The Killing Lessons

A brutally compelling serial killer thriller

By: Saul Black

Narrated by: Christina Delaine

When the two strangers turn up at Rowena Cooper's isolated Colorado farmhouse, she knows instantly that it's the end of everything. For the two haunted and driven men, on the other hand, it's just another stop on a long and bloody journey. And they still have many miles to go, and victims to sacrifice, before their work is done.

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

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.'

Outstanding narrator, horrifyingly good crime

Where does The Killing Lessons rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the very best

What did you like best about this story?

I've read this novel before, and rank it among the very best crime I've read. The author wields language and perspective to heighten the fear and urgency of a time-sensitive investigation.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely! But it wasn't harmed by breaking it up.

Any additional comments?

The narrator was exceptional. By altering the tone and cadence of her voice, she was able to differentiate between characters and states of mind, without ever becoming cheesy or overacting. I'll be looking into her other books for sure.

Not for the weak hearted!

Just terrific. Non stop. A true thriller with gruesome events at every corner. Well spun.