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A review by emmarj
Hold Your Breath by Wendy Walker, Dylan Baker
2.0
Gabby Ashford has survived an attack on her life by a serial killer. She was drugged and left in her bathtub, seemingly only saved by the chance fact that her water had been shut off for repairs. She could name the killer and stop this spree of violence if only she could remember his face. Meet Dr. Forrester: a psychiatrist known for his work retrieving lost memories. Gabby checks herself into a high end facility to enlist his help.
This audible original didn't really work for me. The number one issue is probably just the narrator. I did not enjoy his reading style and he did a poor job of making clear when he was switching between characters. I also have to say that the very choice of narrator led me to guess who dunnit from the outset.
Beyond the narrator, I found some of the exposition on the world of psychiatry extraordinarily boring. But in an edgy way. That is, the author expounds on facets of psychiatry in a way I think are meant to be very interesting to the reader but that the reader already read about in Science magazine in 1994. My waning interest led me to be very confused about some parts of the story, such as Dr. Forrester's ex-wife. What did that have to do with anything? There's a plot twist and reveal here but it seemed unnecessary, far outside the scope of the actual story. That's not something we have time for in such a short novella.
Overall, I thought the story had potential but the delivery and pacing were bad enough to rate this one mediocre at best. Two stars.
This audible original didn't really work for me. The number one issue is probably just the narrator. I did not enjoy his reading style and he did a poor job of making clear when he was switching between characters. I also have to say that the very choice of narrator led me to guess who dunnit from the outset.
Beyond the narrator, I found some of the exposition on the world of psychiatry extraordinarily boring. But in an edgy way. That is, the author expounds on facets of psychiatry in a way I think are meant to be very interesting to the reader but that the reader already read about in Science magazine in 1994. My waning interest led me to be very confused about some parts of the story, such as Dr. Forrester's ex-wife. What did that have to do with anything? There's a plot twist and reveal here but it seemed unnecessary, far outside the scope of the actual story. That's not something we have time for in such a short novella.
Overall, I thought the story had potential but the delivery and pacing were bad enough to rate this one mediocre at best. Two stars.