The Killing Lessons

A Novel

By: Saul Black

Narrated by: Christina Delaine

"This novel breaks brilliant. It's hard to tell what's the best part of The Killing Lessons: the sweaty-palm plot that races along like a squad car on a high-speed pursuit, the breathtaking depictions of the characters, good and bad, or author Black's inimitable style. My vote? All three." – Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author of The Skin Collector and Solitude Creek

In their isolated country house, a mother and her two children prepare to wait out a blinding snowstorm. Two violent predators walk through the door. Nothing will ever be the same.

When the two strangers turn up at Rowena Cooper's isolated Colorado farmhouse, she knows instantly that it's the end of everything. For the two haunted and driven men, on the other hand, it's just another stop on a long and bloody journey. And they still have many miles to go, and victims to sacrifice, before their work is done.

For San Francisco homicide detective Valerie Hart, their trail of victims-women abducted, tortured and left with a seemingly random series of objects inside them-has brought her from obsession to the edge of physical and psychological destruction. And she's losing hope of making a breakthrough before that happens.

But the murders at the Cooper farmhouse didn't quite go according to plan. There was a survivor, Rowena's ten-year-old daughter Nell, who now holds the key to the killings. Injured, half-frozen, terrified, Nell has only one place to go. And that place could be even more dangerous than what she's running from.

In this extraordinary, pulse-pounding debut, Saul Black takes us deep into the mind of a psychopath, and into the troubled heart of the woman determined to stop him.

This audiobook includes an interview with the author.

©2015 Glen Duncan (P)2015 Macmillan Audio

One of the BEST!!

This book was AMAZING!! Right up there with the Silence of the Lambs. The characters are so well developed…the author really dug deep into every character’s psyche and what makes them tick. The plot was intriguing & captivating throughout the entire book. This was by far one of the, if not the best, psychological thrillers I’ve ever read!! Highly, highly recommend!!

One of the best serial killer novels

Author was super descriptive and graphic up to the most finite detail. Didn't leave any gruesome stone unturned.

Amazing

This story is intriguing and captivating from page 1. I learned quickly to pay attention to the author’s details as the story unfolds. This is my first Saul Black book. It will not be the last. I highly recommend this book

Good story

I enjoyed the story very much. I began to be annoyed by the performance as the reader used the whispered technic way too often. It is very affective when used at appropriate times. When overused it is simply annoying.

Great book!

This was a great listen! It was full of suspense and just a great story that held my attention. It is worth the money/ credit.

Fabulous

Hang in there for the first few chapters. You will not regret it. Absolutely wonderful.

a masterpiece of darkness

criminal as memorable as Hannibal, officer as disturbed as Starling, dancing between all the characters by a performance in narration that held me there.

I couldn't stop!

This book was amazing. I found myself listening every spare moment I had and struggled to pace myself to make it last longer. Exciting, suspenseful, creepy and dark. Absolutely loved it!

Excellent Thriller

What made the experience of listening to The Killing Lessons the most enjoyable?

I absolutely loved this book. The flawed characters, the story, the way it was read made it one of the best books I have listened to so far and I listen to a lot of books. It was a fresh take on the genre. Christina Delaine was stunning.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Killing Lessons?

When I first started listening to this book, I knew the way characters were described, the detail, their thoughts. Just loved it.

Which scene was your favorite?

There were many scenes which were outstanding.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I didn't want to stop listening, shame about having to sleep!

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend this book if you enjoy thrillers, the writing is just amazing.

2/3 Worth It

I have much respect for words and storytellers. However, if I could have fast forwarded thru what I found to be trite words from Valerie, I would have.

While I also agree that the 2 subplots were interesting I’ll avoid purchasing or reading other similar books.

Great for a reader/listener that appreciates written repetition that can be annoying when read out loud.