Chloe

A Novel of Secrets and Lies

By: Connie Briscoe

Narrated by: Chanté McCormick

“Entertaining. . . . Briscoe folds some perceptive class critiques into her intoxicating blend of romance and suspense. This offers plenty of gothic pleasures.”—Publishers Weekly

New York Times bestselling author Connie Briscoe updates Daphne Du Maurier’s classic Rebecca in this chilling tale of domestic suspense centered on a spirited woman named Angel who marries a Black billionaire, only to discover that he remains haunted by his first wife who took her own life—or did she?

A mansion haunted by the ghost of a cool, charismatic first wife. A second bride from a small Southern town who may be in over her head. A brooding billionaire who grows icier the more his new wife questions him about the past.

In Connie Briscoe’s propulsive and entertaining novel, the elements of one of the most famous Gothic novels of all time is reimagined in surprising, yet still suspenseful, ways.

Angel is a private chef for the Harrisons, one of the most powerful Black families on Martha’s Vineyard. Impossibly supercilious Jillian Harrison often spends the entire summer on the island, and every August the family throws a lavish garden party. This year’s guest list includes Everett Bruce, an influential Black billionaire still in mourning for Chloe, his first wife, who com­mitted suicide.

To Jillian’s surprise, Bruce becomes enchanted with Angel. Soon he and Angel begin a whirlwind romance that culminates in marriage, and Angel moves to Riverwild, her husband’s massive estate along the Poto­mac River.

Though Angel is a confident and strong woman, over time she begins to feel the enigmatic Chloe’s ghost. Not helping matters is Ida, Everett’s menacing sister who, like her brother, cannot seem to let the dead woman go, nor explain why Chloe would kill herself. The more questions Angel asks, the more vitriolic Ida grows and the more melancholic Everett becomes, reveal­ing a far less charming side of himself. Just how well does Angel know Everett?

The answers lie somewhere in Riverwild . . .

Good performance, ho hum storyline

Very predictable story line, which got old fast. I almost did not finish it. Performance was well done.

Beautifully written and narrated

Engaging and suspenseful! Couldn’t stop listening to find out what really happened to Chloe! Angel was definitely going to get to the bottom of it! Loved the narrator, kept me engaged.

About average

First and foremost, I haven’t read Rebecca, but if you have, Chloe is the retelling.

Secondly, I listened to the audiobook while simultaneously reading the physical book The audiobook itself was good Chanté McCormick did a good job.

Angel is a private chef for a wealthy Black family during the summer in Martha’s Vineyard. While there, she meets Everett, a billionaire who recently lost his wife, named Chloe. These two instantly hit it off and spent a lot of time together, which was enjoyable to watch them fall in love. However, the second half of the second part is where things truly became intriguing. Revelations were made, and I couldn’t help but shake my head in disbelief. Perhaps I should be a detective myself. Angel genuinely surprised me, though. Wish things would have picked up sooner in the book but overall it was a good book. I would pick up another book by this author.

Jillian was such a hater.

Thank you NetGalley, Colored Pages Book Tour, and Amistad Books for my gifted copy.

The many suspenceful surprises

I live in Maryland and have vacationed in Martha’s Vinyard so the scenery and locations described were very vivid for me. I loved the unimaginable twists and the authors brilliant way of allowing me to use my imagination to fill in how and why characters transitioned along the story’s timeline. Should be turned into a Lifetime movie!

Thrilling

A wonderfully written dramatic weave of love, devotion and adventure. The storytelling is a thrilling journey through relationships!