A Small Town Murder: The Complete Series 1-14

By: Scott Cherry

Narrated by: Meera Syal, Matthew Marsh, full cast

Meera Syal stars as family liaison officer Jackie Hartwell in this thrilling police procedural.

West Midlands copper Jackie Hartwell has one of the toughest jobs in CID: comforting and supporting grieving relatives in the aftermath of a serious crime. But there's much more to what she does than providing tea and sympathy. Part social worker, part savvy investigator, she needs to be able to win the trust of families, while simultaneously keeping a watchful eye on their behaviour and reactions. Because often, the suspect she's searching for isn't far from home....

As an FLO, she's closer to the people involved than any of her colleagues, and can investigate in a way they can't. With her combination of empathy, intuition and razor-sharp observation, she's often the first to get to the truth—but sometimes, the truth can have tragic consequences. In these 14 series, we follow Jackie as she supports those caught up in nightmarish situations, such as murder, fatal accidents, abduction or a missing child. Some are harbouring secrets, others have a guilty conscience—but they're all victims, and they all need her help....

Written by Scott Cherry (Babblewick Hall) and starring Meera Syal as Jackie, with Matthew Marsh as DI Peter Sanders, this captivating crime drama features a host of well-known actors including Barbara Flynn, Lizzy McInnerny, Robert Glenister, Amanda Root, Ben Onwukwe and Ayesha Antoine.

Written by Scott Cherry.

Produced and directed by Clive Brill.

A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4 (Series 1-6).

A Brill Production for BBC Radio 4 (Series 7-14).

©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Immersive voice acting

Loved the stories - the exploration of what a FLO does and what they experience was a revelation. And the acting…. Really top notch. I really didn’t want it to end.

amazing

I was so invested in the stories. I listen to this book 3 times in one month. I cried when it was over 10/10 I would recommend.

Easy listen

An easy, enjoyable listen; solid female main character. Breaks well into chapters aligned with individual cases, so it’s the kind of book you can pick up and put down. Ending is a bit odd — a couple gets together who defy reason — but this is a minor quibble. Pleasant voice actors; cozy mysteries!

Incredible acting

Well directed and acted. The ensemble cast is remarkable. I plan listening again since I missed some of the dialogue.

Great stories made better by sterling performance

Meera certainly brings this audio book to life! Loved the great stories with twists and turns. Very gripping.