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Strange Piece of Paradise

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Strange Piece of Paradise

Written by: Terri Jentz
Narrated by: Margaret Colin
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About this listen

In the summer of 1977, Terri Jentz and her Yale roommate, Shayna Weiss, make a cross-country bike trip. They pitch a tent in the desert of central Oregon. As they are sleeping, a man in a pickup truck deliberately runs over the tent. He then attacks them with an ax. The horrific crime is reported in newspapers across the country. No one is ever arrested. Both women survive, but Shayna suffers from amnesia, while Terri is left alone with memories of the attack. Their friendship is shattered.

Fifteen years later, Terri returns to the small town where she was nearly murdered, on the first of many visits she will make "to solve the crime that would solve me". And she makes an extraordinary discovery: the violence of that night is as present for the community as it is for her. Slowly, her extensive interviews with the townspeople yield a terrifying revelation: many say they know who did it, and he is living freely in their midst. Terri then sets out to discover the truth about the crime and its aftermath, and to come to terms with the wounds that broke her life into a before and an after. Ultimately she finds herself face-to-face with the alleged axman.

Powerful, eloquent, and paced like the most riveting of thrillers, Strange Piece of Paradise is the electrifying account of Terri's investigation into the mystery of her near murder. A startling profile of a psychopath, a sweeping reflection on violence and the myth of American individualism, and a moving record of a brave inner journey from violence to hope, this searing, unforgettable work is certain to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

©2006 Terri Jentz (P)2006 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC
Biographies & Memoirs Gender Studies Fiction Thriller Emotionally Gripping Nonfiction Thrillers
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What the critics say

"Her story is chilling and will enthrall true crime readers." (Publishers Weekly)

"This powerful memoir...moves with great skill back between the year of the attack and the years of her investigation." (Los Angeles Times)

What listeners say about Strange Piece of Paradise

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Excellent

This is a well written and well narrated account of a harrowing crime and its investigation by one of its victims.

I listened to this because I heard the story on the My Favorite Murder podcast. Georgia said she didn’t recommend the audiobook because the narrator is southern, but the character isn’t, and she was distracted by that. The protagonist is not narrated as southern, though admittedly the people of Oregon are. This didn’t bother me, I found it a helpful way to distinguish a female speaker from the narrator, but I understand how that could be annoying for an American listener who is familiar with an Oregon accent as different than it is narrated.

The performance overall was excellent.

The story was fascinating and troubling but not hopeless, and certainly well written. I highly recommend this book.

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Great storytelling

Terri’s story is incredible and her search for her own attacker leaves listeners feeling satisfied that she gained her own justice. Narration was excellent. Murderinos will love this story.

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this book

This book was really good, i heard a brief summary of the story from my favourite murder mystery YouTuber and she recommended this book if we wanted to know more about the story so I decided to give it a listen and it was an amazing story. I loved how it was performed. The voice didn’t bother me it just added to it and i loved the books overall

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