Something Wicked

Something Wicked

• Wednesday 21 January 2015

 

Something Wicked: Andrew Hunter, Book 1

Written by: Kerry Wilkinson
Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
Series: Andrew Hunter, Book 1
Unabridged Audiobook
Audible.com

Publishers' Summary

From Kerry Wilkinson, the best-selling author of the Jessica Daniel novels, comes a new crime series.
Nicholas Carr disappeared on his 18th birthday and the world has moved on. His girlfriend has gone to university, his friends have got jobs, the police have other things to look into.
But his father, Richard, is still stuck on the three fingers the police dug up from a sodden Manchester wood. What happened to Nicholas on the night he disappeared, and why did he never come home?
Private investigator Andrew Hunter is Nicholas' last hope - but Andrew has his own problems. There's something about his assistant that isn't quite right. Jenny's brilliant but reckless, and he can't figure out what she gets from their working relationship. By the time he figures out who's a danger and who's not, it might all be too late...
©2014 Pan Macmillan (P)2014 Kerry Wilkinson

My Review

I'd been looking for a long time, searching for a new Mystery / Crime series to enjoy. Then one day whilst browsing through Free Audiobook Giveaways (a Facebook group) there it was; amongst all the books about shifters, sliders vampires and sci fi, shining through like a diamond on a beach full of pebbles was The Offer: Kerry Wilkinsons' Something Wicked, offered by the narrator, Nigel Patterson in return for a review.
I knew I would like this story as soon as I heard Nigel Patterson acting the role of the radio announcer with the fake American accent. The next hook was the car pursuit of the wily and underestimated Stuart Deacon in his Audi, this was also my introduction to Andrew, the little bit seemingly boring P.I., and his lively assistant Jenny.
It would be difficult to add to the publishers blurb without spoilers, so I won't, but needless to say, there are many twists to this story. The beauty of it is though, is that this is the first story of a series, and as such, cleverly lays the foundations for future stories.
Now what about Jenny? Well, being the assistant to a private investigator, we know that she is bound by the laws of crime fiction to be clever and quick witted, and also to be very good with computers. She is all of these, yet Jenny is also a Very Odd Person, and I look forward to reading or listening to her story. Oh, and does she have a surname or is that a part of her mystery? I can't recall hearing one on my audiobook.
As for her boss, Andrew Hunter, seems he's a bit of a mystery himself. I quite liked him, but at one point in the story he really went down in my estimation. However, later, when he'd proved that he could man up, he redeemed himself! I'm very much looking forward to his future story.
I would never have believed I could like anything originating from the pen of a Sports Writer, but this is a thumping good story, tip top, and well suited to audio.

Narrator Nigel Patterson

Much of the success of an audiobook is, of course, dependant on the quality of the narration. For me, the best of the best narrators are the one who, when within a few moments of listening, one just doesn't notice them any more. The voice is pleasant, the rythymn and pace is just right, as are the accents and characterisations. There is nothing to jolt the listener away from the story and back to reality. Surely, this is how it should be? Such is their talent, that they can make or break an audiobook. Nigel Patterson is up there with the best of them, I fervently hope that the author and publishers continue to work with him for all the Andrew Hunter Audiobooks.
You can go here to listen to his work and to also read an interview with Kerry Wilkinson: http://nigelpatterson.com
The author has himself a very interesting story to tell, you can go here to read it: http://kerrywilkinson.com