A reporter is dead, and the police have deemed it a suicide, but her sister can't let it go. In an effort to prove it wasn't a suicide, the sister falls down an investigation all her own...

The premise of this one was great, and I blew through this one. The narration for the audiobook was well done, and that alone makes it worth a listen.

There are quite a few characters to keep track of in this one, but the author did a great job differentiating them, and I really appreciated that. The story itself was a bit too easy to solve for my liking, although it didn't necessarily take away my interest in the story.

3.5 stars - worth a read/listen.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

4ish stars

This was a twisty and thrilling story. It was a bit different than what I thought it would be like, but I did enjoy it and found many elements of the plot and characterization to be captivating. I had a good part of the ending figured out, although I was right about the reveal and not the underlying motivation. The ultimate conclusion was a bit melodramatic, but I didn’t mind. I think future books from this writer will be on my radar.

This was a slow read for me. I was intrigued by the "answers" that could come out of the mystery, but I felt like the middle lost my interest. It just felt like it was too long to get to moving parts throughout and saved the high intensity moments for the end.

EXCERPT: Willa - Now
If Willa Stannard were on air to break the news of her death, she'd report that the police lights sliced through the night. Carved through the darkness. Fragmented the neighbourhood. Anything to give a dead-end story a sense of urgency.

ABOUT 'THE THREE DEATHS OF WILLA STANNARD': It's not that they've been all that close in the past few years, but sisters Willa and Sawyer Stannard are bonded by the ups and downs of the life they've lived with their mercurial single mother. When Willa is found dead in her apartment from an apparent suicide, Sawyer just knows it's not possible. A cryptic note from the acclaimed broadcast journalist leads police to rule out foul play. Shattered by grief, and obsessed by the idea that her sister's death was not a suicide, Sawyer plunges into a search for the truth. When Sawyer learns that Willa was writing an explosive true-crime book about the decades-old disappearance of a toddler that rocked a small town hundreds of miles away, she's even more convinced that Willa's death is suspicious. Believing it is somehow connected to the research Willa was doing for the book, Sawyer begins to trace her sister's steps, deep into a community she can't begin to understand and to a truth that could destroy her as easily as it did Willa.

MY THOUGHTS: Sawyer is an unpredictable character. The narrator, Susannah Jones, pronounced Sawyer as 'Soya' throughout the narration which initially irked me, but as I became increasingly engrossed in Sawyer's quest, she could have called her 'Puddeny-Tame' and it wouldn't have mattered. I do confess, however, that I did wonder why anyone would call their child Soya - duh!

Anyway, back to Sawyer's unpredictability . . . the saying 'fools rush in' can be applied here. So not only unpredictable but at times irrational. But, it all makes for great reading, or listening, and an intriguing storyline.

Sawyer just can't believe her independent and talented sister would commit suicide and clumsily rushes around like a bull in a china shop trying to trace Willa's last moments until she comes up with the idea of 'being' Willa - well, not quite, but posing as someone who is working with Willa on her book.

The Three Deaths of Willa Stannard is an excellent debut thriller. There are numerous twists and turns and, although I still had a few unanswered questions at the end, I really enjoyed this unpredictable mystery-thriller.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.2

#TheThreeDeathsofWillaStannard #NetGalley.

I: @dreamscape_media

T: @Kate_Robards @Dreamscapeaudio

#contemporaryfiction #crime #familydrama #mystery #suspense

THE AUTHOR: Kate Robards holds a degree in journalism and works in communications at a nonprofit organization. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and children.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Dreamscape Media via Netgalley for providing an audio ARC of The Three Deaths of Willa Stannard written by Kate Robards and narrated by Susannah Jones for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

A missing child, a small town’s secrets, and a desperate killer set the stage for a darkly wrought debut novel that will haunt readers long after the last page. Perfect for fans of Julia Heaberlin and Chevy Stevens.

It’s not that they’ve been all that close in the past few years, but sisters Willa and Sawyer Stannard are bonded by the ups and downs of the life they’ve lived with their mercurial single mother. When Willa is found dead in her apartment from an apparent suicide, Sawyer just knows it’s not possible. A cryptic note from the acclaimed broadcast journalist leads police to rule out foul play. Shattered by grief—and obsessed by the idea that her sister’s death was not a suicide—Sawyer plunges into a search for the truth.

When Sawyer learns that Willa was writing an explosive true crime book about the decades-old disappearance of a toddler that rocked a small town hundreds of miles away, she’s even more convinced that Willa’s death is suspicious. Believing it is somehow connected to the research Willa was doing for the book, Sawyer begins to trace her sister’s steps, deep into a community she can’t begin to understand and to a truth that could destroy her as easily as it did Willa.

As she masterfully ratchets up the suspense, Robards never loosens her grip in a debut novel sure to keep readers guessing—and talking.

I enjoyed this audiobook, which isn’t quite the right wording when it starts with a death under suspicious circumstances. Willa’s body is discovered and her sister doesn’t believe that she’s committed suicide. As she investigates the days leading up to her sister’s death, Sawyer uncovers the truth behind generations of family secrets and lies. I did get confused a few times along the way, and I don’t want to spoil anything, but it all comes together in the end. I also really enjoyed the narration!
*Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this advance audiobook for review.

😱😱😱😱.5
Holy Head Case! A debut? You could have fooled me! Kate Robards does an excellent job of creating well-shaped, messy characters. The writing is fabulous and the smart plot is woven with incredible twists!

The first half could have had a quicker pace but the narrator was excellent and kept me intrigued!

Sawyer is dumbfounded when she’s told her older sister—Willa—has committed suicide. She ignores the evidence and searches for another explanation. What she finds will shatter her world!

I hope Ms. Robards is tapping away at her computer keys. I can’t wait for her next book!

Sincere thanks to Dreamscape Media for providing this complimentary audiobook through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#TheThreeDeathsOfWillaStannard #KateRobards #netgalley #dreamscapemedia #abduction #tvreporter #suicide #murder #honestreview #thrillerfriendsunite #mysteryandthrills #thrillerobsessedbookishclub #justfinished #newrelease #igbookreels #thriller #suspense #mystery #lovetoread #bookworms #lovebooks #lovetoreadbooks #fortheloveofbooks #booknerd #bookreviewer #booksbooksandmorebooks #ad #instabook #readaholic #audiobook #debutauthor #crookedlanebooks

Thank you NetGalley and Dream Scapes media for an advance audio copy of this book. First let me say that Susannah Jones was a brilliant narrator. Loved listening to her. Second, I cannot believe that this is Kate Robards’ debut book. This is polished, things flow, the character development is just right for the story. The story starts out with Sawyer Stannard being notified that her sister, Willa, is dead by suicide. Of course Sawyer doesn’t believe it and the suicide note doesn’t make her believe it any more. So Sawyer does what any good little sister would do, she goes through Willa’s things. She finds out that Willa was writing a book about the disappearance of a little girl in Michigan almost 30 years ago. As Sawyer keeps investigating, she realizes that her sister held a lot of secrets and that someone doesn’t want her book to be published. This book would be great for book club. It’s also not so involved that you couldn’t take it on vacation, read a couple of chapters and then come back to this. I will be reading more of Kate Robards as soon as she writes another!!

Starting off as a slow burn, this suspense thriller ended up keeping me on my toes. Sawyer and her sister Willa, although not close anymore, are connected through their unpredictable mother and their unbreakable bond. Sawyer finds out that Willa has committed suicide. This isn’t something that Willa would do, so Sawyer dives deep into Willa’s life going down a deep rabbit hole to find out what happened to her sister. While making this journey, Sawyer finds out some things about their past that cannot be unlearned. I did guess the main twist at the end, but there were a few surprises sprinkled throughout. Sawyer made some stupid decisions in this story. There were times I wanted to slap her across the face and be like you are old enough, you should know to charge your phone and not run away from your car that is running in the middle of the woods. I listened to the audiobook version and thought the narrator did a fantastic job. I enjoyed the puzzle aspect to the story where the reader had to piece together to come up with a conclusion. This was a solid mystery that was fun to read.

The Three Deaths of Willa Stannard by Kate Robards

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me access to this book! What a journey this book was! There were so many unexpected turns especially towards the end! Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen I was proved wrong and I loved that about it!

The way the plot unfolds is so interesting as you learn more about each character as well as unveiling more clues as to what the outcome will be too!

The only thing I feel let this book down a tad, was that the twists didn’t start until further into the book. I feel it took a bit too long to build up initially but I was still curious to finish the story and find the ending throughout even those earlier chapters!

Acclaimed investigative journalist, Willa Stannard, has committed suicide, Her sister, Sawyer, cannot believe this is true. In trying to come to grips w/ her sister's death, Sawyer searches for answers while retracing Willa's last steps. It seems Willa was trying to write a true-crime book on a 25 year-old cold case. A missing toddler, a podunk town and major creepy suspects draw Sawyer in while she searches for answers to Willa's death which may not have been by her own hand, after all.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio e-arc.*

I found myself in need of something riveting for a very monotonous eight-hour car ride and this novel by Ms. Robards seemed to fit. The title immediately grabbed my attention as did the introduction by soon-to-be-deceased Willa Stannard. As the plot played out most of the details came together fluidly with a few exceptions.

The plot focuses on the POVs of Willa and Sawyer; sisters that contrast greatly in personality and profession. Willa’s POV is given entirely from the past leading up to her death and Sawyer gives the current POV investigating what led to Willa’s suicide or possible murder. Through the past, Willa leads Sawyer down an investigatory path by leaving a pretty tangible trail of breadcrumbs. Despite no knowledge of investigative journalism, Sawyer finds her way to a rural town still reeling from the kidnapping of an 18-month-old baby over two decades prior. Believing this kidnapping has something to do with her sister’s death, Sawyer sets out to solve the crime. This premise has a very true crime podcast(y) feel that will be popular with many readers, however, I did find her juvenile sleuthing and the use of “Drew” as her last name to be ridiculously pedestrian.

Onto the plot pitfalls, Willa is never fully developed which creates a one-dimensional character. I get it, she’s dead, but as the only truly reliable source into her actual death a bit more depth would have been helpful. Sawyer is far too frantic and agitated to be considered a reliable POV. Literally at any given moment she was flying of roads, spinning out, or almost wrecking her car whenever she felt threatened. The possible evidence in Willa’s apartment, which Sawyer obsessed over, was never fully developed by the author and became a missing thread. The plot twist and relationship between the kidnapped child and the two sisters was obvious from the get-go. However, how this scenario came to pass was a pretty decent twist by the author and I appreciated the follow through.

Following my review scale this novel is a 3 out of 5 stars. It will be liked by lovers of podcasts and sleuthing and did keep my attention, but the few missing threads kept it overall average. The audio production is narrated quite well by Susannah Jones, though at times a bit of a misplaced accent seemed to come through with Sawyer’s character.

Wow! I did not see that twist coming at the end! I did see her mom being somehow tangentially involved, but not to the degree that she was! What a heartless monster! This was a twisty, turny page-turner that I highly enjoyed! I am adding Kate Robards to my "always read" list!

#TheThreeDeathsofWillaStannard
#NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an early audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Sawyer is shocked by her journalist sister Willa's suicide and doesn't believe she took her own life. While not close, Sawyer tries to prove foul play. Told in two POVs, Sawyer now and Willa in the past.

Susannah Jones did a great job narrating.

I was immediately gripped by this mysterious, exciting story. I liked the pace and the final conclusion was very satisfying. It's a perfect thriller for summer.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of The Three Deaths of Willa Stannard by Kate Robards.

When Sawyer learns that her sisterWilla has died by suicide, not only is she deeply upset, but disbelieving. There is no way her take-no-prisoners, hard as nails sister would have ever taken her own life. And even though the police are set on accepting Willa's cause of death, Sawyer is not, and she taps into Willa's bullet proof journalistic energy to prove it.

It doesn't take long before Sawyer herself is posing as a journalist to dig into Willa's work in order to root out the cause of her death. But little does she know that reopening a case that her sister opened years ago will put the limelight on Sawyer in the most unwanted of ways.

This was like riding a fast moving water slide all the way to the bottom. It had a great start and stayed exciting all the way through. I can't say that this was dripping in originality, let's be honest, we've all read this book. But sometimes it's just nice to be entertained, and this one goes down really nicely. Perfect for the beach!

Book Title: The Three Deaths of Willa Stannard
Author: Kate Robards - Debut Author
Narrator: Susannah Jones
Publisher: Crooked Land Books/ Dreamscape Media
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: June 20, 2023
My Rating: 4.3
Pages: 320

Story is told from the POV of Will-Then and Sawyer-Now.
Story starts with the apparent suicide of thirty-three year old Investigative Journalist Willa Stannard. When her younger sister Sawyer learns of her death she cannot believe she would have taken her life.
Willa was a perfectionist and love being a fact finder. Her goal was to be the lead on Broadcast news. When she got that position, she was thrilled but had an Anxiety Attack a complete melt down on air. It left her depressed as well as angry- but was she depressed enough to commit suicide?

Willa and Sawyer have not been in close contact recently although were close when they were young. They really are opposites ~ Sawyer has had eating disorder as well as other issues - never finishing jobs; she certainly is not the perfectionist like her older sister. Their single mother is a recluse and only leaves home for her job at the florists and has a neighbor bring her groceries once a week.

Sawyer is determined to find out what really happened to Willa. As she investigates she learns Willa was writing a true crime book “The Cry of the Cicadas”. It appears Willa was obsessed with the twenty-six year old cold case of Melody Winn who was only eighteen months old when she went missing.
Now Sawyer is convinced that Willa’s death just might be connected to that research.

Sawyer becomes more than a bit obsessed and I found myself rolling my eyes and yelling at her~
-Charge your phone,
-Turn off your car when I get out of it in an isolated area.
-Don't go running into a forest late at night when you have no idea where you are going!
-Don’t make irrational decisions ~ THINK!

Her crazy decisions certainly had me on the edge of my chair and no way could I put this down.
I read a lot of thriller and love twists and turns. True I had my suspicions but certainly didn’t know details.
I definitely enjoyed this wild and crazy ride!
Definitely looking forward to Ms. Robards’ next thriller!

BTW: Narrator Susannah Jones was awesome in performing these characters.


Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media- Crooked Lane Books for granting me this WOW early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 20, 2023.

Bonded by a difficult childhood with a mercurial mother, sister Willa and Sawyer share a connection that even growing up and death can’t break. Sawyer is told that Willa has died by suicide, but when presented the note the police claim her sister to have written she knows it can’t be true. That’s just not something Willa would do.

In her grief, Sawyer is determined to discover the truth of her sister’s death. She will not stop until she finds out what really happened, but is she prepared for the bigger truth she’ll uncover?

This story has layers of deceit and mystery! The determination of Sawyer to find the truth behind her Willa’s supposed suicide takes the reader on a journey that will leave you breathless around each corner. I could not stop reading (listening) until the very end, and once I got there I sat in complete shock! What a fantastic thriller/mystery with audio narration that keeps the listener involved and hanging on every word.

I listened to the audio of The Three Deaths of Willa Stannard in less than 2 days. It's a gripping story about a news reporter that dies by suicide, and her younger sister who does not believe this was actually suicide. She begins to dig into her sister's life and her last project and uncovers a complex and unexpected truth. I was completely unprepared for what really happened, the twists had me scratching my head! There are some very scary moments and the suspense is palpable. Highly recommend. Thoroughly enjoyed.

At first I thought, well, this is pretty run of the mill. Not bad, not earth shattering, but pretty good, with a nice narrator. A quick read. I was invested but my face was pretty much level the whole book. Until. The twist. The twist that I should have seen coming but didn’t. It was so well done. Every aspect. And the end of this quick read really flipped how I felt about this book on end. My eyes bulged, my jaw dropped and I was speechless. I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the author’s writing and I would absolutely read something from them again.