One Breath Away Audiobook By Heather Gudenkauf cover art

One Breath Away

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One Breath Away

By: Heather Gudenkauf
Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
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In the midst of a sudden spring snowstorm, an unknown man armed with a gun walks into an elementary school classroom. Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits.

Officer Meg Barrett holds the responsibility for the town’s children in her hands. Will Thwaite, reluctantly entrusted with the care of his two grandchildren by the daughter who left home years earlier, stands by helplessly and wonders if he has failed his child again. Trapped in her classroom, Evelyn Oliver watches for an opportunity to rescue the children in her care. And thirteen-year-old Augie Baker, already struggling with the aftermath of a terrible accident that has brought her to Broken Branch, will risk her own safety to protect her little brother.

As tension mounts with each passing minute, the hidden fears and grudges of the small town are revealed as the people of Broken Branch race to uncover the identity of the stranger who holds their children hostage.

©2012 Heather Gudenkauf (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc. Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Thriller & Suspense
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Heather Gudenkauf is a brilliant writer, I've read most her work. Weight of silence is by far her best, though this was very good

Very gripping

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The handful of poor reviews almost had me skip this one. Yes, the story could have used more character development and jumped around a bit, but it kept me listening. I’m guessing the touchy subject of school shootings may have held back the level of drama it needed. I had the gunman figured out early on, but it didn’t kill the story. As always, Joyce Bean and Susan Erickson were phenomenal.
As a teacher, it didn’t quite hit the level of terror you feel in a lockdown. Some of the action inside the school was spot on-some not so much. The jerky kid was spot on- the general public would be applauded at how students act. Even a young teacher would know better/be trained to stay with the students. All classroom widows, including the one on the door would be covered. The autistic student was a bit of a miss, because a student with that level of problems would not be in a general population class without an aid… the “vacationing aid” would have had someone covering or the student would have been pulled. Cell phones, and crazed parents are the biggest fears in situations like this. Again, it’s not as good as it could be, but worth your time.

Worth the listen

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