The Red Hill

Thomas Berrington, Volume 1

By: David Penny

Narrated by: Ian Russell

In 1482 the Englishman Thomas Berrington is living in the last remnants of Moorish Spain. A physician, he is an unwilling friend to the most powerful man in the kingdom. When bodies start to turn up, each showing the marks of a savage attack, Thomas is asked to investigate.

When one of the Sultan's wives is brutally murdered, what begins as a reluctant task turns into a fight for survival. Together with the eunuch Jorge, Thomas attempts to hunt down the killer before they become his next victims. Except nothing is as it seems - friends turn into enemies and enemies into friends.

Thomas's investigation lays bare the secrets of the Red Hill and the people who inhabit it. His discoveries culminate in a battle not only for his own life, but for the lives of those he loves.

©2014 David Penny (P)2016 David Penny

Worth it for the second novel

First, Ian Russell's narration is excellent, as always. Very good character differentiation, including among female characters, not always a strength for male narrators.

As for the book, the first 2/3 is very good - solid characters with backstory, good flow, believable plot.

Then something goes kind of haywire, and the execution turns into kind of a mess. Repeated exposition, people running this way and that, unsupported decisions, changes in character definition to justify plot points (including a sudden memory glitch in a character who never would have forgotten such a thing). It was frustrating, because it wasn't necessary -- the evidence had been set up well. It felt like the editor quit part way through.

HOWEVER! I had inadvertently listened to the second book in this series, Bone Breaker, which was excellent, no such problems, very enjoyable (also narrated by Ian Russell). It would have been better if I had listened to this one first to understand the relationships... but I'm not sure I would have gone on to the next one if I'd started here.

So! Listen to The Red Hill, enjoy, suspend your disbelief through the messy bits, then move on to Bone Breaker, a real treat.

Good story, odd narration

While I wasn't as bothered by the style of the narrator as some other reviewers are, I did find the late 1800's White Chapel type accent of the killer's speaking voice very strange. Some reviewers said the narration was slow or halting in places. I increased the speed of the book to 1.15, which seemed a good speed to listen.

I noticed that the ratings of later books in this series are higher than the 1st two books. I am willing to invest the time and credits to get to those stories. These series definitely has potential.

Our hero a dunce. Struggled to finish it. Reader had a pleasing voice, but wooden delivery.

Stilted Narration

I disliked the narrator intensely. Oddly stilted, ap it detracted from the story itself. Pity

Not impressed

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Sorry the author was too fixated with his villan masterbating for my tastes.... just couldn't get through the book.

Has The Red Hill turned you off from other books in this genre?

no

What didn’t you like about Ian Russell’s performance?

Not my fav.

Did The Red Hill inspire you to do anything?

quit listening to the book