the setup…
A woman is cycling around the dairy farmland near Burlington, Vermont when she’s distracted by the sight of two skydivers. Recalling her own great experience, she stops to watch. But then she sees that one of them changes course and starts heading towards an active forage harvester. She watches in horror at the impending disaster. Brothers Pete and Leo Hamilton have returned home following their father’s death to settle his estate but disagree on what to do with the farm. They both agree to his request that they sprinkle his ashes over the fields and are the skydivers seen by the cyclist.
the heart of the story…
Even though the cyclist is the alibi, she comes from a background that makes her an exceptional witness and knows something was off. One of those brothers died and given their disagreement about the farm, suspicion is cast on the survivor. We get a tiny glimpse about the two when it transitions back to before it happened and pick up a few clues. Nothing was as it seemed.
the narration…
Eric Altheide, Soneela Nankani and Pete Simonelli give voice to the brothers and the cyclist. All were great at their storytelling, especially the cyclist who sets up the skydiving scene perfectly.
the bottom line…
I wish this was just a smidgen longer because I just couldn’t get a good sense of the brothers before the skydiving disaster. However, the epilogue wrapped things up nicely with a sweet little twist. I liked it but had to rewind to make sure I heard things right.
Book Info
- Release Date: June 1, 2025
- Series: Alibis Collection #4
- Narrators: Eric Altheide, Soneela Nankani & Pete Simonelli
- Audio Length: 1 hour, 16 minutes
- Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
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Blue Mood Café 
Fab review Jo, glad you enjoyed it, even though it could have been a bit longer.
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Thanks, Nicki💜
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It is a big task to write a book in such a condensed way (it’s difficult enough to write a review on a novella. Having said that, great review Jonetta.
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Thank you, Jodie💜 It’s an art to short stories and this one didn’t fall short. I just needed a teensy bit more.
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Short stories can be difficult but this one sounds like it does the job.
Anne – Books of My Heart
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I agree, Anne💜
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Fab review! I’m glad this short story worked better for you. xx
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Thanks, Yvo💜
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I just listened to this one recently too, and really enjoyed it! I agree, though, that I wanted more, probably because Chris Bohjalian is such a good storyteller and I would have loved to go deeper into the characters and their complications.
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Thanks, Lisa💜 I’m glad you understand what I was getting at here.
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I enjoy these collections of short stories/novellas, especially if I haven’t read a certain author for awhile. This one sounds good even though there could be a bit more to it. Nice review, Jo.
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Thanks, Carla💜 I enjoy these collections for the same reasons.
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