COVER YOUR TRACKS by Daco Auffenorde
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Once you get beyond the absolute improbability of the plot, this is a heart pounding thriller. Margo, eight months pregnant, and Nick, a former Army Ranger, are the only survivors of an avalanche that destroyed the train they were on. The remainder of the novel follows the two of them as they try to survive in the snow-covered wilderness. But is Nick really a friend, or is there a malevolence about him?
The two main (and only) characters are clearly drawn. The mountainous region and snowy weather is accurately described. Margo’s pregnancy is a well-defined part of the plot. Margo’s actions are often ill considered and weaken the realism of the plot.
I enjoyed this thriller even with its short comings. This is a book for a lazy weekend and a cup of tea.
4 of 5 stars ( )

I had a hard time with this book for several reasons - pacing being pretty high on that list. I love thrillers, and while I can appreciate the slow build, Cover Your Tracks took that past slow and on to tedium at several points in the story. It starts out with a fast, edge of your seat situation with the train, a snowstorm, and an avalanche. There are also several other high-tension situations for Margo and Nick. The problem is that between those situations, things often slow to a crawl. The story bounces back and forth between Nick's and Margo's point of view, and maybe it's me, but it felt like we got more of Margo than Nick - I'm pretty sure that was done intentionally. During that back and forth, we get snippets of the characters' pasts - things that happened to shape who they are today.
With that in mind, I'm going to say something about a couple of things that are mentioned in this book. I hope I word this correctly because I never want to offend anyone. There is mention of abortion and a girl being forced to avoid an abortion. There is also mention of a term no longer used when referring to Native Americans as well as talk of scalping. Now, I in no way agree with any of this, but the author is referring to the past of Nick's and Margo's lives. Given their ages and when those things would've happened, those things weren't so out of the norm. Again, that doesn't make it right, but I understand where the author was coming from (the time period, at least) and how those things were meant to move the story forward, and I can understand how those things could shape a person. Unfortunately, that doesn't help with my opinion of the book. I just wanted to make it clear that I based my thoughts on the story as a whole and not a couple of things that happened in the characters' troubled pasts.
The back and forth along with the memories can work very well for a thriller, but in this case, the pace slowed down enough that I found my thoughts straying to other things rather than remaining caught up in the book.
Margo and Nick each have secrets, of course, and we get those bit by bit. Margo's secret was way too easy to guess, and it didn't take me long to guess Nick's as well. I'll admit that when I guessed Nick's secret, I shrugged it off, thinking that surely the story wouldn't be that unbelievable. But it goes there, so expect things to go over the top, especially as the story nears its end.
I did listen to this one, which was probably for the best because I'm not convinced that I'd have finished otherwise. Allyson Ryan gives voice to these characters and I liked her well enough for Margo's parts of the book, but I think dual narration could've served this story well. Certain characters' voices are a bit caricature-like, the men in particular. One example is Nick's voice, which is always gruff. Now, that's fine for grown-up Nick, but Nick in first grade sounds the same way, and it just doesn't work in that instance.
On a positive note, I do think this story had potential. I just think too many things didn't work - at least for me. I do think this author shows talent, and I'll be interested to see how she grows with future books. ( )

Whew! This one is suspenseful from the very beginning until the end. The book begins as a crowded train is traveling through very snowy mountains, and a gigantic avalanche is spotted coming right for them. Nick and Margo are the only survivors, and the scenes with the avalanche set up the story really well in terms of survival and suspense. There is a frantic feel throughout that really works because of the high level of suspense. As he and Margo traveled through the remote, snowy forest toward safety, Nick used his advanced military skills to save a very pregnant Margo time and time again. I never fully trusted Nick, and I think this made the story more suspenseful for me. I absolutely loved the descriptions of weather and nature and snowy conditions.

Audiobook Notes: I chose to listen to this audiobook because of the narrator, who I have heard before and I'm a big fan. Another of my favorite audiobooks with narration by Allyson Ryan is a survival thriller, so I was extra excited to see what her performance would bring to Cover Your Tracks. I was pleased that I listened to the audio format of this book because Ms. Ryan narrated wonderfully, and I would love to recommend that readers listen to this story on audio because the level of suspense is just so much fun.

Title: Cover Your Tracks by Daco Auffenorde
Narrator: Allyson Ryan
Length: 7 hours, 50 minutes, Unabridged
Publisher: Dreamscape Media

I would like to thank Dreamscape Media for sending me a free copy of this audiobook for review via NetGalley! ( )