Our Kind of Cruelty

By: Araminta Hall

Narrated by: Nick Hendrix, Eleanor Matsuura

Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's Summary

"This is simply one of the nastiest and most disturbing thrillers I've read in years. In short: I loved it, right down to the utterly chilling final line." (Gillian Flynn, New York Times best-selling author of Gone Girl)

This is a love story. Mike’s love story. 

Mike Hayes fought his way out of a brutal childhood and into a quiet if lonely life - before he met Verity Metcalf. V taught him about love, and in return Mike has dedicated his life to making her happy. He’s found the perfect home, the perfect job; he’s sculpted himself into the physical ideal V has always wanted. He knows they’ll be blissfully happy together. It doesn’t matter that she hasn’t been returning his emails or phone calls. It doesn’t matter that she says she’s marrying Angus. It’s all just part of the secret game they used to play. If Mike watches V closely, he’ll see the signs. If he keeps track of her every move, he’ll know just when to come to her rescue....

A spellbinding, darkly twisted audiobook about desire and obsession and the complicated lines between truth and perception, Our Kind of Cruelty introduces Araminta Hall, a chilling new voice in psychological suspense.

©2018 Araminta Hall (P)2018 Random House Audiobooks

Good performance, but lackluster story

I didn't love or hate this book. The narrator's voice was both pleasing and convincing/sincere so it gave the book a little bit more depth. I found myself waiting for something groundbreaking to happen. I was hoping for a little more twists and turns but was disappointed. This book definitely takes stalking/obsession to great lengths, but I definitely wouldn't call it a thriller.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Could not put it down

This is the kind of book that has you praying for a longer car ride so you don't have to stop listening. Disturbing and chilling. The main character's "love" for Verity will make your skin crawl...Not for the faint hearted. And not perfect (I thought a few things towards the end could have been better)...but riveting, so I had to give it five stars. And I immediately downloaded the author's other book. The narrator is absolutely perfect for the part.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Sociopath? Misunderstood? We Will Never Know!

NO SPOILERS! If you like your stories to have answers by the end of the book you may not enjoy this book. The story is about a guy who is obsessed with his ex-girlfriend and its only written from his perspective. It leaves the listener to wonder whether or not his undying love is just a figment of his imagination or the real deal.

Overall, it was hard to care about this character because it was never clear as to whether or not he was a sociopath, a narcissist, or just totally misunderstood. There are hints of psychopathy throughout the story but just hints. One thing for certain is this character is utterly alone because his heart is only big enough to care about his ex-girlfriend, V.

I spent the whole book waiting for the truth to be revealed and it never happened. This book had a lot of potential, but I don't think it took enough risks and the lack of definition with its characters made it, forgettable.

For anyone who wants to listen to a good thriller about an obsessive boyfriend I highly recommend "You" by Caroline Kepnes.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Strange, Original

A fascinating portrayal of obsession and delusion. The plot was clever and multilayered. This book will stay with me.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good listen, disappointing ending

This is an interesting story, wonderful use of unreliable narrator, very demented main character. Then the ending is monumentally disappointing, so much so that I wish I hadn't bothered listening to it at all.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Ended just like I expected

This book sits somewhere in the middle for me. At times I had to force myself to keep reading it.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Intelligent and psychologically astute

Well-written character study. I enjoyed every page of this novel. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy psychological suspense.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

I was on board until the last hour of the book....

I was on board with the story until the last hour or so of the book. I kept waiting for an ah-ha moment but it never arrived. The narration was great!

Just plain disturbing...and amazing!

Mike is in love with Verity, and he believes that she loves him too. And so begins the dark, downward spiral of Mike's frightening delusion, where he believes that Verity, his long-time ex-girlfriend, still participates in the game they used to play: The Crave. With only Mike's point of view, you get a really good inside look into obsession and desire from a man who believes that Verity is his one and only, no matter if she feels the same way or not. My favorite part about this book is that I started to question it all myself: Is it just a game? Is Mike in the right all along? Is this true love gone wrong, or the sociopathic rantings of a man with a troubled childhood and a desperate need to be loved? The book is well written, but I highly recommend the audiobook for this novel. The voice actor really captures the essence of Mike and takes the story to a whole new level.

Good story, bad ending

I really enjoyed this book...until the end! I’d have given it 4 or 5 stars if it weren’t for that. I actually yelled, “Is that is?!?!” when it was over.