Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • The Pearl King

  • Crow Investigations, Book 4
  • By: Sarah Painter
  • Narrated by: Kate Rawson
  • Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (297 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
The Pearl King cover art

The Pearl King

By: Sarah Painter
Narrated by: Kate Rawson
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £13.99

Buy Now for £13.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Night Raven cover art
The Language of Spells cover art
The Ward Witch cover art
The Secrets of Ghosts cover art
The 13th Witch cover art
The Librarian of Crooked Lane cover art
The Garden of Magic cover art
A Song of Isolation cover art
Ransomed cover art
Glass and Steele Boxed Set: Books 1-3 cover art
The Lost Girls cover art
Beneath the Water cover art
The Accidental Alchemist cover art
The Invisible Library cover art
The Very First Damned Thing cover art
Doing Time cover art

Summary

Tradition. Loyalty. Respect. Murder. Normal Family stuff. Don't miss the exciting fourth instalment in the best-selling urban fantasy mystery series Crow Investigations.

Lydia is pulled into the Crow Family business by her shady uncle Charlie. He has decided that Lydia needs to learn the truth about her infamous Family and to step into her role within it - whether she likes it or not. 

After Lydia’s wrongful arrest, her relationship with DCI Fleet is decidedly rocky, but when a teenage girl goes missing from Highgate Woods, she must put aside her emotions and work the case. Lydia is increasingly alarmed by Charlie’s methods but is trapped by loyalty. Then a direct attack on the Crows raises the tension between the Families to boiling point, and the mysterious Pearl Family steps out of the shadows. Can Lydia restore balance to the magical Families of London without losing her soul?

©2020 Sarah Painter (P)2020 W F Howes

What listeners say about The Pearl King

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    210
  • 4 Stars
    69
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    211
  • 4 Stars
    47
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    188
  • 4 Stars
    63
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable

4th in the series, in general a good listen. A small bug bear the continual use of her feeling sick it's really over used. Main growl from me THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SINK IN A BATHROOM. Sorry about that, but there doesn't appear to be anyone who can write a book without this error, it's a Basin.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Unlikable and dull female lead

I really enjoyed reading the Night Raven but by the time I got to the Pearl King I had become fed up of Lydia Crow and her sanctimonious self saboteur attitude. She is happy to send Maria Silver to jail albeit deserved, but the minute she finds herself arrested or her life in danger it’s a different story, yet she happily serves up her Uncle. I found myself not really caring about Lydia and desperate to finish the book which was a shame. Some characters are really interesting Jason, Fleet, Maria Silver, Mr Smith, Paul Fix, but Lydia’s prattling on and stupidity just became too much for me. She is actually quite a dirty girl she seems to have an aversion to washing, tidying up, problems with alcohol and her battle with her conscious instead of being enduring was just annoying. I was actually quite pleased at the points where she got a beating which isn’t a good sign when she is the female lead, I’m returning the rest of the books and I’m not especially interested in purchasing the next book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Addictive twaddle

Writing this review for myself really - I bought the first three books in a sale and read them quickly. They annoyed me, but I found I couldn't stop reading them. Like binging on unhealthy food. Awful, but you still finish the packet.

Bought this fourth book a few months later - as I found the voice of the narrator really stuck in my head. And I'd hoped I'd just read the first three books too close to each other.

They're traditionally published but read like they're self published - meaning the stories flow from book to book, but there's little actual resolution at the end of the book.

The characters are caricatures. The world is unbelievable (outside of the fantasy). The policeman is always including his lover on witness conversations and interrogations. She's always banging on about not being like any of the crow family and the same time as going on and on about what crow people do.

And my god she over uses CROW, crow, CROW, crow, feathers, fly away little bird, Crow, crow. it's unbearably bad style. Taking a stylistic point and beating it to death.

And yet still I read them. it's trash fiction and if all you want is a simple escape with some magic, there are better out there. This is an easy read, with bad writing and ticks that annoy.

Note to self: stop reading them now. don't buy the next book. it will annoy you as much as the others have. Avoid!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

this series gets better and better

a female lead in a magical PI detective book? sign me up! I absolutely love it. deals with some interesting issues re crime and policing too

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I like the narrator

The narrator does a good job. I like listening to her voice telling the story. In this book, finally some development in the magic department! it's an easy read, perfect while walking my dog.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Little Bird is Growing Stronger

I like the development of the character in awareness of the world surrounding her family and her personal identity. It’s rare for an urban fantasy to form a reality that is just a bit different without distorting the reality that we’re all living in. A series that has been built around a world that has a solid foundation and history . Highly recommended

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Narration spoilt story

Pity about the narration . All the characters sounded the same towards the end.
I still can’t warm towards Lydia, selfish, sex driven almost alcoholic. I would love to see Fleet find a girlfriend worthy of him.
Shall listen to the next in the series to see whether Lydia is capable of taking over.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I love this series!

I've been addicted to this series since Christmas and haven't can't wait to hear more. The characters are so well developed and likable, I was really worried Jason would cross over! Sarah Painter has researched her work carefully, with accurate representation of mental health services. I really love the way she uses the literature to comment on current social issues and demonstrates her values through the stories.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Exciting

Painter continued to entertain and divulges more about the families through Lydia’s super sleuthing.
Excellent narration! Keeps you gripped.
Loving this series.
Next book please.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My favourite so far

Another really addictive listen and my favourite so far, I think. I’m really enjoying this series and listen at every possible opportunity. Will be going on to Book 5 now…

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!