Dead Man’s Prayer

By: Jackie Baldwin

Narrated by: David Monteath

Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

The first in an exciting new Scottish crime thriller series. Perfect for fans of L J Ross, Val McDermid and Ann Cleeves. 

Ex-priest DI Frank Farrell has returned to his roots in Dumfries, only to be landed with a disturbing murder case. Even worse, Farrell knows the victim: Father Boyd, the man who forced him out of the priesthood 18 years earlier.

With no leads, Farrell must delve into the old priest’s past, one that is inexorably linked with his own. But his attention is diverted when a pair of twin boys go missing. The Dumfries police force recover one in an abandoned church, unharmed. But where is his brother?

As Farrell investigates the two cases, he can’t help but feel targeted. Is someone playing a sinister game, or is he seeing patterns that don’t exist? Either way, it’s a game Farrell needs to win before he loses his grip on his sanity, or someone else turns up dead.

©2022 Jackie Baldwin (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"Gripping...a compelling and authentic page-turner." (Sunday Mail) 

Is this a spoof police procedural? I think it must be!

So, the senior investigating officer is a priest (or was a priest) and he has an evil twin. Oh and he takes lithium to ward off hallucinations or something. Apart from that, it’s the usual story of the irresistible DI who can’t quite follow procedures but is damned good all the same. Now can this be serious? How can this be episode one of a series? What might happen in the next in the series. Perhaps it turns out the he has another identical sibling or two more? Perhaps he’ll be elevated to a bishopric. I can hardly wait.

Awful, boring & I couldn't finish it.

I love the narrator and I love scottish crime series which is why I thought I would try this. This book bored me to tears and by chapter 17 I could take no more. The whole thing felt rushed, no depth to the story & the characters are boring and unbelievable.

If you are used to the standard that J D Kirk has set, then avoid this book as you'll be disappointed.

Good detective story.

This author is new to me. I really enjoyed this book. Very different and well written good story line which kept me listening. David Monteath is a fantastic narrator and brings the book to life. I would recommend this book!

Brilliant

Good story kept me hooked from start to finis love the voice of the narrator. got the second book in my library already

A great read

Gripping from the outset, twists, turns and a few "ooh, I didn't see that coming". A sprinkling of well placed humour and laugh out loud moments. I was absolutely hooked, and now going on to the next in series.

Not a bad story, a little frustrating.

I purchased this story as it was narrated by the fabulous David Monteath.

I did enjoy it, but found the main character a little frustrating. He was supposed to be intelligent but made some silly errors and wasn't quick or forward thinking enough to prevent some of the actions perpetrators by the protagonist, which seemed quite obvious.

I will however (probably) try another DCI Farrell story in the future.

Great new series

This was my first DI Farrell book and it won’t be my last! A gripping story from star to finish with very engaging characters.

Good book!

First time for a Jackie Baldwin book. It took a little while to get into, but after that it was a great story. Thoroughly enjoyed it and will look for the next in the series.

Why the bad reviews..

I actually enjoyed this - don’t overthink it and it’s an entertaining listen. May have been different if it hadn’t been narrated by David Monteath. He brings life to anything he reads and I would probably listen to him reading the phone book. Do they still exist?
I would try another book by this author.

Well read and good tale

Predictable in the storyline and the way things happened, but entertaining in the read hood yarn