• Close to Home

  • By: Lisa Jackson
  • Narrated by: Joyce Bean
  • Length: 15 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (2,426 ratings)

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Close to Home  By  cover art

Close to Home

By: Lisa Jackson
Narrated by: Joyce Bean
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Publisher's summary

From number-one New York Times best-selling author Lisa Jackson comes an atmospheric and riveting novel of suspense that uncovers the horrifying secrets buried within a ramshackle house....

Vowing to make a fresh start, Sarah McAdams has come home to renovate the old Victorian mansion where she grew up. Her daughters, Jade and Gracie, aren’t impressed by the rundown property on the shores of Oregon’s wild Columbia River. As soon as they pull up the isolated drive, Sarah, too, is beset by uneasy memories - of her cold, distant mother, of the half-sister who vanished without a trace, and of a long-ago night when Sarah was found on the widow’s walk, feverish and delirious.

Ever since the original mistress of the house plunged to her death almost a century ago, there have been rumors that the place is haunted. As a girl, Sarah sensed a presence there, and soon Gracie claims to see a lady in white running up the stairs. Still, Sarah has little time to dwell on ghost stories, between overseeing construction and dealing with the return of a man from her past.

But there’s a new, more urgent menace in the small town. One by one, teenage girls are disappearing. Frantic for her daughters’ safety, Sarah feels her veneer cracking and the house’s walls closing in on her again. Somewhere deep in her memory is the key to a very real and terrifying danger. And only by confronting her worst fears can she stop the nightmare roaring back to life once more....

©2014 Lisa Jackson LLC (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

What listeners say about Close to Home

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Really didn't want to finish it.

What disappointed you about Close to Home?

The story was dry. The characters are NOT likable. The narrator is horrible!!!

Has Close to Home turned you off from other books in this genre?

No!

What didn’t you like about Joyce Bean’s performance?

Her falsetto voice~baritone voice both unbelievable and forced. She sounded whiney and flat.

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Close to Home

Any additional comments?

Just under sixteen hours of listening, read by Joyce Bean. Joyce Bean does a good job, voices unique, good tempo and timing, a nice audio production.

I suppose one would have to say this story evoked emotion, which in a way, is a good thing. However, the emotion for me was one of aggravation. The character of Jade was one of an angst ridden, obnoxious, insulting, rotten brat. She is obsessed with no one but herself, which is typical rebellious teenaged behavior, but for me it was over-the-top and annoying, If I had spoken to my mother the way Jade speaks to Sarah, I’d have been picking up my teeth. I was hoping the author would kill her off ….

The story is a bit formulaic. Sarah moves her two girls to a the back-water town of her youth, to restore the homestead. Sarah’s childhood was abusive and secrets from her past filter through to the book climax and will ultimately involve her children. An old high-school flame is rekindled, a requisite part of this type of story. It’s the tale of a dysfunctional family with a few ghosts thrown in for good measure. I think this author might be a fan of Nora Roberts, as the entire story arc has that type of vibe.

If you can take teenaged angst, go for it … I had no trouble finishing the story. The ending is a twist.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great mystery, great narration by Joyce Bean

Loved the story, kept me guessing til the end. Joyce Bean does a good job of narrating the story, making the characters real.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

good story

First time author, genre: romance thriller. Sometimes when a book is labeled a romance novel you get a lot of hot, heavy sex but not in this one and I enjoyed that. There was some good romance but it didn't get down and dirty although it seemed at times that it might. There were several good story threads in this novel; haunted houses, kidnapping, human trafficing, warped family histories, there was a lot going on. And, there was some good suspense. I'll have to check the author out for other books.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

great listen

started off a little bit slow but after awhile I couldn't stop listening to it.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Creepy Mystery-Thriller Psychodrama

What made the experience of listening to Close to Home the most enjoyable?

The mystery hung together well and everything made sense in the end. Although it was a little too creepy for me, there was the satisfaction that the puzzle ultimately made sense.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Close to Home?

There was a satisfying love story that was a great counterbalance to the creepy, scary parts of the story.

Have you listened to any of Joyce Bean’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Joyce Bean was a great reader and did a wonderful job with different voices, both male and female.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Would be a spoiler to say.

Any additional comments?

"Close to Home" was a lame title and did not give enough of a hint of what the story was about. I was not prepared for it to be as creepy as it was.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

sick, disguisting content, not so good narrator

I refuse to listen to a book that describes in sick detail the sexual abuse and rape of minors.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Sub-par

The writing of this story is sub-par; overly-expository, unnecessarily winding and disconnected. It's an interesting enough story to keep one's attention, if only because the listener wants it all to come to some sort of finish. The narration was also sub-par. Joyce Bean has never struck me as a compelling reader and this was no exception. Her vocal differentiation is inconsistent to the point of confusion at times.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

If you buy this book you are a moron

Would you try another book from Lisa Jackson and/or Joyce Bean?

Absolutely not. This was one of the worst books I've ever listened to.

What could Lisa Jackson have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I don't think this book is redeemable.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Joyce Bean?

Someone who didn't whine or try to do a husky male.

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

None.

Any additional comments?

At first, I thought this was a young adult ghost story and I wondered what possessed me to buy it. Then it became an annoying tale of an unlikable, very dysfunctional family. There is only one murder that happens in the time-frame of the book and no one seems to care. I am embarrassed to admit that I listened to the whole thing. Trust me, nothing happens to make it worthwhile. If you buy this moronic book, don't say I didn't warn you.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

enjoyable

I really enjoyed this book. Touch of the paranormal, murder, mystery and a little romance. What more do you need!?

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5 people found this helpful