A good thriller dealing with today obsession with social media and the inherent dangers therein, good characters and the story flowed well, Andrew Wincott is a superb narrator and (for me) lifted this book to another level

TV reporter Eve Singer needs death, and not the natural peaceful variety. She is a crime correspondent. It is her business to be talking to camera, showing images of appalling scenes, all to appease her boss, and the general public in their gory voyeurism. Little does she know that her presence at her latest report, will put her firmly in the crosshairs of the culprit. A dangerous place to be.

The characterisation is strong. In particular, the depiction of Eve’s dad’s Dementia felt so realistic. The experiences with her dad and his Dementia, will strike a chord with anyone who is, or has had a loved one suffering from this cruel, degenerative condition. A number of the characters are quite obnoxious, and I truly disliked them, which is a compliment to the writing.

The narration is provided by Andrew Wincott. At times his voice had the cadence of Richard Burton performing War of the Worlds, to my ears.

The book really effectively reflects current social media behaviours. The insatiable thirst for increasingly shocking material, the general public recording violent incidents, rather than calling 999; and the incessant commenting and sharing. So ghoulish, yet somehow the norm these days.

As the dark story progresses, the tension and pressure builds. The pacing was good, and the ending left nothing outstanding. It is an enjoyable thriller, though not my favourite from the author.

I really tried to listen to the audiobook version of "The Beautiful Dead" but I struggled with the narrator's delivery. I think that the audio version would have benefitted from dual narrators, one male and one female. The content of the book about a serial killer and the crime reporter he becomes obsessed with is obviously dark fare and so to hear it all in a male's voice seemed wrong. I didn't get through the whole book so can't fully give a review, but the thriller aspect itself seemed strong and compelling.