Audiobook Sample
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- Title: Save Me (A Katie Winter FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1)
- Author: Molly Black
- Narrator: Jill Penfold
- Length: 05:14:32
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 05/04/2022
- Publisher: Findaway Voices
- Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Detective Stories
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
There’s something particularly haunting about crime stories set in frozen wilderness – the way the cold seems to seep into your bones through the narration, the isolation that amplifies every creak of a floorboard. Molly Black’s “Save Me” delivers this atmospheric chill masterfully, and Jill Penfold’s narration wraps it around you like an icy wind off Lake Superior. It reminds me of a winter I spent in a remote cabin in the Boundary Waters, where the silence between snowfall seemed to hold its breath, much like the taut pauses in this audiobook’s most suspenseful moments.
Katie Winter is exactly the kind of protagonist I gravitate toward – a woman shaped by her landscape, both literally and emotionally. Her expertise in harsh environments mirrors my own experiences tracking through Patagonia’s unpredictable terrain, where every decision carries weight. Black crafts Katie’s backstory with the precision of an anthropologist studying cultural scars – the disappearance of her sister isn’t just plot device, but a living wound that affects her professional instincts. When the narration describes Katie’s hesitation upon returning to her childhood region, I was transported back to my own reluctant return to my Bronx neighborhood after years abroad, how familiar streets suddenly felt like crime scenes of old memories.
Jill Penfold’s narration deserves special praise for its emotional intelligence. She doesn’t just perform the text – she breathes into it the same intimate quality I remember from Oaxacan grandmothers telling folktales. Listen to how she handles the Canadian detective’s accent – never caricature, but a subtle tonal shift that conveys cultural tension. Her pacing during the frozen lake discovery scene had me gripping my steering wheel during a nighttime drive through Vermont, the audio painting the scene more vividly than any film adaptation could.
The cross-border investigation element adds fascinating procedural layers. As someone who’s navigated international checkpoints from Tijuana to Tangier, I appreciated how Black captures the bureaucratic dance between agencies – the unspoken rivalries, the jurisdictional gray areas that killers exploit. One interrogation scene set in a Tim Hortons (rendered with perfect Canadian specificity by Penfold) reminded me of watching Argentine and Chilean police collaborate on a Patagonia missing persons case over mate tea – professionalism strained by unspoken national pride.
Where the audiobook truly shines is in its sensory immersion. Black’s writing makes you “feel” the -20°F air burning Katie’s lungs as she pursues a suspect across ice, and Penfold’s delivery turns each exhale into audible steam. It’s a masterclass in environmental storytelling that reminds me why I fell in love with audio narratives during that life-changing “One Hundred Years of Solitude” listen in the Atacama – when voice and landscape become inseparable.
Some listeners might find the childhood trauma subplot occasionally overshadows the present-day investigation, and Penfold’s vocal range for male characters isn’t as distinct as her female portrayals. But these are minor quibbles in what’s otherwise a standout series debut. The final confrontation on the ice – with Penfold’s voice dropping to a razor-wire whisper – left me parked in my driveway for twenty minutes, unable to pause the climax.
For fans of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” or “Stillhouse Lake”, this delivers that same blend of psychological depth and relentless pacing. The Canadian wilderness setting distinguishes it from typical FBI procedurals – it’s “True Detective” meets “Fargo” in the best possible way. I’ve already downloaded Book 2, eager to continue this journey much like I compulsively followed the Camino de Santiago after one transformative day’s hike.
With frostbitten fingers and a warmed heart,
Marcus Rivera
