Counting Crows

One for Murder (Lorne Turner Mystery Thrillers, Book 1)

By: Joe Talon

Narrated by: Edmund Bloxam

The moor is darkening. Lorne feels it in his bones.

His instincts, honed by years on the battlefields of the desert, scream in warning. Or is it the monster in his head?

When Detective Inspector Tony Shaw tells him the obvious occult symbols on the dead man are nothing more than faked staging, Lorne knows his instincts are right, and the police are wrong. There is darkness, and it’s spreading.

An ancient spirit line is awoken with violence and pain, seeping down from Dunkery Beacon, highest point on Exmoor, to the woodland church of Culbone on the coast.

Lorne Turner, SAS soldier and survivalist trainer, turns to his best friend, Ella Morgan, vicar of the parish, for help. Together, they approach Willow Hunter, a pagan whose past impacts all their futures.

Time is against them as they battle the unseen forces of Somerset’s aristocracy and the mysteries of an ancient moorland, never quite tamed. Its whispering dead seeking justice.

©2021 Joe Talon (P)2022 Joe Talon

An inner and outer battle. . .who will win?

This is the first book of a new series starring Lorne Turner and some helpful female friends. I initially thought I was just starting a new thriller series, but apparently, this was more of a supernatural thriller series, which is not really my thing. However, it did draw me along while Lorne fought both his inner demons and his real-world adversaries. The narrator was interesting and certainly made listening to the book easier for me than actually reading it myself.

Action-packed thriller!

I recently got an offer for a review copy of the audiobook version for Counting Crows from StoryOrigin. While I wasn’t familiar with Joe Talon’s writing, the titles and blurbs sounded interesting, so I took the offer. Wow, I’m glad I did.

Counting Crows along with being a very good supernatural thriller provides an excellent introduction to Lorne Turner and Ella Morgan. If you like stories with damaged characters who are easy to relate to and easy to like this is a book for you. Along with well-developed characters, the story line flows well and doesn’t give away the killer until just the right moment. Additionally, there is a second storyline from Lorne’s youth that is a faint undercurrent to the whole story. Edmund Bloxam does an excellent job bringing the characters and story to life.

vet discovers occult conspiracy

thoroughly enjoyed the tale of a struggling special ops veteran ( British version SAS) struggling to move on in a ragged world. he stumbles onto a body in the mood, dutifully reports it and starts taking flak. he pushes back and sheninigans ensue where his special set of skills are exhibited ( to steal a phrase from Taken).

Great start to a series

This first book of this supernatural occult mystery series introduces Lorne and Ella. Their personalities are developed through the story, but they remain flawed. They embrace the less than perfect parts of themselves though, which works to set up their battles with their inner selves, as well as supernatural and more mundane threats. No punches are pulled — Lorne and Ella are really put through a lot.
The story and plot flow well, with clues and secrets being revealed at just the right time.
Edmund Bloxam was a great choice to narrate the story.

new suspense

This is a review for the book I got for free. Great story line, narrator did a good job. Enjoyed this listen and recommend it for any supernatural fans.

Great author!

First impression (about three paragraphs} about the narrator not great because he has an accent but when I got used to it, it fit the main character like a glove. The story was fabulous and (being a military brat) I can relate. All in all, extremely great book. Looking for for aother.

Creepy in all the right ways. Plenty of character.

It’s about the occult, but it’s nothing to be wary of. In fact, I learned a few things.

It’s much more about the corruption of surprising people. And, of course, the people who try to stop them. They don’t want to, but they have to.

Great Mystery

This was my first experience with Joe Talon's work, and I enjoyed it a lot. The author created memorable characters. The mystery was convoluted. The inclusion of the occult added a layer of mysticism to the story. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. At first, it was hard to get into Edmund Bloxam's narration style; however, once I had listened to the audiobook for a while, I really started to like the way that he performed. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily posted this review.