You Die Next

By: Stephanie Marland

Narrated by: Victoria Fox, Mark Meadows

Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

A group of urban explorers stumble into a murderer's kill room in a derelict film studio. Terrified, they run, thinking they are safe. Then a message appears on their video channel: who dies next?

As DI Dominic Bell and his team investigate the series of murders in hidden locations across London, they fail to find the connection between the victims. The only person who can help is Clementine Starke, an academic researching adult thrill seekers. However, Clementine is haunted by dark and violent obsessions, including her former relationship with DI Dominic Bell. 

As the body count rises, Clementine Starke and DI Dominic Bell form an uneasy alliance to hunt the killer. But as they close in on their prey, and things turn personal, Clementine has to decide which side of the law she's really on.

A cat-and-mouse thriller for fans of Mark Billingham, Sarah Hilary and Rachel Abbott that unfolds in a number of terrifying hidden locations across London. Listeners who enjoyed Thomas Harris' Hannibal series will be thrilled by the deadly relationship between DI Dominic Bell and Clementine Starke.

©2019 Stephanie Marland (P)2019 Orion Publishing Group

Enjoyable listen

I have waited for the second instalment of this story, and overall I enjoyed this book. I did feel like it is very much a 'middle' book as there are many plot threads left un-resolved. I will have to wait until the next one! My only criticism is that the narration for the male voice (Mark Meadows) was hard to get used to at the beginning. The sentences often sound clipped, and with an inhalation at the end, as if it wasn't ended. Once I started focusing on it, it drove me mad! This wasn't an issue during the dialogue though, I got used to it towards the end and it didn't spoil the story.

Annoyingly slow paced and too many unresolved plots strands

I quite liked the first book by this author, which was clearly intended to be the start of a series of police procedural crime novels, so I ignored the rather lukewarm reviews this follow up had received and gave it the benefit of the doubt. My mistake...

The plot was glacially slow and there is little evidence of an editorial process to streamline unnecessary scenes and overworked descriptions. The characters were not particularly likeable but neither were their motivations clear despite lots of internal dialogue telling the reader at length and repeatedly what they were thinking.

The ongoing plot strands relating to police corruption impacting on both protagonists were Byzantine and frustratingly under explained and unresolved. Think Jed Mercurio’s “Line of Duty” but with much less tension and audience investment.

The pacing was the most tedious aspect. At 80% in it finally seemed as if the central storyline was coming to a conclusion but there was still over two hours of listening time left.

The slow tempo of the two narrators added to my listening frustration. The female narrator seemed to operate on the basis that all men have gravelly voices but indistinguishable accents. The male narrator was different from the first book and marginally better, but there was clearly a problem ensuring continuity of accent and pronunciation between the two narrators. One minor character was accented in Scouse by the male in one chapter and then in a vague Estuary accent in the next by the female. And the overdubbing of the name “Clementine” by the male narrator (presumably to be pronounced “Clementeen” rather than “Clementyne” to be consistent with the other narrator and the first book) was at first amusing and, by the end of the book, maddening.

So, why as many as three stars? Well, firstly this book is nowhere near as bad as L J Ross’s “Holy Island”! But in all fairness, I think this author has potential, as some of the ideas and occasional passages in the book - and more so in her first book - are really engaging. I just wish the author had been given better editorial support.

I might try the next book (if there is one), but only if a few other people read it first and give it honest but encouraging reviews. At the moment, I feel a little bit cheated out of ten plus hours of my life to be left with numerous unresolved plot strands at the end.

Totally had me gripped and guessing

I’ve binged this one in two days. Really enjoyable, and believable. I love the dual voice/narrator approach, and the switches weren’t too frequent so didn’t feel disjointed at all as is so often the way. It took a good few turns and kept you guessing right to the end which was nice. It wasn’t a grisly book at all, much more of an intellectual thriller/chase. Really looking forwards to the next book now.