Killer Book Club Podcast with Gillian Pachter cover art

Killer Book Club

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Killer Book Club

By: Gillian Pachter
Narrated by: Gillian Pachter
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About this listen

Contains strong language and adult themes.

The idyllic quiet of a picture postcard English village is shattered when a book club member is murdered by his former student and lover.

But why would anyone kill a retired English teacher, a pillar of his community? Perhaps the answer lies in the trail of writing that he, and his killer, left behind: diaries, poems and novels.

Documentary maker Gillian Pachter lifts the lace curtain to reveal a secret wedding, sordid affairs, drug abuse and psychological torture. She enlists the help of James, a former student of the victim, to try and uncover the truth. Buried memories from James' school days provide the final piece of the puzzle, and unlock a dark episode from Gillian’s own past.

A Vespucci, Big Light and Dorothy Street production for Audible. Executive Producer: Frank Spotnitz.

©2021 Audible, Ltd (P)2021 Audible, Ltd Con Artists, Hoaxes & Deceptions Murder True Crime
Episodes
  • Ep. 1: The Knot

    Ep. 1: The Knot
    Sep 29 2021

    A tip-off from an old friend leads Gillian to seek the truth behind the murder of retired English teacher Peter Farquhar.
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    32 mins
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  • Ep. 2: The Dark Circle

    Ep. 2: The Dark Circle
    Sep 29 2021

    Accompanied by James, a new acquaintance who seems to harbour secrets about the case, Gillian learns that the victim Peter is far more complex than he was depicted at court.
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    34 mins
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  • Ep. 3: Truest Jest

    Ep. 3: Truest Jest
    Sep 29 2021

    New information leads Gillian to question the prosecution’s narrative about killer Ben Field. She decides to use literary tools to unlock his motives.
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    32 mins
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All stars
Most relevant
I did have issues with the author/narrator and her views on English society. But the story is interesting - as another reviewer put it in the interest of a story I decided to overlook some of the judgements and opinions expressed by the author.

Interesting story which deserved to be told

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Stumbled upon this. Glad I did.
Engaging and fascinating.
Thought provoking and we'll narrated.

Fascinating Story

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loved this, beautifully told and an important topic matter. I'd never heard about this before listening.

fantastic

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really enjoyed this series, though such a shocking case & complex. Thought provoking in many ways.

fascinating, complex, sad.

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I enjoyed some of the approaches taken by the author/presenter in this series, specifically her (accurate) observations of English class and the cultural acute unwillingness to talk about anything that may provoke an "unpleasant" emotion. But, and it's a big "but", some of her conclusions were startling stupid and dangerous, eg concluding that for one individual, his paedophilia was a result of horrible institutional homophobia. Surely we're not still thinking in this lazy and offensive way at this point in history, ie that paedophilia and homosexuality are part of the same sexual manifestation, rather than two completely separate sexual behaviours that are in no way linked? That conclusion was indicative of her self-indulgent musings that stretched out the material for 4-5 good episodes into a 8 episode arc. She would have been better served to use the full number of episodes to air interviews with people who could have helped her navigate her and other contributors' ignorance of sexuality identities, behaviours and cultural assumptions, both in the past and present rather than narcissistically wang on about her own thoughts and air her daughter unnecessarily reading an extract from The Owl and the Pussycat. I strongly suspect the author was also the editor, and that's what has marred a good premise.

Interesting - but flawed & in sore need of editing

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