The Fifth Letter

By: Nicola Moriarty

Narrated by: Candice Moll

A fun vacation game turns destructive, exposing dark secrets, deeply buried grudges, and a shocking betrayal in Nicola Moriarity's intriguing debut.

Four friends...

Joni, Deb, Eden, and Trina have been best friends since high school, sharing a bond that has seen them through their teenage years and into adulthood. But now time and circumstance are starting to pull them apart as careers, husbands, and babies get in the way. As their yearly vacation becomes less of a priority - at least for three of the women - how can Joni find a way to draw the four of them back together?

Four secrets...

During a laughter- and wine-filled night, the women dare one another to write anonymous letters, spilling their deepest, darkest secrets. But the fun game turns devastating, exposing cracks in their lives and the friendship they share. Each letter is a dark confession revealing shocking information. A troubled marriage? A substance abuse problem? A secret pregnancy? A heartbreaking diagnosis?

Five letters...

Late on one of their last nights together, after the other three have gone to bed, Joni notices something in the fireplace - a burnt, crumpled, nearly destroyed sheet of paper that holds the most shattering revelation of all. It is a fifth letter - a hate-filled rant that exposes a vicious, deeply hidden grudge that has festered for decades. But who wrote it? Which one of them has seethed with resentment all these years? What should Joni do?

Best friends are supposed to keep your darkest secrets. But the revelations Joni, Deb, Eden, and Trina have shared will ripple through their lives with unforeseen consequences, and things will never be the same.

©2017 Nicola Moriarty (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Kept me interested!

I thought this was a good book. Actually a story that could be true. Showing some truth about how women are.

Entertaining light read

Good story. Easy listen. Not outstanding, but kept my interest. A nice wholesome story. Sometimes need a break from intense books, or too much sex and graphic images. Worth the the time if you are looking for an interesting wholesome story.

Such mixed reviews...but I liked it!

This was a nice change from my normal murder/mystery genre. The story was entertaining and when it got a little...high schoolish, the narrator's beautiful performance carried my right through it. I liked the way the story moved seamlessly between past and present, leaving me wanting more of both! Glad I didn't listen to the poor reviews. It was worth a credit!

Keeps you guessing until the end.

The narrator was great! She was able to put voices on individual characters. Nicola Moriarty writes in a similar fashion as her sister, Liane Moriarty. Both have a way of keeping a reader wanting more.

easy read, funny with a dash of intensity

Any additional comments?

This was a quick, easy read that was light and funny with some heavy issues thrown in for measure. It was insightful and interesting and dealt heavily with lies and how they affect us and our relationships with other people. I listened to the audible version and I think I would have preferred to read it instead. The narrator wasn’t horrible but it was difficult at times to follow the story because the transition between some scenes and voices was often unrecognizable. All around enjoyable though and I would recommend it under the category of some light beach reading.

Oh wow! I thought I knew...but NO!

This book kept me interested and constantly thinking I had the answer but each chapter gave me new insights to these ladies and I was consistently surprised when new facts were revealed. The final chapter really had a great plot twist. Unexpected for sure.

Held My Interest

This story grabbed me in the beginning....and just didn't let go. I think so many girls go through similar experiences???

Really Good Listen

I liked this book in that the topic is realistic, hits many current women’s and couples issues, as well as, taking a hard look at high school relationships that may be holding onto unresolved problems. I think we all like to believe we mature and “grow up” from high school, but the reality is much of the dysfunction or even toxic relationships or homes we all grow up in, our high school friends did too and more than likely they were involved/enmeshed in our own. So is it realistic to continue high school relationships into adulthood? Maybe yes, maybe no. And that’s what this book does very well - looking at the cracks in these relationships and seeing if they can or should be mended. I really enjoyed listening to this one.

Narration was great. Candice Moll was excellent in portraying the characters with their own unique voice as well as providing genuine emotional ranges!!

Started off good...

Any additional comments?

This book started off good and the throughout kept my attention however the end completely fell apart for me; did not like the ending.

Would make a good Lifetime or HBO movie

This author was new to me and I am looking forward to reading more. The narration was excellent and the story line was realistic. The main characters had qualities that I really liked and some that I hated but that is what makes this a good book. The discussion with the Priest was annoying and the only reason I didn't give the story 5 stars.