The Night the Lights Went Out

By: Karen White

Narrated by: Carolyn Cook, Susan Larkin, Tiffany Morgan

Length: 15 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times best-selling author of the Tradd Street series comes a stunning new novel about a young single mother who discovers that the nature of friendship is never what it seems....

Recently divorced, Merilee Talbot Dunlap moves with her two children to the Atlanta suburb of Sweet Apple, Georgia. It's not her first time starting over, but her efforts at a new beginning aren't helped by an anonymous local blog that dishes about the scandalous events that caused her marriage to fail.

Merilee finds some measure of peace in the cottage she is renting from town matriarch Sugar Prescott. Though stubborn and irascible, Sugar sees something of herself in Merilee - something that allows her to open up about her own colorful past.

Sugar's stories give Merilee a different perspective on the town and its wealthy school moms in their tennis whites and shiny SUVs and even on her new friendship with Heather Blackford. Merilee is charmed by the glamorous young mother's seemingly perfect life and finds herself drawn into Heather's world.

In a town like Sweet Apple, where sins and secrets are as likely to be found behind the walls of gated mansions as in the dark woods surrounding Merilee's house, appearance is everything. But just how dangerous that deception can be will shock all three women....

©2017 Karen White (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“An atmospheric and entertaining look at the friends who keep your secrets - and the friends who keep you guessing until it's too late.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“If Big Little Lies met To Kill a Mockingbird and had a compulsively readable love child, that book would be The Night the Lights Went Out. I couldn't stop reading!” (Lauren Willig, New York Times best-selling author)

Predictable

One could quickly figure out where this story was going. No real surprises. One exception was the identity of the author of the blog. Once identified, I was a little confused as to why she would have wanted to embarrass the the people she did. Narration was good to excellent. This book is a good summer "beach read".

Awesome performance!

Good story, as usual by this author. Loved the variety of character voices. Really made it come alive and easy to follow.

Great story

I loved it!!! Wonderfully written. The characters were awesome. A good southern story! Enjoyed every minute of it!

Slow start but great finish

The start was a bit slow but picked up and got exciting. I would recommend it

Loved this book!

I loved the storyline of this book! The narration was very good. Karen White has done it again. Can't wait for her next one!!!

The book I needed!

This book was an amazing listen as I traveled for the holidays this year. It was everything I needed this 2020.

Charming

This book had me from page one. I love the well developed characters. It made me smile and I couldn’t put it down. The reader is amazing.
I suppose to be honest I had it mostly figured out but enjoyed the telling and unfolding so much I didn’t want to miss a word.

A Fun Listen

This was a fun listen! The story was engaging and the narration well done. Though the mystery was easily solved, it was still fun to hear exactly how it would all play out. If you're looking for something easy and enjoyable, this is well worth a credit.

Lovd It!

I listen to Audible to help pass time on a long commute every morning and night. This story had me wishing traffic had been a little SLOWER each day!

Wonderful!

I am a big fan of Karen White, with her Tradd Street series being my favorites. This book has the same enduring quality- very likable characters, interesting story with several different lines and twists, and different time periods all woven together beautifully to create a wonderful novel. As I did with Melanie, I find myself wanting more - another window into the lives of Sugar, Marilee, & Wade. Perhaps a Sweet Apple series? Yes, please!