• The Botanist

  • By: L. K. Hill
  • Narrated by: Larry Oblander
  • Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (81 ratings)

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The Botanist  By  cover art

The Botanist

By: L. K. Hill
Narrated by: Larry Oblander
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Publisher's summary

In the heat of the desert, Detective Cody Oliver makes an alarming and inadvertent discovery - a strange garden, adorned with various exotic flowers, is a showy cover for the scores of bodies buried below. Soon, the small town of Mt. Dessicate plunges into chaos as journalists, reporters, and cameramen from across the nation clamor to get a piece of the action.

Along with the media, a mysterious woman appears who may be the only person who has come face to face with the killer, known as the Botanist. If Detective Cody can’t piece together the crime scene, decipher how the woman’s mysterious past is connected to the killer, and bring the Botanist to justice, he may lose the people he values most.

©2017 Liesel Hill (P)2019 Liesel Hill

What listeners say about The Botanist

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Great criminal mystery

‘The Botonist’ By L.K. Hill was an excellent book. This was a great criminal mystery. I would definitely read more of this authors books.
The main male character Cody was a very likable detective. The story had many twist and turns and a mystery about the main female character Alex.
The Narrator Larry Oblander was excellent. He made the characters come to life. Definitely will listen to more of his books he narrates. You could hear the difference in characters, that is very important for me to understand the book faster.

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Macabre Murder Mystery

This story was thrilling, and it kept me on the edge-of-my seat. Once the audiobook started, I had a hard time dragging myself away as I just couldn't wait to find out how it would end. Detective Cody Oliver found a massive graveyard out in the desert. When stories about the graveyard were circulated in the news, Alex decided to go to the town of Mt. Dessicate to report an unsettling incident that had happened to her on the road outside of town. The characters were complex. I liked all the twists and turns as the mystery unfolded. Larry Oblander's narration was fine, and his performance kept my attention. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.

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An intense serial killer tale!

Do you enjoy stories that keep you glued to your chair guessing what the killer’s story is? The Botanist audiobook hooked me from the opening scene – I say scene because this story played out in my head like a movie – Alex’s initial encounter with the cop in the desert just felt creepy, and once Cody made his initial discovery, I was all in until Larry Oblander had uttered the final work of the audiobook. The action and suspense, not to mention the intercharacter drama in this story is excellent, it’s been a while since I’ve read/listened to a story this well put together. I received a review copy of this audiobook from the author and chose to provide my review.

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A fascinating read!

This is one excellent story. I most certainly did not have the case figured out! The narrator does a wonderful job with all the voices and the characters are amazing!

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This is a Weekend or Travel Listen

I stayed up way too late, I just had to know what was going to happen. Thankfully I am retired. The performance was brilliant, the plot tight and driven and frankly this would be a great mini-series on Netflix or HBO. The visualizations carry you deep into the storyline and it would be hard to find a Crime Novel to challenge it.

This is not your average serial killer story, and I highly recommend grabbing a copy, sitting back, and letting it draw you in from the first time Alex is stopped by a police car to the very end. I don't want to give any spoilers, but I can tell you, I highly doubt you will be disappointed from the very first chapter on. You won't even want to pause it.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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The Botanist

I enjoy shows like "Criminal Minds" and "Bones", so I figured this book would be right up my alley. Alex Thompson is stopped by a policeman along a deserted highway, then not ticketed or arrested. Something about the whole incident leaves her uneasy, so she goes to the Mt. Dessicate police station to report it. She isn't really given any satisfaction and soon forgets the whole thing.

Fast forward 5 years and Alex sees that a mass burial site of at least 12 graves has been found in this area. She feels compelled to go back to the scene of her unease and again talk to someone about her encounter with the man she feels might be the murderer.

Detective Cody Oliver is the lead on the case and he soon finds himself attracted to Alex. But, she is determined to insert herself into the investigation and gets herself into SO much trouble! Reminded me of a horror movie character that keeps making stupid mistakes as you scream at their stupidity.

The plot unfolds and things start to fall into place, but there were some problems with the whole story IMHO. First of all, a small town police squad would not be the lead in a case involving a serial killer of this magnitude and duration. The only mention of the FBI is after the case is "solved". Then, there are just too many weird coincidences that are never fully explained. Also, toward the end of the book, Cody encounters a mystery man named Carl who tells him exactly where to find the murderer and his captives. Then, Carl is never mentioned again. Don't you think that the Detective would want to know who this guy was or if he was involved in the murders in some way?

It was a pretty good book, but I feel that it could have so much better if some of the items mentioned had been handled differently. The book was well written and the characters were relatable, but it could have been much improved.

The narrator did a great job and added a lot to the book. The pacing was just right and kept the story moving at a fast pace. I was given the chance to listen to this audiobook through Story Origins and chose to review it.

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A scary case that grabs your attention!

This book was as great as every one I have read of this author's. Ms. Hill puts so much into her stories you almost feel like you are living it through the characters. My heart went out to different people in this book, detective Cody dealing with a father that couldn't support his son's career especially when the case he is working right now is so horrendous. Alex a young woman that is involved with the case but in many ways we don't understand. An old man that has to watch. If you enjoy a story that you don't want to put down then pick up this book or any of this author's!
I received a free code to listen to this book on Audible. This review is my own honest opinion.

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A creepy, suspenseful ride

This is a good mystery/thriller that's quick to get rolling, with the heroine encountering the killer in the first chapter leaving us with a mystery - why let her go? The story is told ensemble style, switching between viewpoints to fill in the gaps. By the last third you've probably put together most of the pieces, so it's mostly a pure thriller at this point.

Side note, this does get religious at times. It's mild and mostly works as an in-character thing since the setting is Utah (source: I've lived in Utah) but part of the ending does rely on the characters understanding that everything happens for a reason. YMMV how much you agree.

Still, if you want a solid thriller with a good, creepy killer ala Silence of the Lambs, this is a fairly fun romp.

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Great Read

The Botanist was a good read by L.K. Hill. Detective Cody Oliver stumbled upon a strange garden in a desert that was adorned with exotic flowers. He determines that the garden is a cover up for bodies that are buried below. Now journalists, reporters, and cameramen descend on the desert town to find out what happened. A mysterious woman comes to the town and may be the only person who's come face to face with the killer. Cody has to find out who the botanist is before he loses the people closest to him. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more by the author.

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Fantastic murder mystery

It’s been a while since I have read or listened to a good old fashioned murder mystery with out extras like major romance, paranormal or a mafia influence. I honestly forgot how much I ether! This book was fantastic! The creep factor, the twists and turns and the suspense. A small town but so twisted murder has you dying to know what happened next! The characters are so well written and you can help but be drawn in to the investigation and all the craziness. There is a hint of romance and there’s some tear jerking moments but both only add to the story helping to amp up the emotional factor and truly captivate you. The narrator was fantastic! At first I was a little skeptical because it starts out with a girl as the main character and I prefer female narrators if that’s the case. But I have to say I will be looking for more books narratored by him because he did so well. The added gasps and other sound affects he adds as he reads are icing on the cake to this story. He did well switching characters and with voices and I have no complaints!

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