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Sixteen Horses

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Sixteen Horses

By: Greg Buchanan
Narrated by: Louise Brealey
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About this listen

Featured on BBC 2's Between the Covers.

Near the dying English seaside town of Ilmarsh, local police Detective Alec Nichols discovers 16 horses’ heads on a farm, each buried with a single eye facing the low winter sun. After forensic veterinarian Cooper Allen travels to the scene, the investigators soon uncover evidence of a chain of crimes in the community - disappearances, arson and mutilations - all culminating in the reveal of something deadly lurking in the ground itself.

In the dark days that follow, the town slips into panic and paranoia. Everything is not as it seems. Anyone could be a suspect. And as Cooper finds herself unable to leave town, Alec is stalked by an unseen threat. The two investigators race to uncover the truth behind these frightening and insidious mysteries - no matter the cost.

©2021 Buchanan Productions Ltd (P)2021 Macmillan Publishers International Limited Animals Crime Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Psychological Small Town & Rural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Scary Winter

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Critic reviews

"Unlike anything else you'll read this year, Sixteen Horses is a deeply disconcerting ride. Irresistible." (Val McDermid, author of Still Life)

"Totally gripping from start to finish." (Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient)

"Original, beautifully written, terrifying and haunting." (Sophie Hannah, author of Haven't They Grown)
All stars
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A richly-textured rendition of broken people and places, which really draws you into its dark melancholy. It feels like a real depiction of mental health and some of life's struggles. The fractured relationship moments between Alec and his wife come to mind immediately as poignant and sad, and beautifully observed.

I like the filmic scenes, which are sometimes short, sometimes longer, but which always make you feel like you're in the hands of a writer who knows how to plot for maximum thematic impact. I feel no detail is wasted to reinforce the themes.

I enjoyed the actress' performance, which brings its own layer of low-key melancholy, and I liked that their accent seemed to fit the area in which the story is set.

Bleak and beautiful

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I did like this book but it was very drawn out and at times a bit strange, that being said the ending makes up for the slower parts and boring bits. I would have given the story more stars if wasn’t for the pointless chapters that didn’t really add to the story or tension. I switched between the actual book and the audio version, the writing structure is fabulous in the book and it carries will into the audio version and narrator is well suited to the darker slow burning tone of the book.

Strange and drawn out

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I don’t know whether it was the story or the narrator but I found it really difficult to concentrate on the story. Most of the time I was just confused and didn’t know what was going on.

Didn’t enjoy this

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Well written and the narrator was very good. Very hard going at times and sometimes disturbing, but a book I will always remember not sure if that is a good thing or not.
It would make a very good film.

Memorable

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None the wiser who did what to whom and why. Weird, depressing. Struggled to finish it.

Not a clue

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