The Cut

By: Richard Armitage

Narrated by: Richard Armitage, Jacob Dudman

An unmissable thriller written by Richard Armitage, author of #1 bestseller Geneva, narrated by the author and by Jacob Dudman.

You can’t escape your past. The cut always reopens.

In the sleepy village of Barton Mallet, the old ruins of Blackstone Mill watch over the residents as they go about their quiet lives. Ben Knot and his friends are looking forward to a summer of fun and freedom once their last year of school is over. The class of 1994 have been through a lot together, good and bad, but teasing turns to bullying when the Knot gang target younger boy Mark Cherry. As tensions rise and violence escalates, the group fractures and tragedy strikes. Before the summer is over, one of them will be killed. Murdered by someone they called a friend.

Thirty years on, Ben is an award-winning architect who has moved his family back to the village where he grew up. His girlfriend Dani is a hands-on step mum to his kids, budding actor Nate and star footballer Lily, but even though the family seem happy, Ben has never been able to forget the tragedy of the past. And it’s a past that is coming back to haunt him with the murderer’s imminent release from prison. Ben’s glittering career is also starting tarnish as some shady business deals have put him on the path to bankruptcy. With the killer’s parole date approaching and the banks calling in their loans, Ben struggles to keep a grip on the perfect life he has built.

When Nate lands the leading role in a new horror movie, Dani jumps at the chance to propel him towards stardom, despite Ben’s concerns that it will complicate their lives. Ben is persuaded to support his son’s dreams, but when the film crew descend on the village to start shooting, the dream starts to turn into a nightmare. The film is not quite what it seems. His kids are being pushed to the limit and Ben’s paranoia makes him question the film makers’ motives. Ben is desperate for answers and will stop at nothing to keep his family safe.

If the first cut is the deepest, then the last cut is going to end it all.

©2024 Richard Armitage (P)2024 Audible Ltd.

Critic reviews

"Armitage has done it again... THE CUT is a chilling, atmospheric thriller with characters you'll never forget." - Harlan Coben

Entertaining but confusing at times

Amazing narrators and performance, but the back and forth time changes had me confused for most of the story. Too many characters and points of views didn't help either.

Improved towards the end

As many others noted, I had a hard time following the story because of all the time leaps. Also the narration had minimal changes between characters. Needed a better way to alert the reader that those changes were occurring.

Great story. Great narration

Totally gripping. Loved the way the story wove the present and the past together. I couldn’t stop listening.

What an Ending!!!

This book was FANTASTIC! Richard Armitage is my new hero! The ending full of twists.

The flip back from past to present.

This is a really good book. I had a hard time following in the beginning, but it was mostly due to my own difficulty understanding the dialogue. I loved it

Intriguing Story

Had a hard time figuring out what exactly was going on, but that was the beauty of it all!
A good mystery and twisted plot makes a great story.
And if that is what you enjoy, then then listen.
The Narrators are good. I loved the voices from each.

Excellent story

This book was well written. Very creative, new type of story. Most seem to be cookie cutter Stories. All similar. I love the way it jumps between time frames. Great audio story too.

Interesting story, great narration

Narration was above and beyond. Story was interesting but it was the narrators that got me.

I couldn’t guess the end!

I usually can guess the end on any mystery, but not this time. I really enjoyed it!

Worth your time indeed

First, both performers were brilliant. The writing accommodated both actors’ talents; the two are equally effective in developing characters, their local dialects and accents—scouse, Scots, and all the others. I’ve listened to Mr. Armitage quite a bit in recent years, including his first book, which I enjoyed immensely. So, I am an admirer and am likely giving some latitude for my bias. That said, I’m equally as impressed with Mr. Dudman as he proved to be Armitage’s equal in narration and interpretation. More impressive is that he is such a young man.

Thematically, The Cut, well, cuts. Rather, for some, it can trigger (ala Carrie), so be forewarned, prepared, and in the right headspace. Sometimes for me, audiobooks are my bedtime stories. This book is NOT a D.I. Jackman and Marie adventure. It demands more attention and respect. It required extra focus and active listening. I stopped my first attempts at nighttime listening, and opted to devote a couple of days to give it its proper due.

What some have identified in the story as challenging and perhaps confusing, I also understand. The prose is dense, and likely some of the detail could have been tempered. For example, (really this isn’t meant to be about me, but …) I’ve a musical background. Much of the descriptive narrative about the cello, rosin, and horse hairs landed well and pictorialized scenes nicely. However, descriptions about musical composers and pieces, despite that I understand and "speak" the musical language, I found superfluous. The musical erudition did not add anything to the story. Similarly, much of the film industry jargon seemed to ramble on a bit.

I’ll try to avoid spoilers, but some of the story might have benefited from rearranging just a bit. For instance, I think I would have liked the Max reveal later—toward the climax closer to the rather than forecasted in earlier chapters. Contemporary references, e.g., social media and dropping name brands, well, made me wonder if some product placement deals might have been contracted. And, these types of references are soon dated in our constantly changing world, which can be corny or nostalgic depending on any given audience member's frame of mind at any given time.

What is also evident is that The Cut is Mr. Armitage’s personal journey and was a somewhat cathartic effort. For this reason, aforementioned latitude is warranted. Every artist should be allowed at least one work where s/he lets it all hang out. Finally, for those who intend to read The Cut, and I recommend you do, it’s not entirely a whodunnit (it’s pretty clear early on).

I hope Richard Armitage continues writing as I enjoy all his work across performance media and genres.