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The Bluff

A Thriller

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About this listen

Wife. Widow. Murderer? What do you have to lose, Kate? That’s what my future husband Ryan asked as we stood on the bluff, gazing out at Lake Michigan. Turns out, the answer is everything.

After a whirlwind romance, I left Manhattan for the quiet promise of Crest Lake. I thought my biggest challenges would be finding a job and adjusting to small-town life. I was wrong. My marriage unraveled. And a year ago, Ryan died in a car accident still shrouded in suspicion. Now my once-idyllic lakefront home is in crisis. The bluff is crumbling. Property values are plummeting. Neighbors are at war over how to save their homes.

Then, on the night of a critical shoreline vote, my biggest rival turns up dead. And suddenly, all eyes are on me. I know what they’re thinking.

But I have secrets of my own—and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them buried. Because in Crest Lake, nothing stays hidden for long. And the truth might destroy me long before the bluff does.

Perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Daniel Hurst, Sarah Pekkanen, and Lisa Jewell.

©2024 Bonnie Traymore (P)2026 Bonnie Traymore Crime Fiction Domestic Thrillers Psychological Thriller & Suspense

What the critics say

"Gripping and full of surprises, THE BLUFF is a clever psychological suspense with layered characters and an atmospheric setting. Traymore masterfully ratchets up the tension little-by-little until the surprising, explosive end."—Tracey Devlyn, USA Today bestselling author

“Traymore is a master of layered tension, and she left me guessing until the last page.”— Noelle W.Ihli, #1 bestselling author of Gray After Dark
All stars
Most Relevant
The story was ok but this was honestly the worst narration I have ever seen. I thought it was AI at first but it might have been better.

Worst narration ever

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As other reviewers said, the narrator was difficult to listen to. I had to speed it up 1.2x, which was a lot better. I had to picture Jennifer Coolidge talking in a newscaster voice to get through it. Also there were random loud sentences, like they were recorded in a different studio.

Story was good, but...

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The story was okay, had a couple of interesting twists and turns.
Unfortunately, the narrator was absolutely awful! Little to no emotion, and spoke to slowly and woodenly. I forced myself to finish the book, and was very relieved when I reached the end.

Bad, bad narration...

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I'm not sure if Bonnie Traymore is experimenting with writing style in this book. She fashions an interesting enough tale involving broken marriage, vicious conflict between neighbors, and murder.. but I'm not sure if there's a sentence in the book longer than 5 words long. It's delivered with such an abrupt series of thoughts that it felt uncomfortable.

Doubtless, reader Meghan Kelly compounds the deficiencies in pacing with a breathy staccato delivery. She furthermore displays remarkably limited voice-acting range on this project: I applaud her ability to portray realistic male voices, but I had difficulty distinguishing female characters.

Altogether, I give 'The Bluff' 4 stars out of 10. Even for free, it was a questionable investment of time. Do Not invest a Credit in it.

Weird Pacing

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I persisted because the story itself wasn’t awful. Decent writing- the narration was truly awful. Everything sounds like a question. It’s honestly so annoying

Good story horrible narration

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