The Monk

A DS Cross Thriller, Book 5

By: Tim Sullivan

Narrated by: Finlay Robertson

Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

To find a murderer, you need a motive . . .

THE DETECTIVE

DS George Cross has always wondered why his mother left him when he was a child. Now she is back in his life, he suddenly has answers. But this unexpected reunion is not anything he's used to dealing with. When a disturbing case lands on his desk, he is almost thankful for the return to normality.

THE QUESTION

The body of a monk is found savagely beaten to death in a woodland near Bristol. Nothing is known about Brother Dominic's past, which makes investigating difficult. How can Cross unpick a crime when they don't know anything about the victim? And why would someone want to harm a monk?

THE PAST

Discovering who Brother Dominic once was only makes the picture more puzzling. He was a much-loved and respected friend, brother, son—he had no enemies. Or, at least, none that are obvious. But looking into his past reveals that he was a very wealthy man, that he sacrificed it all for his faith. For a man who has nothing, it seems strange that greed could be the motive for his murder. But greed is a sin after all . . .

©2023 Tim Sullivan (P)2023 W. F. Howes Ltd

Good plot, great characters

The "different" detective has been almost been overdone, but few as well as George. Brilliant yet irritating. I have listened to all five of the series and cannot wait for more. The characters and their relationships are almost as intriguing as the mystery itself. Entertaining and endearing.

I love the character, I caught myself laughing out loud when Cross was funny, not meaning to be

I just enjoy all the characters and their interactions, Sullivan gives us just the right amount of entertainment and yet wanting to devour the next book

Enthralling series

Love this book, love the characters and love the back story - and the fact, that the very likeable detective leading the case, is on the spectrum, is really a great acknowledgement.
I like the story, a little brutal, but the characters pulled it back to very enjoyable mystery. A financial high flyer retires to a monastery to live a life of a monk. But life catches up with him - how and why is woven into the story of his brutal death, and the chase for his killer.
Very layered story, well written and enjoyable.
Finlay Robertson was outstanding with the delivery of the story

Excellent again!

I love this series. It's wildly entertaining and moves along nicely. I prefer the narrator from the first book though, as this current narrator was a bit flat for me. Really looking forward to book 5.

a good book in the series

an interesting setting for a good book in the series. The main character has to deal with the autism spectrum which is similar to professor t he's also kind of a brilliant sivant .... The narration is okay having said that narration is difficult It's not easy to differentiate characters in maintain them.... I look forward to the next booking series.

Excellent as always! is the next one coming. Can’t wait!

Excellent narrator. He is perfect for Cross. This could have easily been a v disturbing story esp for religious readers, but Sullivan got a perfect balance. Some grit but lots of intrigue. You won’t guess the ending! Cross also grows a bit in this book (acceptance of parents) which is lovely to see. Well worth a credit.

More DS Cross, please

Tim Sullivan nails it again. I’m deeply invested in these characters, and the mysteries are ever fascinating.

I think the narration is pretty authentic, and have enjoyed the story twice, so far

I’m not British, so I can’t say for sure how a politician would pronounce definite and indefinite articles, or how they should be pronounced in British English. But in any event, I think the narrator is supposed to pronounce them the way the character would, if the words are dialogue, or the way the character would think them, or tell them, in the case of an omniscient narrator. Just my opinion, and the reason I feel happy giving the narrator’s performance five stars. I also appreciate that the narrator speaks very precisely and deliberately; in my imagination, that’s the way DS Cross would think and speak.

George is again ruined by awful narration

I want someone to explain how it is that a narrator is not only allowed to get away with pronouncing the indefinite article exactly as politicians do, but is ASKED TO DO IT AGAIN !!!
To be 100% correct, this bloke actually pronounces the definite article that way quite often !!
It is infuriating and completely distracting.
I wish he would lose his voice; because these books deserve SO MUCH better.

Growing characters

Growing characters and complex mysteries make this series one of my favorites. With each book the team learns to work better with the idiosyncratic Cross and he tries to learn to understand social norms. It’s been great fun to see.