Valley of Ashes
Cornelia Read

Hachette Audio
August 14, 2012/ ASIN: B008XDX1YI
General Fiction / Audiobook - 11 hours, 14 minutes
Amazon

Reviewed by Jo Rogers

Valley of Ashes is the story of a young wife and mother, Madeline Dare, who is struggling with her marriage. Her husband, Dean, has been a real jerk lately, criticizing her every move. She is the mother of twin one-year-old girls, India and Parrish, and exhausted all the time. She has no real friends, hasn’t made any since they moved to Boulder, Colorado. Though she has applied at both newspapers, she still has no job, no reason to leave the house and no money for a sitter for the girls. In addition, Dean’s job takes him away from home for two weeks of every month and she is lonely for adult company.

Once, while Dean was away, she finally got a job as a restaurant critic for the smaller newspaper and now has a reason to leave the house and talk to other adults. She will be reimbursed for her meals and will earn almost enough for the sitter. Maybe she would find a friend. Things were definitely looking up.

Then the fires started. They were arson, all of them. And Madeline has been asked to write about the forensic part. When Dean finds out about the job, he likes the idea until he learns about the arson assignment. Then, tragedy strikes.

Valley of Ashes is a good story, if you like this type of story. It’s not my personal preference, but it is well written. The characters are strong and the plot is well conceived. I’ll admit I was bored until the arson started. After that, the story got and kept my attention. Beautifully performed by Hillary Huber, Valley of Ashes is definitely worth a listen. Pick up a copy and listen for yourself.