What a great premise for a suspenseful psychological thriller, but unfortunately the book did not measure up to my expectations. I caught my mind wandering off repeatedly., while the action was crawling along with the handbrake on, and though there did happen a couple of scary things, they drowned in the repetitiveness of dialogues, making it hard to stay focused.

The characters did not really interest me, especially the lead character, detective Carla Herron, remained strangely flat. Her struggle between the time-consuming police work and being a good mother seemed affected and did not convince me. On the other hand, her partner Morton, who stayed silent most of the time and was secretive about his personal life, showed great depth and was the only one who really caught my interest.

Based on a fascinating idea with great potential, its realization and especially the characters sadly failed to deliver. However, I feel that this is a very personal and subjective impression which may not agree with other readers' perception of the book.

A thrilling read which kept me turning the pages, characters you care for and just brilliantly written. Great novel!!

Carla Herron gets called out to a secure mental health facility when a patient confesses to a series of murders. Carla enters a world of secrets with no one revealing their true thoughts – not even her police team. On the home front Carla is struggling to hold together home and work whilst focusing on a police investigation.

This is a rather convoluted story with a mish mash of a secret therapists society and intricate lies and red herrings. To be honest it all got a bit much for me. I had worked out the main protagonist from quite early on so it got quite tedious trying to plough through endless paragraphs of excessive description and psychological detail.

Carla Herron did not come over well as a main character. She is supposed to be a strong woman fighting for recognition in a very male dominated & sexist police station. However, her personality was quite weak & there were several occasions where she didn’t really do herself any favours. Her home life was unstable with a very unsupportive husband who obviously wanted her back in the home & kitchen. In many ways it read like a book from the 1970s/80s.

This book was simply not well structured. The meandering in the middle really got me bogged down and I wasn’t sure I would finish it – I did.

As a whole this book didn’t work for me. The prose was lengthy and basic with long repetitive descriptions of the countryside which could have been reduced with the use of a richer vocabulary. The characters needed more substance and personality. I won’t be seeking out any further books by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

This is the first book in a new series, featuring fast-tracked detective Carla Herron, investigating claims of murder by an inmate at a secure hospital. Set in the Scottish Borders, our protagonist has to prove her worth when she’s handed the role of heading up the team investigating the case.

I found this book monotonous from start to finish. The continual description of the bleak landscape filled unnecessary pages and the dull characters brought no life to the dreary tale.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc, but this wasn’t for me.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Head of Zeus and the author, Anthony J Quinn, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Listeners in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I thought this story was well written and thoroughly intriguing. I was hooked, trying to guess how it would all end.

I was intrigued by the blurb, but I found this book basically unreadable, and I couldn’t finish it. The prose is so basic, the characters paper-thin and every plot element hits you over the head in case you missed it. Not for me.

As a person who LOVES unsolved crimes and mysteries, this book was totally for me. I loved it immensely. I also spent a brief holiday in Scotland and this book bought me back to that so beautifully, Scotland is such a haunting, atmospheric setting for a mystery such as this.

I loved the characters and the mystery at the core of the story.

I would absolutely recommend this to my friends and family and anyone who loves an intricate story of past and present carefully intertwined to reach an amazing ending.

5/5 stars!

I really enjoyed this book, bit slow starting but once it does, pow, it gets your head all over the place, keeps you on your toes, a must read

The Listeners, the first novel in the new DS Carla Herron series set in the picturesque town of Peebles, not a million miles away from where I actually live in the Scottish Borders, is a great read. It turned out to be one of the most original, fascinating and wholly absorbing psychological thrillers/mysteries of 2018, and what a way to cap off an already superb reading year! What I found most appealing about this particular novel was that it intertwines the crime of murder with the state of a perpetrators mind and the reasons why an individual would admit to bumping someone off when in fact they had absolutely nothing to do with it. It's also rather dark and disturbing as it illustrates that doctors, by way of their privileged position, have the ability to play God with their patient's lives, and this is even more likely if the patient is vulnerable.

The writing and pace are immaculate, and the characters well-drawn and so, so intriguing. I have to admit, I wasn't Carla's biggest advocate at the beginning, but as time went on and the novel progressed I began to appreciate her hard work, her tenacity and her willingness to learn from more experienced investigators. Some of the many themes explored throughout this novel are - manipulation, secrets, lies, mental health, God complex, deceitful and duplicitous behaviour and untrustworthy characters who engulf every page. The author is adept at throwing the reader off the scent through use of misdirection and plenty of red herrings. The dense pine forests and vast lochs provide the backdrop to this gothic feeling novel that has a distinctly chilling vibe to it.

Of course, it's only natural for patients living in psychiatric facilities to be blamed over and above the staff given that most people think of doctors as trustworthy individuals, but believe me, they can be just as devious as anyone else. Having studied and been interested in psychology for many years I was aware of exactly how repressed memories work, but I have never come across a fiction book that deals with psychology/psychiatry in such an in-depth manner. Fact and fiction merging in a truly spectacular and engrossing fashion puts this in my top five books of the year. This is an absolute must-read for those who enjoy intelligent crime fiction, a breathtakingly beautiful setting and a rich, intricate plot. All of the ingredients combine to create an edge-of-your-seat thriller. I don't often agree with The Daily Mail newspaper, but on this occasion, they were spot on when they named Quinn as a 'star in the making'. A thought-provoking read with a satisfying denouement.

A masterful novel if ever there was one, and worthy of all the stars! I literally cannot wait for the next book, so please hurry Mr Quinn!

Many thanks to Head of Zeus for an ARC.

A new series, set in the Borders of Scotland and featuring DS Carla Herron.. Carla is tasked with interviewing a psychiatric patient in Deepwell Hospital, who has confessed to murdering a psychotherapist. I loved the character of Carla, juggling a career with family life and the beautiful Scottish setting. I struggled with the fact versus fantasy aspect of the story but overall, this was a very cleverly written crime novel which will appeal to readers of the genre and it kept me guessing throughout. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. reviewed on Goodreads and Facebook.

A creepy psychological murder mystery.

Detective Sergeant Carla Herron has just started her new career in the Scottish Border town of Peebles. She is married to David and has a 3-year-old daughter, Alice and a baby son, Ben, who is 6 months old. She had suddenly decided on this new career with the agreement of her husband who agrees to work from home and look after the children.

Her first case after her fast track training course sends Carla to Deepwell Psychiatric Hospital to interview an inmate, Alistair McCrea, who describes in great detail the murder of Dr Jane Pochard, one of the psychotherapists at the hospital. He knows where the body will be found and that the corpse has been decapitated.

When Dr Pochard’s body is discovered in exactly the way McCrea had described it, Carla desperately needs to find answers since McCrea is locked in a secure ward under 24-hour surveillance. She is thrilled to be allowed to head up the investigation together with the taciturn Detective Harry Morton.

Carla is drawn into the sinister world of Deepwell where the staff are unwilling to help the police with any enquiries, in particular, the Director Dr Liam Barker. A previous inmate, Billy Chisholm, had been released from the hospital at the instigation of Dr Pochard. Carla discovers that there is a shadowy society known as The Holistic Foundation whose members are at odds with each other about how to treat inmates of the hospital. The theory of some members of this society believes that the criminally insane people all have repressed memories that can be drawn out them which can explain why they have committed their crimes. More sinister however is that the inmates can be brainwashed into committing horrendous crimes by having thoughts implanted into them by their psychiatrists.

The whole concept of repressed memories was at times confusing but at the same time fascinating and the conflicting views of the various so-called experts in this field were quite frightening. Carla becomes so involved in the case that she spends nearly all her time trying to delve into the various areas arising especially when another member of the staff at Deepwell goes missing. As a consequence of this Carla’s husband becomes very upset at her lack of care and attention to her young family especially when they all become ill. The strain of trying to hold down a pressurised job as well as looking after a family is very well-observed.

The plot is fascinating as it unfolds and discusses an area that I have never come across in any other book. It was both fascinating and absorbing and despite being quite a long book only took me a few days to read. It is one of those books where you need to find out the ending but does not really want the book to end.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a book that has a satisfying plot but also for the fascinating concepts that it tackles. The minds of criminally insane people must be a minefield for psychologists to understand.
It was described as a new series set in the Borders and I really hope this means that another book is in the offing. I would like to stake a claim to be the reviewer of any new book by Mr Quinn.

Dexter

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

The Listeners is the first book in a new series by Anthony J Quinn

The story is set in Scotland and DS Herron has to go to a local psychiatric hospital where one of the patients vividly describes a murder scene but how is this possible as there is no record of thus murder having occurred.

What follows is a well paced police provides that pulls you as a reader in as the story and twists and turns develop until the finale.

The main characters are well developed and all add to the storyline which is complex but followable and sets the scene for the next book in the series

Recommended

This is a new author to me but on the back of this book, I have added his previous series to my already bulging TBR list.
It's set in the Scotland borders and this location adds to the claustrophobic, haunting atmosphere that the book oozes throughout. We follow newbie to the team DS Carla Herron as she is sent to Deepwell psychiatric hospital where one of the patients has confessed to a murder that he could not possibly have committed. A murder that hasn't even yet been discovered. Things get weirder when a body is found and the details match the confession. Herron wants in on the investigation and is reluctantly added to the team. But her attempts to get to the bottom of things are hard to say the least with the rest of the staff at the hospital closing ranks. But what are they really protecting? And how can someone under lock and key, under 24 hour surveillance, know so much about something they confessed to but could not possible have done?
It took me a while to warm to Carla, she has a stay at home husband who looks after their two children. She switched careers late in life, moving from being a teacher to the police force and is determined to make it in her new profession. She's a bit eager and tenacious but has potential. She is teamed up with Morton who says little compared with her constant chattiness. But she learns a lot from him along the way and I did warm to her eventually.
The story, the case that they were investigating was well crafted and executed. It contained all the things you'd expect from a book of this genre; secrets, lies, unreliable testimonies, duplicitous behaviour, the whole shebang. We also have blockers and red-herrings thrown into the mix along the way which kept me guessing. There's definitely more to the goings on in the hospital than what you see on the surface, especially with regard to the treatments meted out.
But, when all was said and done, after the final showdown, the whole thing made perfect sense and left me feeling satisfied. It didn't quite blow me out of the water as there were things that I guessed ahead of their reveals, but there was enough left for me to wonder about for the majority of the book to keep my interest. Looking forward to reading more from this author both his back catalogue and the next in what looks to be a promising new series here.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is a new author for me and a new crime series. I ask myself why and how have i missed this amazing author. I polished off this book in one sitting, it was very hard to put down. It was atmospheric and i loved the setting. The forests and the lochs of the Highlands. This is a muder mystery that is creepy, dark and gothic. I loved it. I can't wait to see how this series evolves. Highly recommended.
I would like to thank the author Anthony J. Quinn, Head of Zeus and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

This is the start of a new series, set on the Scottish borders, and featuring Detective Sergeant Carla Herron. Carla lives in Peebles with reluctant house-husband David, three year old Alice and baby, Ben. Her career in the police force started late and she has found a new lease of life with her work; although David is not quite as enthralled with her desire to make her mark.

Carla’s chance to be involved with a big case, comes when she is asked to interview Alistair McCrea. A patient at Deepwell Psychiatric Hospital, McCrea has confessed to the murder of Dr Pochard, a psychotherapist. The problem is that, having been locked in a secure ward, it seems impossible that he could have committed a crime. Still, keen to investigate, and unnerved by the atmosphere at Deepwell, Carla discovers that Dr Pochard does not seem to be at home and it is impossible to contact her…

This is an unusual, literary mystery, with a good setting. I enjoyed the loch and the isolated pine forests, which gave a real sense of place. The hospital, Deepwell, was also quite creepy, with an unnerving shroud of silence over events and the influential group of Scottish Holistic Foundation of Psychotherapists. At the novels heart is Cara herself, who I found it hard to warm to, though. Overall, an interesting mystery, but I do not feel I will be reading on in the series. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

Rated 3.5

As a former forensic social worker I thought I would enjoy reading this book,having worked in secure mental hospitals I thought it would be interesting to see it from a writers point of view.However I didn't connect to the characters,I wish I had because I would have found it easier to get interested in the plot.Unfortunately it wasn't for me, I hope others enjoy it more.I will not be putting this review on Amazon as I wasn't able to finish the book, so it would not be fair.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Heads of Zeus for an advance copy of The Listeners, the first novel in a new series set in the Scottish Borders town of Peebles to feature DS Carla Herron.

When Alistair McCrea, a patient at Deepwell Psychiatric Hospital, confesses to the murder of one of the psychotherapists at the hospital, Dr Jane Pochard, it seems impossible as he lives in a locked ward, but Dr Pochard is missing. Newly qualified DS Carla Herron is sent to investigate McCrea’s claims and while she is unsure about what’s fact and what’s fantasy she is certain there is something very wrong at Deepwell.

I was really looking forward to reading The Listeners as it has a very unusual premise and sounds fascinating. Unfortunately the reality did not match up to the promise and I struggled to get through it. To be fair it is far too intellectual for me as I don’t have the slightest interest in academic psychotherapy and the discussions passed me by. What I took from it was the stereotype of highly manipulative doctors playing God with their patients’ wellbeing to advance their theories and careers and nobody comes out of it well. It is all rather nasty. I also struggled with all the fact v fantasy stuff as Carla tries to investigate. It was all too much for my brain to follow. At its heart, however, if you wade through the extraneous detail, there is a clever crime novel which keeps the reader guessing from start to finish.

I like Carla Herron who changed career from teacher to detective after the birth of her first child - I think there is more to come on that decision. She struggles to balance her home and work lives but in a neat twist her husband is the stay at home parent and she is the one with the variable hours. She is also lacking confidence in her performance at work but grows stronger as the novel progresses. She is a very down to earth, human protagonist.

This is a marvellous new crime series by Anthony J Quinn set in Scotland in the brooding and atmospheric Borders with its forests and lochs. Detective Sergeant Carla Herron is an inexperienced fast tracked police officer with a lot to prove, based in Peebles. Carla is married to David, and has two young children, 3 year old Alice and baby Ben, with David being a stay at home dad. She changed career from teaching to the police after the birth of Alice. Carla is tasked with interviewing and writing a report on a mental health patient at Deepwell Psychiatric Hospital, Alistair McCrea, who has made a detailed confession to the murder of psychotherapist, Dr Jane Pochard. McCrea is locked in the secure Ward G, with round the clock surveillance, it is impossible for him to have committed the horrific deed he claims to have committed. Dr Pochard is missing, and Carla, plagued with professional and domestic insecurities, finds herself in a dark morass of an unsettling and disturbing investigation, partnered with the more experienced, taciturn and silent Detective Harry Morton.

Deepwell Hospital projects a silence, determined to keep its secrets in the face of murder, where the professional psychiatrists appear to be more unreliable and greater fantasists than its patients. In Ward G much work has been done in bringing out in the open the suppressed memories of its patients. Carla uncovers a history of patients making confessions of murder in Deepwell. There have been complaints of malpractice and there is an organised cult like group, The Holistic Foundation of Psychotherapists, with the power to ruin the careers of mental health practitioners that disagree with or question the leading lights of the organisation. Focusing on a released patient as the prime suspect, Carla finds herself on her first big case where her career conscious boss is determined to interfere and derail the investigation. Morton is an enigma that leaves her wondering if she can trust him as he remains reluctant to discuss the developments and direction of a severely traumatic case that bring great danger to both of them.

Quinn immerses the reader in a location that positively drips with the dark and creepy atmosphere of the forests and a psychiatric institution that exudes a forbidding gothic presence harbouring untold dark deeds and malign influences that Carla and Morton are hard pushed to discover. Carla's home life is threatened as she prioritises her policing duties, putting undue pressure on her own mental health. Quinn depicts an authentic picture of the difficulties of juggling family and work. I liked the characters of both Carla and her more offbeat and eccentric partner, Harry Morton, with the two of them swamped by a host of unreliable suspects, testimonies and memory. I think this novel is a brilliant and intriguing beginning in what promises to be wonderful new series. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Head of Zeus for an ARC.

The words "haunting" and "creepy" have already been used in other reviews to describe this book and it is hard to better them. It was not always the most comfortable read given its subject matter but the writing was of a high calibre and the plot original and fascinating.

Well worth the perseverance necessary at some points to finish it.

Recommended.

I haven’t read Mr Quinn’s other series but now I think I must- I polished off The Listeners in two mad reading sittings- a beautifully described immersive setting and a great character to follow along with in Carla, who struggles with a home life balance in a realistic way.

Thrown into her first major case, a strange and difficult one, as unlikely confessions to murder start becoming reality. Carla uses a mix of practicality and instinct to guide her – often hindered rather than helped by her enigmatic and almost silent partner. It is a highly engaging plot with a haunting sense to the writing that is often genuinely creepy.

Pacy and clever, the story is a manipulative one involving manipulative people, with themes of mental health and hidden secrets. It has unexpected moments and thought provoking ones and a truly excellent finale with a classically done reveal.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. Very glad this is the start to a new series. I shall be following.

Recommended.