Golden State Audiobook By Michelle Richmond cover art

Golden State

A Novel

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Golden State

By: Michelle Richmond
Narrated by: Käthe Mazur
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.16

Buy for $17.16

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

Dr. Julie Walker wakes on a summer morning in San Francisco to find a city in chaos. Today Californians are voting on a controversial ballot initiative that will change history. With the future of the state and the nation uncertain, the streets have erupted into violence.

Injured, Julie must make her way across the city by foot to the Veterans Administration Hospital, where her sister, recently returned from Afghanistan, is in labor. At the hospital a brutal scene is unfolding as a man who shares an intimate past with Julie begins to take his revenge. Throughout the ordeal Julie's estranged husband, desperate for reconciliation, sends out coded messages from the radio station where he is the well-known Voice of Midnight.

Five years in the making, Golden State is both a political thriller and a meditation on marriage, love, and loyalty. Like The Year of Fog, it is a page-turner with a philosophical bent.

©2014 Michelle Richmond (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Contemporary Contemporary Romance Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Romance Romantic Suspense Sagas Women's Fiction Suspense Emotionally Gripping

Critic reviews

"Nearly every feature of this mesmerizing novel is provocative, as Richmond explores the fragmented, hopeful lives of complex characters... Gripping, multilayered, must-read fiction." ( Library Journal)
"Mesmerizing and intricate, Richmond's dissection of a California on the violent brink of secession from the nation provides the backdrop to her deeper inspection of the uneasy, fragile relationship between siblings...[a] riveting read." ( Booklist)

People who viewed this also viewed...

The Marriage Pact Audiobook By Michelle Richmond cover art
The Marriage Pact By: Michelle Richmond
The Wonder Test Audiobook By Michelle Richmond cover art
The Wonder Test By: Michelle Richmond
Captivating Storyline • Intertwined Narratives • Emotional Resonance • Thought-provoking Writing • Engaging Voice
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
I loved this story. The contrasts, the setting, the back stories. Julie’s courage, growth and awakenings. And this is my first book read by Käthe Mazur and now I want to listen to other books she’s narrated.

Beautiful story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Loved it Lots of twists and turns. Good character development of protagonist and other main characters

Surprisingly good story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was such a tough listen at times I had to restart this book three times. I really wanted it to be good and it probably was but by the end of the book I was waiting for it to be over. The story is great and it's an awesome premise. I just don't know if I would suggest listening. maybe reading

okay book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The author is on her own journey of discovery, but it doesn't translate into sympathetic characters.

On the brightside the descriptions of San Francisco were accurate.

Weak Abrasive Characters

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a really captivating story and truly relevant. Thoughtful and insightful. very well narrated too.

Thought provoking

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The story which wasn't bad jumped around alot, more than most. Which made it hard to know was she thinking of the past or was it in the past.
I liked the reader's voice but it was like she was telling a bed time story so, it was too relaxing.
Maybe others loved it but just not my cup of tea.

not my favorite

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I liked the suspense, the various story lines all intertwined (some of the things other reviews did not like). She did a great job with character descriptions and I especially like how the author weaves in references to songs - many that I had forgotten about - I went back and listened to and enjoyed again (hello, San Francisco Days). I am a veteran and veteran spouse, and also the mom of active duty Service members. You can tell she did her homework on that piece, but she somewhat painted all veterans as crazy and unhinged. It would have been nice to have had a few put together veteran characters to represent that there’s a wide range of veterans in our country - not all of them are unhinged. Great pictures of California and Mississippi. Also enjoyed the political storyline and even checked to see when the book was written b/c it was so eerie with today’s political climate - so she hit the nail on the head with that piece. As a free download, I was not disappointed.

Interesting - Some things I loved, some that missed the mark.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is definitely an adventure story and if you are a Bay Area Californian you'll catch all the references. Lots of fun.

Life is an adventure

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I think this author isn't recognized enough. I put this on play because it was free with Plus. I usually use the freebies for playing to listen while I work. Now I wish I had used it for a proper listening. This is her second novel that I have downloaded, I also listened to The Marriage Pact. Very engaging stories and well written. I also love when authors successfully use a location as its own character. Well done!

Really good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I don’t typically leave many reviews on novels but this one was well worth it. The author captivated you right from the beginning and there was never a boring or low-key part of this book. I loved it.

Worth the listen!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews