The Killing Lessons
A brutally compelling serial killer thriller
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The Killing Lessons
Narrated by:
Christina Delaine
Buy Now for £12.99
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Narrated by:
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Christina Delaine
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By:
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Saul Black
About this listen
For San Francisco homicide detective Valerie Hart, their trail of corpses - women abducted, tortured and left with a seemingly random series of objects inside them - has brought her from obsession to the edge of physical and psychological destruction. And she's losing hope of making a breakthrough before that happens.
But the slaughter at the Cooper farmhouse didn't quite go according to plan. There was a survivor, Rowena's 10-year-old daughter Nell, who now holds the key to the killings. Injured, half-frozen, terrified, Nell has only one place to go. And that place could be even more terrifying than what she's running from.
Read by Christina Delaine
(p) 2015 Macmillan Audio©2015 Glen Duncan
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Critic reviews
'Brutally compelling serial killer thriller... told at blistering pace.'
'Explosively exciting... The sheer brilliance of the prose and the pace of the action sweeps you up into a utterly believable world.'
Do not read this. No reader deserves to be terrified like this (Linwood Barclay)
'Duncan/Black's superior scene-painting and psychological probing translate the mundane into the memorable. Similarly, the cliché of a serial-killing spree with a hidden logic is redeemed by the freshness of his characterisation of the seedy duo responsible.'
Unbelievably good...this one has it all (Lee Child)
'The book is chilling and compulsive. It is exceptionally well written, with an excellent plot.'
This is a firecracker of a tale that whips along so fast , it's tempting to skip lines in eagerness to see where the plots heading. What stops you is the turn of phrase, which is so bright it can take your breath away.
'Intelligent and moving as well as knuckle-whiteningly terrifying.'
This novel breaks brilliant. It's hard to tell what's the best part of The Killing Lessons: the sweaty-palm plot that races along like a squad car on a high-speed pursuit, the breath-taking depictions of the characters, good and bad, or author Black's inimitable style. My vote? All three (Jeffery Deaver)
Completely mesmerizing! Black delivers a powerhouse of a thriller: two terrifying villains versus one damaged cop with numerous lives in the balance. Not to be missed (Lisa Gardner)
'I loved this book. I loved the way I was taken through the story with no holds barred...The pace left me breathless, the characters are convincing and the story is a real adrenalin rush.'
I found parts of the novel unbearable to read, but its pull is undeniable.
'Like rubbernecking at an accident, you can't tear your eyes away from this shockingly violent but compelling thriller.'
Would you consider the audio edition of The Killing Lessons to be better than the print version?
I have never read the print editon so I do not know but I probably would not have read it if the only option was hard copy.Who was your favorite character and why?
The lead character- she is a strong intelligent woman working in a tough working environment- she is not typically girly.What three words best describe Christine Delaine’s performance?
Good, Varied, ChillingDid you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It made me feel tense and open to things I did not want to hear aboutAny additional comments?
NoHaunting Story
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Great book, well read
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What did you like best about The Killing Lessons? What did you like least?
The serial killing premise was good and that part of the story I enjoyed. The detective part was like walking through treacle, too wordy, and as seems the norm these days the female character desperately in emotional turmoil......sighHow would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
Far to wordy, sometimes less is more, so many descriptions of feelings, the snow, the heat the air like reading a high school English paperWhat didn’t you like about Christine Delaine’s performance?
Nothing. Her voice grated on me but the story held enough promise to continueWas The Killing Lessons worth the listening time?
NoMixed feeling
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Good bits but overall quite long winded
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Super thriller
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