Black River cover art

Black River

 Preview
Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Black River

By: Matthew Spencer
Narrated by: Kellie Jones
Try Standard free

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $25.99

Buy Now for $25.99

About this listen

Black River is the most compelling thriller you'll listen to this year.

A long, burning summer in Sydney. A young woman found murdered in the deserted grounds of an elite boarding school. A serial killer preying on victims along the banks of the Parramatta River. A city on edge.

Adam Bowman, a battling journalist who grew up as the son of a teacher at Prince Albert College, might be the only person who can uncover the links between the school murder and the 'Blue Moon Killer'. But he will have to go into the darkest places of his childhood to piece together the clues. Detective Sergeant Rose Riley, meanwhile, is part of the taskforce desperately trying to find the killer before he strikes again. Adam Bowman's excavation of his past might turn out to be Rose's biggest trump card or it may bring the whole investigation crashing down, and put her own life in danger.

©2022 Matthew Spencer (P)2022 W F Howes Crime Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Murder
All stars
Most relevant
Having been listening to some very dodgy Joy Ellis crime fiction recently (and only for the pleasure of Richard Armitage’s performance - a man who could make the recitation of the phone book a work of art) it was an absolute delight to listen to something so WELL WRITTEN. Despite no real twists and turns, it was engaging to the end - and its always good to get immersed in familiar Australian territory. I look forward to more from Matthew Spencer.

Kellie Jones’ narration was warm and believable.

A highly enjoyable read.

Enjoyable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I grew up in the areas where this story was depicted. I enjoy mysteries, especially Australian ones, based in Sydney. Great story read well by Kellie Jones, written well byMatthew Spencer. It was easy to distinguish the characters, some with quirky names, that made me smile.

Familiar Places

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Excellent choice of vocabulary creating intrigue to the end. Loved the moments of humour throughout.

Captivating to the Last Chapter

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Good easy read and I didn’t guess who did it which is always good, not quite as good as Jane Harper but still enjoyable

Good read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Black River by Matthew Spencer

I applied and was approved for Matthew Spencer's second book, Broke Road, on NetGalley, so I moved Black River up the TBR pile. Black River is book one in the Detective Sergeant Rose Riley series, and Broke Road is book two.

Set in Sydney, Black River is a police procedural that opens with the discovery of a 17-year-old girl's body, which has been found murdered on the grounds of an exclusive boys' boarding school in Parramatta. Detective Sergeant Rose Riley is called in to determine if this tragedy is the work of a serial killer who has been targeting young women along the Parramatta River.

DS Riley enlists the help of Adam Bowman, an alcoholic reporter, to drop critical details into his stories to help draw out the killer. Adam, a former student of the school, provides valuable insights into navigating the campus unseen and understanding the personalities of both students and teachers.

The investigation also receives support from a forensic psychologist, who offers advice on serial killers, though his views do not always align with those of the police team. They also have assistance from a forensic psychologist for his advice on serial killers, not always agreeing with his views.

I highly recommend this compelling, twisty and suspenseful crime novel!

This debut novel by Sydney author Matthew Spencer gets a big thumbs up from me. I'm looking forward to diving into book two, Broke Road.

Thumbs up 👍

Body Count = 2

 #BlackRiver #DSRoseRiley @allenandunwin #allenandunwin @wavesoundaustralia
#booksdeevaareads #2025bookshelf #deevaasbookshelf #booknerd #CreativeLife #goreadabook #allthebooks #Bookstagram #DesignInspiration #newrelease #booknerd #Designer #GraphicDesign #DesignNerd #designdeevaa #murdermystery #notacosymystery #thriller #AussieAuthor #AustralianAuthor

A big thumbs up from me

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.