VANISHING FALLS

Atmospheric and engaging, this audio mystery features compelling family histories, small-town secrets, and a wide cast of interconnected characters. Narrator Caroline Lee's pacing adds to the multilayered story, set in Vanishing Falls, a small town in Tasmania. Lee particularly shines as Joelle Smithton, a young mother who is dismissed by many as simpleminded. But she is actually incredibly attuned to the secrets of both her wealthy neighbors--like the Lily family who live in the legendary Calendar House--and the town's seedier elements. Lee's character differentiation is sometimes indistinct, and the novel's points of view and locations shift within chapters. So listeners will have to focus in order not to miss anything. Still, with surprises right to the end, this audiobook is a good listen. K.S.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2020]