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Fatal Decision

The Freeman Files Series, Book 1

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Fatal Decision

By: Ted Tayler
Narrated by: Roger Clark
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About this listen

Gus Freeman is a retired detective inspector who has spent the past three years alone.

Freeman’s wife, Tess, died from a brain aneurysm six months to the day after his retirement. He is still coming to terms with his enforced solitary existence.

His old boss wants Gus to head up a Crime Review Team investigating cold cases. Old witness statements plus fresh clues, and the hunt would be on. But Freeman wonders whether his superiors need his old-style methods. Is the request out of pity, to occupy his mind with fruitless digging into cases that their best young brains failed to crack? Yet he can’t resist the chance to enter the fray for one last hurrah.

In this first case, the team tackles the brutal murder of Daphne Tolliver in June 2008. The sixty-eight-year-old widow was walking her dog, Bobby, in a woodland close to her home. Despite the efforts of detectives at the time, they never identified a single suspect. A reconstruction of Daphne’s last known moments on television five years later yielded nothing. Gus Freeman and his new team appear to have a tough nut to crack for their first case.

©2019 Ted Tayler (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing Crime Crime Thrillers Mystery Police Procedural Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Fiction Detective Human Brain Cold Case
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Great story, really enjoyed it but the narrator’s voice was droning and monotone, also his pronunciation of Salisbury was awful along with several other words. Probably not British. Might use a credit to listen to one more and hope someone has pointed out his pronunciation and he has improved on his monotone

Narrator’s voice was annoying

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The story was well written, the Narrator was perfect for the story. It was light hearted and a pleasant change from the heavy violent crimes

Well Worth Listening Too Excellent Story Excellent Narrator

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This is an interesting book, inasmuch as when first listening, you begin to wonder if the main character is ever going to make an appearance. He does and slowly you develop a connection to his character.
You should enjoy this book and if like me you will want to listen to the next in the series.
The narration does feel a little old fashioned and there are several mispronunciations. I had a little giggle at one of these. When the main character was thinking of his car, the narrator said, jal-oh-pee. I’m thinking what on earth is that, when the penny dropped I realised he meant, ja-lop-ee.
These distractions aren’t enough to ruin the book. Do I recommend it, yes I do, it’s worth a listen.

Worth a listen

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I'm half way through and the detecting hasn't begun! Lots of focus on the ex-DI's detection skills and antiquated ideas about women. Hoping he gets going soon...

BUT -- what were you thinking Audible producer? The whole idea with these regional police procedurals is to create the local vibe. Here we have a West Country detective speaking with an Irish (/American/Canadian?) accent who, despite working his entire career in Wiltshire, hasn't learned that Salisbury is pronounced Sauls-bury [not sal-is-bury]. Such a wasted opportunity - passable for American readers but not for anyone who has been to the UK or Salisbury.

...had to give up by second half. i don't mind old cops struggling with new conventions but it was too much when this old cop started lecturing newbies on "effeminate" men compelled to hide their "perversion". Also, the American accent got worse -- just plain weird when mispronouncing English idioms like jalopy!

English setting, American narrator -- really?!?

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