Listen free for 30 days
-
The Carrier
- Narrated by: Julia Barrie
- Series: Culver Valley Crime, Book 8
- Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Thriller & Suspense
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £14.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Telling Error
- Culver Valley Crime, Book 9
- By: Sophie Hannah
- Narrated by: David Thorpe, Julia Barrie
- Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stuck in a traffic jam, Nicki Clements sees a face she hoped never to see again. It's definitely him, the same police officer, stopping each car on Elmhirst Road. Keen to avoid him, Nicki does a U-turn and makes a panicky escape. Or so she thinks. The next day, Nicki is pulled in for questioning in connection with the murder of Damon Blundy, controversial newspaper columnist and resident of Elmhirst Road. Nicki can't answer any of the questions detectives fire at her. She has no idea why the killer used a knife in such a peculiar way, or why 'he is no less dead' was painted on Blundy's study wall.
-
-
Good as ever but irritating Male narration
- By Linda on 15-01-18
-
The Visitors Book
- By: Sophie Hannah
- Narrated by: Julia Franklin
- Length: 1 hr and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this small but perfectly formed collection of supernatural short stories, Sophie Hannah takes the comforting scenes of everyday life and imbues them with a frisson of fear, then a gust of terror. Why is a young woman so unnerved by the presence of a visitors book in her boyfriend's inner-city home? And whose spidery handwriting is it that fills the pages?
-
-
Very good
- By sue dobson on 16-11-17
-
The Monogram Murders
- The New Hercule Poirot Mystery
- By: Sophie Hannah
- Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hercule Poirot's quiet supper in a London coffee house is interrupted when a young woman confides to him that she is about to be murdered. She is terrified, but begs Poirot not to find and punish her killer. Once she is dead, she insists, justice will have been done. Later that night, Poirot learns that three guests at a fashionable London hotel have been murdered, and a cufflink has been placed in each one's mouth. Could there be a connection with the frightened woman?
-
-
Appalling
- By Kenn Harrower on 24-12-14
-
The Baby Shower
- By: S.E. Lynes
- Narrated by: Tamsin Kennard
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
She bursts into my life like a storm, and nothing is the same again. One by one, I watch as my friends fall under her spell. Only I see that her smiles don’t reach her cold, furious eyes. And when I’m accused of things I didn’t do, when my home is vandalized, I know she’s behind it. But she only lets her mask slip when no one is looking, so if I say anything, I’ll look crazy. So when the baby shower comes around, I’m sitting on a velvet sofa in a posh hotel room, surrounded by balloons. But that afternoon, I finally learn the unbelievable truth. There is no baby....
-
-
Predictable
- By I'm all ears on 17-03-22
-
The Family Holiday
- By: Shalini Boland
- Narrated by: Katie Villa
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The white-washed Italian villa is perfect. I thought it might feel odd, living in a stranger’s house for the summer, but as my husband and children swim in the infinity pool, I start to relax. And then, in the back of a wardrobe, I find something that shatters everything.... Sparkling green eyes, square jaw, lopsided smile. A young man with his arm around a beautiful woman. The picture is old and faded, but I’d recognize him anywhere. The man is my husband.
-
-
Good story, beautifully read
- By Allegra on 18-06-22
-
The Guest House
- By: Robin Morgan-Bentley
- Narrated by: Isaac Highams, Joanne Froggatt, Julie Hesmondhalgh, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jamie and Victoria are expecting their first baby. With a few weeks to go, they head off for a final weekend break in a remote part of the North Pennines. The small and peaceful guesthouse is the ideal location to unwind together before becoming parents. Upon arrival, they are greeted by Barry and Fiona, the older couple who run the guesthouse. They cook them dinner and show them to their room before retreating to bed themselves. The next morning, Jamie and Victoria wake to find the house deserted. Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be seen. All the doors are locked.
-
-
Gripping story, great performances
- By Rys2512 on 29-06-22
-
The Telling Error
- Culver Valley Crime, Book 9
- By: Sophie Hannah
- Narrated by: David Thorpe, Julia Barrie
- Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stuck in a traffic jam, Nicki Clements sees a face she hoped never to see again. It's definitely him, the same police officer, stopping each car on Elmhirst Road. Keen to avoid him, Nicki does a U-turn and makes a panicky escape. Or so she thinks. The next day, Nicki is pulled in for questioning in connection with the murder of Damon Blundy, controversial newspaper columnist and resident of Elmhirst Road. Nicki can't answer any of the questions detectives fire at her. She has no idea why the killer used a knife in such a peculiar way, or why 'he is no less dead' was painted on Blundy's study wall.
-
-
Good as ever but irritating Male narration
- By Linda on 15-01-18
-
The Visitors Book
- By: Sophie Hannah
- Narrated by: Julia Franklin
- Length: 1 hr and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this small but perfectly formed collection of supernatural short stories, Sophie Hannah takes the comforting scenes of everyday life and imbues them with a frisson of fear, then a gust of terror. Why is a young woman so unnerved by the presence of a visitors book in her boyfriend's inner-city home? And whose spidery handwriting is it that fills the pages?
-
-
Very good
- By sue dobson on 16-11-17
-
The Monogram Murders
- The New Hercule Poirot Mystery
- By: Sophie Hannah
- Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hercule Poirot's quiet supper in a London coffee house is interrupted when a young woman confides to him that she is about to be murdered. She is terrified, but begs Poirot not to find and punish her killer. Once she is dead, she insists, justice will have been done. Later that night, Poirot learns that three guests at a fashionable London hotel have been murdered, and a cufflink has been placed in each one's mouth. Could there be a connection with the frightened woman?
-
-
Appalling
- By Kenn Harrower on 24-12-14
-
The Baby Shower
- By: S.E. Lynes
- Narrated by: Tamsin Kennard
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
She bursts into my life like a storm, and nothing is the same again. One by one, I watch as my friends fall under her spell. Only I see that her smiles don’t reach her cold, furious eyes. And when I’m accused of things I didn’t do, when my home is vandalized, I know she’s behind it. But she only lets her mask slip when no one is looking, so if I say anything, I’ll look crazy. So when the baby shower comes around, I’m sitting on a velvet sofa in a posh hotel room, surrounded by balloons. But that afternoon, I finally learn the unbelievable truth. There is no baby....
-
-
Predictable
- By I'm all ears on 17-03-22
-
The Family Holiday
- By: Shalini Boland
- Narrated by: Katie Villa
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The white-washed Italian villa is perfect. I thought it might feel odd, living in a stranger’s house for the summer, but as my husband and children swim in the infinity pool, I start to relax. And then, in the back of a wardrobe, I find something that shatters everything.... Sparkling green eyes, square jaw, lopsided smile. A young man with his arm around a beautiful woman. The picture is old and faded, but I’d recognize him anywhere. The man is my husband.
-
-
Good story, beautifully read
- By Allegra on 18-06-22
-
The Guest House
- By: Robin Morgan-Bentley
- Narrated by: Isaac Highams, Joanne Froggatt, Julie Hesmondhalgh, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jamie and Victoria are expecting their first baby. With a few weeks to go, they head off for a final weekend break in a remote part of the North Pennines. The small and peaceful guesthouse is the ideal location to unwind together before becoming parents. Upon arrival, they are greeted by Barry and Fiona, the older couple who run the guesthouse. They cook them dinner and show them to their room before retreating to bed themselves. The next morning, Jamie and Victoria wake to find the house deserted. Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be seen. All the doors are locked.
-
-
Gripping story, great performances
- By Rys2512 on 29-06-22
-
The Twyford Code
- By: Janice Hallett
- Narrated by: Thomas Judd
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of a famous children's book by disgraced author Edith Twyford, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. Wanting to know more, he took it to his English teacher Miss Iles, not realising the chain of events that he was setting in motion. Miss Iles became convinced that the book was the key to solving a puzzle and that a message in secret code ran through all Twyford's novels. Then Miss Iles disappeared on a class field trip, and Steven has no memory of what happened to her.
-
-
Very clever but unsuitable for audio
- By Rachel Redford on 26-01-22
-
Wrong Place Wrong Time
- By: Gillian McAllister
- Narrated by: Lesley Sharp
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's every parent's nightmare. Your happy, funny, innocent son commits a terrible crime: murdering a complete stranger. You don't know who. You don't know why. You only know your teenage boy is in custody and his future lost. That night you fall asleep in despair. Until you wake...and it is yesterday. Every morning you wake up a day earlier, another day before the murder. Another chance to stop it. Somewhere in the past lie the answers, and you don't have a choice but to find them.
-
-
brilliant
- By mark mcguire on 13-05-22
-
House of Correction
- By: Nicci French
- Narrated by: Gemma Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
She’s a murderer. Everyone knows she killed Stuart Rees - why else would his dead body be found in her shed? So now Tabitha is in prison, awaiting trial. Coming back to the remote coastal village where she grew up was a mistake. She didn’t fit in then, and she doesn’t fit in now. That day is such a blur, she can’t remember clearly what happened. There is something she is missing, something important. She only knows one thing.
-
-
Absolutely Fantastic
- By miss leanne glasspool on 01-10-20
-
The Couple at No. 9
- By: Claire Douglas
- Narrated by: Kenton Thomas, Nathalie Buscombe
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When pregnant Saffron Cutler moves into 9 Skelton Place with boyfriend Tom and sets about renovations, the last thing she expects is builders uncovering a body - two bodies, in fact. Forensics indicate the bodies have been buried at least 30 years. Nothing Saffy need worry herself over. Until the police launch a murder investigation and ask to speak to the cottage's former owner - her grandmother, Rose. Rose is in a care home, and Alzheimer's means her memory is increasingly confused. She can't help the police, but it is clear she remembers something.
-
-
Claire Douglas back on breathtaking top form again
- By Podenco Fan on 07-10-21
-
A Spoonful of Murder
- By: J.M. Hall
- Narrated by: Julie Hesmondhalgh
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every Thursday, three retired school teachers have their ‘coffee o’clock’ sessions at the Thirsk Garden Centre café. But one fateful week, as they are catching up with a slice of cake, they bump into their ex-colleague, Topsy. By the next Thursday, Topsy’s dead. The last thing Liz, Thelma and Pat imagined was that they would become involved in a murder. But they know there’s more to Topsy’s death than meets the eye - and it’s down to them to prove it.
-
-
Will Not Disapoint ! ! !
- By Miss G. B. Abraham on 20-03-22
-
The Curfew
- By: T.M. Logan
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Andy and Laura are good parents. They tell their son, Connor, that he can go out with friends to celebrate completing his exams, but he must be home by midnight. When Connor misses his curfew, it sets off a series of events that will change the lives of five families forever. Because five teenagers went into the woods that night, but only four came out. And telling the truth might mean losing everything.
-
-
So many dull people, could not seem to care ...
- By Passion for Podencos on 22-03-22
-
The Other Passenger
- One stranger stands between you and the perfect crime…The most addictive novel you'll read this year
- By: Louise Candlish
- Narrated by: Steven Mackintosh
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It all happens so quickly. One day you're living the dream, commuting to work by riverbus with your charismatic neighbour Kit in the seat beside you. The next, Kit hasn't turned up for the boat and his wife, Melia, has reported him missing. When you get off at your stop, the police are waiting. Another passenger saw you and Kit arguing on the boat home the night before, and the police say that you had a reason to want him dead. You protest. You and Kit are friends - ask Melia, she'll vouch for you.
-
-
Why can I hear every saliva swallow?
- By M. Bourke on 26-07-20
-
Hunting Shadows
- DI Ellen Kelly, Book 1
- By: Sheila Bugler
- Narrated by: Zara Ramm
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lee, southeast London. A young girl has disappeared. There are no witnesses, no leads, no clues. The police are tracking a shadow, and time is running out.... DI Ellen Kelly is at the top of her game - at least she was, until she took the law into her own hands and confronted her husband's killer. Now she's back at work, leading the investigation into the missing child. Her superiors are watching her; the distraught family is depending on her. Ellen has a lot to prove. And she knows it.
-
-
Excellent
- By Cathryn B. on 24-02-19
-
The Girl Before
- By: JP Delaney
- Narrated by: Emilia Fox, Finty Williams, Lise Aagaard Knudsen
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jane stumbles on the rental opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to live in a beautiful ultraminimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect, on condition she abides by a long list of exacting rules. After moving in she discovers that a previous tenant, Emma, met a mysterious death there - and starts to wonder if her own story will be a rerun of the girl before. As twist after twist catches the listener off guard, Emma's past and Jane's present become inexorably entwined in this tense portrayal of psychological obsession.
-
-
Sorry but I'm disappointed
- By Monkey123 on 03-11-18
-
The Searcher
- By: Tana French
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a remote Irish village would be the perfect escape. After 25 years in the Chicago police force and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens. But then a local kid comes looking for his help. His brother has gone missing and no one, least of all the police, seems to care. Cal wants nothing to do with any kind of investigation, but somehow he can't make himself walk away.
-
-
Sorry, only three stars from me
- By Chris Lofts on 24-12-20
-
The Appeal
- By: Janice Hallett
- Narrated by: Aysha Kala, Daniel Philpott, Rachel Adedeji, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There is a mystery to solve in the sleepy town of Lower Lockwood. It starts with the arrival of two secretive newcomers, and ends with a tragic death. Roderick Tanner QC has assigned law students Charlotte and Femi to the case. Someone has already been sent to prison for murder, but he suspects that they are innocent. And that far darker secrets have yet to be revealed... Throughout the amateur dramatics society's disastrous staging of All My Sons and the shady charity appeal for a little girl's medical treatment, the murderer hid in plain sight.
-
-
Different - in a good way !
- By G on 21-08-21
-
Only the Innocent
- DCI Tom Douglas, Book 1
- By: Rachel Abbott
- Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
- Length: 15 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Women are rarely cold-blooded killers. But when famous philanthropist Hugo Fletcher is found dead, there is no doubt in anybody's mind that the killer is a woman. And it is clear from the precision of the planning that this was no crime of passion. It was an execution. The victim was revered the world over for his charitable work with trafficked Eastern European prostitutes, and as at least one of these girls is missing, Detective Chief Inspector Tom Douglas is certain that there has to be a connection.
-
-
brilliant
- By S. Coakley-Evans on 20-09-21
Summary
When her plane is delayed overnight, Gaby Struthers finds herself forced to share a hotel room with a stranger: a terrified young woman named Lauren Cookson - but why is she scared of Gaby in particular? Lauren won't explain. Instead, she blurts out something about an innocent man going to prison for a murder he didn't commit, and Gaby soon suspects that Lauren's presence on her flight can't be a coincidence. Because the murder victim is Francine Breary, the wife of the only man Gaby has ever truly loved. Tim Breary has confessed, and even provided the police with evidence. The only thing he hasn't given them is a motive. He claims to have no idea why he murdered his wife.…
More from the same
What listeners say about The Carrier
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- reader
- 14-03-13
dull listen
Having loved all of Sophie Hannah's books was disappointed by this one, not much happens, I spent most of the time waiting for it to warm up, but sadly it never happened. Not worth my monthly credit.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jeeds
- 30-06-13
Another Great Story by Sophie Hannah
Firstly If your new to Sophie Hannah books please start at book 1 'Little Face' and move forward through the series - they are fantastic novels!
Right now onto 'The Carrier'
As a fan of Sophie Hannah I was looking forward to her latest full length novel and as usual I devoured her latest offering. I always purchase Sophie Hannah's novels on audio after I have read them as I like her work so much and enjoy experiencing her novel more than once without having to find the time to sit down and read it again and again.
After the first read & subsequent listen I have to say the novel isn't one of my favourite Sophie Hannah books, but that said it is still streets ahead of most of the other books I have read/listened to, and I still really enjoyed it.
Sophie Hannah is an amazing writer and her stories always feel fresh, unique and unnerving in clever subtle ways - and 'The Carrier' is no different. The premise is original and in my opinion the characters are superbly crafted.
The language is slightly high brow in this latest story and there are lots of references to poetry by the main character. However Waterhouse and Zailer's chapters offer balance this out and move the story on well whilst telling the b-story- their bizarre relationship that has been played out over Sophie Hannah's entire crime thriller novels.
The narration is really good although if you are listening in bed you may find the narrators characterisation of Lauren a little sharp.
I buy Sophie Hannah's novels for two reasons:
1. I want to catch up with regular characters Zailer and Waterhouse and see how their bizarre partnership is progressing (therefore I would urge readers that are new to Hannah's work to start with her first novel)
2. I know I'm going to read an intriguing psychological thriller that will keep me guessing until the final chapter
The Carrier fulfilled my expectations and I look forward to the next novel - I will never get bored of reading and listening to this gifted writers work.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- GrumpyGranny
- 26-06-13
Disappointing
I've read and enjoyed several Hannah books before and this is my first audio edition. It will probably be my last.
Nothing to do with Julie Barrie's performance, which was excellent; all of the characters were clearly differentiated and her reading was beautifully paced. It was just that hearing it read out loud exposed what I consider to be Hannah's main weaknesses as a storyteller. First, she continually interrupts the flow by having characters lengthily reflect internally on their emotional states, existential difficulties and relationship problems. Second, her police characters must be the most unlikable fictional coppers ever - I just cannot relate to any of them and I wish they would just stick to their jobs instead of whinging on about their personal problems. When reading, I can skim over all of these annoying passages to get back to the story; but this is impossible when listening to it.
Given all that, I'm glad I persevered - it was a very good, involving storyline. Lauren was the best character by far. She could easily have been just a massive chav stereotype (Ruth Rendell has a terrible tendency for this), but Hannah gave her life and personality and I was cheering her on at the end. Gabe could also have been an awful stereotype but again Hannah made her sympathetic and three-dimensional. Tim was a cartoonish wimp for most of the time though - I simply could not believe that all these people loved him!
So I'll give this 7 out of 10.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J
- 26-05-13
A struggle to finish
Based on this book this will probably be the first and last Sophie Hannah book for me. I found the entire plot slow, the characters unpleasant and depressing and overall very few redeeming features. Not recommended.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
- SHIRLEY
- 24-04-13
tedious
I have never written a review before but having got through more than half of this book I can't face anymore. it's a shame as I have enjoyed Sophie Hannah's previous work and couldn't wait to download this one. I will wait to read reviews on any future work by this author before purchasing again
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Crys
- 07-04-13
Another winner from Sophie Hannah
I've become a huge fan of Sophie Hannah over the past couple of years and so look forward to news of a new novel in her Spilling CID series. The publishers seem determined to play down the ongoing nature of these novels but I feel that is their strength as while the details of the case being investigated changes there are ongoing character arcs for the police,
This was a very twisty story and demanded close attention. I found Julie Barrie's rich voice well suited to the novel.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
- marie
- 28-03-13
Not Thrilled
This is the first (and last) Sophie Hannah book I have read. It is the most boringly complicated plot, The main character has no qualities that make her likeable. This is a complete waste of my credit.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MRS A L MCGUIRE
- 23-05-22
Excellent
A brilliant book in the series and well read. Compelling story and complex characters as always.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carrie-Ann
- 30-04-22
why the whispering then yelling?
another audiobook from the culver valley series where I love the book, the plot and the story but the enjoyment is dampened by the narrator insisting on switching between whispering then yelling multiple times every paragraph. sometimes multiple times in a sentence. I had to choose between not being able to hear half of it or put up with hearing it but being deafened when inexplicably the whispering would change to yelling in my ear.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jacinta Howard
- 19-03-19
The best female modern writer.
Hannah's books might not be for everyone- there's a lot of minutiae and psychological observations, usually made by the characters in relation to themselves; moreover, the characters all have bizarre, if beautifully drawn idiosyncrasies which can lead to a feeling of surrealism. However, it is these qualities that make Hannah's works so enticing- the main plot seems to matter less than the characters' unfolding and on-going relationships. I absolutely loved it. The only detraction was the continual mispronunciation of the name of the protagonist.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Erika Salzeck
- 22-02-13
A tour de force
This is an magnificent novel. Brilliantly crafted, excellent characterisation and with a plot that intrigues until the end. This is Sophie Hannah at the height of her powers - I was transfixed. Julia Barrie's narration is faultless. I defy any one who loves a psychological thriller not to enjoy this hugely.