Crocodile Tears
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Crocodile Tears
Narrated by:
Matt Addis
Buy Now for £18.99
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Narrated by:
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Matt Addis
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By:
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Xanthe Walter
About this listen
Heart-pounding MM romantic suspense thriller set in a dystopian near future where love and loss collide.
Dark water. Deadly secrets. Dangerous love.
Top homicide detective Josiah Raine hasn't touched another man since his husband's brutal murder seven years ago. Notorious bad boy Alexander Lytton hasn't known peace since destroying his privileged life to become Britain's most hated man. When Josiah arrests Alex for murder, the last thing he expects is to fall in love....
London, 2095. Sixty years after rising seas drowned the old world, a corrupt system of servitude keeps the new one afloat.
Josiah leads a double life. At work, he tracks down killers with ruthless efficiency. At home, he's falling apart as he talks to his dead husband. His frozen existence is turned upside down when a celebrity is murdered, and all evidence points to the victim's servant—the beautiful but enigmatic Alexander Lytton.
Everyone is convinced of Alex's guilt except Josiah, who finds himself drawn to the sharp-witted young man. He knows Alex is hiding something, but is it murder or an even darker secret?
Haunted by memories of his husband's last moments, Josiah is running on empty as he tries to solve the case. As he slowly unravels, he finds an unlikely source of comfort—in the arms of his prime suspect.
But in a drowned world where servants are property, falling for Alex could cost him everything. Can he trust instincts numbed by grief, or is he being seduced by a master manipulator?
Immerse yourself in the enthralling first novel in the four-part Dark Water series by MM romance author Xanthe Walter, narrated by Matt Addis.
Mature content suitable for adults only.
©2025 Xanthe Walter (P)2025 Xanthe WalterListeners also enjoyed...
Listener received this title free
Set mostly in England, but with memories extending into places in Europe, the first book introduces us to the two MCs Josiah and Alex. Two lost and lonely men, full of grief, pain, guilt and hopelessness.
Whilst the book doesn’t end on a nail biting cliffhanger, nothing is resolved, but don’t fret, book 2 is available now, and despite almost listening none stop to this one I’m eagerly looking forward to beginning book 2, Ghost Eye.
Best Audiobook for Years!
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The series is set in a dystopian not-too distant future in which a series of massive underwater earthquakes caused the sea levels to rise, the ice caps to melt and saw entire countries and cities submerged. In this new, partially flooded London, investigator Josiah Raine, one of the country’s top investigators, is assigned to investigate the murder of a celebrity photographer and holographer, which is likely to be a high-profile case.
Josiah makes his way to the address he’s been given in one of the most expensive areas of New London, where the body of Elliot Dacre is still lying in the middle of the now blood-soaked carpet in the luxurious living room. The room itself is rather disconcerting, covered as the walls are in holopics, most of them displaying the image of a beautiful and intense young man whose face vaguely rings a bell, but whom Josiah can’t place. He learns the man is Alexander Lytton – a convicted criminal sold into Indentured Servitude by the courts for an eyewatering sum of money. Indies killing their houder (owner) is not an uncommon crime and Lytton’s association with Dacre (for whom he was clearly more than a servant) makes him a definite person of interest – if not the prime suspect.
The storyline in the present (2095) focuses on the murder investigation and the uneasy relationship developing between Josiah and Alex. They don’t trust each other – with good reason – and although Josiah finds it increasingly difficult to believe in Alex’s guilt, he knows the massive amount of circumstantial evidence stacked against him would convict him in any court. But he’s not interested in a speedy conviction of the wrong man; he wants to find the real killer – and to find the truth of the infuriating, enigmatic Alexander Lytton, to discover what lies behind the blank façade of the perfect, dutiful servant he presents to the world.
In the "past" sections of the story, one storyline tells the story of how Alex, spoilt rich kid and son of a wealthy industrialist became an Indentured Servant (IS or indie), and the other follows the younger Josiah in his army days, and shows how he met and fell in love with his late husband, Peter.
The world the author has created is fascinating – and more than a little disturbing – with information imparted as appropriate to the story rather than in info dumps. While there are some pacing issues (I got a bit frustrated with the interruptions to the murder investigation until I realised the stories in the other timelines are just as compelling) once the story really got going, I was utterly engrossed by it and felt like I was holding my breath until I reached the end!
Matt Addis' narration is outstanding. His pacing is spot on and he does an amazing job of finding different characer voices for the large cast - all are expertly characterised and differentiated from each other so there's never any confusion as to who is speaking in conversations. His portrayals of Josiah and Alex are perfect - Josiah's confidence and authority oozes from him, and I especially liked the differences in the way MA voices Josiah the soldier and Josiah the investigator, who is a more polished individual when it comes to matters of dress and speech and has lost his rougher accent. His Alex is alternately sweet, petulant, charming and frustrated; here is a deeply damaged young man who has lost his way.
As this is the first in a four book series, don’t go in expecting a speedy or simple resolution or an HEA because we won't get any resolution until the final book. But by the end of this one, you'll be so hooked by the world and characters the author has created that you'll want to dive straight into book two, Ghost Eye!
Fantastic worldbuilding, storytelling & narration
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I have both the audio and kindle version.
I find it easy to listen through headphones when needing a break.
the story keeps you coming back to listen to more and I'm looking forward to the next part
loved it
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Listener received this title free
I didn't really have high expectations for the book. The fact that I listened to the audiobook, which is over 16 hours long, in just three days despite having a full-time job means that the story captivated me very quickly.
It is set in London in 2095. The world has changed significantly due to natural disasters, followed by a severe refugee crisis. The world is very well crafted. The characters are as fascinating as they are profound, and the protagonists are not what they seem at first glance.
The plot is exciting. At first, however, it took me a while to get into the story. There is a story in the present in which a prominent person is murdered. In between, there are repeated flashbacks to both Josiah's and Alexander's past.
Josiah works for a private company and is assigned to investigate the murder case. The victim's serf, Alexander, is suspected of murder.
The jumps in time confused me a little at first, as I couldn't always figure out where the story was set. This was probably due to the format, as the years are read aloud at the beginning. In a book, I would have flipped back to see what time period the story was in, but I couldn't do that with the audiobook. Eventually, however, I got used to it and was able to fully immerse myself in the story, which became more and more exciting and captivating the more I listened. Some things are repeated quite often, but at some point that didn't bother me anymore.
The further I listened, the more I was captivated by the timelines of the past.
Josiah is an investigator trying to uncover the truth. And even though Alexander might have good reasons to murder his Houder at first glance, Josiah doesn't believe he is guilty. On the contrary, he wants to know why Alexander hides behind a facade and often looks at the world with empty eyes.
The story has some sweet moments, but overall it's pretty dark. As a reader, you get to see Josiah find and lose his great love. But Alexander's past is also very different from what you might think at first.
The suspense case is complex, so it's no surprise that the book ends with a cliffhanger that leaves me eagerly awaiting the next volume.
The audiobook was narrated by Matt Addis, and he did a damn good job. He had a great pace, chose appropriate voices for the characters, and brought the story to life.
Great series start!
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Absolutely fantastic!
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