The River Man

By: R. B. Croft

Narrated by: Dominic West

Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

How do you track down a killer who might not even exist?

An Audible Original from thrilling new talent, R B Croft, narrated by star of The Crown, The Wire and The Affair Dominic West.

Clem knows every inch of Watersmeet like the back of his hand. After all, he’s controlled crime here for most of his career. But after a shock murder, he meets jaundiced yellow eyes shining out of the darkness beyond the houses on the village’s eerie southern slopes, and everything he thought he knew about the place is thrown into question.

Clem’s grown up with local legends, just like everyone else. But could the River Man be real, and might this creature be behind the recent mysterious killings? It’s a theory – and not one that his superiors want to hear. They’re more interested in courting soundbites and social media with their own wild explanations. Drugs? Gangs? Clem just doesn’t believe it.

Suspended, he takes matters into his own hands and strikes out into the woods behind the farm. Here, amongst the trees and hidden caves, he discovers more than he ever wanted to. Something that’s been hiding. Something that needs to be smoked out. Clem sets out to solve the village’s biggest crime ever, but at what cost?

About the author

R B Croft loves the wild and the creeping sensation that comes with wondering ‘what if…?’. A married father and certified book nut, he’s often found outdoors with a pen in his hand, getting himself into trouble. His literary idols are too many to count, but include Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Michelle Paver, Christina Henry, Peter Benchley, CJ Box, and CJ Tudor - and anyone who stops him from sleeping.

About the narrator

Dominic West is one of the country’s finest and most versatile actors. His thirty-year career has included roles in some of the most iconic television series, from his award-winning portrayal of Jimmy McNulty in The Wire, to Charles, Prince of Wales in The Crown. Since making his film debut opposite Sir Ian McKellen in Richard III, he has appeared in movies as diverse as Oscar-winning musical Chicago, historical drama Downton Abbey: A New Era, provided voices in Disney Pixar’s Finding Dory and played real-life activist Jonathan Blake in the multi-award-winning Pride.

©2024 R. B. Croft (P)2024 Audible, Ltd

Critic reviews

“A thrilling mash-up of crime and folk horror. With genuinely chilling scenes, The River Man is packed with suspense on every page.” (Sarah A. Denzil, author of The Silent Child)

"Clem's journey through the shadowy underbelly of Watersmeet is riveting. The book masterfully blends crime and folklore, creating a thrilling narrative that will make you doubt what you thought you knew. A compelling listen that brilliantly weaves mystery, local legend, and raw emotion." (Mark Dawson, author of the John Milton, Beatrix and Isabella Rose and Atticus Priest series)

“Mysterious deaths in a small town, The River Man chilled me to my core. Part folklore, part serial killer, this is creepy, eerie storytelling at its best.” (Sam Holland, The Echo Man, The Twenty, The Puppet Master)

Really fun read

I’m not usually into this type of book but really enjoyed it from start to finish. I loved the characters and the narrator was great!

Variety

Good story! Just enough suspense, drama, humor & scary to be entertaining. I found it hard to stop listening between chapters!

Great Mystery!

I loved the narration, the plot twists and turns, and the story. I’m going to look for more books by this author!

Suspenseful

The reader did a wonderful job and the storyline kept you hooked. Worth a listen for sure

Fun listen

Good yarn. Well written. Even clean language! Well read. Thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to most ages

Just not for me

It was well written, and the narrator was good. It was just a little slow and I kept getting distracted.

Nice surprise!

I was not sure about it at first, but shortly in, I really started enjoying the story. It definitely was not what I was expecting. Not the usual crime thriller for sure. I will look for more by this author!

So good!

Interesting, suspenseful, satisfying, and great narration! Loved it! Can definitely recommend! On top of all of that, it was a free selection.

well performed

great story. this was my first audio book. it kept me glued to my headset

KILLER begining. Ending, ehhh

honest to God. I think the first chapter of this book could be its own short story. It's phenomenal and I think the first couple of chapters have an incredibly strong premise. however, once you get to about the middle, I feel like the writing kind of goes downhill and a lot of the mystery goes away.