Burning Distance

By: Joanne Leedom-Ackerman

Narrated by: Danielle Rippy

A modern-day Romeo and Juliet— set against the backdrop of deadly weapons smuggling.

When 10-year-old Elizabeth West' s father dies in a tragic plane crash over the Persian Gulf, her family uproots their life in Washington, DC, and moves to London. Her mother marries a knighted British businessman who has two children, and Elizabeth (Lizzy) and her two sisters move in with their new family.

At age 16, while attending the American School of London, Lizzy meets and falls in love with Adil Hasan—but when Adil' s father, a noted arms middleman, is deported, Lizzy and Adil are separated.

Lizzy's family has also become involved with French-German industrialist Gerald Rene Wagner. Little does she know that Adil' s family has ties to the man, as well. When a member of her family is murdered in Berlin under mysterious circumstances, questions surface about Wagner' s dealings, and Lizzy reexamines what really may have happened to her father. All the while, she endeavors to reunite with her lost love, Adil, and reclaim the connection that was ripped away.

Set in the years before and after the first Gulf War, Burning Distance is a journey through family secrets and competing loyalties, contemporary history, and the dark world of arms trafficking.

Jane Austen meets John le Carré in this cross-cultural love story and political thriller.

©2023 Joanne Leedom-Ackerman (P)2023 Joanne Leedom-Ackerman

Excellent

Mystery, international intrigue,
Romance, family dynamics.
This book "has it all" in a well written, uncrowded way. I'm hoping for a sequel.

The audible reader drew me into the story with her smooth rendering. I could listen to her again, in other books.

A romantic thriller full of suspense and emotion

Burning Distance by Joanne Leedom-Ackerman is a captivating story that transports readers to the 20th century and explores the political tensions of the era. The protagonist, a young woman, is determined to build a life for herself while struggling to reconcile her present with her past. Through her story, we are taken on a journey of self-discovery as she unravels the secrets of her family's history. Joanne Leedom-Ackerman explores the theme of hope and redemption by showing how the protagonist is able to move past her past and embrace her future. The ending of the book is particularly powerful, as it symbolizes a new generation of hope and peace. Burning Distance is an incredible read that I would highly recommend.

The narration is a distraction.

The narration starts off strong but becomes a noticeable distraction as the story progresses. The prologue and Part 1 are well-crafted and engaging, with lines like "he stood under the chestnut tree, like an exclamation point at the end of a row of white houses." However, as the book unfolds, the narrator's delivery loses its dynamic range, resembling more of a monotonous recitation than the lively storytelling one would expect.

Adding to the issue is the prolonged 9-second pause between chapters, contributing to a disjointed experience. By the midpoint of the book, the monotony of the narration and lackluster prose make it tempting to just stop. Nonetheless, there remains a curiosity about where the story will lead, particularly because it's up for discussion at our book club.

A significant concern is the inconsistent use of Southern accents for two characters. Initially, the narrator speaks without an accent, then abruptly introduces it after the first sentence, almost as if realizing the character's identity. This sudden shift disrupts immersion and detracts from the overall listening experience.

There are good details that make one think that it is autobiographical rather than fiction, but I wouldn't have finished it, were I not going to talk about it with friends. This narrator is no Jim Dale !!!