Carolina Moon [Abridged, Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

Nora Roberts (Author), Dean Robertson (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 2007

Tory Bodeen grew up in a small, rundown house where her father ruled with an iron fist and a leather belt - and where her dreams and talents had no room to flourish. But she had Hope - who lived in the big house, just a short skip away, and whose friendship allowed Tory to be something she wasn't allowed to be at home: a child. After young Hope's brutal murder, unsolved to this day, Tory's life began to fall apart. And now, as she returns to the tiny town of Progress, South Carolina, with plans to settle in and open a stylish home-design shop, she is determined to find a measure of peace and free herself from the haunting visions of that terrible night. As she forges a new bond with Cade Lavelle - Hope's older brother and the heir to the Lavelle fortune - she isn't sure whether the tragic loss they share will unite them or drive them apart. But she is willing to open her heart, just a little, and try. But living so close to unhappy memories will be more difficult and frightening than she ever expected. Because the killer of Hope is nearby as well.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With its blend of evil killers, handsome heroes, and feisty, sensitive heroines, Nora Roberts's latest thriller meets the same standards of terror and romance that made last year's River's End a bestseller. This time, our heroine Tory Bodeen has returned to her hometown of Progress, South Carolina, to face the fearsome memories of her childhood friend Hope's death and rebuild her life in a town that once betrayed her.

Struggling to balance the disturbing recollections, Tory finds comfort in the arms of Hope's older brother, Cade Lavelle. Though she sets about developing relationships with old friends and establishing her own business, Tory's worst fears come true and her past catches up to her: Tory's unique role in Hope's death makes her not only the focus of the Lavelle family's hatred, but the next choice for Hope's killer, who is still at large.

With the same skills that earned her the honor of being the first Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame inductee, Roberts weaves a winning blend of mystery, terror, and romance that loyal followers and new fans will enjoy immensely. Sure to be another bestseller, Carolina Moon will keep your heart beating in triple time. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Doyenne of the bestseller lists, Roberts (River's End) may have achieved her personal best in this tense Southern gothic. As atmospheric and unsettling as a Tennessee Williams play, the story takes us into the gifted mind and troubled soul of visionary Tory Bodeen, whose childhood in Progress, S.C., was marked by her father's beatings, her mother's passivity and, when she was eight, the rape and strangulation of her best friend, Hope Lavelle. Now 26, still haunted by Hope's unsolved murder and memories of an unsettling experience in New York City, to which she fled at age 18, Tory returns to Progress after a quiet four-year stint in Charleston. Although profoundly ambivalent about her psychic ability to connect with other minds, she knows she'll never find peace until she uses her unsettling skill to find the murderer. And by opening a shop full of beautiful objects, she wants to show Progress that she's more than the bruised spawn of despicable Hannibal and Sarabeth Bodeen. She doesn't reckon on being swept off her feet by Hope's older brother, Cade, or by making an enemy and then a fine friend of Hope's twin, Faith. Nor could she have imagined that she would stumble on a chain of past murders seemingly linked to Hope's death. The mystery heats up as a wave of new murders sweeps Progress, but the increasingly intricate plot developments never overwhelm the human element. Roberts--again like Williams- seems disgusted only by unkindness; she treats most of her big cast with affection and compassion for their foibles. Cade doesn't yield an inch to his mother's snobbish contempt for Tory, and the complicated Tory is allowed to hate her own mother and wish her father a painful death: there are no saccharine reconciliations here. Even when a few over-the-top sex scenes and hackneyed phrasings slip in, Roberts's witty dialogue and moody descriptions soon counteract them. This is romantic drama at its best. 400,000 first printing; Literary Guild Main selection; author tour. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on CD Value Priced; Abridged edition (November 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 142332336X
• ISBN-13: 978-1423323365
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (219 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,603,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

130 of 139 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST Nora Roberts Yet!, March 2, 2000

By 

marianne "alwaysbks" (Grafton, Morocco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Carolina Moon (Hardcover)

Once again Nora Roberts visits the south and spinns a marvelous tale. Tory just "knows things," which gets her in trouble with her Bible thumping father. Her only friend understands her,and they have a deep friendhsip as only two young girls can during the summer between childhood and adolesence. This leads to tragedy, and this is where Nora Roberts glows in her writing. Returning home after self-exile, Tory discovers Kincade, and the story takes off from there. She weaves the threads of youthful friends, tragic death, and "knowing things," artfully to grab the reader and wring you dry. This has to be the BEST Nora Roberts book yet. You might want to check out "Carnal Innocence," an earlier work, also with a southern setting, but equally gripping story line.

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner from Nora, March 12, 2000

By 

"recyndra" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carolina Moon (Hardcover)

I don't know how Nora Roberts consistently creates stories and characters that alternately have you laughing and crying, in between being scared to death, but I am so glad that she does.

Tory is one of her best heroines to date and Cade is her match. The love between Tory and her murdered little friend, Hope, is touching, real and tragic as Tory keeps "seeing" Hope's murder over and over. Tory's efforts to deal with Hope's death after almost 20 years and solve her murder, as well as come to terms with her abusive father, is a very compelling read. In addition, there is a great secondary love story for Cade's remaining sister, Faith.

The action and suspense keep building and the identity of the killer is a shock.

Can't wait for her next book. Thank God she is such a quick (and Fabulous) author.

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carolina Moon hits the mark!, March 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Carolina Moon (Hardcover)

With some authors, you read one book, and you've read them all....the plots are just so similar. Not so with Nora Roberts. Carolina Moon is another wonderful story, with the main character, Tory, bringing a smile to your face with her wit, just after you've grabbed a kleenex to wipe away a tear for what she has endured in her life. Ms. Roberts makes you feel the terror that Tory feels as she unwillingly "sees" things she wishes she didn't. Her characters and storyline are so well developed that you find yourself drawn into the action as if you were there yourself. As with most of her books, I only put it down with great reluctance and almost finished it in one sitting.