Fool Me Once (Detective Sami Kierce #1) in Audiobook Junkies

Feb 22, 2016 Kathy Martin rated it it was amazing

This story begins at a funeral and ends at a birth - a reverse of the natural order of things. It was a fascinating story about a woman - Maya Stern - trying to solve the mystery of the murders of her husband and her sister. Maya has an interesting story. She is a former military helicopter pilot who served in the Middle East and was forced into taking an honorable discharge after some sort of incident that we find out about late in the book. She suffers from PTSD. Her main symptom is aural flas This story begins at a funeral and ends at a birth - a reverse of the natural order of things. It was a fascinating story about a woman - Maya Stern - trying to solve the mystery of the murders of her husband and her sister. Maya has an interesting story. She is a former military helicopter pilot who served in the Middle East and was forced into taking an honorable discharge after some sort of incident that we find out about late in the book. She suffers from PTSD. Her main symptom is aural flashbacks, or maybe hallucinations. She is also the mother of a two-year-old daughter that she loves very much.

When her husband is killed in an attempted robbery, Maya gains the attention of the police. She was with him when he was killed but ran for help before the final shot was fired. Her husband was the scion of a very wealthy and private family. The kind of family that has hereditary servants. His childhood nurse's daughter is now his daughter's nanny. Maya and Joe met, fell in love, and married after a whirlwind courtship when Maya found herself pregnant with Lily. They were married about three years before his death but didn't spend much time together. Maya spent some time deployed.

Maya needs closure for both deaths and finds herself investigating. As she looks into her sister's murder she finds a number of connections to Joe and his family. The deeper she digs, the more questions she has. She also doesn't know who she can trust. She finds that her sister was working with the same internet whistleblower who brought forward the incident that ended Maya's military career. She contacts him to find out what secrets her sister might have been sharing. Her close friend from the military - Shane - helps her out but she doesn't share much with him in part because she wants to keep him out of it and in part because she is keeping secrets from him.

I got the feeling that Maya was an unreliable narrator early on but I certainly never guessed where the story was going. I found the ending stunning but reasonable when I looked back over the story again. The characters were fascinating and the mystery engaging. Fans of thrillers will enjoy this one very much. ...more

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Jun 06, 2016 Eadie Burke rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2018, read-2016, audio

I love when a new Coben book comes out and this one did not disappoint. The plot kept me glued until the last pages as I had to find out what was happening and who killed Maya's husband, Joe. Coben's excellent writing forces you to hate these characters and there are some nasty ones. The twists and turns keep coming as Coben shows you that you have no clue what is going on. In the end, you finally realize that all the clues were there and you just failed to put them together. Can't wait for the ...more

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Mar 14, 2016 Samantha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I love this author - from the first page he has you hooked every time and this novel is no exception. A high octane ride from start to finish. Packed full of twists and turns, I didn't really work it out until the end which is exactly how it should be.

Loved the feisty strong character of Maya the retired soldier helicopter pilot home from the war who faces her own tragedy when her husband Joe is killed and she has to pick up the pieces and look after her 2 year old daughter alone. When checking ...more

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Mar 15, 2025 Anne - Books of My Heart rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2025, coyer, audio25, audio, library, library25

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart

Review copy was received from Library. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I read Fool Me Once to prepare for the next book in the series, Nobody's Fool. The characters mostly were wealthy enough to be able to spend their time as they wanted without worrying about the bills which always seems unrealistic. The series is Sami Kierce but there was no Sami Kierce in this book, only a Roger Kier ...more

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