I realised quite quickly that this book was not going to be great for me.
I listened to 30% of the book, but I was still struggling to find anything to enjoy in it. I decided to put it aside for a while and come back to it. I then read until the halfway point of the book and decided that was enough for me.
I found the narrator's voice to be very flat and monotonous, which was excellent for portraying the jaded ex-cop turned PI main character. However the flat tone made the other characters seem underdeveloped.
The early chapters of the book contain a very graphic description of a violent crime which was a tough listen.
There are some interesting and important themes raised in the book, but at the point I read to I felt they were being used as buzzwords, rather than genuine exploration of the issues.
I think this book will appeal to readers who like a strong lone-wolf hero who needs to save everyone (like a less trigger-happy Reacher). I am grateful to have had the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this book, unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

Dylan Kasper is a former policeman, turned PI and investigates the murder to Patience’s brother on an infamous London housing estate. It turns out Patience’s brother discovered a thriving snuff film enterprise and took a camera with raw footage. Then Kasper stumbles across a draw full of photos, linking numerous sex workers to these heinous films who are all missing, presumed murdered.
The investigation takes Kasper down a dangerous path that he knows could end his own life, but pursues it regardless to find the truth and justice for all those killed.
An enthralling tale that keeps you encapsulated, wanting to know what happens next. Totally worth a read for any crime procedural fan, with plenty of twists included to keep you guessing. This is the second book, but can easily be read as a standalone.

This was a new author to me and the blurb really intrigued me and it did not disappoint. The narration really worked and I will definitely be looking for more by this author and narrator.

I listened to the audiobook of this novel and, overall, really enjoyed it. It's dark, gritty and not for the faint-hearted!

I didn't realise this was book 2 in a series but, it didn't matter too much to me as I was able to get into it pretty quickly - not sure what I've missed not reading the first book but it didn't seem to affect my enjoyment of the story.

With great characters, a dark and gritty storyline which is pretty graphic and violent in parts (maybe there should be a warning at the beginning about the subject matter it deals with?), I have to say that I was hooked from the beginning.

The narrator was perfect for the male roles but the females, not so much - maybe use a female narrator for the female parts in future books? Other than that little gripe, I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more and getting to know Kasper a little better.

Many thanks to the author, Headline Audio, Wildfire and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this dark and gritty audiobook.

Paradise is the ironically named, run down London estate, where the unfortunate souls who live there, try to keep their heads down and survive, as unscathed as possible.

It’s an attention grabbing start to the book. Footage on a camcorder comes to light, giving a grim insight into a film company’s latest work. Red Rose Films is not your usual mainstream production company, not by a long chalk. Unfortunately, this dubious footage comes into the hands of a teenager, his future was decided from that very moment. Kasper, a Private Detective, is asked to look into this unsettling case.

A Killing in Paradise is the second book in the Dylan Kasper series. I haven’t read book one, and have clearly missed a huge amount of action, but this didn’t spoil my understanding or enjoyment of the book. Elliot F Sweeney, the author, gave me all of the backstory I needed to understand Kasper. He has a complex history, which causes him to make some questionable decisions; which considering he is ex Met police, make them even more questionable.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Elliot Fitzpatrick. Elliot brought the story to life, and made all the characters distinct and separate in my mind

It is a story based in the depraved criminal underbelly of London. It is dark and gritty, the descriptions of the crimes committed are graphic, it is certainly not a book for cosy crime fans.
I enjoyed this intense, disturbing rollercoaster of a book. 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.

This is a disturbingly dark and gritty detective story featuring private detective Dylan Kasper, a flawed hero who gets pulled in reluctantly to solve a murder that the police have already dismissed as unsolvable due to lack of credible witnesses and it having taken place on the notorious Paradise estate, famed for its criminality and vice.

With an engaging and charismatic central character in Kasper and a vivid portrayal of a community abandoned by the establishment, the novel has a compelling dystopian feel to it which makes you keep on listening. The narrator Elliot Fitzpatrick does a great job in bringing the story to life and it did make me want to seek out more books in this series.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and Wildfire audio for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook.

Okay, so where has Kasper been all my life! I loved this, so gritty, I was completely hooked. I will definitely be giving the first book a read.

This had so many twists and turns, some of which I didn’t see coming, there are some dark and graphic moments, which I am completely there for.

The characters were all well explained, so I never felt there were too many.

The narrator was also fantastic!

An exciting and gripping story with good well formed characters. The 'tough guy' main character was a bit silly at times, making terrible decisions and for some reason holding back a brutal murder from the police while he single handedly saved the world.but having said that I really enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down. Didn't particularly like the audiobook reader but the content was good.

A Killing in Paradise is a true crime novel that is written from the perspective of Dylan Kaspar, a current private investigator and former cop. I think here's a good time to tell you, potential reader, that if you do not like stories with police procedures, police presence, or police POVs, don't read this novel! It is not for you!

However, if you do like those things, read on!

Kaspar is familiar with Paradise, a neighborhood in London, because he grew up there, and bad things happened to him. When approached with an opportunity to find a missing person, Kaspar decides to take it into his own hands instead of turning this potential case over to the police force, which his ex wife is a part of. While searching for evidence and clues, Kaspar comes across a tape that will open his eyes to what is happening to young girls around him, and he will befriend anyone he needs to discover the truth.

However, at the same time, Kaspar is dealing with the anniversary of his daughters death, his inability to pay rent, and his unwillingness to talk to the police about any of it, not wanting to involve them until he has hard evidence. What will this case cost him? And is he willing to sacrifice those he loves to figure out who the culprits are?

Sweeney is a superb storyteller, and I immediately felt compelled to care about these characters, especially Patience and Kwame. While I did see some of the twists coming, it didn't take away from the fact that I enjoyed the story nonetheless. The narrator was also great for this story, as those can truly make or break one!

My only criticism is that this story was rather long, and it could've been chopped down and condensed.

I think this is a great book for anyone who enjoys any type of thriller, especially those who enjoy ones from the POV of detectives and cops!

Thank you to Headline Audio and NetGalley for the ARC!

Rated 3.5 stars

This book follows an ex police officer that is now a private investigator. He is trying to solve one murder and that turns into multiple horrific killings.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a thriller mystery that was quite dark. It had me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen. The MMC was a great character but i also loved how the author delved into his flaws and that was part of the focus of the book.

Would have rated more but i guessed the the twist. Highly recommend this read!

Was a good listen, the story follows an ex copper now a PI who gets asked to find out what happened when there was a fatal killing. He doesn’t realise how deep he will need to dig to get to the truth. The beginning did drag slightly but I enjoyed it towards the end.

I listened to the audiobook of 'A Killing in Paradise' and both the book itself and the narrator were excellent. Paradise is an ironically named council estate that is anything but its namesake! The death of a teenager leads to a snuff movie enterprise being uncovered and the pull of investigating this is too much for Kasper to resist but ultimately at risk too.

This was the second book in a series (which I didn't realize until I'd finished it) but it certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. The book had pace, lots of twists and turns and was really enjoyable to listen to. I'd definitely listen to, or read, more from Elliot F Sweeney in the future,

I listened to this with thanks to Netgalley, Wildfire & Headline Audio for the opportunity to review this with an honest review.

This book covers various aspects that can be viewed in their own right primarily the darkness that is a reality was brought to light with some graphic details making it potentially difficult at times. So i have to point out because the visionary you can conjure from this it is evidently so well done. The characters all had various different attributes that made them potentially relatable in some form or fashion but most of all I found myself working through the plot to unveil who was doing what as the private investigator Dylan Kasper was doing.

The character Nate was brought to life in an amazing unbearable way through the narration as I found myself at one section in particular extremely repulsed by the nature of his behaviours to me this showed how well this story was written and narrated because in that moment you are submerged in the details.

By the end of the book I felt I could understand the various aspects brought to light such as how corruption is or isn't handled, how innocent people can become involved in something as a survival method, a means to an end to get by type way of life. These things happen in many areas around our world and this story has so much deeper meaning than a simple psychological thriller.

I haven't read the 1st book by this author so this was new to me but I didn't feel the need to as it covers all bases from the very beginning.

The narrator Elliot Fitzpatrick is absolutely perfect for this book he captures all characters on all points and truly feels like your watching a movie inside your own head by sound of his voice your able to visualise the storyline with ease.

Compelling read only thing I would say is it would be extra bonus if the beginning of audiable had a trigger warning of sorts due to the extreme graphic details, to be expected to some degree of course with the genre however on the outset your unaware of how graphic and dark this novel will get. Definitely a gripping story with so much more than I could even write here!

I haven’t read the first book for this series but it can be read as a stand alone and I will be reading the first book as I really enjoyed the author’s writing and the narrator. It was an easy and captivating read.
You get a good feel for all the characters and with not reading the first in the series I never felt confused and you understand enough to follow the story and understand the thoughts and choices of our main character.

Personally, I didn't care much for the story. I usually enjoy mystery/thrillers set in the UK, even when the characters are despicable.
But this is a detective-police officer- kind-of-story, and that I usually dislike.
I dislike POVs from detectives or police officers, and this book was no exception to me.
Also, a little too long for my taste, too.
The audiobook narrator was decent, in my opinion.
Everything was just fine, to me.
I'd recommend this book to readers who genuinely enjoy thrillers with detectives.

Thank you to Headline Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook. The review below is based on my own opinions.

Despite not reading the first book, A Killing in Paradise can be read as a standalone as we immediately get to know Kasper and do not feel like we were missing any information. Immediately, you feel draw in by the characters and keen to investigate alongside Kasper as to who the murderer is. I did find that some sections were a bit repetitive, however you are draw in by its unpredictability. It keeps you guessing right up to the end and still wasn't who you suspected. I was not expecting the ending and enjoyed going back to see the mystery unfold.

The narration of the story is engaging and helped convey the different characters in the piece. It was an engaging read, that I kept listening to and didn't want to put down as I wanted to know the next twist.

Do love a crime story and when I saw this was the 2nd in a series I made sure to find the 1st book and managed to get it on audible to listen to too!
It was the same narrator for both which I liked as I got used to his voice and thought he did a great job!
I wasn’t to sure on Kasper in the first book but the second book had me warming up to him, and I liked the other reoccurring characters/his circle of friends - they’re an interesting bunch for sure!
The story is about an ex-policeman who’s just trying to get by in life and has decided to put his investigative skills to use by helping those he would prefer his help instead of the police. Patience comes to him after her brother is murdered and the police leads have gone dead and she finds something in his room that she doesn’t trust the police with.
It’s well paced, a good story line and has a great twist in the end that I wasn’t expecting! I was actually surprised when I thought we’d got to the end and still had about 20% of the story to go! Twist was perfectly done and will defo look out for further instalments in Kasper’s series!

Dark detective thriller audiobook. Nicely narrated and produced. Listeners to this book’s story will be brought face to face with the grief of loss and the impact of lives broken by circumstance. I liked that the author doesn’t try to solve the problems of the characters lives, no real happy ending. Life goes on, we find ways to survive. Thank you to Headline Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

A fusion of Hard Boiled and Contemporary Crime Noir, with a marked darkness in its subject matter. This is not for the faint hearted. Personally I loved this story!
It is perfectly narrated.
The author captures the the mood of life on a deprived London housing estate, and has a clear understanding of the complexity of the human mind and condition. Realistic characters are brought to life in a plot that goes where most of us dare not imagine to tread.
A Killing in Paradise is the second book in the Private Investigator Kasper series. It can easily be read as a stand alone novel. However, if you enjoy it as much as I have....you will be left eager for more from this author.

A killing in Paradise was fast paced and a good psychological thriller but very dark with twists and very intriguing.

A private detective (ex copper) gets involved in a mysterious crime that ends up much more than what he bargained for with great characters.

This should be a movie, honestly so good
Highly recommended

Elliott Fitzpatrick was excellent for this audio

Thank you to Netgalley