The Lamb

A Detective Kate Monroe Suspense Thriller

By: J.E. Clarkson

Narrated by: Elah Khorasani

When city detective Kate Monroe endures a bitter break up, her only option is to relocate back up north to the town of her birth, Barnsworth. She soon finds that her detecting skills are in demand, as a mysterious serial killer stalks Barnsworth's streets seemingly picking victims at random. Who is this faceless killer and what is the link to "The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse?" Only Kate Monroe and her colleagues can unmask, "The Lamb."

©2021 Jayne Clarkson (P)2023 Jayne Clarkson

A great serial killer mystery

The story kept me on my toes. The POV of the killer was very sinister and kept me guessing who it may be. I love Kate and Swann together. They are the detectives on the case. There are several shocks and twists throughout the whole novel. It does end on a cliffhanger.
Elah does a fantastic narrating the story. She reached down and made her voice very eerie while reading the part of the killer.

Middle of the road for me

I received an audiobook version of this for review and this is my honest opinion.

The storyline itself is good. The first few chapters seemed abrupt to me, then there seems to be a reasonable pace set for a while. That said most chapters are quite short. However the second half of the book drug until the final couple of chapters.

One of my biggest issues with the book was this notion from the killer that Kate was essentially the only relevant detective on the case and yet I didn’t feel she added anything to the investigation.

Further, while I understood the use of they/them when referring to the killer, two detectives are also given non-gendered pronouns through a few chapters of the book. This struck me as odd, because while representation matters, that didn’t seem to be the reasoning for usage and it’s clear that Kate interacts with both of them enough to identify them.

I didn’t realize this was a part of a series (my bad on that one) and the plot twist and cliffhanger comes out of nowhere. Based on the information that’s already contained in the book, it doesn’t seem necessary and leads me suspect the entire motive of the killer will have changed in book two. I don’t plan on reading further, unfortunately.

Regarding the audiobook specifically, I love Elah’s voice. I would love to hear her narrate other things. However, I didn’t feel she was the best voice for this, being a thriller. Her cadence felt somewhat repetitive at times and her emotions didn’t always seem to match up. I think a different voice would have aided better in the suspenseful nature of the book, despite her talent.

New Narrator: Unlocked

When I was asked to review this book & audiobook, I did not realize it was a series. I just downloaded and bounced between the audiobook while I was driving (yay work commute) and the e-book when I was home.
I thoroughly enjoyed how Clarkson wrote the POV of The Lamb. We are kept somewhere between knowing more than the Detectives, but not knowing what The Lamb has up the metaphorical sleeve (hidden in their wool? hah), while also clueless as to their identity until close to the end.

Now, what we're here for. The Narration.
I definitely recommend Elah Khorasani as a narrator.
I am obnoxiously picky with my audiobooks and narrators - nothing to do with anyone but myself.
Elah does a wonderful job with this. At first, the vocal differentiation Elah used was a bit stark & harsh (again, only my personal opinion). BUT as the book went on, she seemed to tailor her vocals with the pitch changes and required vocal drama to find a great balance. The growth in her narration just in the first half of the book was great. Kudos, Elah. I'll definitely listen to more of her audiobooks!!

Thank you both JE Clarkson and Elah Khorasani for a great time with this!! I look forward to more.

Engaged and Relaxed

I thought I had the suspect figured out early on and in the end I was surprised! Very nice twist at the end that has me wondering what happens next.

Good read !

A good thriller that keeps your attention from the start ! It does leave you on a cliffhanger which was the worse thing but this isn’t the first book to do this to me. It just makes me want to read the second book even more. I loved the narrator ! She kept my attention as well. Some narrators make or break the books so I’m always hesitant on new narrators.