"Listen" by Rene Gutteridge

What would happen if people's private conversations appeared online? When a website with just such information appears, the town of Marlo goes into a panic. Who is listening to the discussions people have in their own homes? All the conversations are anonymous, but sometimes the speakers are easily identifiable, and those people are being held publicly accountable for what they said in a moment of frustration or when they were confiding in a friend.

When violent activities spike over the website, reporter Damien Underwood is on the case. He and his best friend, police officer Frank Merret, begin looking the case even while facing problems in their personal lives. Frank can't quite get over the fact that his wife left him several years earlier. Damien's home life looks ideal, but he has concerns about his two teenage children.

Damien's wife, Kay, is trying to make new friends with the other cheerleading moms, but the drama and the gossip might be more than she can handle. Will those things cloud out the opportunity for giving and receiving true friendship with one who needs it?

As the town of Marlo gets a little crazier each day, Damien can't stop thinking about the power of words. We can use them for good or for evil. When evidence starts cropping up that Frank or Damien himself could be behind the website, how can they find the real perpetrator?

This was quite an interesting and enjoyable read. Very thought-provoking. In the end I felt there was a lack of properly wrapping up storylines, and the person responsible for the website had been the very first person I guessed it to be. Overall this is one I would recommend, and we would all do well to think a little more about the words we use every day to tear people down or build them up. May we always use the power of words for the good of those around us!