The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding delivered a suspense thriller that kept me on edge from beginning to end. Narrated by Brittany Wilkerson & Henriette Zoutomou you’ll want to grab this one.
by Robyn Harding
Narrator: Brittany Wilkerson, Henriette Zoutomou
Length: 9 hours and 38 minutes
Genres: Suspense Thriller
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Narration: 4 cups Speed: 1.5x
From the bestselling author of The Party comes a deliciously twisted story of friendship, retribution, and betrayal following a homeless woman fleeing a dangerous past—and the wealthy society wife she saves.
Lee Gulliver never thought she’d find herself living on the streets—no one ever does—but when her restaurant fails, and she falls deeper into debt, she leaves her old life behind with nothing but her clothes and her Toyota Corolla. In Seattle, she parks in a secluded spot by the beach to lay low and plan her next move—until early one morning, she sees a sobbing woman throw herself into the ocean. Lee hauls the woman back to the surface, but instead of appreciation, she is met with fury. The drowning woman, Hazel, tells her that she wanted to die, that she’s trapped in a toxic, abusive marriage, that she’s a prisoner in her own home. Lee has thwarted her one chance to escape her life.
Out of options, Hazel retreats to her gilded cage, and Lee thinks she’s seen the last of her, until her unexpected return the next morning. Bonded by disparate but difficult circumstances, the women soon strike up a close and unlikely friendship. And then one day, Hazel makes a shocking request: she wants Lee to help her disappear. It’ll be easy, Hazel assures her, but Lee soon learns that nothing is as it seems, and that Hazel may not be the friend Lee thought she was.
Do you ever get anxiety when listening or reading to a book? The Drowning Woman is told from the perspectives of two women. Lee Gulliver and Hazel, a woman she pulls her from the ocean. The events that unfold after these two meet had me on edge.
Lee Gulliver, is a homeless chef who sleeps in her car and is working to rebuild her life after the shutdown of 2020, ruined her business. She is also hiding from a shady moneylender and has moved to Seattle. Hazel, on the other comes from a life of privilege but lives with a controlling husband who demands full submission.
The two become friends of sorts. Hazel sneaks food to Lee and the two share their stories. That is when Hazel asks Lee for help to escape her life. In the meantime, Lee is starting a budding romance and feels as if thing are looking up…but all is not as it seems.
The author did a fantastic job of building the suspense and provided just enough detail to have me on edge. Sometimes I stopped listening just to catch my breath. Twists and turns kept me listening. The story was well paced and slowly built until I found I could not stop listening.
Brittany Wilkerson & Henriette Zoutomou did a great job with the narrations. I was glad the publisher chose two narrators as it made switching points of view seamless.
Fans of murder-mysteries and suspense thrillers will want to grab this one. I highly recommend the audio version.
Looking for your next suspense thriller? Check out The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding. Narrated by Brittany Wilkerson & Henriette Zoutomou, it's a twisty tale you won't be able to set down. #audiobookreview Share on XAbout Robyn Harding
Robyn Harding is the bestselling author of several books and has written and executive produced an independent film. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her family and two cute but deadly rescue chihuahuas.
About Brittany Wilkerson
Brittany Wilkerson is an actor and voiceover artist. Known for her roles on Atlanta, Claws, and Kevin Probably Saves The World, Brittany has also narrated over 85 audiobooks. She received her BFA in Acting from East Carolina University and studied at Steppenwolf West, Upright Citizens Brigade and The Groundlings. An alumna of IO West, she performs regularly with The Main Stage cast at The Village Theatre. In 2021, look for Brittany in The Resident Season 4, Bigger Season 2, and the upcoming short Rideshare, directed by Charlene Fisk and premiering at the Atlanta Film Festival.
About Henriette Zoutomou
Henriette Zoutomou is a voice actor with a warm, conversational, smooth, and inspiring voice for commercials and a strong, matter-of-fact, and professional sound for narration projects, presentations, and corporate use. She has experience in podcasts, audiobooks, Radio, TV, corporate and academic trainings/presentations, and explainer videos.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Sophie
I have that one on my TBR and began listening but I stopped pretty early one as the suspense was already killing me LOL
Kimberly
Yep…. it made me so anxious.
Carla
Excellent review. This was not on my TBR, but I am putting it on now. It sounds like it has just the right amount of suspense for me.
Kimberly
Enjoy Carla!
Ethan
I really enjoyed this one too. I agree that there were moments when I had to stop. The entire relationship between Hazel and her husband was pretty uncomfortable to read about, but it added a layer of twisted suspense to the story.
Kimberly
Exactly Ethan!
Rachel @Waves of Fiction
Yes! I have had books that were so suspenseful I had to crank up the listening speed just to get through parts quickly! This sounds like a good one!
Kimberly
LOL… I love it!
Misty
This sounds very good and I love the cover!! Great review!!
Kimberly
Thanks Misty. I enjoyed it.
Anne - Books of My Heart
Great review! This sounds suspenseful with worrying about characters I would care what happened to them.
Kimberly
Yep, I was glad I grabbed it.
Sophia Rose
Wow, that is a good thing in a suspense when it gets to you, you need a break, but you need to keep coming back to see what comes next.
Kimberly
Exactly. I was stressing out…lol
Mary
Sounds good. I noticed you listened at 1.5 speed. That’s my starting point in the last few years. I wonder if anyone listens at 1.0
Kimberly
I always start at 1.0 when reviewing and drift up, but yes, 1.5x is where I am most comfortable.
Marisela Zuniga
Adding this to my tbr, it sounds really good!!
Kimberly
Enjoy!