27th Mar
I came across the audiobook of Don’t Tell Me How to Die Marshall Karp and was curious after reading the synopsis. Narrated by January LaVoy, Karp delivered a twisty domestic thriller that held me captive from beginning to end. Brilliant & addictive.
Don’t Tell Me How to Die
by Marshall Karp
Narrator: January LaVoy
Length: 9 hours and 33 minutes
Genres: Thriller
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Rating: 
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.5x
I have one thing to do before I die.
And time is running out.I had it all: a fantastic husband, two great kids, an exciting career. And then, at the age of forty-three, I found out I would be dead before my next birthday.
My mother also died at forty-three. I was seventeen, and she warned me that women would flock to my suddenly single father like stray cats to an overturned milk truck. They did. And one absolutely evil woman practically destroyed his life, mine, and my sister’s.
I am not letting that happen to my family.
I have three months, and I plan to spend every waking minute searching for the perfect woman to take my place as Alex’s wife, and mother to Kevin and Katie.
You’re probably thinking, she’ll never do it. Did I mention that in high school I was voted “Most Likely to Kill Someone to Get What She Wants”?
From thriller writer Marshall Karp (cocreator with James Patterson of the #1 New York Times bestselling NYPD Red series), and rich with Karp’s deft array of three-dimensional characters and his signature biting humor, Don’t Tell Me How to Die has so many twists and turns, you’d swear he wrote it with a corkscrew.
That cover & title really grabbed me, as did the tagline, “I have one thing to do before I die. And time is running out.”
We meet Maggie, the wife of a top surgeon and the mayor of a small-town in upstate New York. She seems to have an idyllic life with two children, a secure marriage and challenging job. Maggie’s mother died from an incurable blood disease and Maggie is regularly tested. Her world turns upside down when her latest results show she know has the fated disease with just months to live. Maggie is a driven woman and sets out to find the perfect wife and mother for her family. The tale that unfolds pulled me in and never let go.
Unlike a lot of thrillers, this one takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster before everything goes off the rails! Was it plausible? Probably not. Did it hold me captive and shock me? Absolutely. If you are looking for a fresh listen in this genre, I highly recommend grabbing the audio.
Not going to lie, I chose the audio format for the narrator. January LaVoy becomes the characters from mannerisms to emotions. Her narration made the unbelievable, believable, and enhanced my overall experience.
About Marshall Karp
Marshall Karp is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a TV and screenwriter, documentarian, and playwright. Working with James Patterson, Marshall cocreated and cowrote the NYPD Red series. After six bestsellers, Marshall has carried the series forward on his own, beginning with NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority. Marshall is also the author of Snowstorm in August, as well as the critically acclaimed Lomax and Biggs novels, featuring LAPD Detectives Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs. For over twenty years he has worked closely with the international charity Vitamin Angels, providing tens of millions of mothers and children around the globe with lifesaving vitamins and nutrients.
About January LaVoy
January LaVoy is a stage, television, and voice actress. She performed on Broadway in Enron and on television in One Life to Live, All My Children, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: SVU, and Guiding Light.
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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.
