Name Not Taken Audiobook By Madeleine Henry cover art

Name Not Taken

A Novel

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Name Not Taken

By: Madeleine Henry
Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
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Meeting her future in-laws draws a young woman into a dark labyrinth in a novel of mounting psychological suspense by the author of My Favorite Terrible Thing.

Devon Ferrell and Richard Belmont are engaged, in love, and from two different worlds. Devon is as eager to please Richard’s elite parents as she is to leave the traumas of her childhood behind. After all, the Belmonts are her family now.

But being brought into the fold is unbalancing her. There are the piercing stares from Richard’s brother, the confounding whispers about Devon’s moods and health. It’s as if the Belmonts are looking for reasons to reject her, to fill her with self-doubt and put her on edge. It’s working. And no one seems to be on Devon’s side. Not even Richard.

Are the Belmonts right to be concerned about Devon? Or are they waging a psychological battle against her? The truth is getting darker. Because the mind games have just begun.

©2025 by Madeleine Henry. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Family Life Genre Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense

Critic reviews

“Name Not Taken is a mind-bending tale of obsession that brings new meaning to the phrase ‘mother-in-law from hell.’ If you’re looking for a compelling new voice in crime fiction, look no further than Madeleine Henry. I absolutely devoured this book.” —Alison Gaylin, internationally bestselling author of The Collective

“I could not stop reading Madeleine Henry’s riveting psychological thriller, a complex and captivating story of couples, class, and the war between two powerful women for control of their family and themselves.” —Pamela Redmond, author of Younger, now a TV series by Darren Star

“Madeleine Henry makes a fine art out of gaslighting in Name Not Taken, a novel that exposes meeting the in-laws as its own form of hell. A struggling artist is pitted against her fiancé’s family in this gripping, unnerving thriller that explores the blurred lines between art and life, madness and genius, and love and control. Readers won’t be able to stop flipping pages—or keep a steady grip on reality—as they follow the narrator down an art-filled rabbit hole. This is a devilish and dizzying accomplishment that rivets from beginning to end.” —Ashley Winstead, author of Midnight is the Darkest Hour
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I got to read this before it came out, and I loved it so much I had a hard time finding another book to read. Everything paled in comparison. So I was thrilled when I saw the audiobook because I wanted to hear the characters. Well, it was disappointing… the narration, I mean. I guess because I had high standards for it, but I’m just saying if Imogen Church had narrated it, this audiobook would have been perfect! It wasn’t awful but sometimes I had a hard time with who was talking.

The storyline is so engaging, I couldn’t put it down. It’s hard to say what it’s about without spoilers. Just that it’s crazy how Richard can walk around without a backbone. He’s so weak and pathetic, just like his brother and his dad. His mother had ALL the temerity, and she didn’t give an F. And I went from “wow she’s rude” to “I can’t stand her!” No one hates people who don’t exist, unless it’s from a book so well written that they seem real.

I recommend this book all day!! Enjoy it, and block out the day because it’s hard to put down.

LOVE THIS BOOK!!!

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It’s a good story. I felt like it lacked something to tie certain things together between characters. Some opportunities were missed to really go deeper with the twisted psychology game that’s going on. Overall it was interesting. The voice acting was tough sometimes and it was difficult figuring out what’s being said out loud vs what’s being thought.

It’s intriguing and messy

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I was really surprised how much I liked this one! constantly trying to figure out what was really at hand.
on the audio: I will knock a star off, every time, when a professional audio narrator mispronounce LIBRARY as lie-berry.

narrator pronunciation

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It was so very transparent. sloe build up. I still cannot figure out how or why she was trying to wash off oil paint with water!1

too slow

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