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The Santa Killer cover art

The Santa Killer

By: Ross Greenwood
Narrated by: David Thorpe
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Summary

The Santa Killer is coming to town....

One night less than two weeks before Christmas, a single mother is violently assaulted. It’s a brutal crime at the time of year when there should be goodwill to all. When DI Barton begins his investigation, he’s surprised to find the victim is a woman with nothing to hide and no reason for anyone to hurt her.

A few days later, the mother of the woman attacked rings the police station. Her granddaughter has drawn a shocking picture. It seems she was looking out of the window when her mother was attacked. And when her grandmother asks the young girl who the person with the weapon is, she whispers two words.

Bad Santa.

The rumours start spreading, and none of the city’s women feel safe—which one of them will be next?

He’s got a list. It’s quite precise. It won’t matter even if you’re nice.

Ross Greenwood is back with his bestselling series, perfect for fans of Mark Billingham and Ian Rankin.

©2022 Ross Greenwood (P)2022 Boldwood Books

Critic reviews

"Move over Rebus and Morse; a new entry has joined the list of great crime investigators in the form of Detective Inspector John Barton. A rich cast of characters and an explosive plot kept me turning the pages until the final dramatic twist." (Richard Burke)

"Master of the psychological thriller genre Ross Greenwood once again proves his talent for creating engrossing and gritty novels that draw you right in and won’t let go until you’ve reached the shocking ending." (Caroline Vincent at Bitsaboutbooks)

"Ross Greenwood doesn’t write clichés. What he has written here is a fast-paced, action-filled puzzle with believable characters that's spiced with a lot of humour." (Kath Middleton)

What listeners say about The Santa Killer

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A real belter

Another brilliant installment to the DI Barton series.
Really well written with more twists and turns than the Monaco GP leaving you craving the next installment.
David Thorpe narrates at his usual brilliance delivering funny one liners and enough tension to keep you gripped.
I really can’t recommend this series enough.

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4 people found this helpful

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Another great book

Really enjoyed these books Great stories with twists and turns , whilst also covering difficult subjects such as mental health and the issues such conditions can have on individuals and society if no support. Enjoy the light humour within the stories especially regarding Barton’s family life

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3 people found this helpful

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A much weaker instalment

This is definitely the weakest of the series (by far). I did like the book, and the narration, as always, was spot on. But the way it was written was different. The first inkling I wasn't going to enjoy it was when I heard the phrase "the holiday season". It's not something Brits say. And there were a few more phrases in the first few chapters that jarred. It almost made me wonder if this was actually the first book written, rather than the last. The style is so different. The banter between characters felt forced and there seemed to be quite a few references to films that I don't remember from the other books.

As for the story, it's different, too, although it's hard to say why without giving too much away. Usually we don't hear who did it until the last few chapters. That's not the case with this book. And this book really focuses on the social aspect --- the poverty of the family of the attacker is mentioned a lot.

What I can say is that this book just seems to go on and on. It's about 2 hours longer than the previous books, and it feels it. There are 109 chapters. How often have you read a book with 109 chapters? And the last few just seem to be there for no reason. They don't add anything. In fact, one of them felt like the ending to some cheesy American TV programme from the 80s. I could just imagine all of the characters laughing, then a freeze-frame before the credits rolled. The last chapter tied everything up with a nice bow. I just rolled my eyes.

This seems like it will be the last book in this series, although future books could either focus on Barton in his new role, or on the other members of the team. It's not a plot spoiler to say that Barton leaves. It's all dealt with very succinctly. Barton gets an offer from his boss, he goes home to tell his wife who just happens to be complaining that he's never there to see the kids grow up. Problem solved.

Perhaps it's best that Greenwood stops with this book. If the style is going to continue to go downhill, I don't want to be a part of it. Lee Child didn't know when to stop with the Reacher series -- I hope that's not the case here.

The saving grace is David Thorpe as the narrator. Splendid as always.

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2 people found this helpful

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Great listen

I really enjoyed this instalment of DI Barton. How will we meet him again, now he's off to enjoy cheese and wine at HQ?

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Santa killer

Another great book hope it's not the last in this series. Narrator was excellent as always.

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Great book

I absolutely loved this book, the plot was good and the narration great. it had likeable characters. a touch of humour and it was all nicely tied up at the end, which I enjoyed.

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1 person found this helpful

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Sad to hear the last

I've really enjoyed all the Barton books, they've overtaken my listening reads. definitely worth a go!

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I've really enjoyed the books

I have really enjoyed the series of books and hope Di Barton will be back for more books soon

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loved it

I loved this book very much will be looking for my next one to listen to

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Really good

Enjoyed as much as all the other “killers” by Ross . Much appreciated . Thank you .Denver

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