Great book

Loved the book. The writer captivated me with this story and enjoyed the narrating by Julia Farhat. Can't wait to listen to the rest of the series.

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Excellent

A fast paced crime story that kept me gripped from start to finish. I nearly didn't buy this having read the reviews about the narration. I'm glad I did. The narration is quite slow so just adjust the speed to about 1.20 and its great. Well written and Im definitely getting the next in the series.

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Fantastic book ruined

Hideous narration spoiling a truly fantastic book. So disappointed hopefully the rest of the series is not by this narrator

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Disappointing!

THE CHILD TAKER BY CONRAD JONES

Oh my goodness where do I start with this one???
The narration was possibly the most dire I’ve ever listened to...and to be honest I tried to listen several times and stopped, leaving it for ages before I would return.
Why on earth would an American try to carry off Liverpool and Northern accents and try to adopt an English tone when it just wasn’t working???

However, in the end I did persevere and quite enjoyed the story and the somewhat complicated characters but often my mind drifted, wondering if their behaviour really was feasible, rather than concentrating on the plot!

I did enjoy the book although I found it quite jumpy and not a smooth listen...and on a few occasions found myself rewinding to figure out what was happening. I also thought it ended quite abruptly.

I certainly would not listen to this narrator again and sadly when that happens you tend to associate the narrator with the author.
Such a shame as it could have been so much better...

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Stick with it - its a twister

Would you listen to The Child Taker again? Why?

one half of me says yes, because i feel i missed a few points as the narrator doing different voices and accents got a little confusing at first.
the other half of me says no i wouldn't, because it was rather slow moving - but only at the start.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Child Taker?

the most memorable part HAS to be when the children are abducted at the start
that was quite nailbiting

What does Julia Farhat bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I am not sure she brought anything to be honest.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

A few of the descriptions of the child takers customers and what they DID made me absolutely CRINGE and RECOIL but it was not anything that would make someone cry thankfully.

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Harrowing but worthwhile

Some of the content of this story is distressing but it is well crafted, which makes it entirely gripping. Initially I couldn’t reconcile Mogadishu with the Lake District but all quickly became clear. The characters were strong, the pace of the story good and Julia Farhat contributed much to ensuring this came across. Conrad Jones was recommended to me and I shall certainly get more of his stories.

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Gripping Listen

Great listen, only complaint is I was left hanging. But it is a series, so that's the point, right?

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The Pinnacle of Excellence

I first read this book over 2 and half years ago and it was my first date with Conrad Jones. What a first date it was - Love Island producers could take a lesson from Mr Jones. The tale twists and turns and takes your emotions through all kinds or exercises. This is not a book for the faint hearted or easily shocked. The sad thing is, the kind of organisation Mr Jones describes is far too credible. There are also moments of great tenderness. Hayley's reaction to the arrival of her father was beautiful, as was the connection between the twins. These loving touches stop the book from being too bleak. There are a lot of these special interludes, (eg; Jack's back story) which take this tale from a voyeuristic account of evil to an engrossing, captivating, action packed adventure. Over two years ago I was totally smitten by Conrad Jones' mastery with a pen and my admiration has not dimmed. When you find an author of this calibre, I definitely recommend 'double-dipping'; reading the book and listening to the audio version. Even though I knew what was going to happen, the sheer brilliance of the story managed to enthral and bewitch me all over again, (especially John Tankersley). A superb book from an accomplished author, which I am thrilled and privileged to recommend. You can thank me later.

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A fast paced thriller

A fast paced thriller. Although the book is based on a very uncomfortable topic it caught my attention from the outset. It is absolutely horrifying the extent to which child abductors will go and reassuring that there are organisations working to combat this.

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Great storyline but ruined by the narration.

This storyline is gripping and kept me interested all the way through. However the Narrator made me switch from listening to this at work (hgv driver) to reading it in my spare time. The use of an American reading a story set in the Liverpool area is absolutely absurd. Now the narrators in the Braddick series are worth a listen.

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