Dreadful narration.

What disappointed you about The Child Taker?

Didn't get more than 2 minutes into the book before turning it off. Can't comment on the story!

Would you ever listen to anything by Conrad Jones again?

Don't know.

Would you be willing to try another one of Julia Farhat’s performances?

Definitely not.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Annoyance.

4 people found this helpful

Disappointing

A very strange combination - a powerful disturbing story subject unfortunately written and narrated as if aimed at a audience of 10 year olds!

Overall very disappointing

2 people found this helpful

Stick with it - its a twister

Would you listen to The Child Taker again? Why?

one half of me says yes, because i feel i missed a few points as the narrator doing different voices and accents got a little confusing at first.
the other half of me says no i wouldn't, because it was rather slow moving - but only at the start.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Child Taker?

the most memorable part HAS to be when the children are abducted at the start
that was quite nailbiting

What does Julia Farhat bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I am not sure she brought anything to be honest.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

A few of the descriptions of the child takers customers and what they DID made me absolutely CRINGE and RECOIL but it was not anything that would make someone cry thankfully.

2 people found this helpful

The Pinnacle of Excellence

I first read this book over 2 and half years ago and it was my first date with Conrad Jones. What a first date it was - Love Island producers could take a lesson from Mr Jones. The tale twists and turns and takes your emotions through all kinds or exercises. This is not a book for the faint hearted or easily shocked. The sad thing is, the kind of organisation Mr Jones describes is far too credible. There are also moments of great tenderness. Hayley's reaction to the arrival of her father was beautiful, as was the connection between the twins. These loving touches stop the book from being too bleak. There are a lot of these special interludes, (eg; Jack's back story) which take this tale from a voyeuristic account of evil to an engrossing, captivating, action packed adventure. Over two years ago I was totally smitten by Conrad Jones' mastery with a pen and my admiration has not dimmed. When you find an author of this calibre, I definitely recommend 'double-dipping'; reading the book and listening to the audio version. Even though I knew what was going to happen, the sheer brilliance of the story managed to enthral and bewitch me all over again, (especially John Tankersley). A superb book from an accomplished author, which I am thrilled and privileged to recommend. You can thank me later.

1 person found this helpful

Great storyline but ruined by the narration.

This storyline is gripping and kept me interested all the way through. However the Narrator made me switch from listening to this at work (hgv driver) to reading it in my spare time. The use of an American reading a story set in the Liverpool area is absolutely absurd. Now the narrators in the Braddick series are worth a listen.

1 person found this helpful

Fantastic book ruined

Hideous narration spoiling a truly fantastic book. So disappointed hopefully the rest of the series is not by this narrator

1 person found this helpful

Absolutely Brilliant

This the first book I’ve read by this author and was absolutely blown away by it! Such a brilliant story with some fantastically gory details! Can’t wait to get more from this author!

Great book

Loved the book. The writer captivated me with this story and enjoyed the narrating by Julia Farhat. Can't wait to listen to the rest of the series.

Hooked from the off

Great, captive listen. Cannot rate this high enough. Great story arc, rounded characters and the time flew by. Interesting, but grim subject did not detract at all and left me wanting more. Suspenseful and Highly recommended.

Enjoyable, action packed and full of twists and turns

I listened to an audio version of the child taker in return for an honest review.
The short version of my review is that it was a great story that kept me on the edge of my seat. The narration was good and I would definitely listen to/read more books in this series.
Ok on to the long version, I just finished listening to this book in my car, and on so many occasions I sat in my car 10 mins extra or on some occasions even longer, just to hear a bit more of the story. It was over all a very enjoyable listening experience, I loved the characters and the story and was interested in the twists and turns, also I loved how the author used dual perspectives to write the story, that was such a clever touch that made me even more engaged and actually helped me to understand the characters on both sides and at some points as much as I hate to say it actually empathise with Jack, Alfie and the other kidnappers. On the other side I also loved Tank and found myself really rooting for him and became invested in his story line, I loved his take no crap attitude to things. The story line was generally (bar the first few chapters) quite fast paced and action filled and there were lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing and the final twist left me gasping! I am usually very good at guessing twists but this one I did not see coming!
It also gave an interesting glimpse into the mind of a criminal which if you’re like me and love real life crime documentaries you will love.
My main criticism of the book is I found it a little slow in the first few chapters and found myself only wanting to hear Jack’s story as it felt like two completely separate story lines, once the two stories merged I found it much more enjoyable.
In conclusion it was well written, action packed and if you love a good detective story you will enjoy this.

I would give it 4 out of 5 stars