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  • The Murderer's Son

  • A Jackman and Evans Thriller
  • By: Joy Ellis
  • Narrated by: Richard Armitage
  • Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (2,555 ratings)

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The Murderer's Son

By: Joy Ellis
Narrated by: Richard Armitage
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Publisher's Summary

Twenty years ago: a farmer and his wife are cut to pieces by a ruthless serial killer.

Now: a woman is viciously stabbed to death in the upmarket kitchen of her beautiful house on the edge of the marshes.

Then a man called Daniel Kinder walks into Saltern police station and confesses to the murder.

But DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans of the Fenland Constabulary soon discover that there is a lot more to Daniel than meets the eye. He has no memory of the first five years of his life and has a rather unusual obsession with his mother....

Full of twists and turns, this is a crime thriller that will keep you gripped until the shocking ending.

©2016 Joy Ellis (P)2016 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about The Murderer's Son

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A fatastic series

This series is fantastic if you enjoy a series as you can get to know the characters as well as enjoy the story lines. \I hope there are more with these characters to cme

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9 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Richard Armitage great... story not so!

Story a bit predictable - not the best I have listened to, as with other reviews I only continued listening because of Richard Armitage.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Poor storyline, a very disappointing read.

Struggled to finish. Only saving grace was Richard Armitage, otherwise I would have stopped listening in the beginning.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Twists and turns

I honestly could not stop listening to this book, I love this author and characters, although fictional it reflects so many truths in a persons life that you can feel the moment during the plots

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6 people found this helpful

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Fantastic

Great story again would highly recommend anyone to read well worth the time great storytelling

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Maybe the worst book I've ever 'read'

If this is what commercial fiction is--what it most typically and essentially is, maybe the literary snobs have a point

Listening to this book made me reflect on where I've come from, and where (or what) I've come to, as a reader. Some prehistory: In the beginning, that is, in my childhood and teenage years, I read only various kinds of commercial fiction, mostly fantasy, and nurtured a deep disdain for literary fiction (which I'd never read) on the basis that (so I'd been told) people who liked literary fiction disdained the kind of books I liked. I was in fact, a perfect inverted snob. I hated what I had never bothered to attempt to understand. That changed. I started to read literary fiction, and found, somewhat to my amazement, that venerally I enjoyed it. My taste evolved and developed. I grew up, and my taste grew with me. But I found, even as it expanded in some directions, it retracted in others. Now that I had become sensitised to the rythms of prose, now, basically, that I could tell good writing from bad, many kinds of writing that I had previously, thoughtlessly enjoyed I could no longer enjoy. Vast domains of low-brow literature I had previously romped through with blithe indifference to the aesthetic quality of my surroundings were now cut off. For instance, while I could, and can still, reread endlessly The Lord of the Rings or The Charioteer or The Nun's Story, when I tried to reread The Way of Kings, which I had adored the first time it was handed to me by my high school librarian, I found I couldn't. I just couldn't get through it. Something blocked me. I wondered what was wrong with me. I know now there was nothing wrong with me. I had simply arrived at the point where I could no longer enjoy bad writing, and Brandon Sanderson is a bad writer--at least a bad writer stylistically. His plots and world and characters are as compelling to me as ever. Joy Ellis is also a bad writer, on a prose level. Unfortunately her plot and setting and characters do nothing, on this volume at least, to redeem her.

In the first place, the badness of the writing was only amplified by way the narrator reads it (or "performs", as the cover pretentiously puts it). The lines on their own are unrealistic enough but coming out of the voice of the characters they're just daft. One describes someone as 'a real community-spirited woman'. It's something an American politician delivering a half-hearted eulogy for someone he hardly knew might say, perhaps. A grizzled Yorkshire policeman? Hardly. Rally it's a line that belongs in a writer's character notes, not a published novel. It's like the whole thing, in fact, is written in outline. Both the narrator and the characters speak in the most boring, most hackneyed turns of phrase. Everything is stated so matter-of-factly, in the most direct and bloodless language imaginable. It's all so artless and graceless. There's so much telling rather than showing.

The time this is supposed to be set in was quite unclear. "This is the 21st century" a character says, blandly, but are we sure? So many other things the characters say date the story at least several decades back
A white (blond, in fact) male journalist is described as a 'new up-and-coming voice' or something like that and the police record a suspect's interrogation on a literal tape (surely they don't still use those).
Needless to say, this was written by an old person.

And I really just can't get over the prose. It's so astoundingly banal and cliché. I know people don't read crime novels for the prose but surely even Agatha Christie isn't this bad? Maybe it's just because it's read aloud I notice it more. But this is so much worse, so much more soulless, than ordinary bad writing. This is a novel written in bureaucratic managerial English, the English of press statements and official announcements, of popjourno explainers and back-of-packet disclaimers, not of any kind of literature; no, not even the low-brow kind.

I've never encountered anything quite like it. Listening to it read aloud was almost physically painful. Cliches piled upon cliches; piled into a mountain of cliches that collapses on you and you're drowning in them. It's as if the writer was deliberately plumbing for the most boring and characterless way to say every single fucking thing. I can't even pick out specific examples because it's all like that. This has been a revelation in all the worst ways.

As for the plot and characters, I couldn't keep track of either. This is generally the case with audiobooks. Unfortunately I didn't care about either, either. The revelation of the killer and his motive was contrived and unconvincing. The only reason I listened to this book at all was for a glimpse of the young (hopefully cute) psycho serial killer boi promised by the title. And in the end I didn't even get that.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Addictive for a second time

Like the first book in the series, couldn't stop listening to it! Richard Armitage makes for very engaging and easy listening.

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Great

Loved this book. Didn't pick the killer at all. Well written and well read. A good read.

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Fantastic listen!

Terrific narrator, very clear speaking, energetic story teller. I will be looking for him again

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great book

was a good story line loved it. did figure out who the murderer was early on

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  • Julie
  • 29-12-2018

Audible ruined this one for me.

I followed the "recommended listening order" suggested by Audible to listen to Their Lost Daughters first despite it being the second book in the Jackman and Evans series. Because of dialog between Jackman and Evans the story line of The Murder's Son was ruined !! Shame on the editorial staff for such a blunder!!

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  • Lia
  • 14-02-2019

Great Series

An excellent story about a police department trying to solve a serial murder case while dealing with several fragile suspects. There are several subplots which add a great deal to the story. One of the subplots would actually make a pretty good plot for another story. The two major characters are both both very easy to develop a bond with which makes the story more interesting.This book is definitely worth reading.

Richard Armitage was outstanding with the delivery of the story

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  • Nora
  • 25-10-2018

Couldn't put it down

This is another fantastic offering by Joy Ellis. It is a believable story with characters you grow to be so intimately involved with that you talk back to them while listening. I was constantly asking myself what would I do in the myriad situations presented in the plot. Would I have acted as Skye did? Would I have made the choices Daniel did? Where are the dark places in my mind capable of leading me? Then, of course, there are the choices faced by Jackman and Evans. How far to you trust your mind rather than follow your gut? The main plot is paralleled by the tale of a bent copper and a young cop trying to survive. This tale is deftly woven into to the main story to great effect.

Richard Armitage's narration grabs you and carries your through the harrowing tale with a vast range of emotion from shock, horror and disgust to heartrending compassion. His voice weaves his usual magic as he carries you deep into the hearts and minds of the characters. Congratulations to both Ms. Ellis and Mr. Armitage for another stellar project. I look forward to December and installment 3 of Jackman and Evans.

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  • Ruth Nielsen
  • 26-02-2019

Glad I found this series!

I have a tendency to prefer the British murder mysteries because they seem to have more character development and fewer car chases - definitely fewer gun battles - but it’s a challenge to find some new characters that rise above the rest. Jackman and Evans are a great team and I’m happy to have discovered them. The mysteries are challenging but the characters are ones I’m enjoying getting to know. I’ve listened to 2 books in the series and will definitely listen to the rest. The narrator is fantastic. 5 stars if you like good police murder mysteries!

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  • Lauren
  • 19-10-2018

Ellis and Armitage Did It Again

What a spectacular audiobook. Ellis is one of the best crime novelists today. Her attention to detail, authenticity, keen development of characters, wrapped in suspense and intrigue keeps you on your toes and a "book" you "just can't put down". I binged the entire audiobook in one sitting. Armitage is narrator supreme. He makes you feel like you are literally standing there in each scene experiencing everything first hand through the eyes of each of Ellis' characters. This is more than a five star audiobook.

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  • JO
  • 31-10-2018

Slowcooker Dinner!

Plan to listen to this one all day! You will not want to stop to make dinner.

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31 people found this helpful

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  • Betsy Fowler
  • 27-10-2018

Great performance of a Joy Ellis mystery

Richard Armitage again performs -- rather than merely reads -- a good thriller. He makes it pop!

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  • mama-z
  • 14-01-2019

I found it hard to follow without paying strict attention

It’s a well written book. The storyline is very interesting but I had to restart it two and three times to follow the characters. It could’ve been the performance? Everyone pretty much sounded the same. I wouldn’t purchase it again

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  • Riverlover
  • 04-01-2019

Difficult Book To Put Down

My first book by Joy Ellis. I sincerely enjoyed it and I’ve already bought another.

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  • Roger Fauble
  • 17-02-2019

Highly enjoyable

My second outstanding read/listen from author Joy Ellis. Extremely well-written and enjoyable. 333 pages & 9 hours & 30 minutes of listening enjoyment! I'm already looking at other books in this series! Narrator Richard Armitage's voice is addictive and highly enjoyable for the second time.

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  • Simon
  • 17-10-2018

No Sitting On The Fens About This One!

Jackman and Evans were two characters that I took to straight away in the first book that Audible published and I am starting to think that my relationship with them is going to go the distance. It's worth noting that they won't be for everyone, if you're looking for another Rebus or Frost with all their crafty ways and fractured personas Jackman seems to be cut from a more noble cloth so far. In fact to me in a way there's a genuine warmth to these books despite the grisly crimes that they are set around which shines from the characters. Of course it also has to be said that Richard Armitage's voice also radiates that warmth with his golden sunset tones and excellent character voicing.

The story itself is immediately engaging and twists and turns leaving me guessing without groaning in exasperation at the ridiculousness of it all which has happened a few times recently. Ellis has a bright approach to her writing which moves the story on at a very enjoyable pace while allowing her characters to grow depth and colour.

There are some things in here that aren't perfect, I think you can see Ellis's writing style developed after this book which I believe was originally the first in the series. The police procedural aspects are, despite her having a partner who used to be in the forces a bit weak and in my copy a couple of sentences were oddly repeated in obvious editing errors.

But I'm not going to sit on the fens about it, this is a damn good read that I'd highly recommend!

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  • Teresa McDermott
  • 23-01-2019

exciting and fast paced

I listened to this one after the lost daughters, only to find out this was the 1st in the series. This made my take on book interesting, cause very often sequals can start to lack pace when compared to a first in the series. this however hasn't happened. Each book is self supporting, I don't feel like I've missed out listening to them out of sequence.
The pace is there from the outset, the story starts developing almost instantly.
I love the working relationship between Jackman and Ellis, there is no sexual chemistry, just professional and platonic respect. I feel they have a long way to go together.
I thoroughly enjoy all the police procedures, whether accurate or not.
Richard Armitage is an excellent narrator, has just the right tones to portray all charactors with depth and compassion.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • mollyeyre
  • 17-10-2018

Disappointing

I felt that this tale was a bit 'daft', the opening chapter sets the scene for the older murder, the DI and his sidekick go in to where the mutilated body lies, and in the first couple of minutes the DI says - "It is either the au pair or the handyman, I'll stake my pension on it". As he had no knowledge of either of these two characters I felt that it was a particularly stupid comment to make. He also asked whether the two (so far unknown to him) employees were having an affair! He didn't know who they were, married or single etc etc. It just seemed so silly that I was put into an irritated mode straightaway.
There are many similar silly situations, and I really didn't enjoy this very much at all.
All in all it was a bit of a messy, haphazard story. Very disappointing.

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29 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Peter D King
  • 29-10-2018

Fantastic book

Loved the book and the narration. I did guess the perp fairly early on and was waiting for the reveal.

Very enjoyable however.

My only criticism however concerns the gaps between scenes. This is a very professional production but the gaps are a little hit and miss or in a couple of cases none existent. This caused a couple of confusingly moments as I realised the scene had changed. A simple couple of seconds break would have worked.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • AprilB03
  • 09-05-2020

Not as bad as the reviews say

The narration can be a bit monotoned at times but it's not too off-putting and there is one small bit where a line is repeated but again nothing too horrendous.

Good story with good twists. I didn't work out who the killer was until nearer the end of the book so either the previous reviewers who say they worked it out straight away are either seasoned crime readers or I'm not too bright 🤷‍♀️

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Lady L
  • 31-10-2018

Another gripping thriller

Great storyline, fantastic characters, brilliantly written, and the talented Richard Armitage narrating 💖💖💖 Truly Amazing.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Sazza
  • 04-03-2019

Not great, sadly.

I love RA but I found his narration slightly grating, with some passages badly read. This book fell head long into the annoying trap of seemingly intelligent people behaving strangely to fit the plot, which became farcical.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • kelly gallimore
  • 26-10-2018

poor quality

The story it's self was a let down after the previous story in the collection.
The narrator regularly repeats lines and made me feel like I was going a bit potty.
It also kept skipping. Overall not enjoyable and certainly not worth a credit.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • Lee Calver
  • 03-11-2018

Disappointing

Very disappointing. Lacked the edge and pace of the previous book, all felt a bit hackneyed and re-hashed. Narration fantastic but still couldn't hide the fact that this was really a below-par book not on the same level as its predecessor. I wont be getting the next one in the series.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 18-10-2018

Gripping from the start

loving these new police characters, they are real with true humanity and no cliches. love Richard Armitages' reading, puts life into the words and you need to keep listening until the story is told.

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