One Desperate Life

by D.J. Maughan

She’s pregnant with his child when he deserts her.

Home in 1912 Chicago for summer, Louise Clifford finds herself, once again, lost in the shadow of her more accomplished sister. When the alluring Texan, Charles Watson, pursues her, she clings to the lifeline he promises. However, after six weeks of bliss, he abruptly leaves.

Hurt and angry, she sneaks away in search of him. Finding him in his hometown of Austin, she’s confused to learn he’s answering to a different name. Now everything he told her back in Chicago is in question. She’s trapped. She needs him but knows he’s not the man she knew…

What else could he be hiding?

Genres: Audiobook, Suspense

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 26, 2024

Reviews

[Autumn McNichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is utterly fabulous. It is so well written, easy to follow, but the storyline will keep you intrigued. I highly recommend this! 10/10

[Chapters_with_VDKeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It wasn’t your typical psychological thriller. But, it was interesting and entertaining. I read it in one sitting.

[Ali O · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Desperate Life by D.J. Maughan
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Wow! What an intense story! I wasn’t sure what to expect when the story began, but boy did it take off!
The story takes place in Chicago in 1912 and follows along with Louise and her powerful journey.
The story is super intense and suspenseful!
It’s also very unique and a well written story.
There are so many mysteries going on and I love how it all was pieced together.

I listened to the audio version and the narrator did an excellent job!
*Definitely check out this book!!*

[Peggy Henstra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review

This book took you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. From beginning to end it was a turn pager and the ending was a shock to me. Loved it

[Tika Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 — Easy read/intriguing story to follow, but the ending cleaned up a little too quickly for me.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louise has always lived in her sister’s shadow. Her mother is stoic and never quite seems to appreciate her. One day, a man comes into town that will change the course of her life and send shockwaves through the tranquil family.

It wasn’t my usual style, but I really enjoyed this one and found it to be another great read from the author!

[Elaine Rainbolt · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this story. I didn't know where it was going at first but it made you get really involved in this story. I liked the ending and was wishing a great life for Louise and Jacob.

[Donna Mallery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just discovered this author, and boy do they know how to write interesting books!

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick n easy

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Desperate Life
By: D.J. Maughan
Narrated by: Stephanie Richardson

Looking for some excitement? This one is for you! Louise is always pushed aside in her family, so when her parents bring home a suitor for her sister, and he takes an interest in Louise, she quietly jumps at the chance. Now she finds herself in a predicament which leads to a twisting and turning mystery. DJ Maughan has crafted a little romance and a whole lot of deceit and betrayal. I loved the look at the present as this cold case becomes hot, and the flashbacks to how it all came to be. It's easy to follow, suspenseful and surprising! I truly enjoyed this thriller.

Stephanie Richardson brings it all to life with an amazing performance. She creates all the characters with the voices that fit them. The building up of the story, the passion and suspense all come through with her emotions and nuances. She is the perfect fit and made the listen extraordinary.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a page turner and engaging every step of the way. I love a surprise ending!

[Karina · Rating 1 out of 5]

if you told me it was written by AI, i would immediately believe you. At least it would explain the outrageous anachronisms that also include the characters: an eighteen year old girl from a good family who talks about applying makeup and processing information - in 1912. Sure, Jan. I always wonder why people insist on setting their books in the past if they have no intention of doing even the most basic research.
Blissfully short, but that's its only redeeming quality.

[Jocelyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first D.J. Maughan's book, and won't be my last. One Desperate Life is a captivating story, filled with suspense, mystery, danger, and twists and turns. Louise's story is set in the early 1900s. This thriller is an emotional roller coaster, fast-paced, intriguing, and heart-pounding. The plot is well crafted, and enthralling. Stephanie Richardson is a new narrator to me. She did an excellent job bringing this story to life.

[Faith E Dower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of twists and turns

Easy read! Fast paced. No profanity or explicit sex. A few misspelled homophones that a good editor should have caught. Otherwise, a pleasant way to spend a few hours.

[Maxine Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another un-put-downable book of DJ Maughan.

[Kate DiBiase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Went into this book with an open mind and I’m so glad I did! It was a very intriguing story and had me interested the whole time, wondering what was going to happen next!

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Desperate Life

This book was fantastic. I totally enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. I definitely highly recommend it. I've found a new author! 😃

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Desperate Life by D.J. Maughan is a short, quick paced what I'd call historical thriller that will have you wanting to finish this in one sitting.

The story takes place in the early 1900s, in the time of train travel & horse and buggies, and is told using past & present timelines. Louise finds herself attracted the man set to marry her sister and ends up in a whirlwind romance with him.

Eventually finding herself pregnant from a night with him, she runs away to seek him out, but things aren't what they seem. Will she be able to survive him?

It was a little confusing on audio at first with the timelines and names, I don't want to give away too much, but once I figured out who was who and how the past & present connected it was an easy listen!

Great 4 star read!

[Wendie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick Read

I read One Desperate Life by DJ Maughan in an afternoon. It was a gripping story about betrayal and deceit, and I kept wanting to know what was going to happen, especially to Louise, the main character.

I was a bit confused about the time period of the book and if Louise was living in a different time than Michael as the chapters shifted. After a while, I sorted out that they were both in the same time period from clues about the cost of things & train vs plane travel.

If you like thrillers told from different viewpoints with suspense & intrigue, One Desperate Life will keep you entertained. Be sure to check out other books by DJ Maughan, too.

[Siobhan D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the narration of Stephanie Richardson, who brings out the angst and pace.


Louise finds herself pregnant and alone. In the summer of 1912 Chicago may be over shadowed by her sister. But when Louise Texan, Charles Watson, promises her the world they have six weeks of bliss and then he leaves. Even though she is hurting Louise goes looking for Charles and finds him in his hometown of Austin, answering to a different name. Louise knows she is trapped but she needs find out the truth and see what he hiding.

This is fast paced and will keep you wanting to know what happens next.

[Chastity Raven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oof not for me.
I wanted to enjoy it so badly. Louise and Charlie just didn't feel like real people.
I'm starting to wonder if this 'thriller' genre is for me. I keep trying to find the right author and the right story. This one wasn't for me. I probably should have known that with the pregnancy mentioned in the blurb but I still wanted to pick it up for this book club and get to know the same story as everyone else.
I told them at club last night that I could not get into it but I finished it, I then had to go reread HP to feel better.

[Kari Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

In thinking of how to describe this book, I ask myself, is it a love story, historical fiction, a domestic thriller? The answer is that it's a little bit of all 3.

This book is well written, and the characters are easy to love or hate in some cases.

My fourth by DJ Maughan, but definitely not my last. He is consistently a great writer and always delivers a great story.

[Doc Honour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance and mystery

An intriguing story of early 20th century romance coupled with murder mystery. Billed as a “gripping thriller,” I pondered in what genre I would have placed it. Historical fiction? Mystery? Romance? I didn’t find it “gripping,” but I did enjoy the story and found it interesting.

[Ciara Hartman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened on Chirp. The audio was very enjoyable to listen to. This low key thriller takes place back in the days when the titanic sank. There weren’t really any big twists, but it was a riveting story and I loved the ending. Def a good one if you enjoy books were a woman overcomes all the odds stacked against her!

[Lupe Merino · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book! Strong female lead! Plot twists you don't see coming! It was a real page turner, one of the quickest books I have ever read. I couldn't put it down. It wraps up perfectly, nothing is left unanswered (which I personally love.) I will be reading this one again it was that good!

[Amber Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an easy and enjoyable read. I decided to do the audio. I enjoyed the twists and turns. I held back on the 5⭐️ only because the wrap-up felt abrupt and fast. I'd recommend this to other thriller readers though!

[Frannie Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually love books set in the early 1900s, so this one didn't grab me as much as others. I took a while to get into it as I found it confusing for ages! But it's still really interesting and overall a great read!

[Kaitlynn Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shocked me so many times. I absolutely love D.J. Maughan’s ability to weave a compelling storyline, with complex character development and jarring, unexpected turns. Exactly what I look for in a thriller. Highly recommend.

[Rachel Browning · Rating 5 out of 5]

“One Desperate Life” by D. J. Maughan is a suspenseful thriller filled with mystery and deception. The story is well written and keeps the tension high from start to finish. I was completely hooked and couldn’t stop reading, always wondering what would happen next. A gripping and satisfying read.

[Roxanne OBryon · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This story is desperately believable.
I was invested in the FMC and could hardly wait to find out what happened next while at the same time peeking through my fingers reading because I was so nervous to find out what happened next.