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  • The River Man

  • By: R. B. Croft
  • Narrated by: Dominic West
  • Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (1,298 ratings)

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The River Man

By: R. B. Croft
Narrated by: Dominic West
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Summary

How do you track down a killer who might not even exist?

An Audible Original from thrilling new talent, R B Croft, narrated by star of The Crown, The Wire and The Affair Dominic West.

Clem knows every inch of Watersmeet like the back of his hand. After all, he’s controlled crime here for most of his career. But after a shock murder, he meets jaundiced yellow eyes shining out of the darkness beyond the houses on the village’s eerie southern slopes, and everything he thought he knew about the place is thrown into question.

Clem’s grown up with local legends, just like everyone else. But could the River Man be real, and might this creature be behind the recent mysterious killings? It’s a theory – and not one that his superiors want to hear. They’re more interested in courting soundbites and social media with their own wild explanations. Drugs? Gangs? Clem just doesn’t believe it.

Suspended, he takes matters into his own hands and strikes out into the woods behind the farm. Here, amongst the trees and hidden caves, he discovers more than he ever wanted to. Something that’s been hiding. Something that needs to be smoked out. Clem sets out to solve the village’s biggest crime ever, but at what cost?

About the author

R B Croft loves the wild and the creeping sensation that comes with wondering ‘what if…?’. A married father and certified book nut, he’s often found outdoors with a pen in his hand, getting himself into trouble. His literary idols are too many to count, but include Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Michelle Paver, Christina Henry, Peter Benchley, CJ Box, and CJ Tudor - and anyone who stops him from sleeping.

About the narrator

Dominic West is one of the country’s finest and most versatile actors. His thirty-year career has included roles in some of the most iconic television series, from his award-winning portrayal of Jimmy McNulty in The Wire, to Charles, Prince of Wales in The Crown. Since making his film debut opposite Sir Ian McKellen in Richard III, he has appeared in movies as diverse as Oscar-winning musical Chicago, historical drama Downton Abbey: A New Era, provided voices in Disney Pixar’s Finding Dory and played real-life activist Jonathan Blake in the multi-award-winning Pride.

©2024 R. B. Croft (P)2024 Audible, Ltd

Critic reviews

“A thrilling mash-up of crime and folk horror. With genuinely chilling scenes, The River Man is packed with suspense on every page.” (Sarah A. Denzil, author of The Silent Child)

"Clem's journey through the shadowy underbelly of Watersmeet is riveting. The book masterfully blends crime and folklore, creating a thrilling narrative that will make you doubt what you thought you knew. A compelling listen that brilliantly weaves mystery, local legend, and raw emotion." (Mark Dawson, author of the John Milton, Beatrix and Isabella Rose and Atticus Priest series)

“Mysterious deaths in a small town, The River Man chilled me to my core. Part folklore, part serial killer, this is creepy, eerie storytelling at its best.” (Sam Holland, The Echo Man, The Twenty, The Puppet Master)

What listeners say about The River Man

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  • Overall
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A surprising winner

I only started to listen to this book because it was free and not my usual genre but what an absolute winner. Brilliant horror story pitched just right with the mix of ancient folk lore and up to date horror. The story is massively added to with the talented performance of the narrator.
Even if this isn't your usual choice of listen give it a go I don't think that you will be disappointed.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent compelling listening

Not really a story I thought I would enjoy but the narration was so good it made it too good to stop listening.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Like a bad parody

Strange story, amateur writing(obvious lines, obvious characters…)…. I was very surprised by it.
First time a title makes me feel like that.
Just disappointing

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1 person found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good listen

Not really what I was expecting but I enjoyed it nonetheless! The narration was brilliant and even though the story was a bit out there it was interesting and pulled me in

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

great story and brilliant narration

Great story and the narrator gave it a more genuine English feel to it. and it was free

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

Bit to out there for me

Performance was ok but the story was a bit out there and not particularly believable unfortunately

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

It was… something

I went into this expecting a serious police novel. What I got was a weird folk lore story about an old man who rides a bike around a village.

Very odd

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting

I appeared to take a while to follow this story, but once I got further in I couldn't stop listening. Interesting story and the narrator was superb.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic

When I first started listening to this book, I didn’t expect to enjoy it. Instead what I found was a gripping and chilling novel which is incredibly well narrated and put together.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Intriguing, fast paced Story Line

The narration was wonderful, story kept you guessing, listened in one day, and it was free

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