Hall Ways Blog: Hell to Pay ~ ~ ~ Audio Book Tour, Review, & Giveaway!

HELL TO PAY

Detective Kay Hunter Series, Book 4

By Rachel Amplett
Narrator: Alison Campbell
Length: 7 hours 14 minutes
Publisher: Saxon Publishing
Sub-Genres: Mystery, Police Procedural

When a road traffic accident on a dark autumn night uncovers a disturbing conspiracy, Detective Sergeant Kay Hunter's investigation exposes a ruthless serial killer exploiting vulnerable young women.

With her enemies unmasked and her career spiraling out of control, Kay's determination to seek vengeance for the victims brings her dangerously close to those who want to silence her.

Undeterred, she uncovers the real reason behind a plot to destroy her career and sets in motion a terrifying chain of events.

CLICK TO BUY

Before turning to writing, Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio as a presenter and freelance producer for the BBC, and worked in publishing as a sub-editor and editorial assistant.

She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction and spy novels, including the Dan Taylor espionage novels and the Detective Kay Hunter series.

Originally from the UK and currently based in Brisbane, Australia, Rachel cites her writing influences as Michael Connelly, Lee Child, and Robert Ludlum. She’s also a huge fan of Peter James, Val McDermid, Robert Crais, Stuart MacBride, and many more.

She’s a member of International Thriller Writers and the Crime Writers Association, with the Italian foreign rights for her debut novel, White Gold sold to Fanucci Editore's TIMECrime imprint, and the first four books in the Dan Taylor espionage series contracted to Germany’s Luzifer Verlag.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Goodreads⎮Instagram

Narrator Alison Campbell

HALL WAYS REVIEW: Audio Book Review. In Hell to Pay, author Rachel Amphlett has again crafted an intricate story full of tension, drama, and suspense. Following a now familiar formula (this is the fourth book in the Detective Kay Hunter series), the book starts with a bang. What initially seems innocuous is actually criminal, and as Detective Hunter digs deeper, she finds herself in the midst of a dark and sordid world. Readers discover the magnitude and horror of the scheme about half way through, so it turns from a whodunit to a race for law enforcement to stop the crimes from continuing. Hell to Pay is grim, and once the revelation about Kay's nemesis, the super creepy Jozef Demiri, is fully revealed, the story goes next level. Readers have been waiting three books for Demiri to make his move, so there is HIGH tension here.

Hell to Pay could stand alone, but I really don't' recommend it that way. Readers who start here will miss the subtle and not so subtle connections back to the prior books in the series. There has been a steady, highly interesting backstory threading through all the books, and all the parts come together and seem to culminate here. Start with book one and binge read (or read with your ears) straight through. That's what I have done and have no regrets!

There are a bunch of new characters introduced in this book, and politics within the police force plays a big part of the story -- especially in setting up where Amphlett is going to take readers in the next installment. And let me tell you, there is no shortage of jerks. The familiar characters return too, but the ever-sour Larch ("He's just one of life's career a**h*les") is suspiciously, mostly absent, and adorable vet Adam isn't as prominent. Both characters are missed. Amphlett casts some shadows around a few of the familiar, which muddies the line between the good guys and the bad ones.

"Her bright red shoes hurt Kay's un-caffeinated eyes."

One of the things I've repeatedly mentioned in my reviews of this series is how much I love that it's so completely British. I love how problems are best solved with a steaming cuppa and that caffeine is critical to operations. I can relate. There are terms that I don't understand as well as a few that took me a while to get, but they didn't detract. (Sadly, I can't share some of my favorite words/quotes/phrase because Amazon and Audible will block my review.) Suffice it to say that even some insults sound delightful when uttered with narrator Alison Campbell's accent.

Speaking of Alison Campbell -- she NAILED the narration. Again. Campbell is one of the best narrators I've listened to and really gives personality to multiple characters. She is perfect as Kay, but her affinity for voicing UBER creepy and disturbed males again shines through in Hell to Pay.

I highly recommend Hell to Pay and all of the books in this engaging police procedural series. While I am sad that the blog tour ends with this installment, happily, Amphlett has just released a fifth book in the series, Call to Arms! I am saving my $$ so it can be my next audio book download.

Thank you to the author and Audiobookworm Productions for providing me a print copy in exchange for my honest opinion -- the only kind I give.