🐺 What would you do if you found out you were married to a serial killer?

The Final Hunt kept me turning the page until the very end. Each chapter left me wanting to know more. The story was some what predictable, but sometimes I think that’s okay in a mystery novel.

I really don’t want to say much about the plot because I think it is a great book to go into “blind.”

Pros:
🐺 Strong Female Lead
🐺 Fast paced, easy to follow story
🐺 Lots of references to the beauty of Alaska

Cons:
🐺 Lacking some character development
🐺 Several events seemed repetitive and not necessary for the story

Overall, I think The Final Hunt was an enjoyable, easy read. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes a good murder mystery involving a husband and wife.

Thank you Neygalley, Audrey Cole, and for this advanced copy audiobook to review.

Thank you to netgalley for the Audio Arc!

I went into this story blind, and found myself pulled in from very beginning I enjoyed the fast pace of the storyline and the but would have enjoyed a little more back story on the MC's first marriage
This was my first novel by Audrey Cole, but probably not the last.

How does it feel to find out your deceased husband, the man whom you loved and spent your life with, was a serial killer? Cameron faces the answer in Audrey J. Cole’s latest book, The Final Hunt.

I usually struggle getting into audio books and tend to lose interest in the story very quickly. However, this narrator drew me into this story immediately and held my attention throughout the book. .

Although the main plot twist is easy to figure out early in the book, there are still many unsuspected, near fatal accidents, murders, and deceptions headed your way throughout the book.

This novel is set between the states of Washington and Alaska. I felt the book was well-researched, and I enjoyed learning a little about Alaska’s harsh terrain.

Thank you, NetGalley and BooksGoSocial, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.

What would you do if you found out you were married to a monster?

We begin with a grizzly death in snowy conditions. Pun intended. John gets eaten by a bear. His friend and law partner Simon is nearby and devastated.

We are then introduced to Cameron, John’s wife. It’s been a few months and she’s trying to come to terms with her loss. They live in the city but John kept this cabin in the boonies for hunting weekends.

Cameron is spending time at the cabin after John’s death. She stumbles upon an SD card, assuming it will be more memories of the two of them and their life together so she gets cozy with some wine to reminisce, but to her shock and horror, it’s not family photos. Its evidence of especially heinous crimes, to borrow a saying. She is the widow of a serial killer.. but we also find out that she herself is harboring a secret.

That’s just where we start. She does the right thing and hands the evidence over to police, for all the good that does her. She’s absolutely going THROUGH it. Her dental practice is going under because of the bad press and she stumbles across some mystery debts. She’s had enough so she’s going to get to the bottom of it. She does what any of us would do. She gets in her plane and flies somewhere to investigate!

This has some good twists and turns. It’s not exactly the most unpredictable story in the world. I could kind of see where it was going from the start but I still enjoyed the journey. The narration was great and I loved the setting of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. I could see it in my mind’s eye. Definitely and fun and quick read.

Thanks to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for the chance to read and review this in exchange for an honest review.

A good book for me is comprised of 3 main things- it can have one or more of these things and still be a good book but lacking any of the 3 will cause it to be a low rated read or a book I don’t finish.

1. Unique or interesting premise/plot
2. Likable or relatable characters
3. Twist/twists the reader is unable to see coming while still being somewhat plausible.

This book nailed the unique/interesting plot. I’m a sucker for wilderness/survival thrillers and there are too few available especially those that combine wildlife into their tale. This book was well researched in that regard. The characters were also relatable and likable and well developed. I don’t need or particularly like romance mixed with my thrillers but this one was okay and I wasn’t put off by it.

The only thing it was lacking were the twists. It was pretty easy to figure out what was going to happen but the pace of the book was excellent and the story was intriguing enough that it didn’t matter.

As an aside- I would love a follow up book that followed the Teacher Killer and the crimes committed, I think the author was smart to not bog down this book with all those details because this book was what happened after and the aftermath the loved ones of those who do horrendous things have to deal with but I’d love a POV of the killer and his crimes.

Wow I thought this book was excellent. It was exciting, original and brimming with suspense.
Enthralling from the beginning.
This author has a way that makes you want to get to know these interesting characters to stay tuned to see how it all unfolds.
I was completely infatuated with this story.
The narrator I thought did a awesome job reading this storyline. I stayed interested throughout. Which is a big plus in my world!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

OrangeSky Audio,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

The synopsis caught my attention and I just knew I’d love this.

**Review contains Spoilers**

Cameron learns right in the beginning that her late husband was a serial killer who passed away just as detectives were able to hold him accountable. Her life is slowly falling apart as a consequence to his actions. And she finds that she is now a suspect in his crimes as well. So what does our MC do?!? Not only does she suspect he may have faked his death she goes out to hunt him down in the Alaskan wilderness in winter to make home pay for what he’s done!

Cameron also has some mystery surrounding her and we learn she has secrets of her own involving her first husband who also came to an untimely end…..this story has suspense, mystery, secrets for days and a potential new love interest. I was hooked within 10 minutes. This is a must read for anyone who loves a good crime/thriller!

Thank you NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for letting me listen to this Audiobook Arc.

When Cameron finds out that her late husband John was harboring a terrifying secret, she sets out on a mission to uncover the truth while trying to protect her own secrets in the process.

I am not sure what it was but I could not connect with this story nor these characters. The idea of the entire story is great but it completely falls apart 25 % in. This book felt entirely too long and like nothing was happening 75% of the time. The big plot twist was not only predictable but it was anticlimactic and extremely short. There were one too many close to death incidents for me and after a while it seemed like they were only there for shock value.

I love mystery and thriller but there really was no mystery and the thrill was forced. Just wasn't for me, which is upsetting because the concept / synopsis sounded great.

Also, the audiobook is a little weird. When you speed it up to 1.25 or higher it sounds robotic and like more than one voice is talking at once (echoey). I am not sure if that is a netgalley thing or just the audiobook itself but it was strange.

This was a fine read! The narrator was lovely (I listened to the audiobook) and the story was fast-paced and easy to follow. I found myself really rooting for Cameron as her life unraveled (who the hell turns on a woman who not only lost her husband but found out just a few months later that he was a serial killer??) and then as she grabbed her life by the reigns to get things back on track.

I will say, though, if you’re a fan of mystery/thrillers with lots of twists and turns and a lot of suspense, this isn’t it. The plot was VERY predictable and, with the exception of a few action scenes, this almost read more like a domestic fiction novel. Nevertheless, it was still very enjoyable and still with a read.