Pretty Broken Things

By: Melissa Marr

Narrated by: Elizabeth Evans, Karissa Vacker, Stephen Dexter

A contemporary Bluebeard story set in the shadowy edges of New Orleans’ French Quarter by the New York Times best-selling author Melissa Marr

Note: This Audible Original contains sensitive material and may be upsetting to some listeners.

After receiving a lead from an unlikely source, Juliana, the mortician tasked with the bodies of victims of the "Carolina Creeper", the South’s most notorious serial killer in decades, sets off to New Orleans in search of Theresa Morris, an heiress and presumably the Creeper’s only surviving victim.

Theresa now goes by “Tess” and is a shadow of her former heiress self. She’s also being pursued by famous novelist Michael, who sets his sights on Tess as the muse of his work-in-progress, oblivious to her former identity.

As Michael gets closer to Tess and begins to put the pieces of her traumatic past together, Juliana zeroes in on her whereabouts. They don’t know it, but the three of them are on a collision course, hurtling straight into the Creeper’s path.

©2019 Melissa Marr (P)2020 Audible Originals

I can't stop saying OMG

Have you ever read a book, that is so twisted, yet so compelling, it makes you mildly worried for the author?
When Pretty Broken Things started, I wasn't sure about the first narrator. I'm unused to Southern accents; but in for a penny, in for a pound. Once the plot caught me, which was by the second chapter, I knew I was lost. There are beautiful moments in the deep darkness of this book, and its raw authenticity made me question everything I thought I understood about victimology, profiling, and serial killers. Before this, had anyone asked me my most disturbing, yet addicting, read, I would have said The Butterfly Garden. Now I know it has been surreptitiously dethroned by Pretty Broken Things.

Another hit by Melissa Marr

New Orleans seems to inspire dark novels.

This psychological thriller murder mystery is a new genre for Marr and she does not fail to deliver another well written intricate story. She adds psychological questions to the bounds of morality versus self preservation. She teases at even her own profession of writers who seek the dark subject of psychologically tortured and serial killers.

There are three actors reading the book. All three have a pleasant reading voice. One actor has a slightly styled voice, but maybe this works for the particular character she is reading, who is a bit hesitant and unsure.

Dark and Twisted

Dark characters with twisted evil desires but lots of twists I didn't see coming.

Great listen

While not my usual preferred genre, this book really drew me in. The narrators were great at making you like or dislike their characters while telling the story. Marr is one of my top authors that I will pretty much read anything she writes. Give this one a shot.

Unexpected surprise!

Wow! I really enjoyed listening to this book. I would love for Melissa to put out some more mystery and suspense:)