Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Closer Than You Know: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Closer Than You Know: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Closer Than You Know: A Novel
    Audiobook13 hours

    Closer Than You Know: A Novel

    Written by Brad Parks

    Narrated by Emily Rankin

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Brad Parks delivers another riveting, emotionally powerful stand-alone domestic suspense thriller perfect for fans of The Couple Next Door and What She Knew.

    Disaster, Melanie Barrick was once told, is always closer than you know.

    It was a lesson she learned the hard way growing up in the constant upheaval of foster care. But now that she's survived into adulthood—with a loving husband, a steady job, and a beautiful baby boy named Alex—she thought that turmoil was behind her.

    Until one Tuesday evening when she goes to pick up Alex from childcare only to discover he's been removed by Social Services. And no one will say why. It's a terrifying scenario for any parent, but doubly so for Melanie, who knows the unintended horrors of what everyone coldly calls "the system."

    Her nightmare mushrooms when she arrives home to learn her house has been raided by sheriff's deputies, who have found enough cocaine to send Melanie to prison for years. The evidence against her is overwhelming, and if Melanie can't prove her innocence, she'll lose Alex forever.

    Meanwhile, assistant commonwealth's attorney Amy Kaye—who has been assigned Melanie's case—has her own troubles. She's been dogged by a cold case no one wants her to pursue: a serial rapist who has avoided detection by wearing a mask and whispering his commands. Over the years, he has victimized dozens of women.

    Including Melanie. Yet now her attacker might be the key to her salvation . . . or her undoing.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 6, 2018
    ISBN9780525527343
    Unavailable
    Closer Than You Know: A Novel
    Author

    Brad Parks

    BRAD PARKS is the only author to have won the Shamus, Nero and Lefty Awards, three of crime fiction’s most prestigious prizes. A former reporter for The Washington Post and The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger, The Player is his fifth novel. He lives in Virginia with his wife and two small children.

    More audiobooks from Brad Parks

    Related to Closer Than You Know

    Related audiobooks

    Thrillers For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      'Under the Dome' Recap: This Week's Most Stunningly Bad Line Readings

      Aug 26, 2014

      This article is from the archive of our partner . Last week I complained that Under the Dome was suffering because too many people (Barbie, Sam, Lyle) had left the Dome via underground cliff-jump, thus defusing its strange and terrible power. This we

      3 min read

    • Article

      Amazing Grace: Reading Kelly J. Beard’s ‘An Imperfect Rapture’

      Sep 30, 2019

      For another memoirist, it would be easy to resort to a rhetoric of absolutes, but Beard’s elegant and direct prose teems with complexity and nuance. The post Amazing Grace: Reading Kelly J. Beard’s ‘An Imperfect Rapture’ appeared first on The Million

      5 min read

    • Article

      This Back Is a Familiar Back

      May 1, 2023

      This Back Is a Familiar Back
      8 min read

    • Article

      Jason the Heat Guy

      Jan 11, 2021

      Jason the Heat Guy
      11 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Feb 17, 2023

      Books
      4 min read

    • Article

      Live Spring

      Dec 28, 2017

      (NOTICE. Bob Koehler is not filing a column this week. We are sending a "classic" Koehler. The column resumes next week.) Is Santa real? What about God? Or Mr. Stranger Danger? A 5-year-old's curiosity is a wonder to behold -- more than a wonder if y

      3 min read

    • Article

      Pine

      Jan 29, 2020

      RELEASED OUT NOW! 336 pages | Hardback/ebook/ audiobook Author Francine Toon Publisher Doubleday Anyone who’s ever seen even a single horror movie knows it’s not a good idea to stop the car late at night for an unknown person who comes lurching out o

      1 min read

    • Article

      Is Dean a Daddy?

      Jun 7, 2020

      Is Dean a Daddy?
      2 min read

    • Article

      Firestarter

      Jul 11, 2023

      Firestarter
      1 min read

    • Article

      Children Will Listen: The Blakean World of ‘Into the Woods’

      Jun 21, 2023

      Like Sondheim, William Blake uncovered the darker elements of children’s literature. The post Children Will Listen: The Blakean World of ‘Into the Woods’ appeared first on The Millions.

      6 min read

    • Article

      Hard To Love

      Jul 19, 2021

      Hard To Love
      2 min read

    • Article

      Desperate MEASURES

      May 2, 2021

      How far would you go to help your child succeed? That is the intriguing question this novel is designed to leave you asking. Where the Grass is Green is the tale of two sisters who seem to have it all. Peyton Marcus is a morning TV host in New York

      1 min read

    • Article

      Book Reviews

      Mar 31, 2022

      Kyrie McCauley HarperCollins Publishers ISBN: 978-0-0628-8503-6 Tens of thousands of crows invading Auburn, Pennsylvania, is a problem for everyone in town except seventeen-year-old Leighton Barnes. For Leighton, it’s no stranger than her house, whic

      2 min read

    • Article

      5 Minutes With... HADYN JONES

      Mar 21, 2021

      NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THIS ABOUT ME, BUT I’M VERY GOOD AT… maths. I have a gift. A very specific math gift. I’m probably the quickest in the world at adding two double digit numbers together. 34+14=? I’ve got 48 in my head before you have even sta

      1 min read

    • Article

      Oh! What A Circus

      Sep 29, 2022

      Oh! What A Circus
      2 min read

    • Article

      Tales Of A Slumber Party Mom

      Nov 15, 2017

      Tales Of A Slumber Party Mom
      1 min read

    • Article

      Firestarter

      Jun 22, 2023

      Of the many things I’ve done as a parent, showing my child Little Inferno is near the top. Never mind the potential danger of creating a future pyromaniac. Now that she’s seen how much fun I have burning toys, my threats finally have some weight behi

      1 min read

    Reviews for Closer Than You Know

    4/5

    23 ratings6 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Closer Than You Know is the latest stand-alone from author Brad Parks. Last year's Say Nothing was the first time I'd read Parks and it was a book I couldn't put down. I was eager to read this latest - and I couldn't put it down either!As he did in Say Nothing, Parks' premise preys upon a parent's worst fear - their child disappearing.Melanie Barrick goes to pick up her infant son Alex from the childminder, only to be told that Social Services has taken the child. A large amount of cocaine has been found in Melanie's house. Police are on their way to find her - and Alex is gone. Melanie protests her innocence, but at every step of the way, the evidence against her grows - and her chances of ever seeing her son again lessen.Great premise and Parks only builds the tension with every new plot development, ensuring that I stayed up much too late, reading 'just one more chapter.' Parks manipulates the reader with some red herrings, alternate paths and more than one 'whodunit' to choose from along the way to the final pages. There were a few plot points that I thought were perhaps a bit far-fetched, but I didn't think too hard about them - instead I just kept turning pages. And although my suspicions were proven out in the end, I really enjoyed the journey to the final reveal.Closer Than You Know is told from more than one viewpoint. I was drawn to Melanie and her inner thoughts. I did find her a bit calm in situations that I would have been losing it. The background Parks has drawn for her addresses this. The next door neighbor Bobby Ray was also a character I quite liked. Amy, the Assistant DA was a character I initially had high hopes for, but as the story progressed, her tunnel vision frustrated me. But my hands down fave was Melanie's rumpled, unprepossessing lawyer Mr. Honeywell.All in all, Closer Than You Know was a fast paced, entertaining read. Fans of Linwood Barclay and Harlan Coben will enjoy this one. (And this reader will be eagerly awaiting Parks' next book.)
    • 4/5
      As Parks delivered with his excellent Say Nothing, Closer Than You Know is another thriller that keeps you up at night reading at least one more chapter. Compelling characters within a wild story of drugs and mishaps, the reader will leave satisfied and exhilarated.
    • 5/5
      Disaster, Melanie Barrick was once told, is always closer than you know.It was a lesson she learned the hard way growing up in the constant upheaval of foster care. But now that she's survived into adulthood--with a loving husband, a steady job, and a beautiful baby boy named Alex--she thought that turmoil was behind her.Until one Tuesday evening when she goes to pick up Alex from childcare only to discover he's been removed by Social Services. And no one will say why. It's a terrifying scenario for any parent, but doubly so for Melanie, who knows the unintended horrors of what everyone coldly calls "the system." Another great mystery from one of my favorite authors. I have read all of Brad Parks' Carter Ross series and loved them all. Also have read his first standalone, Say Nothing. This is a standalone too and does not disappoint. His books are fast paced with interesting characters. Lots of twists and turns and hard to guess who did it. In the end, the culprit makes sense but a bit of a surprise. I look forward to his next book and I would recommend this novel to those who love psychological thrillers.
    • 5/5
      It has been a while since I have read a Brad Parks novel. Yet, after reading this book I remember why I am a fan of this author's. It is because Mr. Park is a great writer that is all about the character development. No flat characters here. Instantly, I was drawn to both the characters and the story. Melanie and Amy are too good female leads. They are both fighting for something important and this drives them to be stronger. Melanie was very determined. I am glad that she did not give up. Amy showed that she was not only strong but intelligent as well. Together they made a good force. Because I was so invested in these two women, the story was made stronger and I was more into it as a whole.A very fast read. You have to check this book out.
    • 5/5
      I loved the book. So exciting. One of the best books that I have read in a long time.
    • 5/5
      I devoured this book! I can't imagine what I would have done if I had been in Melanie's shoes! There's plenty of twists and turns and open cases to try and figure out. I was suspicious of everyone in Melanie's life several times. I really thought Brad Parks did a good job of writing from a mother's perspective and I look forward to reading more of his books!

      I received this book for free courtesy of First to Read in exchange for my honest review.