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    In the Blood: A Novel
    In the Blood: A Novel
    In the Blood: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    In the Blood: A Novel

    Written by Lisa Unger

    Narrated by Candace Thaxton and Gretchen Mol

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    The New York Times bestselling author and International Thriller Writers “Best Novel” finalist Lisa Unger returns to the dark psychological suspense that made Beautiful Lies a bestseller around the world.

    Lana Granger lives a life of lies. She has told so many lies about where she comes from and who she is that the truth is like a cloudy nightmare she can’t quite recall. About to graduate from college and with her trust fund almost tapped out, she takes a job babysitting a troubled boy named Luke. Expelled from schools all over the country, the manipulative young Luke is accustomed to controlling the people in his life. But, in Lana, he may have met his match. Or has Lana met hers?

    When Lana’s closest friend, Beck, mysteriously disappears, Lana resumes her lying ways—to friends, to the police, to herself. The police have a lot of questions for Lana when the story about her where­abouts the night Beck disappeared doesn’t jibe with eyewitness accounts. Lana will do anything to hide the truth, but it might not be enough to keep her ominous secrets buried: someone else knows about Lana’s lies. And he’s dying to tell.

    Lisa Unger’s writing has been hailed as “sensational” (Publishers Weekly) and “sophisticated” (New York Daily News), with “gripping narrative and evocative, muscular prose” (Associated Press). Masterfully suspenseful, finely crafted, and written with a no-holds-barred raw power, In the Blood is Unger at her best.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateJan 7, 2014
    ISBN9781442361447
    Author

    Lisa Unger

    LISA UNGER, guest editor, is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twenty novels, including her latest, Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six. She has been nominated for or won numerous awards, including the Strand Critics, Audie, Macavity, ITW Thriller, and Goodreads Choice Awards as well as the Hammett Prize. In 2019, she received two Edgar Award nominations, an honor held by only a few authors, including Agatha Christie. Lisa is currently copresident of the International Thriller Writers organization.

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    Reviews for In the Blood

    4/5

    306 ratings47 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Extra creepy and perfect sequel for the hollows. Can't wait for the next book
    • 5/5
      Just blew me away. Love the story and character build. Great end and lots of twists
    • 5/5
      Excellent read! Right until the last Word. A twisted psychological thriller well worth the time It took to listen. The narrator was spot on
    • 5/5
      Love Lisa Unger! This one definitely had me going every different way on "who did it".
    • 2/5
      A psychological thriller. Not my cup of tea.
    • 5/5
      Lisa Unger has done a brilliant job of developing the characters in this story. I found myself feeling strong (and conflicting) emotions about them. I listen to audiobooks, besides reading them, for whenever I'm doing tedious tasks that can be boring without listening to something. This was so riveting that I realized I couldn't split my time between listening to this story and working on my photo editing software, or when working on home construction renos. I could only do the most mundane tasks that required no thought, so that I could concentrate on the story as it unfolded. There were times when I anticipated what the next reveal would be but did not guess the killer(s) and there was still plenty of suspense.
    • 4/5
      Really great book with twists and a study in child psychopaths.
    • 5/5
      Love love love this book. I couldn't stop listening. Must read.
    • 5/5
      Wow! Excellent story, excellent narrators! Great twist! Captivating and suspenseful!
    • 5/5
      A real thriller brings you deeper and deeper into it as you read.
    • 4/5
      Twists n turns keep u guessing. Great narration. Recommend. Enjoy.
    • 5/5
      In the Blood by Lisa Unger is a 2014 Gallery Books publication. Riveting! Gripping! Unputdownable!! Lana has a closet full of secrets- secrets that she tells lies to cover-up- and she’s pretty good at keeping her lies straight and her secrets guarded… Until she takes a job babysitting an eleven-year-old who is too unnervingly clever for his own good. It is quite possible that Lana has finally met her match! At the same time, Lana’s friend, Beck, has disappeared. Because Lana's statements to the police aren't exactly truthful, and because this is not the first time Lana has been closely associated with a missing person, she might be a prime suspect... Again. I really like this author, so I always make to sure to get a copy of her latest releases- then, for some reason, I tend to hoard them. I have no idea why I do that, but as a result, I have found several of her books on my reading list that have been languishing on my Kindle for years. This summer I’m still working through all my various reading lists and Kindle devices, doing a major purge so I can be a more organized reader. Anything by Lisa Unger is obviously going to make the cut, but when I came to this book and had to decide how far up on the list it should go, I noticed it received all kinds of accolades back in 2014. I was so intrigued, I got to work on this one right away!! I know this is only June, and I know this book is seven/eight years old- but it might be one of my favorite reads, in the 'Thriller' category, of the year so far. This is one of those books where the less one says the better. But, if you want a highly unsettling, tightly plotted thriller, with one whale of a twist, this is one you don’t want to miss!!One word of caution though- you might want to clear your schedule before once you start reading this one, because it is impossible to put down! I turned the last page long after midnight… well past my bedtime- a very rare occurrence for me. 5 stars
    • 4/5
      I rarely enjoy a book featuring an unreliable narrator but this was actually really good. Layna was not always likable but was definitely a character that inspired the reader to be empathetic. The exploration of nature vs nurture regarding what creates a psychopath was an interesting bonus to the dark and twisty story. It was a good read, I definitely recommend it and I'll be checking out more of Lisa Unger's books.
    • 4/5
      Everyone in this book has dark secrets, which are slowly disclosed. The main character, Lana, is an extremely bright college senior when she applies for a babysitting job for a single mother raising an 11-year old boy. The mother's unsettling background is revealed in journal entries where the child's increasingly disturbing actions begin to dominate the pages. Meanwhile, Lana's roommate, has disappeared under mysterious circumstances that may implicate Lana. Lana's father attempts to contact her from death row, adding another layer to Lana's background. Lisa Unger has done a masterful job of revealing just enough to keep readers guessing until the very end of this suspenseful novel.
    • 5/5
      In this book we meet university student, Lana Granger, who seems to be working hard to put her traumatic past behind her. Her father is in prison, convicted of killing her mother. Lana remembers some of the details of that night but knows that she's blocked out others. At her counselor's suggestion she takes on a part time job looking after Luke, a local boy with some behavioral issues who has been expelled from several schools. From the beginning of the book, we know Lana is lying about things. She even admits it numerous times throughout her narrative. When her best friend, Beck, disappears she lies about everything connected with the events leading up to the disappearance. Despite the evidence pointing at Lana's direction, I was sympathetic towards Lana. At this point I was desperate to believe she was not involved. Interspersed with Lana's story are diary entries from an unknown woman that add extra layers to this incredible psychological thriller. This book was cleverly written and the author kept up the suspense by slowly revealing clues along the way. I listened to the audio narrated by Gretchen Mol and Candace Thaxton and it is one of the best audios I've ever experienced. It's an adrenaline filled story which never lets up. I never wanted it to end, even though I wanted to know how it ended. It's too early in the year to predict what my favorite books will be, but I can't imagine this won't be among them.
    • 4/5
      Young woman with a tough past takes a job as a part time nanny to a boy with many of her same characteristics. They and their families share many secrets. Listened coming and going to Biloxi. Nicely read by two women.
    • 4/5
      There appears to be two separate stories going on simultaneously which made it a little difficult to follow. The ending however, was not what I expected at all. I did enjoy it once I got into it.
    • 5/5
      This book had just the right mixture of reality and spookiness to draw me in right away. The seemingly unconnected strands of the plot are each individually interesting enough to keep the reader turning the pages, and everything comes together at the end, even if some of it feels a tad far fetched. I guessed the twist from an early stage - I've read another book that uses almost the exact same plot device, and I wasn't fooled! But it was a good twist nonetheless.
    • 2/5
      The twist was far too obvious for me to be really engaging, but I'm sure some people will be surprised.
    • 5/5
      College senior Lana Granger has constructed her future by lying about her past. Shortly after she begins babysitting a manipulative eleven-year-old boy, her best friend Beck mysteriously disappears. Eyewitnesses say Lana was the last person to see Beck. She finds herself telling more lies - to the police, to friends, to herself. She's trying to keep things together especially now that she knows there's someone out there who's trying hard to expose her secrets.

      This was good! It was a page-turner with lots of suspense and twists and turns. I really appreciate the creativity that went into this book. I enjoyed uncovering all of Lana's secrets and learning why she wanted so desperately to bury her past.
    • 4/5
      If, like me, you read a lot of these things, it’s clear Unger doesn’t do anything terribly original in her books, but damn do they suck me in. I hope this is deliberate on her part; to give us a taste of something we already like and combine that with clear writing and clues that keep a reader feeling smart. I don’t know how to feel about that part. Should I enjoy it or feel manipulated? I guess that’s a thriller writer’s job. Whether by my smarts or her design, I had the whole plot figured out by the end. It was a tangled web and one made more snarled by lies and deliberate omissions. There is enough to put it together though - the unidentified diarist is Lana’s mother which means that she is disguised as a girl or is trans. Then after a bit it becomes clear that Lana’s dad is also Luke’s dad and that Rachel was the woman he was having an affair with long ago (at the time Lana’s mother is killed and her father convicted of the crime). So they’re ½ brothers. The remaining question is who is helping Luke? A kid like that is supervised nearly all the time and so the only real suspect is Langdon. We’re left to wonder why and that does come out of left field a bit.As in We Need to Talk About Kevin, the heart of the story goes to whether monsters are made or born. Unger seems to take the born side of the argument and plants a psychotic family tree for which the boys to fruit from. She makes Lana/Lane a bit more sympathetic since he eventually straightens out and stops being a monster. He’s damaged and knows it. Luke on the other hand revels in his ability to hurt and manipulate and get away with it (the collusion with Langdon was extra tangled and creepy; who was manipulating who?). With Rachel in the picture as Lana/Lane’s mom’s real killer, it seems to seal his fate and I had zero sympathy with Luke. I had more for Lana/Lane although the diary was a bit hard to read. Made me glad once again that I am child free. And I did like the checkmate at the end. It’s nice to get some reader satisfaction now and again.
    • 5/5
      In the Blood by Lisa Unger5 StarsFrom The Book:Liar, liar, pants on fire . . . College senior Lana Granger has told so many lies about her past that the truth seems like a distant, cloudy nightmare. But she meets her match when she begins babysitting for a volatile, manipulative eleven-year-old boy. Soon after Lana takes the job, her close friend Beck mysteriously disappears. Lana instantly begins fabricating stories - to friends, to police, to herself. Why doesn't her account jibe with those of eye-witnesses? Lana will do anything to bury the truth about that night ... and about her life. But someone else knows her secrets. And he's dying to tell.My Thoughts:You won't get very far into the book before you know that you have a winner in your hands and you might as well prepare for late, late nights of reading. Well we all have to make sacrifices you know:) This author is a master at creating psychologically damaged characters....and Lana is no exception. Narrated from Lana's perspective... we soon learn that she is seen as a compulsive liar. By her own descriptions of events it soon becomes clear that she can give "mentally unstable" a completely new meaning... and It doesn't stop there. Many of the other characters fall into the "unstable" category. Luke is eleven years old and is way beyond his age with the knowledge he would be expected to have... and his behavior is so off the wall that he has been asked to leave almost every school he has attended. If two aren't enough for you we have Professor Langdon Hewes. He comes across at first as kind and caring but before long the hairs on the back of your neck let you know that all is not as it seems. Even the missing girl is manipulative and abrasive. It's a book that will remain with you long after the last page is read and these psychopaths are once again safely enclosed between the covers of the book.
    • 5/5
      In the Blood by Lisa Unger is a complex, suspenseful psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the end: Very Highly Recommended.

      Lana Granger is a gifted student who is a senior in childhood psychology at Sacred Heart College in The Hollows of upstate New York. Lana herself intimates right at the beginning that there are secrets about her that no one knows and she plans to keep her secrets. We soon learn that her mother is dead and her father is on death row for the murder. We know that she was a troubled child. But it appears that Lana is doing well now if she can just keep walking the tightrope of lies she has told.

      Lana's psychology professor and mentor, Langdon Hewes, encourages her to apply for a babysitting job. It all seems innocent enough. Rachel Kahn needs someone to babysitting her volatile, gifted, emotionally disturbed 11-year-old son, Luke. Luke attends a nearby school for disturbed children during the day but his mother just needs a little help with him before she gets home from work. Lana and Luke immediately feel an unspoken bond with each other. While Lana's troubles are being resolved with therapy and medication, Luke seems to be much more out of control and beyond the reach of help than Lana was at his age.

      When Lana's roommate, Becky, is reported as missing she is the second girl that Lana has known at college who has disappeared. As the investigation to find Becky picks up speed, Luke is playing a strange game with Lana that is taking a strange turn.

      The narrative switches back and forth between two stories. The main story which is the bulk of the plot is that of Lana. The alternate narrative is in the form of diary entries by an unnamed mother with a very troubled son. Unger does a magnificent job pacing the plot. Both narratives slowly reveal more facts and troubling information, which slowly allows the reader more enlightenment to discern what may really be going on. But be forewarned: There is a brilliant twist to the plot.

      The writing was simply excellent. I loved the alternating stories between Lana's problems and the diary entries. I liked the character of Lana even when I didn't like her and knew she was hiding something. She admitted she was a liar and had secrets right at the beginning. I was impressed with In the Blood right to the ending where it took a completely unexpected turn.

      Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Touchstone via Netgalley for review purposes

    • 5/5
      Lana has a past that doesn't want to be discovered. When she takes a job babysiting and her friend Beck disappears, a twisted game of treasure hunt is unravelling pieces of her past and is connected to the disappearance of her friend.

      Twisted, suspensful. Thsi book keeps you guessing every chapter!
    • 3/5
      I was really in the mood for a good book when I began "In the Blood."The complex story tells of Lana Granger, a college student who has a limited trust fund. The manager of the trust advises her to get a job to supplement the trust income, something easy to do while she continues her studies. She sees a notice about a babysitting job and accepts the position.Luke is the boy Lana will be taking care of. He's age eleven and has a troubled past. He's been expelled from numerous schools and is a demanding and controlling boy.Lana's own life has been a nightmare. There is a major memory of her mother's death and now her college roommate, Beck, disappears. Beck (short for Rebecca) is also Lana's best friend.The reader learns that Lana is a habitual liar so it's difficult to know when to believe her. There are questions about Beck's disappearance and that of another girl a few years before. Lana's reaction to these incidents don't seem to make her very upset. She comes across as a self centered and selfish woman. She is also hard to like.However, as the reader learns more about her past, feelings change. There are some surprises to the story and one of them had me wondering how it could be possible.Luke, although only eleven, seems to make Lana do his bidding and I found this unlikely.Overall, not many likable characters. The story does move fast but I wish there was more to it.
    • 5/5
      This story is full of surprises. Nothing is as it seems to be. The main character, Lana, isn't really a Lana, and that is what drives the entire book. It gave up its' secrets slowly, and that is what kept me reading.
    • 1/5
      It started interesting and the trip was interesting for a while. Then the story started to sputtered, and cough, and choke, and my patience drove me to skimming. Next I am just skipping whole paragraphs in an attempt to get to the reveal before my journey falls dead at my feet. At the time I could not quite put my finger on why this was happening. In retrospect, I think this was partly due to the ping pong game between past and present. Another thing was the first person narrative: we are shown she has so much to hide and she cannot reveal any of it to any other characters or the reader, or maybe she should, no not yet, but what about now, yes sure, oh wait no not yet...see what I mean. Another sputter on the way to choking was the diary; I knew it was going to play some important role as a reveal device to the reader, but I did not like the way it was written. Really bogged down the pace, like walking toward a mountain: you never seem to get closer. The diary is a perfect example of what I mean about too much past/present bouncing. I kept waiting for the diary to catch up to more current events. That journey was taking way too long; I started skipping whole chapters. Finally, I just went to the back of the book for the reveal. Eh.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book. I kind of figured things out early on but I loved seeing it turn out the way I thought it would. Certainly a great read.
    • 4/5
      Effective psychological thriller with interesting characters.
    • 5/5
      A compelling, dark psychological thriller, In the Blood is told through college student Lana’s first-person narrative. Lana is a girl with a troubled past. Her father was convicted of murder – she barely remembers her parents and what happened the horrible night her mother died. With secrets of her own and a desire to get a fresh start in a place where no one knows her past, she is likely an unreliable narrator. When Luke, the child she babysits begins to act like a psychopath and her roommate disappears, the action accelerates.This fast-paced, well-plotted novel never slows down and keeps the reader guessing straight through to the riveting conclusion and a series twists – one that I almost didn’t see coming.Audio production:The book is co-narrated by Gretchen Mol and Candace Thaxton who expertly bring the story to life, keeping the pace moving and the tension high.