TITLE/AUTHOR: Six Weeks to Live; Catherine McKenzie
PUBLISHER: Atria and SImon & Schuster Audio
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021
GENRE: Fiction / Thriller
FORMAT: audio LENGTH: 9 hours and 9 min.
SOURCE: Simon & Schuster download
SETTING(s): Canada
ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY: A thriller that kept me curious to the very end.
BRIEF REVIEW: Jennifer Barnes is a 48 year old mother of adult triplet daughters, and grandmother to twin grandsons. After she visits her doctor for persistent migraines, she's shocked to learn she has brain cancer and possibly has just "six weeks to live." How can be? Even more puzzling is that a blood test shows very high lead levels in her system which didn't just happen overnight leading her to believe that she has been exposed or even deliberately poisoned over a period of time. She's determined to spend the time she has left to try to find out who may have wanted her out of the picture.
There's Jake her soon to be ex-husband whose new girlfriend is basically the same age as their daughters and, Jennifer has not been making the divorce process easy for him. Then the triplet daughters: Aline and Miranda are identical and Emily is the third triplet, who add suspicion. As Jennifer's desperation grows the daughters often seem pitted against one another, we learn some back stories and soon everyone seems to be a suspect.
Not only do we get Jennifer's POV, we also get each of the daughters POV as well which adds an interesting dynamic to the story. Flawed , dishonest characters, unreliable narrators, people with trust issues and more kept me engaged. I wondered whether Jennifer's brain cancer was even making her delusional at times. All of the above added to the intrigued of this domestic thriller and, although it wasn't perfect, I enjoyed the audio narration with a great cast of four distinct narrators.
Thanks go to Simon & Schuster for allowing me to download this audio at no cost in exchange for my unbiased review.
RATING: 4/5
This sounds thrilling; I cannot imagine daughters wanting to kill their mother. I have a problem with unreliable narrators but... I like to find new books by Canadian authors and / or set in Canada. So I may seek out this book or one of her earlier books.
ReplyDeleteTracy, I know the author is from Canada and I don't specifically recall a specific setting. I do enjoy an unreliable narrator in these kinds of stories.
DeleteThis sounds like a lot is going on in this thriller!
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot to process Helen.
DeleteI've read a few of her books and enjoyed them all so I'm definitely adding this to my wishlist.
ReplyDeleteI think I've read something else by this author but can't recall off hand.
DeleteI've enjoyed a couple of McKenzie's books and this one sounds just as suspenseful and untrustworthy!
ReplyDeleteExactly! Good assessment!
DeleteI do like the sounds of this one!
ReplyDeleteDifferent - what a way to spend your last weeks.
DeleteGood to know the audio worked. Sometimes with so many POVs that's not the case. I'll put it on my wish list!
ReplyDeleteNo the audio worked out but, I was hesitant as sometimes MPOVs are problematic in audio.
DeleteI've heard a lot about this one recently. It has garnered quite a lot of positive reviews, not unlike yours.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've been seeing lots of hype and reviews over this one as well. I had planned to read/listen even before though.
DeleteI love the idea of someone having enough "quality time" left to look for their own murderer. That could be interesting, for sure...a detective with nothing to lose can be as ruthless as they want to be.
ReplyDeleteGood Point Sam! Yes, I can't imagine having the energy to spend my last weeks doing what she did but, would hope someone might get to the bottom of it on my behalf.
DeleteWow. Seems like a page turner. I can't even imagine being in a position like this AND feeling the need to find who is doing this to you.
ReplyDeleteI think the print might be better even as there is quite a bit going on.
ReplyDeleteI'm listening more and more as well - about 50/50.
ReplyDeleteI know seriously, I would hope I'd have an advocate to get to the bottom of it though.
ReplyDeleteYikes! That's a lot to take in. When I first started reading I thought, 'Oh, I'll have to recommend to my friend Amy" who is the same age with triplets that just graduated. I'm not sure after reading all the way to the end, lol.
ReplyDelete