• Invisible City

  • By: Julia Dahl
  • Narrated by: Andi Arndt
  • Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (221 ratings)

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Invisible City  By  cover art

Invisible City

By: Julia Dahl
Narrated by: Andi Arndt
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Publisher's summary

A finalist for the Edgar and Mary Higgins Clark Awards, in her riveting debut Invisible City, journalist Julia Dahl introduces a compelling new character in search of the truth about a murder and an understanding of her own heritage.

Just months after Rebekah Roberts was born, her mother, an Hasidic Jew from Brooklyn, abandoned her Christian boyfriend and newborn baby to return to her religion. Neither Rebekah nor her father have heard from her since. Now a recent college graduate, Rebekah has moved to New York City to follow her dream of becoming a big-city reporter. But she's also drawn to the idea of being closer to her mother, who might still be living in the Hasidic community in Brooklyn.

Then Rebekah is called to cover the story of a murdered Hasidic woman. Rebekah's shocked to learn that, because of the NYPD's habit of kowtowing to the powerful ultra-Orthodox community, not only will the woman be buried without an autopsy, her killer may get away with murder. Rebekah can't let the story end there. But getting to the truth won't be easy—even as she immerses herself in the cloistered world where her mother grew up, it's clear that she's not welcome, and everyone she meets has a secret to keep from an outsider.

©2014 Julia Dahl (P)2014 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Andi Arndt does an excellent job narrating. She captures Rebekah's mood changers, her loneliness, and her youthful enthusiasm for her job.” —Library Journal

“[An] impressive debut…Dahl's convincing dialogue and perfect pacing make for a real page-turner. And her storytelling skills illuminate the intriguing worlds of the tabloid press, Hasidism, the NYPD, and Brooklyn's 20-somethings--as well as the fragile boundaries of family, religion, and life itself.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“An absolutely crackling, unputdownable mystery told by a narrator with one big, booming voice. I loved it.” —GILLIAN FLYNN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl

What listeners say about Invisible City

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

YA book in disguise

Full disclosure, I quit listening about a third of the way into the book. I wanted to hear the story, to get caught up in the suspense, to understand a culture I am unfamiliar with. For me, the book reads like a YA novel to which someone added sex, booze and a generous dose of the f-word. The protagonist comes across as shallow and immature and the other characters were one dimensional. It didn't feel authentic to New York and I was curious if it was because Rebekah was new to the city, but I didn't read far enough to find out.
Obviously, you should read other reviews. But if this book was recommended to you because you have enjoyed other thrillers or mysteries or if you were lured in by the Gillian Flynn quote on the front, this might not be what you are looking for.
I am more thankful than ever that Audible has a great return policy.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Thrilling and informative...

I thought this was a very good book, informative as well as a good mystery.
The publisher's summary sets up the story very well. That of a woman (Rebekah Roberts) technically Jewish by birth (Jewish mother) but raised in a Christian family. The other of a murdered Hasidic woman. Wealthy husband with quite a bit of pull in the community and in the police department where the Jewish vote for elected officials can either make or break an election. The woman's body is never even autopsied because the husband is against it. Her eight month old daughter dies mysteriously the previous year, ditto no autopsy.
Rebekah's mother was Hasidic but left when she was six months old. She has no clue how difficult it will be to get the people in this cloistered community to speak with her.
Shocking ending!
Andi Arndt does an excellent job narrating.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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12 people found this helpful

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

Can't figure the great reviews

I can't figure out why this book was so well reviewed. The characters were not presented in an engaging way...basically, I felt little connection to any of them, ecspecially the main character. Reading this book, I probably would have taken little notice of the CONSTANT use of the "f-word" and I get it loud and clear that the NYC world of cops and news reporters is not for the faint of heart, but actually hearing it again and again and again got to be grating and gratuitous. Hasidic Jewish men come off as being like Mafioso. So I thought the idea was interesting, but the story itself was meandering and mediocre at best. I would not recommend this one.

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9 people found this helpful

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

great!

heard about this on npr and after hearing the premise I knew I would love it. the storytelling was great and my husband and I both got so wrapped up in the story we couldn't stop listening.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this story!

I loved the way this story twisted and turned - I was totally taken by surprise! Will definitely buy the next in the series!

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6 people found this helpful

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

Learned something new

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I like books that combine a good story and learning about culture. The story was good and it made me think

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character -

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4 people found this helpful

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

It was an Interesting Idea

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Depends. The idea of the book was great. The Orthodox Jews live in a world apart from the modern world & the idea of peeking in was very intriguing. But the book doesn't really develop that look into the closed community. It's all about a woman abandoned by a mother from that world instead.

Could you see Invisible City being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I can see it being made into a two hour special. There's just not enough story to develop it into a series.

Any additional comments?

Not a bad read, just a rather ordinary read. Good idea but not developed enough & not enough of a look into the Hidden World.

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3 people found this helpful

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

Mildly entertaining

OK for a quick listen. The most interesting part of the story were the discriptions of a journalist on the trail of a story. The mystery itself was not so compelling. Good narration.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good Story

i enjoined this story. Look forward to reading or listening to the next in the series.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

Invisible City is a great, intriguing read about a novice reporter investigating the murder of a woman from a community who her mother deserted her for a a baby, 20 years prior. Part murder-mystery and part family drama, this book does not disappoint!

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