Madeline Dare trades New York's gritty streets for the tree-lined avenues of Boulder, Colorado when her husband Dean lands a promising job. Madeline, now a full-time homemaker and mother to beautiful toddler twin girls, has achieved everything she thought she always wanted, but with her husband constantly on the road, she's fighting a losing battle against the Betty Friedan riptide of suburban/maternal exhaustion, angst, and sheer loneliness. A new freelance newspaper gig helps her get her mojo back, but Boulder isn't nearly as tranquil as it seems: there's a serial arsonist at large in the city. As Madeline closes in on the culprit, the fires turn deadly--and the stakes tragically personal. She'll need every ounce of strength and courage she has to keep the flames from reaching her own doorstep, threatening all she holds most dear.
Valley of Ashes/Cornelia Read
“Witty and foul-mouthed housewife and mother Madeline Dare and her husband, Dean, have moved to Colorado with their twin toddlers. Exhausted, with increasing flashes of insecurity about her marriage and herself, Maddy takes a freelance job at a newspaper reviewing restaurants. But soon she finds herself pursuing a serial arsonist, with toddlers in tow. Narrator Hillary Huber embraces the character of Maddy, becoming the wisecracking young woman who is struggling to overcome her history and handle what life throws at her. Huber cleverly captures the characters, making each subtly distinct. She is especially effective portraying Maddy's mother, giving her tone a snootiness that perfectly projects her character. A pure listening pleasure.” ~AudioFile