The first audio original from Jeneva Rose, the author of blockbuster bestseller The Perfect Marriage, #CrimeTime is a full-cast mystery written with her husband, Drew Pyne, perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building and Finley Donovan Is Killing It.
Going viral has never been so dangerous.
Nadiya loves her privacy: living alone and writing a popular series of crime novels under a pen name, she’s worked hard to build the quiet life she cherishes. But all that changes when her long-lost half-brother Chase comes to town, needing a place to stay until he can get back on his feet. Chase’s dream job is Nadiya’s worst nightmare: he’s an aspiring TikTok star, oversharing on the internet at every opportunity.
When a burglary occurs in the apartment upstairs, Chase decides to film and post all the action. Unbeknownst to him, this was not a random break-in, but a targeted operation run by dangerous criminals. Overnight, Chase’s videos go viral, garnering millions of views and amassing a huge following of loyal #Chasers. It’s everything he’s ever dreamt of, except the attention has brought the wrong kind of heat. Chase and Nadiya are plunged into a world of organized crime, and together, they must uncover the truth and clear their names before they become the next victims.
Performed by a full cast and filled with both laugh-out-loud banter and shocking twists, #CrimeTime is a delightful romp through the murky, unpredictable realms of crime, family, and the TikTok algorithm.
Jeneva Rose is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including The Perfect Marriage and The Perfect Divorce. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages and optioned for film/tv. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Drew, and her stubborn English bulldogs, Winston and Phyllis Vance.
the setup… Nadiya is a bestselling crime writer using the pseudonym D. G. Williams who was living alone and working at home in a three unit townhouse with her adorable bulldog Winston. That was until she discovered half brother Chase Garcia on a DNA website. After they connected, he moved in from Miami, broke and jobless but an insanely aspiring TikTok star. Chase knows no boundaries when it comes to his posts so when they secretly witness a burglary in progress at the upstairs unit, he films it all, including some later damning behavior. Despite Nadiya’s demand that he not post the video, Chase does it anyway and overnight it goes viral. Nadiya knows they’re in danger though Chase is consumed with his TikTok account and continues feeding his “#Chasers” more content, creating a series of episodes for #CrimeTime.
the heart of the story… The core of the story has mystery, danger and thriller elements and structure but it’s bundled up in a campy presentation. If you don’t take it too seriously, you’ll enjoy this romp and the sometimes cheesy dialogue. It pokes serious fun at the world of TikTok influencers and the lengths some are willing to go to gain followers and infamy. Chase is immature but charming in his own way, balanced out by his much more serious and pragmatic older sister Nadiya. Things get really dangerous when the tables are turned on them and they are forced to flee to a safe hideout. It would be spoilerish to tell you more!
the narration… This is a full cast production, complete with sound effects. I felt like I was listening to a stage production and it was so much fun! The main voices for Nadiya, Chase and a later revealed character were perfectly crafted, too.
the bottom line… I had such a good time with this story, even when Chase’s naïveté and singular focus on his #Chasers drove me nuts. The twists, campiness and full cast narration combined to make this a most entertaining listening experience. Try it…and enjoy the ride! 3.5 stars
Superfun fast past action thriller audio book! This one had my heart pounding the whole time. I also enjoyed the ‘internet influencer’ part of the whole story line.
This is just what I needed today! This audible original had me cracking up. I love Jeneva Rose. Her and her husband are so funny so when I heard they wrote a book together I knew I had to read it.
This was a quick and fun read to help with your reading goal. It had a lot of heart , humor , and some mystery in it. I recommend this one for sure! I went in pretty blind and I’m glad that I did.
Quirky, fun, light read. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is awesome. Great characters that made me laugh a few times. I can say I enjoyed this for sure!
“#CrimeTime” is a sharp, entertaining thriller with a modern twist that perfectly captures the chaos of social media culture colliding with true crime obsession. Jeneva Rose blends dark humor, mystery, and satire into a story that feels both wildly current and disturbingly believable.
The story begins with a shocking event that instantly grabs your attention, and from there, it unfolds into a mix of police investigation, online commentary, and viral drama. Told through a clever mix of transcripts, social media posts, and traditional narrative, the structure makes it addictive, like scrolling through a real crime unfolding in real time.
The characters feel exaggerated yet real, especially in how they reflect today’s obsession with online fame and public judgment. Beneath the entertainment, a subtle critique emerges of how easily truth can be distorted when filtered through hashtags and influencers.
Overall, “#CrimeTime” is witty, original, and thought-provoking, offering both thrills and satire in one smart package.
I'll be honest, I hated it. I absolutely LOVE Jeneva Rose. I have loved every single book I've read by her. But maybe radio theater just isn't her thing. Or maybe it was the voice acting. I don't know. But I just felt annoyed listening to this, hoping it was going to get better. But it didn't. I only had an hour left and I just can't go on. I got a refund. The only thing I enjoyed was the fact that the dirty cop was named Scott.
This one was really cute. I really enjoyed the character’s personalities and quirks. There’s something special about listening to audiobooks with sound effects, it’s truly an immersive reading experience. Also the fact that Jeneva and her husband Drew co-wrote this together was really cool as well!
This is a light, goofy, somewhat satirical cozy mystery that definitely entertained! The audiobook performers and sound effects are top notch!!
I felt Jeneva and Drew's humor and personalities throughout. Despite the mixed reviews, I enjoyed it! If you go into this expecting it to be something it's not, you may be disappointed. But if you can be prepared in knowing that this book doesn't take itself too seriously, you should be able to enjoy it!🥰
Thanks to Simon Audio #bookclubfavorites and Libro FM for my gifted audio copies 💗
#CrimeTime by Jeneva Rose and Drew Pyne 3h 46m narrated by Abelardo Campuzano, Jennifer Damiano, Phil Thron, Gary Tiedemann, Peter Berkrot, P.J. Ochlan, Nancy Linari, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Piper Goodeve, Kevin R. Free, and Samantha Desz
Featuring: Scott Saga, Influencer, Author, Siblings, Dog, Stupidity, TikTok, Chicago, Illinois; Motherless Child, Side Effects, Author's Note, Based on a True Story
Rating as a movie: PG-13
My rating: ⭐️📱🎦
My thoughts: 📱50% 1:52:37 Part 6 - Meh. Ugh. Eyroll!
I thought it couldn't get worse but it did. This is pretty much a corny audio original. The entire time I couldn't believe how stupid these characters were, then they told the true version of the story and I learned the stupidity was real. Knowing it was inspired by true events didn't make it better. This wasn't a good story and the acting was bad.
Recommend to others: Nope. You'll just want your time back.
This hurts me to give a low rating. I like Jeneva Rose. I like her work. This original recording was so campy and not that interesting. I listened. Just disappointing. I had a complimentary copy from Libro.fm. Don’t spend money on this one. Read any of her adult thriller books and enjoy!!
I love when married couples write books together. I'm going to start this review with the Authors' note at the end by both Jeneva and Drew. I was gobsmacked to find out the story was BASED ON A TRUE STORY! Some of the dialogue and most of the original situation actually happened to the two of them! Their banter back and forth was so freaking cute I couldn't handle it.
On to the story.
This was a quick, perfect, popcorn thriller. It was hilarious (mostly thanks to Chase who not only made me laugh, but made me cry because I hope this is a over the top version of his generation lol). It has everything you could possibly want. Robbery, drugs, murder, high-speed chases, mafia bosses, shootouts, corrupt cops, whodunnit, found family, a little romance sprinkled on top for good measure and of course Tik Tok saves the day.
I can't believe this story happened in such a short amount of time (like what, 4 hours?) because it was so perfect. not a single word was wasted. I really hope Jeneva and Drew continue to write together because this was so much fun to listen to.
This is the first thing I’ve consumed by this author. The audio production was great. That, for sure, I can recommend. Everything else… not so much. I struggled with the characters. Chase, especially, drove me up the wall. His character might be one of the most annoying characters I’ve read/listened to in a very long time. I think he was supposed to drive the humorous element in the story but he didn’t do it for me. That specific element is so prominent, however, that by not enjoying him (or his humor) I was also unable to enjoy much of the rest.
Unique audiobook with no narration, only dialogue and sound effects written by Jeneva Rose and her husband Drew and inspired by (some) true events. I wasn’t sure how I felt at the beginning, but it grew on me. A good option if you’re looking for a short (under 4 hours) listen.