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  • The River Man

  • By: R. B. Croft
  • Narrated by: Dominic West
  • Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (1,842 ratings)

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The River Man

By: R. B. Croft
Narrated by: Dominic West
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Summary

How do you track down a killer who might not even exist?

An Audible Original from thrilling new talent, R B Croft, narrated by star of The Crown, The Wire and The Affair Dominic West.

Clem knows every inch of Watersmeet like the back of his hand. After all, he’s controlled crime here for most of his career. But after a shock murder, he meets jaundiced yellow eyes shining out of the darkness beyond the houses on the village’s eerie southern slopes, and everything he thought he knew about the place is thrown into question.

Clem’s grown up with local legends, just like everyone else. But could the River Man be real, and might this creature be behind the recent mysterious killings? It’s a theory – and not one that his superiors want to hear. They’re more interested in courting soundbites and social media with their own wild explanations. Drugs? Gangs? Clem just doesn’t believe it.

Suspended, he takes matters into his own hands and strikes out into the woods behind the farm. Here, amongst the trees and hidden caves, he discovers more than he ever wanted to. Something that’s been hiding. Something that needs to be smoked out. Clem sets out to solve the village’s biggest crime ever, but at what cost?

About the author

R B Croft loves the wild and the creeping sensation that comes with wondering ‘what if…?’. A married father and certified book nut, he’s often found outdoors with a pen in his hand, getting himself into trouble. His literary idols are too many to count, but include Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Michelle Paver, Christina Henry, Peter Benchley, CJ Box, and CJ Tudor - and anyone who stops him from sleeping.

About the narrator

Dominic West is one of the country’s finest and most versatile actors. His thirty-year career has included roles in some of the most iconic television series, from his award-winning portrayal of Jimmy McNulty in The Wire, to Charles, Prince of Wales in The Crown. Since making his film debut opposite Sir Ian McKellen in Richard III, he has appeared in movies as diverse as Oscar-winning musical Chicago, historical drama Downton Abbey: A New Era, provided voices in Disney Pixar’s Finding Dory and played real-life activist Jonathan Blake in the multi-award-winning Pride.

©2024 R. B. Croft (P)2024 Audible, Ltd
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Critic reviews

“A thrilling mash-up of crime and folk horror. With genuinely chilling scenes, The River Man is packed with suspense on every page.” (Sarah A. Denzil, author of The Silent Child)

"Clem's journey through the shadowy underbelly of Watersmeet is riveting. The book masterfully blends crime and folklore, creating a thrilling narrative that will make you doubt what you thought you knew. A compelling listen that brilliantly weaves mystery, local legend, and raw emotion." (Mark Dawson, author of the John Milton, Beatrix and Isabella Rose and Atticus Priest series)

“Mysterious deaths in a small town, The River Man chilled me to my core. Part folklore, part serial killer, this is creepy, eerie storytelling at its best.” (Sam Holland, The Echo Man, The Twenty, The Puppet Master)

What listeners say about The River Man

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

A gripping fusion

I liked the story very much, some of it is a bit cliched but there are enough more interesting aspects to get into.
The narration is an absolute treat,

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A nice surprise.

Really enjoyed this. Wasn’t expecting it to go the way it did but enjoyed the fact it’s mixing up various styles. I rarely get the shivers during a story but for some reason on a couple of occasions I did on this one; maybe it was something to do with growing up in a rural area.

Maybe the end was a little rushed and there are a few plots holes here and there. Now and again it can be a bit cliched too, but I didn’t care - It was a good story, well told and I liked it.

Obviously with Dominic West doing narration duties it made it easy to listen to. Loved the way in the final credits he transitions the accent he used the whole time back to his normal one.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

ooooOooo

good listen on a long journey. For all the family. ( kids over 12 ) Dom West is a good listen

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

If you can stretch your imagination, this is for you

It started with some potential and I had thought that with a celebrity narrator it would have some substance.

I'd give it a swerve if I were you.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A good story

A good story, well written characters, suspense and little bit of humour. Well read, you can really imagine the story.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very novel

This book has a truly novel plot and I love the rural setting, well worth listening

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great little story

A very enjoyable yomp of a story featuring a lead character with whom you become invested.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

i enjoyed this

good characters, interesting story, quite fantastical and why not eh 😊. i would recommend

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent, unusual tale

Loved the storyline, loved the narration by Dominic West. There’s not much more to say! Recommended listening.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The story behind about people in a lovely village

I liked Clem the main character he seemed like a real likeable person of which this world is very short of

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