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Ripper

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Ripper

By: Shelley Burr
Narrated by: Jacquie Brennan
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About this listen

SHORTLISTED FOR BEST CRIME FICTION, 2024 NED KELLY AWARDS
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 DANGER AWARD FOR FICTION

'Tantalising . . . A glimpse into a small town that cannot shake the ghosts of its past' Weekend Australian

'Exceptional . . . An amazing and addictive plot loaded with numerous brilliant twists' Canberra Weekly

'A masterclass in pace, plot, character and creeping unease' The Bookseller

Gemma Guillory has lived in Rainier her entire life. She knows the town's ins and outs like the back of her hand, the people like they are her family, their quirks as if they were her own.

She knows her once-charming town is now remembered for one reason, and one reason only. That three innocent people died. She knows that the consequences of catching the Ripper still haunt her police officer husband and their marriage to this day.

When a dark tourism operator keen to cash in on the town's reputation is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma's doorstep, she's drawn into the investigation. Unbeknownst to her, so is a prisoner named Lane Holland. Gemma knows her town. She knows her people. Doesn't she?

'This is crime writing at its best - taut plotting and personalities that ooze over the pages' Living Arts Canberra

'Impressive' The Australian Women's Weekly

'Gripping, surprising, fascinating . . . Ripe for devourers of Sarah Thornton, Jane Harper and Sarah Bailey' Books+Publishing

'I won't be surprised if this becomes a classic in the years to come' Mamamia

'Shelley Burr is a rural crime force to be reckoned with . . . Burr's plotting is meticulous - as in almost mind-blowing . . . A heart-pounding and relentlessly tense page-turner' Better Reading

'A master of the modern Australian crime novel' ROSE CARLYLE

'Crackles with tension' JACK HEATH

©2023 Shelley Burr (P)2023 Hachette Australia Pty Ltd Amateur Sleuths Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction Mystery Thriller Thriller & Suspense Crime Marriage Scary Suspense
All stars
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Narrator’s performance felt real- swapping between the vulnerable moments to the tension notched incline of this story was well done. You feel the claustrophobia of this town with its web of secrets.

Atmospheric outback noir

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Keeps you thinking all the way through right u to the end. Looking forward to the next one.

Loved it

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Really enjoyed this gripping story with all the twists and turns , had me wanting to listen every moment.

The twist and turns

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Ripper by Shelley Burr

Book two in the PI Lane Holland series.

In case you need a catch-up, I recently requested and was approved for an ARC of Vanish by Shelley Burr, which is book three in the PI Lane Holland series; when I requested Vanish, I thought I had read the earlier books (Wake and Ripper), but it turns out I had not! But I already had both books in my Audible library. The Blurb for Vanish said it could be read as a stand-alone book, but when I read the first chapter, I discovered the lead character (PI Lane Holland) sitting in prison, and I needed to know why.

Now that I’ve read Wake and understand why our lead character is in prison, I’m not just going to dive into book three, so I read book two...

Ripper has Lane investigating a case of a missing woman from prison in return for privileges; the part he plays at the beginning of this book is small (but significant). The book focuses on Gemma Guillory, who has lived in the small town of Rainier her entire life; the once-charming town is now remembered because of a serial killer known as ‘the Ripper’.

A dark tourism operator comes to town to trade on the town’s history and is killed in very similar circumstances as those killed by the Ripper, right on Gemma’s doorstep. Gemma and Lane are drawn into the investigation for different reasons.

Another Thumbs up. Slightly less Australian noir than Wake, in my opinion.

Stand by for my reviews of Vanish!

Body Count = 2 (new deaths) 3 (historic Ripper deaths). I think.

All rise for the (noir) Queen

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Love this author I have only just discovered. So so happy to see Lane back, even in a small way. Fascinating page turner and well-developed, flawed characters. Plenty of good twists and turns. Great ending…and I love that there is more in the works for Lane!

An enthralling Second Book in this series

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I just arrived home after a 11 hour drive. I listened to this story almost the entire time and didn't lose interest once. I really enjoyed it and will be reading more of Shelly's work.

Bloody loved it

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This was a mostly easy listen, however the number of characters made things a little confusing at times. The narrator, Jackie Brennan, did a good job and I found her voice soothing and engaging. The story itself was a bit average, not horrible but predictable and slow at times. Overall, it was an enjoyable listen.

Great narration, good story.

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I preferred “Wake”, an earlier Shelley Burr novel. But this was still an ok read.

It was ok

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I very rarely get shocked by plot turns and twists but this book did that job astoundingly.
If you aren't from Australia you may have a different experience but I found the descriptions and explanations really immersed me into the world and I was hooked. I finished this in one night and for the first time in a long time, I was in suspense until the end!

Definitely leans hard toward the crime 'who dunnit' rather than a scary thriller, so keep this in mind as it won't scare the hell out of you but it will make you question everyone and everything right until the very last line.

I have rated this 5 stars although in truth I would rate it 4.5 only for a few small inconsistencies which don't take too much away from the plotline and also the fact that I am selfish and I want more after the ending, I feel like there were a couple of things left undiscovered however I would love to see a second book following on from this. :)

This Book Shocked Me!

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A little hard to follow in the beginning with all the different characters, I actually had to restart after reaching about half way because I had gotten a bit lost. Despite this I really enjoyed the story and the narration was excellent. Looking forward to the next one from Shelley Burr!

Twisty!

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