3.25 Stars

Cameron Kane's world was shattered when he lost his wife, Alison, in a tragic car accident over a year ago. Struggling to put the pieces back together while juggling the responsibilities of raising their daughter, Cameron couldn't shake the eerie circumstances surrounding Alison's death. Her remains were found alongside Maxwell, a wealthy white-collar criminal, it seemed too twisted to be a mere coincidence. Trying to move forward, Cameron found himself face to face one day with a man who bore an uncanny resemblance to Maxwell. Doubts flooded his mind. Was it possible that Maxwell was still alive? And if so, what did that imply about Alison's fate? Refusing to let unanswered questions haunt him, Cameron resolved to delve deeper into his wife's case, completely unaware of the shocking revelations that awaited him.

The concept and story was good. However, I feel like a certain element missing from the narrative. Overall, a decent read. If you enjoy mystery infused with action, this might be for you.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Hilton Reed, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

Beyond All Doubt quickly pulled me in with the plot and it hit the ground running. Cameron lost his wife in a car crash a year ago. She was in the car with her boss when it crashed and went up in flames. Cameron never knew why she was in the car and where she was going but all he knew was he now had to grieve her loss.

Cameron had a random encounter at an airport where he saw who he believed was his wife’s boss who died in the car with her. Cameron chased after him but was unable to catch him and this started to unfold a sequence of events that led to what really happened.

I was hooked at the opening of this book but the more it went on the less interested I started to become. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and some of the scenarios were just not as interesting as I would have hoped for. Towards the end of the book I did start to get invested again and I loved the sprint to the finish line.

Overall a good book, 3/5 stars, but not one I would say needs to be at the top of your tbr.

The premise of the book was enjoyable and I found myself truly liking the characters, but something was missing and even after hours of trying to put my finger on it I can't figure out what it is. The story was one I kept finding myself coming back to because of the plot, the characters, and feeling like there was always a cliffhanger, and so I got through Beyond All Doubt very quickly (in a good way!). While listening I could imagine everything that was happening and could create a movie in my head, and that I loved!

Would recommend you put on your want to read if you love mystery's and mob-like government stories!

Without a doubt, the premise for "Beyond All Doubt" was ultra-compelling:

A husband's brilliant math prodigy wife died in a fiery car crash with her bitcoin billionaire boss.

Her bitcoin billionaire boss was under criminal investigation at the time of the crash.

But did the two bodies found in the car crash REALLY belong to the husband's wife and her boss?

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Overall, the book was good but not great.

At times, the pacing was uneven and the eye-rolling moments plentiful.

Also, I much prefer books with fewer, well-developed characters and this book featured waaay too many characters.

I listened to the audiobook read by George Newbern, one of my favorite narrators.

As usual, George Newbern did an outstanding job with the narration.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beyond All Doubt by Hilton Reed
Narrated by George Newbern

Cameron Kane loved his wife, who died just about a year ago, in a fiery car crash. Alison's wealthy boss was being investigated for numerous charges and Alison was very much a part of bringing a case against him. Alison didn't trust her boss, so why was she in the car with him when it went off the road and exploded, killing them both?

With a tiny bit of action at the beginning, we then have a longer slow setup, as we see just how much Cam's world revolves around the life of his seven year old daughter, Sabrina. Both are still struggling with the death of Alison, a year earlier, but Cam has Sabrina's life running very smoothly, they have their routines, they spend most of their non work/school time together, and he really doesn't want to start dating. Yet, Marika, someone who just popped into his life after she had a "scarf" accident is pushing for more, even though they haven't dated yet, she wants much more.

So when Cam thinks he sees Alison's "dead" boss at the airport, he leans on Marika to help him with Sabrina. After the slowness of learning about Cam's homelife, things really pick up. Cam is no super hero, as the action gets very bloody and deadly, more often than not, Cam runs. No one is safe near Cam, bodies falling everywhere. Whoever he has upset with his digging has an enormous reach and they do not care who they hurt while trying to get to him.

Once the real actions starts, things move quickly. There is math talk and my ears glazed over listening to it. I don't think I missed my calling by not going into mathematics for a career. But there are also lots of jokes and comments among the characters when it comes to not understanding Alison's job and super duper thinking powers when it comes to math. One of the reasons I picked this book is because George Newbern narrates it and he makes listening to the math talk easier. But I'm not alone, the math talk can be funny since the other characters don't understand it all either. Plus, Sabrina is a cutie and it's clear to see that at this time in their life, Cam has a lot of Sabrina's interests floating through his mind at all times. This man is going to do what he can to find out what really happened to his wife but he's not going to let anything happen to Sabrina, if he can help it.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ARC.

3.5 rounded up.

Sometimes I wonder if I don’t enjoy novels written in a distinctly male voice, but then I stumble upon a great read like this one and remember traditionally male protagonists can absolutely inspire emotion, empathy, excitement, too, when they’re well done.

Premise - a year after his wife dies in a fiery crash, a widowed single father thinks he sees her (dead) copassenger at the airport. This sets him on a path of conspiracy and intrigue - were his wife and crypto-billionaire boss really the bodies in that car?

📚 Series or Standalone: standalone
📚 Genre: mystery/thriller
📚 Target Age Group: adult
📚 Cliffhanger: no

✨ Will I Reread: maybe
✨ Recommended For: most mystery fans tbh, and even a good deal of general fiction fans, but especially people who enjoyed Wall Street (movie), following the FTX dumpster fire, and (weird connect) but Nicholas Sparks brand undying love

💕 Characters: 4/5
💕 Writing: 4/5
💕 Plot: 4/5
💕 Pacing: 4/5
💕 Unputdownability: 2/5 (4/5 to start, 1/5 to finish)
💕 Enjoyment: 3/5 (the last third got too action-y for me, and tested my patience, I stopped caring)
💕 Book Cover: 3/5

Thanks, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.