L. R. Dorn

Picked up this novel because of its Audie finalist status in the multi-voice performance category.

It's a true crime novelistic account of the murder of a woman on a canoeing excursion in California. The suspect is Cleo Ray, a fitness coach who has created a life as a social media influencer. Or perhaps it is a novel written to sound like a true crime docuseries. I wasn't sure which. At any rate, it is riveting - very well done - if not particularly rewarding to spend any amount of time with Ms Ray.… (altro)

"Is it better to risk saving a guilty person than to condemn an innocent one."

I really enjoyed this book and thought that the fact it was written like a podcast was a nice change of pace. I will admit upfront that I think an audiobook version of this book would be the most enjoyable for that exact reason. However, I really love books that are different and this really met that with the podcast set up. Each chapter was an episode of Ryanna's newest season and was unfolding basically in real time as she interviewed both Jordan and Victoria. And let me tell you they do an amazing job of creating a tragic love story for themselves and earning internet fame with #romeoandjuliet. I have to admit that I found the last two parts of the story more fascinating, Ryanna is forced to interview people who knew Jordan and Victoria and begins to question the story they created.

In the final act... the story is full of a ton of explosive truths that you don't necessarily see coming. It was an amazing story because we have two unreliable narrators, telling the story to a third party, who can only fact check so much. It made it hard to trust what really happened that night when the parents were murdered. I'll even admit by the time I finished the book I still wasn't certain what the truth was. I think the book really illustrates the fascination people have with true crime. I will admit at times I wished the book was moving a little faster, but it seems to have saved it all up for the final act, which is mindblowing and full of so many twists and turns. I really think that true crime lovers will find themselves in love with this book.… (altro)

This was the perfect audiobook to listen to as I drove between houses as we moved. It was narrated by a full cast which really added to the enjoyment of this book. I really think this book might be better as an audio. It's the story of a young fitness influencer, Cleo Ray and her complicated life. She and her girlfriend, Beck go out in a remote lake. Beck ends up dead and Cleo is no where to be found. This story is done in a podcast form which makes it feel very realistic. Just very well done, very enjoyable and easy to get lost in...on other words, the perfect book for me during this time for me. Highly recommended!… (altro)

With A Kiss We Die is L.R. Dorn's new novel.
L.R. Dorn is the pseudonym for two award winning film and television writers. That skill set bring much to the writing of With A Kiss We Die.

The novel is told in an epistolary style, which is one of my absolute favorites. The entire book is told as a podcast! It totally rang true and I felt like I was reading the transcript of an actual case.

And it is about a case - the viscous murder of the parents of college student Jordan. The police seem to be leaning towards him and his girlfriend Victoria as the lead suspects. In an unexpected development, the pair make a preemptive move, calling on The Raines Report podcast to tell their story on air.

Dorn keeps the reader guessing right down to the last pages. Ryanna Raines spends a lot of time with them and slowly but surely the pair provide details that seem to prove their innocence. But are they telling the truth? I'll that answer for you to discover. (And there's a nice gotcha waiting for you in the last few pages.)

It's just so well plotted! I couldn't put the book down. (And I bet the audio version would be just as good. I see that a full cast was used.)… (altro)