We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry @kristenlberry @nicolecashchronicles @prhaudio @prhaudio.bsky.social #WeDontTalkAboutCarol

the setup…
Sydney Singleton, a former journalist now working and in PR and living in Los Angeles, makes the trip to Raleigh following her paternal grandmother’s death to clear out her home. Hidden in the recesses of a drawer is a picture of a little girl who could be her twin. Sydney learns that it’s Carol Singleton, her late father’s older sister who no one ever talked about and who disappeared in 1965. As she digs deeper, she discovers that Carol was one of six young black girls who disappeared from the same neighborhood during 1964-65. The missing girls were never investigated and Sydney’s background as a journalist is key as she slowly unravels details and secrets that brings the case alive. However, it comes at a cost as her own personal life begins to suffer as her marriage is tested and infertility journey is put in jeopardy.

the heart of the story…
Sydney is pretty remarkable and has great investigative chops since she formerly worked the crime beat in Los Angeles for another missing girl. However, that same case almost leveled her and her husband worries that this case might do the same. Getting people to open up is quite the challenge, including her own family, as the community is reluctant to open old wounds and secrets. And, she runs into the paradigm of missing black girls not getting the same attention from law enforcement and the media as missing white girls. But the one consistent clue that they were last seen getting into a dark blue Chevy 210 might be the key to finding the person responsible.

the narration…
It didn’t take long for Nicole Cash to make me believe her as Sydney. Her pacing and storytelling skills kept me riveted.

the bottom line…
It made such a difference that Sydney was not only invested as a journalist but had a deeply personal connection. Her skills were excellent and made the story plausible, the personal issues fusing with the facts of the cases. I was not prepared for the complex outcome, which made this an even more compelling listening experience. It’s an emotionally and challenging investigation journey that left me a little breathless.

Book Info

• Release Date: June 3, 2025
• Narrator: Nicole Cash
• Audio Length: 11 hours, 38 minutes
• Publisher: Random House Audio

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