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The Wrong One
3 hours, 54 minutes
In this new novella from the number one internationally best-selling author of The Sisters and The Murder Rule, Dervla McTiernan, a mother and son fighting to prove her innocence are reunited with an estranged friend—a detective who may hold the key to her freedom—as they’re forced to put their differences aside to uncover the shocking truth behind the crime.
When Clara Coleman is taken into custody, her teenage son, Sebastien, wastes no time before calling Simon Miller: an estranged family friend and detective in their old hometown of Hartford, Connecticut. Clara’s been arrested for the murder of Rachel Stapleton, a wealthy housewife and prominent figure in Lavender Valley, their well-to-do New Jersey suburb. But she swears she did not commit the crime.
Simon knows that Clara is not capable of murder and will do anything he can to prove her innocence—he’s felt indebted to the Coleman family since her husband, Will, Simon’s best friend, passed away years before. He arrives in Lavender Valley and hits the ground running on the case. With time, details surrounding the crime as well as the Colemans’ family history are revealed, unravelling the complex web of cause and effect that will finally bring the truth to light.
Please note: this audio contains strong language, distressing situations and descriptions of violence that some listeners may find upsetting. Discretion is advised.
In this new novella from the number one internationally best-selling author of The Sisters and The Murder Rule, Dervla McTiernan, a mother and son fighting to prove her innocence are reunited with an estranged friend—a detective who may hold the key to her freedom—as they’re forced to put their differences aside to uncover the shocking truth behind the crime.
When Clara Coleman is taken into custody, her teenage son, Sebastien, wastes no time before calling Simon Miller: an estranged family friend and detective in their old hometown of Hartford, Connecticut. Clara’s been arrested for the murder of Rachel Stapleton, a wealthy housewife and prominent figure in Lavender Valley, their well-to-do New Jersey suburb. But she swears she did not commit the crime.
Simon knows that Clara is not capable of murder and will do anything he can to prove her innocence—he’s felt indebted to the Coleman family since her husband, Will, Simon’s best friend, passed away years before. He arrives in Lavender Valley and hits the ground running on the case. With time, details surrounding the crime as well as the Colemans’ family history are revealed, unravelling the complex web of cause and effect that will finally bring the truth to light.
Please note: this audio contains strong language, distressing situations and descriptions of violence that some listeners may find upsetting. Discretion is advised.
4 pages, Audible Audio
First published March 31, 2022
67 people are currently reading
1125 people want to read
About the author
Dervla McTiernan
15 books5,210 followersNumber one internationally bestselling author Dervla McTiernan is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of six novels, including the much-loved Cormac Reilly series and two number 1 bestselling standalone thrillers, The Murder Rule and What Happened to Nina?, both New York Times Best Thrillers of the Year and both currently in development for screen adaptation. Dervla is also the author of four novellas, and her audio novella, The Sisters, was a four-week number one bestseller in the United States. Before turning her hand to writing, Dervla spent twelve years working as a lawyer in her home country of Ireland. Following the global financial crisis, she relocated to Western Australia where she now lives with her husband, two children and too many pets.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 542 reviews
May 5, 2022
2.5 stars: I am a huge fan of author Dervla McTiernan. I’ve listened to three audio books by her. I was a bit disappointed with this one. I think it’s the narrators. While her previous novels (that I listened to) were narrated by the amazing Aoife McMahon, this was narrated by Neil Hellegers and Michael Crouch. I think my expectations were too high. That said, both narrators were good, just not “Aoife McMahon” good.
This is a novella which is always difficult to provide a good story in detail. I’m not sure if it was the story, the narrators or my mood, but it fell short in the thriller/suspense genre.
This is a novella which is always difficult to provide a good story in detail. I’m not sure if it was the story, the narrators or my mood, but it fell short in the thriller/suspense genre.
July 24, 2023
This was an interesting novella from Dervla McTiernan. I thought it was good fun.
The story was clever and I found it very hard to work out who the wrong one actually was. I did get it right just before the author explained it all to me, but only just. I liked that the baddy got their just desserts, and I enjoyed the haunted house drama. That was unexpected but very nicely done. Shades of John Connolly or even Stephen King.
Short but very entertaining. Four stars.
The story was clever and I found it very hard to work out who the wrong one actually was. I did get it right just before the author explained it all to me, but only just. I liked that the baddy got their just desserts, and I enjoyed the haunted house drama. That was unexpected but very nicely done. Shades of John Connolly or even Stephen King.
Short but very entertaining. Four stars.
April 13, 2022
It is interesting to see where this author is going, progressing in the books she writes after her very successful series set in Ireland. Can't say I loved this, there is alot going on for a short listen and to be honest didn't really feel like I knew or liked these characters. The narrators did a credible job but the best thing about this listen is that it was free on audible plus. Never thought I'd say this about anything this author wrote but for me this was just....meh!
December 31, 2022
OOOPH CHILD! You know when you a hate a character SOOOOO much that you hope a semi-truck runs over them?!
sigh... yeah.
That's how I felt about Simon. Mister "oh no a woman is in a pickle, let me come save her and she will forever grovel at my feet" ... sleazeball!
I will say, Seb, you are the best! Sorry you had a shitty past couple of years. Hopefully, you rise from the ashes (pun intended). OH! And sweet house!
sigh... yeah.
That's how I felt about Simon. Mister "oh no a woman is in a pickle, let me come save her and she will forever grovel at my feet" ... sleazeball!
I will say, Seb, you are the best! Sorry you had a shitty past couple of years. Hopefully, you rise from the ashes (pun intended). OH! And sweet house!
August 9, 2022
Audio - 5 Stars
Story - 3 STars
If this had been a full novel, it would easily have been 5 stars. I love how this author's mind works.
Story - 3 STars
If this had been a full novel, it would easily have been 5 stars. I love how this author's mind works.
May 1, 2022
I can see what Dervla McTiernan is trying to do with this change in direction, but personally I'm not digging it. While The Murder Rule was good, if underwhelming, this new novella is just mass-market and forgettable. And that little poke at the paranormal? Just don't. It's not something that can be done tentatively. Either go for it, or leave it alone.
Free on Audible.
Free on Audible.
October 31, 2024
3 Stars
The tables turn in this short detective novella. Love DM but this book didn't grasp me like her other books have.
The tables turn in this short detective novella. Love DM but this book didn't grasp me like her other books have.
June 14, 2023
Quick audible original - 4 hours. I enjoyed it. Both the character and the voice of the mother annoyed me a bit, but not enough to truly complain, merely to remark. I think my next audio might be the Charm Offensive.
Really enjoying the Many Daughters of Afong Moy, but so little time.
Really enjoying the Many Daughters of Afong Moy, but so little time.
April 15, 2022
Let the Wrong One In*
Review of the Audible Original audiobook edition (March 31, 2022)
Irish-born but now Australia-based writer Dervla McTiernan expands from her Eire-based Cormac Reilly series of Garda novels and novellas with this new Audible Original novella set in the United States.
Somewhat due to Ebert's Law of the Economy of Characters, the culprit was fairly predictable early on, but there was effective suspense in getting us to the resolution.
I've read that Audible Originals authors sign audiobook exclusivity contracts for at least a six-month period before they are allowed to issue the work in print or eBook formats, so non-audio McTiernan fans will have to wait for a bit. Meanwhile, her next novel The Murder Rule is available soon, expected May 10, 2022. It also appears to not be set in Ireland.
* I couldn't resist using this spoilery lede of riffing on Let the Right One In (orig. Swedish title Låt den rätte komma in) (2004) by John Ajvide Lindqvist.
Review of the Audible Original audiobook edition (March 31, 2022)
Irish-born but now Australia-based writer Dervla McTiernan expands from her Eire-based Cormac Reilly series of Garda novels and novellas with this new Audible Original novella set in the United States.
Somewhat due to Ebert's Law of the Economy of Characters, the culprit was fairly predictable early on, but there was effective suspense in getting us to the resolution.
I've read that Audible Originals authors sign audiobook exclusivity contracts for at least a six-month period before they are allowed to issue the work in print or eBook formats, so non-audio McTiernan fans will have to wait for a bit. Meanwhile, her next novel The Murder Rule is available soon, expected May 10, 2022. It also appears to not be set in Ireland.
* I couldn't resist using this spoilery lede of riffing on Let the Right One In (orig. Swedish title Låt den rätte komma in) (2004) by John Ajvide Lindqvist.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2023
that was way more fun than I was expecting and the ending was definitely a surprise!
June 22, 2022
Umm...not sure what was up with the 'Monster House' vibe...it felt wrong; like it was just thrown in at the end to jazz it up. The narration was decent. The story was, just okay, nothing to rave about.
November 30, 2023
Did not sound like the author!
If Dervla McTiernan used an AI/ChatGPT bot I’d believe it wrote this! Two-stars go to the paranormal and twist but little else makes this novella readable.
If Dervla McTiernan used an AI/ChatGPT bot I’d believe it wrote this! Two-stars go to the paranormal and twist but little else makes this novella readable.
May 23, 2025
3.5 stars
Pretty entertaining but the revelation doesn't seem like how the Dervla McTiernan I know and love would have ended things.
Pretty entertaining but the revelation doesn't seem like how the Dervla McTiernan I know and love would have ended things.
December 28, 2022
Eek! I didn't realize this was a SCARY story. lol.
I mean, sorta.
Definitely didn't see the ending coming.
Recommend, if you're into SCARY stories. :)
I mean, sorta.
Definitely didn't see the ending coming.
Recommend, if you're into SCARY stories. :)
April 5, 2022
It's almost like the author couldn't decide what type of story they were writing. It has bits of haunted house, murder mystery, obsessed cop, etc. The characters were basic and none really stood out for me. Plot was a little all over the place. Some twists (although predictable) at the end.
October 4, 2022
Nu sako dovanotam arkliui į dantis nežiūri, bet šitam arkliui smirda iš nasrų! Audible original prenumeratoriai gauna alia nemokamai, bet šita trumpa knygiūkštė kad ir normaliai pradeda, bet paskui lieka skystaliukas, kur namas tuoj tuoj pradės kalbėti - mystery. Nu come on, man tokie neveikia! Žodžiu, gerai kad vos kelios valandos, nes nu, laiko gaišimas.
Žodžiu - neklausykit.
Žodžiu - neklausykit.
April 16, 2022
Unlike all of McTiernan's other books, this wasn't set in Ireland. Nor was it even set in her adopted country of Australia. Instead, it's set in US and, as such, the narrators are American and I must admit I found their accents very jarring. Once I warmed to them a bit, I began to enjoy the book more.
The novella opens with Simon, a police detective, arriving in town to help his late partner's wife, Clara, when she gets accused of murder. The book is told from the POV of both Simon and Seb, Clara's son. Unfortunately, the book is probably too short for us to form an opinion about Clara and her character and, therefore, we rely completely on Seb and Simon's claims of her innocence. Of course, one or both of them could be wrong.
There is a great twist and some reviewers have given it away, or at least hinted at it, so I would recommend you stop reading reviews of this if you're planning to read. I will say I was spoiler free and I never guessed the twist at all.
One thing I wasn't sold on was the Gothic house/ghost story moments which featured in the book. I won't even bother taking them into account, they're that pointless.
The Wrong One probably suffered due to its brevity and would have been better as a longer ordinary print book.
3 out of 5
The novella opens with Simon, a police detective, arriving in town to help his late partner's wife, Clara, when she gets accused of murder. The book is told from the POV of both Simon and Seb, Clara's son. Unfortunately, the book is probably too short for us to form an opinion about Clara and her character and, therefore, we rely completely on Seb and Simon's claims of her innocence. Of course, one or both of them could be wrong.
There is a great twist and some reviewers have given it away, or at least hinted at it, so I would recommend you stop reading reviews of this if you're planning to read. I will say I was spoiler free and I never guessed the twist at all.
One thing I wasn't sold on was the Gothic house/ghost story moments which featured in the book. I won't even bother taking them into account, they're that pointless.
The Wrong One probably suffered due to its brevity and would have been better as a longer ordinary print book.
3 out of 5
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April 10, 2023For a while I thought McTiernan was on a real uphill climb, improving with each book, but this is the second miss in a row. I'm not sure I'll keep reading her, tbh.
May 1, 2022
This short story is available via Audible only. (3 hrs 54 min)
I really liked the author’s Cormac Reilly series but was disappointed by this one. I realize that it was a short book, but I developed no interest or empathy for any of the characters. It was too easy to guess who was behind the murder, and at some point the author started to point to the supernatural for no reason and with no follow up or closure on that angle.
The narration was crummy-both narrators. When men narrate women, they go into a head tone that annoys me. The woman’s speech was too enunciated for real life.
This one is forgettable and the only redeeming factors were that it was short and free.
(Review also posted on Audible.)
I really liked the author’s Cormac Reilly series but was disappointed by this one. I realize that it was a short book, but I developed no interest or empathy for any of the characters. It was too easy to guess who was behind the murder, and at some point the author started to point to the supernatural for no reason and with no follow up or closure on that angle.
The narration was crummy-both narrators. When men narrate women, they go into a head tone that annoys me. The woman’s speech was too enunciated for real life.
This one is forgettable and the only redeeming factors were that it was short and free.
(Review also posted on Audible.)
April 3, 2022
2.75 stars
This one sadly just didn’t work for me. I appreciate that it was a bonus audiobook novella with my audible membership but overall I thought it was mediocre.
The characters were bland, the plot was a bit ho hum which is a shame as some of the other audible novellas by Dervla have been great.
This one sadly just didn’t work for me. I appreciate that it was a bonus audiobook novella with my audible membership but overall I thought it was mediocre.
The characters were bland, the plot was a bit ho hum which is a shame as some of the other audible novellas by Dervla have been great.
August 13, 2022
Audible Originals, audiobooks commissioned, produced and owned by Audible is one of the win/win ideas in the publishing industry. The subscriber gets additional, exclusive, premium content, usually free (at least initially) and Audible gets to control the quality and cost of the content while strengthening the loyalty of subscribers to the Audible platform.
Of course, the win/win only happens if the Audible Originals are worth listening to. I think that 'The Wrong One' is a good example of what an Audible Original should be: it's written by an author I know and whose books I would buy; it's novella length so it's tempting to give it a go and will appeal to subscribers who prefer podcasts over novels and it's written to be listened to and to be enhanced by the use of two narrators.
The best thing about 'The Wrong One' though is that it's a literary IED waiting to explode when you least expect it. Because this novel is written by Dervla McTiernan, I assumed that 'The Wrong One' would be a police procedural with the pace of a thriller. This assumption was reinforced when I read the publisher's summary and saw that I was going to have a Police Detective trying to prove that his dead friend's wife is innocent of the murder she's been accused of.
The thing about assumptions is that they're what cons and magic tricks are made of. They suck you in and keep you distracted while the real game is played.
I don't put spoilers in my reviews so I won't tell you what the real game was except to say it was a good one and very well played.
Of course, looking back, I knew something was off almost from the beginning. That didn't help me, firstly because I didn't know exactly what was off and secondly Dervla McTiernan structured the storytelling to seed doubt about both of the narrators so I couldn't decide if just one of them was off, or which one it was or if both of them were hiding something unpleasant. I understood then that the title was a taunt to to the unwary reader because my problem was that I didn't know which one was The Wrong One.Then, just when I thought I'd figured out who not to trust, I realised that I hadn't been paying attention to the signals that I'd been getting that there was a supernatural element to the plot.
So I gave up trying to see how the magic trick worked and just Dervla McTiernan and the two narrators, Neil Hellegers and Michael Crouch, dazzle me.
I enjoyed the four hours I spent on 'The Wrong One'. It kept me entertained, helped me to relax and made me take a closer look at Dervla McTiernan's standalone novels. I'm thinking that her latest novel 'The Murder Rule' would be an excellent fit for Halloween Bingo. See what I mean about a win/win?
September 1, 2022
The Wrong One by Dervla McTiernan
3h 54m narrated by Neil Hellegers and Michael Crouch
Genre: Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Audible Originals, Crime, Novella, Short Stories, Murder Mystery
Featuring: Cop, Hartford, Connecticut; New Jersey, Single Mother and Teen
Rating as a movie: R
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️¾
My thoughts: 17% 39:59 Ch. 3 - Interesting opening but I'm not sold yet.
This story was mediocre and then it just turned fabulous for a moment.
Recommend to others?: Yes. It's a slow start but worth it.
3h 54m narrated by Neil Hellegers and Michael Crouch
Genre: Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Audible Originals, Crime, Novella, Short Stories, Murder Mystery
Featuring: Cop, Hartford, Connecticut; New Jersey, Single Mother and Teen
Rating as a movie: R
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️¾
My thoughts: 17% 39:59 Ch. 3 - Interesting opening but I'm not sold yet.
This story was mediocre and then it just turned fabulous for a moment.
Recommend to others?: Yes. It's a slow start but worth it.
April 1, 2022
Pretty good from a story perspective. Enjoyed the twists. Entertaining but misses the mark at the end. I felt there was too much over-explaining.
Being a novella I guess I’m supposed to overlook the inadequate character development. Didn’t actually care about any of the characters. I do expect a bit more from this outstanding author.
Being a novella I guess I’m supposed to overlook the inadequate character development. Didn’t actually care about any of the characters. I do expect a bit more from this outstanding author.
June 26, 2022
Although it was a good story that kept me engaged to the end, this one fell a little flat for me. Which was disappointing as I really enjoyed The Ruins. Perhaps she was trying to cram too much into a novella sized space, but there I spotted the unreliable narrator and who really done it very quickly. Also, there's a weird supernatural element that swoops in as deus ex machina and is really never explained or resolved, but serves only to tidy the plot and swiftly end the story.
However, I still have several of McTiernan's books on my TBR and look forward to chewing through them.
Audiobook, via Audible Plus catalog. Performance by Neil Hellegers and Michael Crouch were pretty good.
However, I still have several of McTiernan's books on my TBR and look forward to chewing through them.
Audiobook, via Audible Plus catalog. Performance by Neil Hellegers and Michael Crouch were pretty good.
May 30, 2022
2.5 stars rounded up. I now have read all of this authors backlist and this was my least favorites. When Sebastian‘s mom is arrested for murder he immediately calls his dad‘s old friend Simon. He is a police detective who is currently on short-term disability due to a shoulder injury. Simon immediately comes and starts helping proof that she did not commit murder. I never connected with any other characters and I honestly found the main characters rather unlikable. However the ending of the book surprised me in such a way that I rounded it up to a three star.. If you have not read anything by this author I would suggest starting with a Cormac Riley series instead of this one.
April 20, 2022
This was around a 3.75 for me. This was a fast paced and enjoyable mystery. I didn’t realize there would also be a touch of the supernatural; while that is not my favorite genre, it didn’t detract from the overall plot.
November 21, 2025
Missing from this story: Ireland. Aoife's narration. Cormac.
Ah well, we can't have everything we want all the time. Aside from those shortfalls, this turned out pretty alright. To be honest I wasn't all that impressed with this story until about the last 30 to 40 minutes when I was so hooked that I began listening on my work breaks.
Dervla achieved her feat of misdirection on me and I was indeed looking at the wrong one. I was actually getting prepared to be all mad about the person, who I thought was guilty, getting away scot-free when Dervla flipped the table on me and I realised I had been sitting upside down all along. Bravo.
There is a weird and unexpected, mildly paranormal element too.
Ah well, we can't have everything we want all the time. Aside from those shortfalls, this turned out pretty alright. To be honest I wasn't all that impressed with this story until about the last 30 to 40 minutes when I was so hooked that I began listening on my work breaks.
Dervla achieved her feat of misdirection on me and I was indeed looking at the wrong one. I was actually getting prepared to be all mad about the person, who I thought was guilty, getting away scot-free when Dervla flipped the table on me and I realised I had been sitting upside down all along. Bravo.
There is a weird and unexpected, mildly paranormal element too.
June 2, 2022
3/3.5*
Probably my least fave of Dervla's work- the story was pretty decent, I hated Simon (I'm not opposed to hating a character though). He was just so- "damsel in distress I must be the protector" and seemed to want credit and praise for just "respecting" a woman (which he didn't, at all). I also LOVED the narration of Dervla's previous novellas, and I wasn't much of a fun of this narration by comparison.
Seb was pretty great though, I don't have much of an opinion on Clara- she was just kinda there. And I did enjoy the spooky house vibes
Probably my least fave of Dervla's work- the story was pretty decent, I hated Simon (I'm not opposed to hating a character though). He was just so- "damsel in distress I must be the protector" and seemed to want credit and praise for just "respecting" a woman (which he didn't, at all). I also LOVED the narration of Dervla's previous novellas, and I wasn't much of a fun of this narration by comparison.
Seb was pretty great though, I don't have much of an opinion on Clara- she was just kinda there. And I did enjoy the spooky house vibes
October 3, 2023
The MC was such a misogynistic prick
April 18, 2022
This confused me because it was set in the US for some reason, rather than the author's usual Ireland. The narrator who voiced the Sebastian sections grew on me, although I found him a little monotone at the beginning. The plot was initially intriguing, but then the ending felt as if the author didn't know how to resolve things. The culprit became obvious at a very specific point, and then there was the supernatural house that saved the innocent. The genres got rather blurred...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 542 reviews