Scorpions by Rachel Howzell Hall @RachelHowzell @elite_qt @BrilliancePub

the setup…
Frankie once had a promising future ahead of her as a scientist. But then her father died and her mother pretty much lapsed into dysfunction. Frankie couldn’t return to college because she failed to apply for financial aid on time. Then while trying desperately to take care of her mother, she was caught shoplifting food and served three months in jail as a consequence. Now she’s a caretaker for a miserable man, the only job she’s able to secure that pays decent money and provides a place to stay. But then her patient dies and leaves her a note with directions to his secret stash…buried in Death Valley.

the heart of the story…
Frankie’s situation at first feels like an American tragedy but later I could see how her choices contributed to her seemingly bad fortune. When she gets that sudden windfall, the decisions she makes from that moment forward bear that out. While I wanted to be sympathetic, it was hard to feel sorry for someone who just doesn’t learn from her own past, especially knowing a “scorpion” when you see one.

the narration…
The narrator captured the hapless Frankie perfectly and did a fine piece of storytelling.

the bottom line…
The ending seem to fit the pattern of Frankie’s life but left the window open for some hope maybe? I’m unsure as I think it was left to my imagination.

Book Info

• Release Date: March 19, 2024
• Series: Never Tell Collection #4
• Narrator: Tamika Katon-Donegal
• Audio Length: 1 hour, 29 minutes
• Publisher: Amazon Original Stories

Listen to a Sample!

Goodreads | Amazon | Audible

(Thanks to Brilliance Audio for my complimentary copy of the collection. All opinions are my own.)