IN Defiance

An Ivy Nash Thriller, Book 1

By: John W. Mefford

Narrated by: Julia Farmer

Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Ivy fights to save a tortured soul. But who's the one with the twisted secrets?

As a CPS agent, Ivy has seen the horrors. But no one knows what she survived.

Will it come back to haunt her?

A hostage crisis turns deadly, leaving scars that might never heal. Authorities want the murder to disappear. But Ivy declares war on the system—she'll do anything to protect this child.

She needs facts. She needs answers.

In a world of corruption, abuse, and pure evil, can Ivy get to the truth before a family implodes?

Out of nowhere, childhood secrets erupt into the present. And Ivy's in the fight for her life.

Twisted characters, mind-bending twists, and a woman who won’t stop fighting the demons. Perfect for fans of Harlan Coben, Karin Slaughter, T.R. Ragan, Rachel Abbott, Jeff Menapace, Ania Ahlborn, Jo Nesbo, Lisa Jewell, and Tana French.

©2016 John W. Mefford (P)2017 John W. Mefford

Awesome!!

Thank you John!! Being able to listen to this amazing story with all the amazing nuances and inflections was a god send. I picked up insights that I missed in my own reading of IN Defiance. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this incredibly fast paced and incredible story. Ivy Nash is an amazingly relatable character. She is flawed but amazing. Strong and tough but soft and vulnerable. Ivy is the voice for all of those unfortunate souls that have no voice!! Wohoo to Stan her awesome sidekick and I think Christina is going to play a bigger role in Ivy's life going forward. This is a must read read read!!

John Mefford hits it out of the park

If you could sum up IN Defiance in three words, what would they be?

Wow. Just WOW!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ivy Nash. She is a strong female lead, with a very intriguing back story. The way the author portrays her, you feel quite strongly abut her moral character, and sympathy for her life in the foster family world.

Any additional comments?

I expect a great story whenever I read one of John Mefford’s novels. I am absolutely gobsmacked by his latest, IN Defiance. Listening to it makes it even more realistic.

Following his tales of a strong, intriguing female character (Alex Troutt in his AT series), he introduces a phenomenal protagonist in Ivy Nash. John not only nailed this character, I think it may very well be his best work yet! I cannot wait for the next Ivy Nash book. Buy this book right now. You will not regret it.

First in the Ivy Nash series

IN Defiance is an outstanding modern detective suspense mystery set in San Antonio, Texas. Narration is equally good.

Wonderful start of new Series !!

 I love the hard-edged, no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners style that Mefford's fans have come to love from his very much twenty-first century thrillers.
As usual, you won’t find any spoilers here, but Ivy Nash series book one is a tale that will grab the reader from its explosive beginning and not let them go again until the bad guys get the point.
Writing a series, especially one as varied and intense as the Ivy Nash books, is a challenge which author John W. Mefford seems to pull off with admirable aplomb, yet in this novel, he marries a truly telling tale told with Forsyth’s depth and understanding of event planning with all the action and excitement any fan of Andy McNab could ever wish for in their wildest dreams. This series just keeps getting better and better.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

If you like The Fixer & Shaye Archer GET THIS!!

This book begins with a young Ivy Nash living in an abusive foster home. Her foster father is a former police officer and she knows when push comes to shove, the police are going to believe him, not her.
Skip ahead a few years and she's now an investigator for child protective services.
A wealthy family takes in a 10 year old foster child and through a series of circumstances he gets blamed for the murder of their son. Ivy doesn't believe he did it. In the meanwhile she loses her job, meets a smart street kid and unravels a heartbreaking story of child abuse.
This is such a good book, I started listening and didn't stop until the book ended. The story involves child abuse, sexual abuse, drugs and everyone from the wealthy to the homeless. The story is believable. The characters are likable and the cliffhanger ending left me wanting more.
Julia Farmer does an outstanding job narrating.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!
If you found this review helpful please indicate so.
Thank You.

A Thriller? I think not!!!

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Nothing.

Has IN Defiance turned you off from other books in this genre?

No - just this author.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Julia Farmer?

No idea.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

None what-so-ever !

Any additional comments?

The book should have had a drawing of Fabio on the cover. I gave up on "In Defiance" when the heroine of the story starts describing her love interest's "package" to her gynecologist.