Performed by Roger Clark
Released: November 2020 by Penguin Audio
Category: Murder, Mystery, Literary Fiction, Audiobook, Review
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Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a remote Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force, and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens.
But then a local kid comes looking for his help. His brother has gone missing, and no one, least of all the police, seems to care. Cal wants nothing to do with any kind of investigation, but somehow he can’t make himself walk away.
Cal Hooper, retired from the Chicago PD after 25 years, relocated to the rural west coast of Ireland after the break up of his marriage and having become disenchanted with the way things were going in America.
His run down cottage—surrounded by fields, hedges and stone walls with distant mountain views—is a far cry from his life in the city, but he was craving peace and a slower pace of life where he can lay the cop part of himself to rest and just work on renovations to his new home, go for walks and fish. He’s learning, however, that even here life isn’t as loose and laid back as he first thought, and although people are friendly—in particular his nearest neighbour, Mart, and sisters Noreen and Lena—Cal keeps a fairly low profile.
Just lately Cal has had the feeling of being watched on several occasions, his well developed instincts coming to the fore. After several near misses trying to catch out whoever it is, he eventually discovered his intruder is thirteen year old Trey Reddy.
The kid’s eyes snap wide and his muscles snap tight. He’s on the verge of flight, toes barely touching the grass.
‘You’ve been keeping a pretty good eye on me, ’Cal says. ‘Any reason for that?’
After a moment the kid shakes his head. He’s still ready to run, eyes fixed on Cal to catch the first signs of a lunge.
‘There’s something you want to know? Because if you do, now would be a real good time to go ahead and ask straight out like a man.’
The kid shakes his head again.
‘Got any problems with me?’
Another head shake, this one more vehement.
Interesting excerpt and I love the narrator’s voice! This is my very first listening and I like it…
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It’s a brilliant narration, glad you like it.
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I always thought I preferred to read myself, so I was pleasantly surprised!
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I really enjoy listening to an excellent narrator.
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So much better for aging eyesight too!
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Absolutely 😉
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Sounds great! I’ve still got the second in her Murder Squad series on my TBR so I’ve clearly got some catching up to do… 😀
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I haven’t started that series yet 😅
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