• Before He Kills

  • A MacKenzie White Mystery, Book 1
  • By: Blake Pierce
  • Narrated by: Elaine Wise
  • Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (215 ratings)

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Before He Kills  By  cover art

Before He Kills

By: Blake Pierce
Narrated by: Elaine Wise
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Publisher's summary

In the cornfields of Nebraska a woman is found murdered, strung up on a pole, the victim of a deranged killer. It doesn't take long for the police to realize a serial killer is on the loose - and that his spree has just begun.

Detective Mackenzie White, young, tough, smarter than the aging, chauvinistic men on her local force, finds herself called in grudgingly to help solve it. As much as the other officers hate to admit it, they need her young, brilliant mind, which has already helped crack cold cases that had left them stumped. Yet even for Mackenzie this new case proves an impossible riddle, something the likes of which she - and the local force - have ever seen.

With the FBI called in, together, an intense manhunt ensues. Mackenzie, reeling from her own dark past, her failed relationships, and her undeniable attraction to the new FBI agent, finds herself battling her own demons as her hunt for the killer takes her to the darkest places of her mind. As she delves into the killer's mind, obsessing over his twisted psychology, she finds that evil truly does exist. She only hopes it will not be too late to extricate herself from it, as her entire life collapses around her.

As more bodies turn up dead and a frantic race against time ensues, there is no way out but to find him before he kills again.

©2016 Blake Pierce (P)2016 Blake Pierce

What listeners say about Before He Kills

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Too much nonsense...

I read a lot of crime mysteries and thrillers. This is the 1st book I've read by Blake Pierce. I didn't finish it.

Here's my issues:

1st - For the audio book - why is a British narrator reading this? WHY? It's distracting at best, especially when American phrases are used.

2nd - A 25 year old detective? Nope.

3rd - The men of the force being jerks to her, when White is supposedly a prodigy? Why are they working at cross purposes? Even if the male police/detectives aren't used to working with a female, why sabotage the investigation with ego posturing?

4th - I'm not a police officer, but even I know that you don't call a victim's work place for 5 minutes and call it done. Stupidity. And, you don't leave without questioning all coworkers, asking for security footage, etc. Doesn't inspire confidence.

5th - Why dismiss lead investigators from a scene because there are reporters? 😤😤😤

This fictional Omaha police force isn't even comically bad. They're straight up incompetent. The book just made me angry.

Didn't finish at 40%. Read this to punish yourself.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

This was not a thriller

I wanted to like this book and it was ok, just ok. I have 3 issues with this book. The first is the narrator...WHY IS SHE BRITISH! The story is set in America, the midwest no doubt. The british accent is annoying and distracting. The main character is boring and cookie cutter. I've read a couple other books by this author and it's the same character, different name. Even the same inappropriate narrator. The killer can be compared to Yo Sammity Sam from a Bugs Bunny cartoon. He is about as menacing as Yo Sammity cutting up carrots and celery in a huge pot to cook Bugs in. Clearly the author has a formula and doesn't think it's necessary to stray from it.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Terrible writing, inappropriate voice talent

It’s hard to fathom how this story got published. I have to assume it did not make its way through an editor first. So many inconsistencies and poor word choices. Lastly, it’s clear the author did little, if any research about law enforcement or Nebraska or...much of anything.

But I could forgive all that. It’s a brain candy kind of book, after all. But the fact that a British woman — who, when reading for men, sounds like the zombie pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean — is the voice talent for a book set in Nebraska...I can’t forgive that kind of forced cognitive dissonance.

Find any other “thriller” to occupy your six hours and 30 minutes.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Why Nebraska ??

Loved the book but not all British accents in Nebraska of all places... is there a British colony there that I was unaware of?

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

British Accent in Nebraska?

While the narrator did a fine job, it was a bit jarring hearing a Midwest persons speaking with British accents.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Unexpected accent

This book is set in Nebraska. Why is the narrator British??? The story is a good read but all the characters have British accents. Very unlikely in Nebraska.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Jarring. Set in Nebraska,

But all the characters sound like they are English, as is the narrator. Good story, though.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wrong Narrator

The story and characters were excellent. It was hard to listen to a book that takes place in America, yet everyone has a British accent. The Narrator has a great voice. It was just weird.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

didn't like the Brittish Narrator.

I couldn't get into the American storyline with the Brittish narrator it was just off

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good storyline but narration strange

What did you like best about Before He Kills? What did you like least?

The storyline was good but having several different British narrators for a book based in Detroit was strange, especially if this is the first of a series.....

Was Before He Kills worth the listening time?

ok

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1 person found this helpful