Deadly Messengers

By: Susan May

Narrated by: Anne Johnstonbrown

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Nobody's listening. So, he'll just keep killing. 

The terror begins in a suburban café with seven people brutally murdered by an axe-wielding maniac. The killer is left dead at the scene and that should have been the end of a rare tragedy. 

But within days, in the very same city, more mass killings occur. 

Ten eldercare facility residents die in an arson-lit blaze. Then a mother attending a family gathering embarks on a terrifying gun rampage. All the killers are now dead, leaving behind unanswerable questions. 

Investigating detective O'Grady can find only one bizarre connection, but it makes no sense. After extensive checking, he realizes none of the killers has a murderer's profile and nothing even close to a motive. Ordinary citizens with no history of violence have suddenly transformed into ruthless monsters. 

Kendall Jennings, a freelance article writer of all things banal, somehow stumbles into an interview with a survivor of the first slaughter. This is her big break, but more a way to pay those endless mounting bills. Big problem though: she’s well out of her depth. 

When Kendall crosses O'Grady's path sparks fly, but not the romantic kind. He can’t work out why this journalist infuriates him so much. She figures he either has some serious personal demons or he’s just plain arrogant and rude. 

The two will need to put aside their issues though because they’ll soon discover these killings are more than random events. They’re part of a plan far greater than anyone can imagine. Someone is sending a deadly message, and if nobody can decipher the meaning soon many more will die. 

Narrated by Anne Johnston Brown, winner of the 2012 Audible Female Voice Award. 

©2015 Susan May (P)2016 Susan May

amazing book

You never disappoint..yet another book that had me hooked right from the beginning.... I thank you.

Fantastic, very believable!

In today's society this story is very relatable. I think with the violence these days it really hits home and it made me feel like something like this is possible. I was sucked in from beginning to end. Couldn't put it down.

Susan May!! WOW!!

I'm so glad i started listening to
your stories!!
Another good read from you!! This story is something that i can see happening. It's so scary in its own right.

The way your mind works just blows me away!

The narrator had a nice soothing voice. Only problem i had was at the beginning i noticed she would take a breath quite often. It kinda irritated me at the beginning, but i really got into the story and didn't notice after that.

Thank you for another fantastic story!! 😀😀😀

Deadly Messengers

Excellent horror story! I'm still not sure on how this was controlled,but it is fiction.lol Anne Johnstonbrown was a very good narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'

Loved it!

A very intriguing story line. Well written and engaging. Some good research done on the medical subject matter made for a scary story.

A Unique Thriller!

I have been reading horror and thriller novels since I was about 12 years old, so I like to think I know a good thriller when I read one...and I loved this one. The thing I love about Susan May is how she always has a unique twist in her stories. Deadly Messengers has her classic uniqueness, and is also very relevant to society today. Without giving too much away, I will say that this story revolves around mental health and the consumption of antidepressants and anxiety medicine. It is not judgmental in the least, it's just a really interesting take on how we manage (or do not manage) what life throws at us every day. The twist is satisfying. I am looking forward to reading more of May's books!

Great

Really great story with amazing world building and characters. Loved the plot and also the narration was great too.

Susan May comes through again!

I cannot say enough, how much I enjoyed this book! If you haven't read her books, you should!

Deadly Messenger

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this when it first started, but the more I listened...wow. I couldn't wait to find out what the heck was going on. I'm glad I stuck with it. It was well worth the credit.

Worth It!

I really enjoyed deadly messenger. So glad I found this Author!! I have not read anything she's written that I didn't like.

Recommended read

Excellent audio book would recommend this first class thriller. A freelance writer drawn into a mass murder investigation

an interesting thriller with unexpected twist

Where does Deadly Messengers rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This audiobook was another interesting experience with Anne Johnstonbrown, i think it is my favorite by her voice. I enjoyed listening to the book and remembering details of the story and feeling all the emotions all over again. Hearing the story made all the scenes seem more vivid and real and more intense.

Which character – as performed by Anne Johnstonbrown – was your favourite?

My favorite character is definitely Kendall Jenning. She was when i first read the book and she remained such after hearing it. Anne Johnstonbrown did a really ood job with her, i could almost see her.

Any additional comments?

The voices for all the other characters were also really good, it was a bit odd with Lance O'Grady, i imagined him differently but still it was interesting to listen to him! Again Ms Johnstonbrown did a good job narrating a really good book!

His little seeds... His windup toys.

It is easy to drop words like 'stunning' and 'unmissable' into a review, but in this case they truly are applicable. In addition to an intriguing story of mass murder and mayhem, Susan May has used her superb word building skills to draw vivid pictures in her readers' heads with delicious lines such as, 'blue ice traveling at light speed', 'eyes as white as dinner plates on the table', and 'Blood is thicker than oil. They don't mix.' From the novel's inception, the reader is looking through the eyes and mind of an obsessive, soon to be killer. But something is wrong, this isn't a straightforward crime in the making. The tension is palpable, the expectation intense, what happens is electric - and confusing.

I am new to the writings of author, Susan May, having previously only encountered one short story. This I will have to remedy as her writing skills are well above average, sentences carefully crafted. Her character development is skilful, too, creating three dimensional people to travel through her pages for whom we can feel empathy, sorrow or, simply, dislike. In this audio version she has been wonderfully assisted by narrator, Anne Johnstonbrown, who breaths life into each one of the protagonists whether in a leading role or just a bit player. Each voice is different and perfectly matched to the character. Her text reading, too, is well paced and , apart from an add pronunciation of three or four words, for example 'babble' instead of 'Bable', flawless. Hers is, indisputably, one of the best female narrations I have heard.

There is a brief but interesting insert at the end of the audio, given by Ms.May herself, about how the book came into being and with a quick note on the contents. Only about five minutes in duration, it is worth hearing as well as acting as a cool down after the book's finale. My profound thanks to the author for gifting me a copy - I did not know what to expect and I would have hated to have missed it. So, for anyone who enjoys excellent writing, well performed, in the investigative thriller mystery genre, and isn't afraid of the spilling of blood, lots of blood, this Audiobook really is unmissable.

Footnote, April 2020.
Rereading this book was a pleasure second time around, still fresh and exciting. As long as the reader doesn't mind gore up close and personal, a definite recommendation

Time lost

11 hours of my life I'll never get back..
But be wary of the ssri's

another great book

well I must say I cant decide if I liked Deadly Mesenger or The Keeper of Troubles the best. so I will say i loved them both. The way Susan May keeps you hanging onto every word thats said. There were so many characters in the book I loved, especially Kendell Jennings, how she lives day by day hand to mouth like a lot of people do to survive, taking on jobs she's not really wanting to pay the bills and then getting this story about the killings which brings back her past to hunt her, but she carries on. loved the detective O'Grady and how they get together in the end(whops let the cat out the bag). there's always one over the top person and this is Beverly Sanderson how she just carried on as nothing really had happened. well I could go on and on about this book, but will leave it there for you to find out for yourselves. 😊

Couldn't wait to hear more!!

Really enjoyed this book, kept me intrigued to the end. Brilliant read well done thank you

Gripping from start

Gripping....unputdownable....riveting .....draws you in from first page
Definitely makes the grey matter work overtime

Fantastic book

Fantastic book. Great plot and story, well narrated. Would recommend. Worth getting, won't be disappointed

Another good book by Susan Nay

I like how Susan May creates believable characters. Her stories are cleverly woven to keep the tale moving, and the characters growing as the story unfolds.
Anne Johnstonbrown’s narration makes it easy to follow each voice, letting the personalities show through.