Addictive domestic thrillers with twist-filled plots and unreliable narrators are increasingly popular. Add in assumptions that should not be assumed, shape-shifting, surprising characters and a complex chronology, and you have a hint of what you'll find in The Wife Between Us. Written by duo Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen and set in the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, the story at first seems to involve a classic love triangle. We have Vanessa, the first wife, who appears to be stalking Nellie, a lovely, young, unsophisticated preschool teacher. Nellie has fallen head over heels in love with Vanessa's ex-husband, 30-something Richard—a handsome, super-successful hedge fund manager. Is Richard really the quintessential Prince Charming of every girl's dreams? Has the divorce unhinged Vanessa and driven her to look for revenge? Or might Vanessa be trying to save Nellie from falling into Richard's not-so-princelike clutches? All will be made clear, or perhaps not, as you listen to Julia Whelan's tautly paced performance.

ANALYZING GOD'S HUMANITY
The very title of Reza Aslan's latest book, God: A Human History (Random House Audio, 5.5 hours), lets you know that it takes on the challenge of a serious and academic subject loaded with emotional minefields. Aslan has made the study of religion his life's work. Though his scholarship is thorough and wide-ranging—covering anthropology, philosophy, cognitive theory, biblical studies and more—he writes and narrates his work with verve and personal commitment that make his ideas accessible and compelling. Going back to prehistory, Aslan looks at the earliest depictions of a deity and follows the evolution of religion. He presents a fascinating explanation for why we humans have fashioned God in our own image. In fact, he thinks this "compulsion" is hardwired in our brains. Aslan does not attempt to prove the existence or nonexistence of God, but he does believe that foisting the human condition on the divine brings consequences that keep us from "a more mature, more peaceful, more primal form of spirituality." It's guaranteed to make you think.

TOP PICK IN AUDIO
Spy novel aficionados are likely familiar with the CIA, MI6, Soviet and post-Soviet spies, and other parts of the worldwide intelligence community. But what do we know about the inner workings of China's espionage establishment? Listen to David Ignatius' The Quantum Spy, deftly narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, and you'll get a good handle on it as the action moves from D.C. and Seattle to Singapore and Beijing. Moreover, you'll be clued into the United States and China's ongoing race to be the first to build an incomprehensibly fast and powerful quantum computer. Ignatius' engaging thriller follows the CIA's efforts to catch a longtime mole while also trying to ward off Chinese attempts to steal American cyber secrets and foil a plan to turn an Iraq War-hardened, Chinese-American veteran into a double agent. Ignatius cleverly reveals the clandestine world of the CIA and offers insight into current political realities in the world's most populous nation.

 

This article was originally published in the January 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Nellie is about to marry her dream guy, the one who makes her feel safe and will give her the life she always imagined. There's only one problem—his crazy ex-wife Vanessa, who can't seem let go of the past. With Vanessa's borderline stalking behavior, Nellie and her fiancé find themselves in an unwelcome love triangle. But is it really that easy? Is Vanessa simply the older, rejected, and replaced first wife who is unstable? Hendricks and Pekkanen have crafted a domestic thriller in the style of Gone Girl, which keeps the reader intrigued and guessing. Some of the twists are quite clever, even gasp-producing, and expose the depth of the characters, particularly Vanessa. Narrator Julia Whelan does a good job with this increasingly emotional narrative, focusing on telling a complicated tale that alternates among protagonists and various time spans while keeping the voices clear and distinct. VERDICT Despite a few unnecessary twists that leave listeners wanting, overall this is a suspenseful and worthwhile work that adds to the genre of psychological thrillers. Readers who enjoy BA Paris and Gillian Flynn will enjoy this title. ["Readers…will love the skewed psychology and shifting perspectives of this domestic thriller": LJ 10/15/17 starred review of the St. Martin's hc.]—Nicole A. Cooke, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Voice actor Whelan rises to the challenge of narrating this psychological thriller by Pekkanen and Hendricks, which is told from the perspective an unreliable narrator named Vanessa Thompson. She appears to be a scorned woman with an alcohol problem and a disturbing fixation on the younger woman who is engaged to her ex-husband. Even though by now there have been enough novels with unreliable narrators to reduce the element of surprise, the authors use plenty of literary trickery to provide at least three genuine jaw-droppers. Since one of them is more easily hidden on the page than in audio format, reader Whelan is faced with the problem of keeping the secret while playing fair vocally, a task she carries off so subtly it's unnoticeable until the big reveal. She provides the proper voices for Vanessa, the hot mess of an ex-wife, the about-to-be-wed buoyant Manhattan preschool teacher Nellie, and the man in their lives, Richard, a hedge fund manager who sounds a little rigid. It's worth noting that, after twisting its plot to the breaking point, this ultra-deceptive novel ends with the advice that "the truth is the only way to move forward." However, Whelan's proven ability to coyly project deceit leaves listeners with no guarantee. A St. Martin's hardcover. (Jan.)