The Comfort of Black

By: Carter Wilson

Narrated by: Rebecca Roberts

Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Though they seem to have everything, Hannah Parks has watched her husband, Dallin, become increasingly distant. Her hope is buoyed when the couple decides to start a family, but what Dallin reveals in his sleep one night rocks Hannah to her core. As she starts to investigate a much darker side of Dallin than she ever knew existed, Hannah peels away the layers of a diseased relationship closely tied to her own abusive past.

When Dallin attempts to have Hannah abducted, she is forced to run, doing so with the aid of a man named Black - an ex-con and expert at helping people disappear. Together they must keep Hannah safe from her husband's far-reaching grasp, all the while trying to solve the mystery behind Dallin's sudden violence. Does Hannah's dark family history hold the key to her survival?

©2015 Carter Wilson (P)2015 Cherry Hill Publishing, LLC

Critic reviews

"Gritty, unflinching, and sometimes violent, this thriller is reminiscent of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl and the television series The Equalizer. The characters are intriguing and the writing deliciously descriptive. Adrenaline junkies and fans of darker crime fiction will take to this book, which is compelling and exciting enough to be read in one sitting." ( Library Journal)

"Outstanding paranoid thriller." ( Publishers Weekly)

"In addition to its rollicking pace and complex characters, the book's turns of phrase and evocative imagery make it enjoyable. 'Hannah's premarital fling is a romance that lasted not much longer than the flowers.' A promontory is described as 'a snake of land'. Hannah thinks of the color black: 'She could hide in [it]. Wrap it around her.' Thriller aficionados, especially women, will wrap themselves in this novel's pages with gusto." ( ForeWord Reviews)

keeps you guessing until the very end

This book is about, Hannah, a woman whose life is turned upside down when she finds out that her husband, Dallin, isn't the man she thought he was. After confronting him things go downhill quickly for Hannah. She is framed for embezzlement and someone from Dallin's company comes after her for damage control. After they attempt to abduct her, she is rescued and forced to go on the run with a man named Black. Black's job is to help people disappear. Dallin isn't willing to to give up looking for Hannah so easily. As the danger and lies continue to spiral out of control. Hannah must keep running with Black while trying to figure out which parts of her life are real.
Hannah was a strong female heroine. She didn't fall apart under all the stress and pressure. She wanted answers. Sometimes it was a bit hard for her to let go of the past but she was doing what any person in her situation would.
I didn't like Dallin at all. He was manipulative and spineless. He loved Hannah at first but then his world fell apart quicker than he could handle and she didn't matter.
Black was dark, broody and had a sexy edge to him. He was full of secrets and each time Hannah let her guard down and thought she could trust him she found more secrets.
This book was an intense rollercoaster ride. Each time I thought I knew what was going to happen I was wrong. Usually I'm one step ahead of the main character when reading psychological thrillers but I was just as shocked as Hannah when things would happen.
The narrator did a really great job portraying each of the characters. You could feel the fear and anxiety coming off of Hannah. Black had a distant, confidence about him. I think that Hannah's father was portrayed the best though. He was so cruel and full of hate. It was particularly well done being that the narrator was a woman. The narrator also did a good job at keeping up the pace and suspense. I couldn't stop listening.

I was given an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Good Book and Great Narrator

I almost didn't stick with it because the beginning started off a bit twisted for my taste, but I'm glad I hung in there! There were several twists and turns and I never really knew which way it was going. I wouldn't call it an amazing book - but it was really enjoyable and I do recommend it.

The Comfort of Black

Hannah thinks she has a perfect marraige. They're planning to start a family.Suddenly her world falls apart and it all seems to be engineered by that husband.Is it real?Can she trust the man that comes to her aid time and time again? Rebecca Roberts does a wonderful job narrating this book.Her voices are always spot on.This audiobook was provided to me at no cost for a fair and honest review

Narration excellent, but when will authors learn?

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

Yes, but I would tell them to skip the first hour.

Has The Comfort of Black turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, but I must admit I am getting really tired of all the explicit sex in books that don't need it.

Which character – as performed by Rebecca Roberts – was your favorite?

Amazingly enough - Billy

Do you think The Comfort of Black needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, story was complete.

Any additional comments?

This one caught my eye because one of the main characters makes people disappear - no, he doesn't kill them, he helps them to live "off the grid" - kinda like Thomas Perry's Jane Whitefield.

Have to admit that I nearly gave up on it very early on because it had some of those stupid sex scenes that explains how things are done in it. Yes, it was important to know that the husband and wife had sex, but, come on, I already know how it's done, point it out, then move on. At that point, I was definitely thinking that I would not like the book.

Fortunately, after that first hour though, the author apparently figured out the explicit sex wasn't necessary, because there was no more of it in the book. The story also took a turn for the better after that. The twists and turns in this book were wonderful. I read a lot of mystery/suspense/thriller stuff, and have to admit that there were a couple of twists that I just didn't see. Excellent work. So, I'm giving the story part only 2 stars, just because of the gratuitous sex at the beginning - one day, authors (and publishers, perhaps) will realize that a lot of us don't like that stuff - ha! and one day, they might also realize that those of us who don't like that stuff talk among ourselves and warn others that it is there, so those we know don't waste their money on it.

As for the narration, I have to admit, that I had never listened to a book by this narrator. I was definitely impressed with the narration. I kinda look for the mispronounced words, the mouth/breath noises with a new-to-me narrator, but those just weren't there. However, what I really look for in a narrator is the ability to get lost in the story, and Rebecca Roberts did just that. Excellent narration, brings the total number of stars for this book to 3.

And, yes, I would recommend this book, but I would make sure that everyone knows about the voyeuristic bits in the first hour or so. <><

Missed potential

"what does that even mean?" Is a phrase too often heard in this story. The main character becomes a mere plot device who too often cluelessly prolongs the story. The narration is is fine except for weak characterizations. the character Black is first a Southerner, then not, then he settles into a Boston accent.. All the creeps have Hillbilly accents even though the setting is Washington state. There were also poorly done edits where the tone changed noticeably.

A Thrilling Story and Excellent Narration

What's the story?

HannahParks met Dallin back in the days when he was a man with plenty of potential and big ideas. They married, and, with time and hard work he fulfilled his business dreams, he became very rich and very powerful which allowed him to provide Hannah with everything she could ever wish for.
Hannah and her sister were raised with very little, their father, Billy, was a drinker and made life very unpleasant for his wife and daughters. Now, with Billy out of their lives and their mother dead Hannah was now in a position to not only live in comfort herself, but to help out her sister who struggled to raise her own children as a single parent.
Two incidents were to change Hannahs' life in ways which she could never imagine;
A few sentences overheard when Dallin spoke in his sleep followed by the discovery of something rather shocking on an unused laptop were the beginnings of a story of the truly unexpected.

My Review

For the first hour of listening I wasn't sure that I would enjoy this story, it seemed to drag a little, but then it took off. This is a very convoluted tale which takes the most unexpected paths, just when I thought I could predict the next step it would take a surprising turn. Despite its complexity it is well written, there are no superfluous unnecessary details clouding the storyline and I had no trouble in keeping up with the many exciting twists and turns.

It really is a page turner (or binge listen), I didn't take to Hannah, I failed to find much about her that I could relate to, but this served to make the story that much more interesting as, though I didn't much like her, I was rooting for her all the way!

Of course, it isn't until nearing the end that we discover the reasons for the whole plot, this did disappoint me a tad as I did think that the author could have devised a more plausible justification for the means to the end. I didn't really see the point of the sexual content either, it was by no means hard porn, not by a long way, but a bit much for me. Despite this, The Comfort of Black is a good read.

Narrator

Rebecca Roberts has developed into a master storyteller, had it not been for her excellent reading I would most probably have given up on the book within the first hour and would have missed a great story.
She has perfected the skill of conferring a distinct and unmistakeable voice to each character, she doesn't miss an emotion either, the listener always knows who is speaking and what they are feeling.
When Rebecca Roberts narrates the listener is assured of a top quality product.

This audiobook was provided by the narrator, author or publisher in return for an honest review.

The comfort of black

If you could sum up The Comfort of Black in three words, what would they be?

This is an intriguing psychological thriller, with plenty of twists in the story which kept me hooked,. There was not quite the happy ending that I secretly hoped for, but I guess that's the way life is! The characters, particularly the main character, were credible and provoked a range of feelings and stimulated thought. Full of thrill from beginning to end

Good one

I enjoyed this story it had twists and turns. The narrator did a great job I did not want to listen to the voice of Billy it got under my skin , I guess that means that the narrator did a great job.

Would like to give the story 3.5 stars

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

Yes. The narration is excellent. The story is fast paced and has some interesting, unpredictable, twists.

If you’ve listened to books by Carter Wilson before, how does this one compare?

It's my first

Which scene was your favorite?

Don't have a favourite

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

No. It's not that kind of book.

Any additional comments?

Another wonderful narration by Rebecca Roberts. And some of these review questions just don't apply to this book so I couldn't do justice to it!

Chilling!

This is an absolutely chilling tale of a modern Cinderella who finally finds happiness only to have it taken away in the cruelest ways imaginable. The scariest part of this book is the stark realism of the plot; these are the types of things human beings do to each other. This book had all the elements of a great story, trauma, intrigue, romance, suspense... The narrator did a great job, and I especially liked the voices for the different male characters. Black was my favorite, with that gruff East Coast cop voice. All around, a great book!