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CRIME STORY | PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER
The Game You Played by Anni Taylor — An Audiobook Review
A psychological suspense twister you won’t forget
Experiencing author Anni Taylor’s novel, The Game You Played, feels like being stuffed in a washing machine and locked into repeating rinse and spin cycles.
Taylor’s skill at exposing the lives of the main characters, Phoebe and Luke Basco, through their chapter-switching perspectives keeps the reader on shaky ground — you’re never quite confident whom to believe and just when you’ve decided which side of the story is the truth, Taylor turns the knob and throws you for another roll in the barrel. Taylor’s approach and execution of this device are brilliant.
The story begins with the Basco’s, Luke and Phoebe, taking Tommy, their toddler son, to the local play park. It’s a routine family day; Phoebe watches the boy swimming his toy boat in the waterpark channels while Luke fetches ice cream. Phoebe blinks into a momentary daydream, and when her focus returns to her supervisory duty, Tommy is gone.
Panic ramps up as the young boy vanishes into thin air. Other park-goers jump into action, organizing a search even before police arrive. Phoebe enlists the help of her friends. Like any father would, Luke scours…
