No Hiding in Boise by Kim Hooper @KimHooperWrites @Dreamscapeaudio @NetGalley #fiction #mystery #characterdrivenfiction

Kaceey’s Review:

One of my favorite audios of the year!🤩 

A mass shooting at a popular, local bar in Boise. That’s right, Idaho! Where violent crime isn’t supposed to be and has never been front and center. And without warning… there it was. 

Cleverly told from multiple perspectives. Giving you a front-row seat, experiencing the impact of the event from all sides. The shooter, the victims, and the devastated families left behind on both sides.  

Can I just say it, WOW? Let me repeat…“WOW”!  

The audio version was positively captivating. With separate narrators for every character. Each voice is equally spectacular! (A rare treat.) 

I absolutely devoured this audio in two sittings. So caught up in the storyline in fact, that the world went around me without notice for a total of 9 hours and 38 minutes. I think we can all agree that’s a good thing! 

If you enjoy audiobooks with multiple narrators, then this is a must 🎧 for you. 

A buddy read with Susanne. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media LLC. 

Susanne’s Review:

I’m not sure I have the words. Stories of Mass Shootings break me. After all, I lived in the town bordering one of the worst ones in history, and know more about it than most, but I digress..

No Hiding in Boise is powerful, dynamic, heart-wrenching, character-driven fiction at its best.  A mass shooting in a bar in Boise, Idaho.  Five people are gunned down, and two people are injured, before the shooter turns the gun on himself.  As I write those words, I have heart palpitations and tears in my eyes.  For that, I will explain later.  

The story centers around three main characters:

Angie, whose husband Cale, was at the bar that night, was shot and now lies in a coma;

Tessa, the bartender who survived the shooting; and

Joyce, mother of the shooter.

Three women whose lives are forever changed and who are forever intertwined. 

Alternating between the past and the present we learn what brought Cale to the bar that night, and what exactly happened. Other points of view are introduced throughout, but it is Angie, Tessa, and Joyce who drive this story forward and who held my heart in their hands.  It was Joyce for whom I felt the most sympathy, Joyce who tried to make sense of the loss, pain, and tragedy that evoked the most emotion out of me. 

Everything about this novel is brilliantly done, the writing, the characterizations, the realism, the heartache, the devastation, all of it.  I listened to the audiobook with Kaceey and we were both blown away by the narration.  Huge props go to each narrator and of course to the author for writing such an incredible piece of fiction.   

For me, however, this brought forth a whole host of emotions that I was ill-prepared for. I admit to not reading the synopsis or reviews before requesting this book. Had I actually known what this book was about, I’m not sure I would have grabbed it, as I lived in Connecticut for most of my life and during 2007-2015, I lived in the town bordering Sandy Hook and lived there during the Sandy Hook Shooting. Unfortunately, I know several families who suffered grave loss and due to my former career, have insight into that event that I wish I did not. It was therefore with a very heavy heart that I listened to this book, often having to take breaks due to feeling anxious, with tears often streaming down my face. Thankfully, I had Kaceey to lean on, while listening to this.

Although this novel absolutely wrecked me due to the content, it was phenomenal and I highly recommend it, with the disclaimer that this book may not be for everyone.

A buddy listen with Kaceey.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Kim Hooper for the alc.

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