Roar

by Nicole Trope

An exclusive Kindle Single for fans of Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve.

Step into the fragile domestic world of Roar and discover the unforgettable voice of Nicole Trope, bestselling author of The Secrets in Silence, Three Hours Late and The Boy Under the Table.

The baby sleeps peacefully, filled with milk and contentment. The man on the bed breathes his way into the darkness, filled with rage.

Was there ever really a choice?

From the queen of searing family drama and suspense comes a short story about the fierce bonds between mother and child, the things we sacrifice to protect the ones we love and the desperate choices we make when there's nowhere left to run.

'Powerful and thought provoking writing with a telling edge of reality.' Women's Weekly on Nicole Trope The Secrets in Silence, AWW Pick of the Month

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction

20 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2014

About the author

Nicole Trope writes psychological thrillers about families in crisis and the secrets we keep from ourselves and others. She has always been fascinated by the stories behind the headlines and published her first novel in 2012. In 2026 she will publish her 20th novel with Bookouture. She is a USA Today and Amazon bestseller in the USA, UK, AUS, Canada and Germany. Her books have been translated into German, Italian, Polish, Hungarian and French and Japanese.
She lives in Sydney with her husband and three children
Current Publication: The Therapist-July 31st 2025
Next Publication: What Have You Done?-October 17th 2025

Reviews

[Rene Lurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fabulous read by a fantastic author

[Birgit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice short story about a woman in an abusive relationship and how she gets rid of him. Bit of an open ending but nevertheless well done.

[Emilija · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting short story concerning domestic abuse and breaking points. There’s not much I can say without spoilering it, but it was incredible.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened to this as an audiobook I found free on audible. Nice and short for bedtime listening at just 30-40 minutes.
Story was a strange one, about a woman in an abusive relationship now looking to protect her newborn son from his fathers rage. Too short to delve into the story too much and can't say it ended how I expected but it was easy to listen to and short enough for a one sitting finish.
Would be interesting to see what this author could achieve with a longer novel

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but left me wanting MORE

I knew this was a short story when I started it, but I didn’t realize just how short. I really enjoyed the read. Now onto a full Nicole Trope novel, ‘cause I need MORE. :)

[Chrissy Busick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, fun listen for a short drive to work. What would you do to get out of a semi-abusive relationship? I enjoyed listening to this woman's recount of what led her to the events that were happening, and how they went in to action.

[Rachel Foster · Rating 1 out of 5]

.... O.O

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not thrilled with this short story.

[Gail Wylde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short story that leaves you thinking.

[velma lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

Wish this was more than a short story. It would make a great book. Loved what I read and wanted more

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short story

This short story makes me want to know more. I wanted to know how the woman in this book got to the place she was at. Incredible

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roar

This book was short and ok.I wouldn't read it again.I do like Trope other book ,a longer book is better

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short story

Very short but very enjoyable. Wish it could have been a little longer but I figured saying short story it would be a quick read.

[Tracy Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreakingly fantastic.
Dragged me in from the very first line and kept me hooked to the very short and satisfying end.
A must read for Nicole Trope fans.

[Omnia Atef · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read finished in 20 minutes fast thriller homicide for manipulator as a husband loved and needed more in the story

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a short story about murder as a result of spousal abuse and fear for potential future child abuse. She's been putting up with his abuse for years. It sounds like it's typically psychological/emotional abuse, but that sometimes it becomes physical (it's not entirely clear). From the outside looking in, they have a great marriage and she is the "perfect wife." Now there is a child in the picture. A child he originally seemed somewhat happy about but that she now feels he doesn't want. She fears for how he will treat the baby going forward. It is unclear to me how he would react if she left other than the fact that she believes he'd still want to see the child and might abuse it as it gets older. Would he react violently? Would he kill her? Would he even care? The commentary is geared more towards him telling her she'd never make it on her own without him, but no overt threats. Ultimately, she decides the best way to fix the situation is to kill him before he ever gets the chance to abuse their child. A lethal injection of insulin and it's lights out for him. The book ends with her yelling roar into his ear post-mortem and rehearsing what she will say to people to explain his death.

[SOS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This very short audio book was crammed with attention grabbing detail and tension. The story set my nerves on end, and the narration ramped that up several notches in it's delivery. It was perfect in almost every way.

My one question concerns the use of insulin. The protagonist goes to her mother's every day to inject her with insulin, so her mother won't have to do it herself. There's no mention of blood testing. I wonder whether it's a common practice to do a once a day insulin injection like that? Isn't it supposed to be dosed based on blood glucose levels, amount of food eaten, and activity level? Other than that one small thing, I think this was a great book and would recommend it to those who love mystery, thriller, and suspense books.

Highly recommended!

[Samantha Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

saw this on kindle singles and liked the description and thought would b different for a quick read. so glad I did. even tho its a short short

story is about a mother who is in a abusive relationship and goes on how she deals with it and gets rid of him

all she wants to do is protect her child and she finds the only way to do that is to get rid of her abusive husband.

Top notch

[Carole (Carole's Random Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice short story. I think that the main character's desperation was clearly represented. I enjoyed the narrator's performance quite a bit. My only complaint was that the story was left somewhat open ended. I would have liked to see a bit more resolution to the story.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book on audible. It was a short book based on a woman who feels the need to defend her child. The book was entertaining but I felt like it could have used a few more details to really pull the reader in. I wasn't quite sure what roar meant.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

And... then what happens?!!!!

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good short read....nice quick paced murder. Must say love her longer stories, however, this short read was good because I find some short reads beat around the bush too much...this did not.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novella.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short read and again I am sure there are and have been people in similar situations and have thought of similar endings. Leaves you thinking... Enjoyable short story read.

[Sarah D'aguiar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Utter shite