The Wonder Test

A Novel

By: Michelle Richmond

Narrated by: Thérèse Plummer

Escaping New York City and the espionage case that made her question everything, recently widowed FBI Agent Lina Connerly returns home to sell the house she has inherited in Greenfield, California. With her teenage son, Rory, Lina hopes to reassemble her life, reevaluate her career, and find a clear way forward. Adrift and battling insomnia, she discovers that her father’s sleepy hometown has been transformed into a Silicon Valley suburb on steroids, obsessed with an annual exam called the Wonder Test.

When students at her son’s high school go missing, reappearing under mysterious circumstances on abandoned beaches, Lina must summon her strength and her investigative instincts, pushing her own ethical boundaries to the limits in order to solve the crimes. Meanwhile, an old espionage case called Red Vine keeps calling her back into the fold. While Lina struggles to balance her new role as a single mother and the complex counterintelligence puzzles she is so adept at solving, Greenfield’s shadowy dangers creep closer to her own home.

The Wonder Test is a searing view of a culture that puts the well-being of children at risk for advancement and prestige, and a captivating story of the lengths a mother will go for her son.

©2021 Michelle Richmond (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing

Hang in there

It took three tries but this book ended up being great the narrator is amazing

monotone narrator

too involved at times, but did tie up loose ends, maybe too quickly. not easy to follow at times

Plot Twist

This was a good book, it started to get a little “darker” than I like but I could stomach it since the author did not go u to detailed explanations of those activities. It definitely held my attention and I couldn’t pause it.

A wonderful, surprising find!

The details and things you learn in this book are extraordinary. I had so much fun looking up the quotes and scenarios the author shared. This book had me hooked from the start and almost had me cancelling plans because I didn’t want to stop listening. The characters were relatable and complex. I loved it!

Rite of Passage

A deep analysis of grief , greed , elitism , devotion , discipline , ethics , evil . Interesting style with very short chapters but a lot of them that u want more .
A personal philosophy of life that is complex .
Highly recommend to listen & read sometimes to clarify . Narrator one of best voices with touch of French accent either Parisian or Québécois