AUDIO

The Briar Club

by Kate Quinn
HarperAudio. Jul. 2024. 15:03 hrs. ISBN 9780063244771. $27.99. M
COPY ISBN
A double homicide in a 1950s women’s boardinghouse in Washington, DC, sets the scene in the opening chapter of Quinn’s (The Diamond Eye) new historical mystery. With each chapter focusing on a different occupant, listeners learn of the residents’ backgrounds, secrets, and reasons for boarding at the Briarwood House. Although the author nicely weaves the story into the sociopolitical context of the Korean War, McCarthyism, and the Red Scare, the pacing drags. Narrator Saskia Maarleveld is engaging, with a different voice for each character, but the novel’s jumps between present and past might make the story difficult to follow for listeners.
VERDICT While well-versed historical mystery fans may find this novel fascinating, others may find themselves lost and longing for a way out.
Reviewed by Misty Schattle , Dec 06, 2024
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