her son and his father. How does the present connect with her past? She has never told her son about his father. Felicia may be able to relate to this young girl more than she knows due to her traumatic past.
WOW! ONE OF OUR OWN is captivating, keeping you on the edge of your seat with heart-pounding suspense. Do we know those closest to us? What an ending!
Complex and psychologically rich with heart. Fully immersive, the author explores trauma, the painful aftereffects, and how scary it is to suspect someone you love of doing the unthinkable. I enjoyed the two storylines and how they connected, which adds to the suspense.
Dark and chilling, a cautionary tale for parents, teens, and social media's dangers. Thought-provoking, from highly charged topics (assault, abuse, suicide) and nature vs. nurture. An ideal pick for book clubs and further discussions.
Perfectly paced, the tension and suspense are terrifying from past to present. The characters are well-developed, and the storytelling is outstanding! Now, let's talk about the audiobook.
AUDIOBOOK:
ONE OF OUR OWN takes the listening experience to the next level with a combination of first-person prose and phone calls between the protagonist and the desperate young woman she's determined to protect.
I loved the audiobook—a stellar performance! I was hanging on every word. It's one of my top audiobooks of the year. Very well done —as a listener, you feel part of the phone calls with all the sound effects. An outstanding performance by two powerhouses: A.J. Cook (Criminal Minds) and Tessa Albertson (Younger). A must-listen!
I adored Felicia's character and her dilemmas. I listened in one sitting and would highly recommend it. My first book by the author and now am dying to read more!
AUTHOR:
Lucinda Berry is the pen name for Dr. Heather Harrison, a former child psychologist and researcher. She brings compelling themes like nature vs. nurture, maternal instincts, and family trauma to her work with a deep understanding of how they impact people's lives.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for a gifted ALC for an honest opinion.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: March 12, 2024
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Praise
"Wrenching, psychologically complex and utterly compelling. I could not stop listening to One of Our Own - and now I can't stop thinking about it. Lucinda Berry's novella is the perfect binge listen."
– Sarah Pekkanen, co-author of #1 New York Times bestselling The Wife Between Us and author of Gone Tonight
“One of Our Own is fast-paced, gripping, and written with heart. It hooked me from the first chapter and didn’t let me hit pause until the edge-of-your-seat ending.”
– Clémence Michallon, internationally bestselling author of The Quiet Tenant
"A dark and chilling look behind the scenes of a suicide prevention hotline and a single mother whose best intentions lead her down a dangerous path. Hypnotic and haunting, with a powerhouse performance and a cast of twisted characters Berry’s fans will adore, One of Our Own is a live-wire of a thriller — and every parent’s worst nightmare. 100% bingeworthy."
– Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author of The Paris Widow
"One of Our Own is a sharply written thriller about the lengths one mother will go to seek justice for a troubled teenager she's never met. The tension crackles from the first chilling scene and doesn’t let up as it hurtles toward the shocking conclusion."
– Margot Hunt, author of The Guests and Lovely Girls
"With real emotion and propulsive pacing, One of Our Own explores the painful aftershocks of trauma, challenging the listener to confront the unsettling possibility of what it would be like to suspect someone you love of doing the unthinkable. From its gut-wrenching opening scene to its unnerving end, this is an urgent, breathless listen that I found near impossible to pause."
– Alex Kiester, author of In Her Skin and The Truth About Ben and June
About the Author
Dr. Lucinda Berry is a former clinical psychologist and leading researcher in childhood trauma. Now, she spends her days writing full time where she uses her clinical experience to blur the line between fiction and nonfiction. She enjoys taking her readers on a journey through the dark recesses of the human psyche. Her work has been optioned for film and translated into multiple languages. If Berry isn’t chasing after her son, you can find her running through Los Angeles, prepping for her next marathon.
To hear about her upcoming releases and other author news, visit her on social media or sign up for her newsletter at LucindaBerry.com
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