The Bluff

A Thriller

By: Bonnie Traymore

Narrated by: Meghan Kelly

“What do you have to lose, Kate?” Ryan asked me, as we stood on the bluff looking out on Lake Michigan.

Turns out, almost everything.

When I first moved from Manhattan to this small town six years ago, I worried about many things. I worried about finding a job. I worried that I’d be bored. I worried that my relationship with charming photographer Ryan Breslow was moving too fast. But I never worried about whether the ground beneath my feet would crumble—both literally and figuratively.

My marriage didn’t go as I’d imagined. A year ago, Ryan met his untimely death in a car accident that’s still under investigation. Isolated and alone, all I wanted was to sell my home and leave Crest Lake and its painful memories behind. But with my home inching ever closer to the edge of the crumbling bluff, the property has become unmarketable. All of us on the lakefront have lost chunks of property, and tempers are at a boiling point about what to do next.

And now, on the evening of a contentious vote about how to fix this pressing issue, my nemesis on the shoreline committee has been murdered. I know how it looks, but it’s not what it seems. But I have to get my plan passed and cash out.

Because I do have secrets.

And they won’t stay buried forever.

©2024 Bonnie Traymore (P)2024 Bonnie Traymore

Critic reviews

"Gripping and full of surprises, THE BLUFF is a clever psychological suspense with layered characters and an atmospheric setting. Traymore masterfully ratchets up the tension little-by-little until the surprising, explosive end."—Tracey Devlyn, USA Today bestselling author

The voice :(

The story wasn’t too bad; but I had difficulty listening to this book. I typically listen to 3 or 4 books a day; this one took me almost 2-weeks; bc the main female narrators voice was too annoying. The ending wasn’t a surprise for me, but it’s worth the listen. Perhaps they should have someone else voice over this- the author may sell more.

good story.

Terrible narrator! I kept changing the speed hoping her sing song voice might change. No such luck. It was so hard finishing this book.

Subpar

The ending was rushed and still left holes. The narrator voice and spacing of words was weird. Just wasn’t a well rounded book. But helped me through my work day. So thanks.

Great plot, horrible narrator

The story was very engaging and original, but the narration was grating. The narrator had a halting speech pattern that sounded as though there were commas in the middle of sentences and her inflection went up at the end of every sentence. I sped the narrator’s speed way up making it tolerable but it was grating and took away from the story for me.

The Bluff

What a well balanced story. It has all the perfect hidden secrets that slowly come out. I also loved how she used her education to learn more about her husband’s behavior. Great characters as well and I loved the ending! I think we all love a good karma ending. For me it was a fast listen. Once I was invested I needed to finish! The narration was spot on. She did an amazing job with the cast.