The Cuckoo's Cry

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The Cuckoo's Cry

Written by: Caroline Overington

Narrated by: Aimee Horne

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On the eve of the global lockdown, Don Barlow opens the door of his old beachside cottage to find a pretty girl with pink-tipped hair, claiming to have nowhere to go.

He allows her entry, and so begins a mystery set in unprecedented times: with the virus raging outside their home, the girl cannot be asked to leave, but what does he risk by having her stay?

Caroline Overington is a bestselling Australian author and an award-winning journalist. She has written several bestselling audiobooks, including the Looking for Eden, Ghost Child and I Came to Say Goodbye. She has profiled many of the world's most famous women, including Oprah Winfrey and Hillary Clinton, and has twice won the Walkley Award for Investigative Journalism. She has also won the Sir Keith Murdoch Award for Journalistic Excellence and the Blake Dawson Prize for Business Literature. Caroline is currently Associate Editor at The Australian and is based in Sydney.

Caroline OveringtonAimee HorneAudible Originals

Crime Fiction

Domestic Thrillers

Psychological

Thriller & Suspense

Crime Fiction Domestic Thrillers Psychological Thriller & Suspense

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This Caroline Overington tale - set during the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic - is strikingly true-to-life. An unanticipated granddaughter shows up on the steps of 'Don', an elderly lonely widower seemingly ripe for a scam. The teen moves in and takes on the role of a loving grandchild - while an existing daughter frets & investigates.
Overington overdoes the verissimilitude and isn't great at building "what's-really-going-on-here" tension.. but I enjoyed the book.

Fortuitously for audiobook consumers, Audible Originals Inc. (Australia) dedicates itself to a quality listening experience: casting Aimee Horne to read the book, softening her natural sibilance with masterful sound editing, and including tasteful voice modulation effects for dialogue over Zoom/Skype. The product is imperfect but impressive.

Altogether, 'The Cuckoo's Cry' merits 6 stars out of 10. If given the option between this recorded iteration and a text (paper or eBook) version, choose this one every time. Either way, if you can get the book as a 'Plus' selection, do so (it's a relatively short distraction suitable for a quiet afternoon). If they ask for a Credit, however, better options beckon.