She didn’t have the luxury of anger or grief—not tonight.
Allison Brenan
Don’t Open the Door
Format:
Audiobook
Publisher’s Synopsis:
A family torn apart. A botched investigation. She’ll stop at nothing to get answers.
US Marshal Regan Merritt never bought the FBI’s theory that her ten-year-old son’s murder was tied to her job. Yet as leads went cold, she’d had to walk away from the marshals, the case and her now ex-husband, Grant, who blamed her for Chase’s death.
After Regan receives a chilling voice mail from her former boss, Tommy, claiming new information about Chase’s murder, she can no longer stay away from her pain-filled past. Especially when Tommy’s murdered before she can return his call.
Now more than ever, Regan’s determined to find the truth, but the more she digs, the more evidence points to Grant as the killer’s true target. But Grant isn’t talking. As she tries to pin down her ex, Regan discovers something much bigger and far more sinister is at play—and she’s running out of people she can trust.
Point of view:
3rd Person.
Rellim’s Thoughts:
This is book 2 in the Regan Merritt series by Allison Brennan. While the main mystery stands well on its own – Regan, some of her backstory, and some secondary characters are introduced in The Sorority Murder and these are best enjoyed in order.
Another great addition to the series. This one starts out fast paced and Brennan keeps it going with a great mix of interesting characters, mystery, and suspense. I love Regan as a lead. Skilled and competent yet also human and flawed.
I also enjoy that there are chapters from several other characters and especially some antagonists. It helps bring the suspense to a higher level when I know the danger a protagonist isn’t aware of yet. Brennan does hold some things back so there’s still a lot to be uncovered – and this one spreads far and wide.
This ends with a turning point in Regan’s life and I’m really looking forward to what direction Brennan takes her in the future.
Narration:
I originally found Brennan’s writing through my love of Amy McFadden’s narration. McFadden continues to be an excellent choice for female centric mystery & suspense series. As always, she’s talented at bringing all the secondary characters to life – even the bad guys who she makes particularly creepy – as well as all the emotions and drama. Loved listening.
About the author:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Allison Brennan believes life is too short to be bored, so she had five children and writes three books a year. Reviewers have called her “a master of suspense” and RT Book Reviews said her books are “mesmerizing” and “complex.” She’s been nominated for multiple awards, including the Thriller, RWA’s Best Romantic Suspense (five times), and twice won the Daphne du Maurier award. She lives in Arizona with her family and assorted pets.
You can connect with Allison Brennan here:
About the narrator:
From Amy McFadden’s website: I live in Michigan and even in the dead of winter I love to laugh so much that I never have to do situps. Truthfully, I probably wouldn’t do situps anyway, but hey, laughter is the best medicine, so I must be SUPER healthy, right?
I’m an actress now, and I used to be a 2nd grade teacher. I loved that part of my life, but after doing it for a bunch of years, I was ready to move on to the next version of me. They’re not really very different versions-teachers and actresses both reach out and engage people through stories. I’m NOT a morning person, but waking up to tell stories makes mornings better-than-tolerable.
I love books and the Muppets and smart people and kind people (not necessarily in that order) and sleeping and chocolate and coffee and writers and learning and Oreo cookies and a bunch of other stuff-but I’m starting to make myself gag on all this love.
I hate a bunch of stuff, too, but who cares about that junk? It’s probably the same stuff you hate, so I won’t bore you. Except I REALLY hate listening to people eat bananas.
You can connect with Amy McFadden here:
My Favorite Quotes
“Someone in the FBI was rotten to the core.”
“When you left someone, you never thought it would be the last time.”
“She wished that she didn’t know the truth, but you can’t unknow something that important.”
“She didn’t have the luxury of anger or grief—not tonight.”
Rellim Reads 