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Hey story lovers and audio thrill-seekers,

Let me tell you why Alice Feeney’s “Rock Paper Scissors” might just be the most deliciously twisted marriage thriller you’ll experience this year – especially in its audiobook form. As someone who’s analyzed hundreds of narrative formats for my podcast, I can confidently say this production uses audio’s unique capabilities to elevate Feeney’s psychological chess game to spine-tingling new heights.

Remember when I compared five formats of “Project Hail Mary”? That experiment taught me how certain stories gain dimensionality through sound. “Rock Paper Scissors” belongs in that category – the Scottish Highlands setting becomes almost tactile through subtle wind effects, and the alternating narrators create an unsettling Rashomon effect that perfectly serves Feeney’s unreliable narrators.

“The Audio Alchemy:”
Richard Armitage’s velvety baritone brings Adam Wright’s face blindness to life in ways text can’t – his vocal performance makes you viscerally feel the character’s disorientation when he can’t recognize his own wife. Then Stephanie Racine switches in as Amelia, her voice dripping with layers of secrets that had me rewinding to catch every micro-inflection. Their duet narration mirrors the novel’s central question: how well can we ever truly know someone?

“Cultural Resonance:”
In an era of BookTok deep dives into toxic relationships (#DarkRomance has 3.4B views!), Feeney’s exploration of marital deception feels particularly zeitgeisty. The anniversary letters device – which gain haunting intimacy when whispered through headphones – reminded me of how my audience dissected the letters in “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”. There’s something about audio that makes personal confessions feel like they’re being shared just with you.

“Technical Brilliance:”
The Macmillan Audio production uses:
– Strategic silence (that pause before “I know what you did” will stop your breath)
– Spatial audio techniques (listen for the footsteps in chapter 12)
– Emotional voice modulation (Adam’s realization scene had me pulling over my car)

“Critic’s Nitpick:”
While the dual narration generally shines, I caught two moments where the tone slightly mismatched between readers in flashback scenes. But honestly? This almost added to the unsettling vibe.

For thriller lovers who enjoyed “The Wife Between Us” or “Gone Girl”, this is your next audio obsession. The format enhances every twist – including that gasp-worthy final one I won’t spoil. Pro tip: Listen with someone you trust… then side-eye them suspiciously afterward.

Stay suspicious (in the best way), Sophie
Sophie Bennett