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Let Us Prey
- Narrated by: David James Smith
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
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Let Us Prey
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Summary
Ben Field was good looking and charming, and as a passionate English literature student, knew the power of words to seduce. In the village of Maids Moreton in Buckinghamshire, 69-year-old Peter Farquhar, an eminent teacher and author, found Ben’s presence irresistible. They set up home together, underwent a ‘betrothal’ ceremony at a church, but all along Ben was gaslighting his partner and secretly poisoning him. A year later Peter was dead.
Ben moved on to a neighbour in the same street, Ann Moore-Martin, who also fell helplessly in love with him. All the time Ben was setting her up to redraft her will so that Ben would benefit on her death.
Remarkably, Ben described in intimate detail his manipulations and scheming, his perverse fantasies and desires in numerous journals and diaries, providing a unique insight into the mind of a psychopathic personality.
This is an extraordinary story of corruption and evil within a seemingly cosy English middle-class setting. Combining the forensic attention to detail of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood with the rural whimsy of an Agatha Christie novel, Let Us Prey is an astonishing account of one of the most bewildering and fascinating murders of modern times.
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What listeners say about Let Us Prey
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ibrahim G.
- 23-07-21
Compelling disturbing true crime
This book deals with Ben Field, one of the most disturbed and disturbing individuals ever to emerge in the pantheon of criminals. His manipulative, devious and dastardly doings not only deprived two people of their lives through the most unimaginable suffering but also left dozens of people including friends, family and associates shocked, disturbed and traumatised. Ben Field was a psychopath and by reading this book, you will get to understand what a psychopath is capable of. They live within our communities and they can tarnish our lives in so many ways. This book is read by the author himself, and whilst I generally like an author to read their own work, I was particularly disappointed with this performance. The narration is dry and without expression, there is not much emotion or voice given to the characters and I would have spent the time more profitably reading the book as an e-book. For a potted version of these events, you might want to look at the Channel 4 documentary in the footsteps of a killer, the episode diary from the grave deals with this case.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AJT
- 24-07-23
The only detailed account of this terrible crime
News reports and documentaries give us the headlines about Ben Field's callous and bizarre crime. But if you want to know the details, this book is the best source. David James Smith has done his research, using the court transcript and interviews with many of those unfortunate enough to know Field. The case gets more extraordinary as the details pile up, and the account of the lives of the Field's victims is as gripping as the revelations about Field himself. Smith's delivery is only rarely repetitious or obvious; mostly he sticks to the facts he has unearthed, facts that will rattle around the listener's mind for an uncomfortable length of time. This book should be printed.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Marion
- 24-10-21
Absorbing, horrifying but compelling listen
I agree with other reviewers that the sheer detail of this account can be disturbing. Nothing is off bounds, and I mean nothing. It may have been an integral part of the story but it seems a pity that both innocent and respectable victims have had every aspect of their private lives, sexual and otherwise, pored over and analysed in almost lascivious detail, when they are not in a position to protect their privacy.
I disagree with those reviewers that disliked the narration, by the author. Many true crime podcasters adopt this even, factual tone and it works well with the material. It contrasts well with the absolute horror of the story.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Hellyes
- 26-08-21
Boring boring boring
Terrible reader a monotone and deadly dull. Didn’t get past a few pages. Pity as it looked like a good read
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 13-08-21
Good listen
I found this very interesting, but it is also so sad. I think the writer / narrator did a good job and seemed to genuinely care about the victims and was fascinated about the case. I appreciated all the background information about the victims and how it didn't just focus on killer.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anne
- 03-08-21
Interesting listen.
This was interesting listen...spoilt by narration, the one tone narration could have been better and a different narrator would have made a difference, nevertheless a good book
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lucy
- 23-11-23
Well written and narrated
Really well told story of a predator and his vulnerable victims. Extraordinary that there are so many written records by all of the people involved. I had heard of this case but had no idea of the depths of deception by the perpetrator.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 08-08-23
Very detailed account
Well written and detailed background of a tragic case. Includes much that is missing from other documentaries and dramatisations.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- jacque Howard
- 09-05-22
Awful
A massive amount of this book is totally irrelevant detail, i can't think of a book I've enjoyed less.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 03-03-22
David James Smith is a fantastic writer
This book is great, as I would expect from this author, the best True Crime author out there in my opinion. I don't know if its that I just really click with his style but I really love his writing.
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