The way the author crafted the suspense and intricately wove the characters' lives together was truly captivating. Rebecca's journey, set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire Ripper's terror, kept me on the edge of my seat. Each character, from the charming yet mysterious Larry to the unsettling Mervyn, added depth and complexity to the story.
The plot is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the nuances of human relationships and trust is commendable. I found myself deeply invested in Rebecca's struggles and the twisted game of cat and mouse she found herself in. The tension and unpredictability made it a real page-turner.

Will highly recommend to thriller looking for a real fast paced twisted thriller.

Even though the premise sounded really intriguing, this story just didn't work for me. I was expecting more supsense and excitement but instead got a slow, kind of straight forward story that was predictable. Rebecca was a good character, though. I thought the narrator did a good job with the different voices and making then distinct.

The Company She Keeps by James Woolf and narrated by Henrietta Meire is a very well constructed fictional account based around the time and event of the Yorkshire Rippers rampage. At a time when women were only just beginning to be accepted in th ebusines world as professionals, Rebecca is trailblazing, but in doing so, is struggling to meet someone to share her life with. She has a choice of three men, but in these tumultuous times, who can she trust?


The narration was smooth and atmospheric and really enhanced the audio experience. The story was very well written and a slower, suspenseful pace which for me worked in respect of the narrative surroundoing the Ripper and his M.O. Well worth a listen or a read

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, James Woolf and the narrator Henrietta Meira for this ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Very well narrated and a good pace to the plot.

This was a really interesting listening. The characters were well developed and it kept me guessing on who the ripper was.

Would definitely recommend.

I am torn on this title. The audio was decent, the narrator was smooth and had great inflection. Transitions were smooth and different accents were ok. The chanting in chapter 5 wasn't my favorite part of the audio but a small detail.

For the story, I found it to be a tad ok the slow side. I wasn't sure what the book was actually about until far past 50%. I generally go into books blind and I was pretty confused most of the story. The important details seemed to get lost in the sea of other words and what seemed like random thoughts. The ripper was a very distracting part of the book. I get why the author included it (no spoilers) but all the detail devoted to it seemed odd when it turned out to be what it was.

I did really enjoy the main character. Rebecca is super cool business mogul in the 80s. I thought the author could have played up the setting as it was a super fun, colorful time. I also liked that Rebecca owns and operates a brewery.

A slow burn with solid characters and a cool setting. The story building could have been a bit better.

I listened to The Company She Keeps as an audiobook and my first book by James Woolf. I thought Oh a historical psychological crime thriller fiction...what a unique concept. And I still think it's a great concept but a bit different from what I was expecting which is fine. I'd say there was more drama vs thriller in this book which might cater to those who like those type of books more. I was hoping for a bit more tension throughout the book. The tension was there and heavy towards the end though. It was a bit predictable but overall a pretty good story. I liked the writing too and would definitely pick up another book by this author. As for the audio version, I think this would have been better to consume in an actual book format. The narrator was great and even did a good job switching between characters but there were too many parts where I wanted to flip back or felt I was lost and had to rewind.

The Company She Keeps by James Wolf is a suspense thriller set in Leeds with the Yorkshire Ripper set on the background.
A well written book with nice twists at the end. The main character, Rebecca is a self made rich strong woman who does better at businesses/investments, than personal relationships. Can either of the 3 men interested in her be the serial killer?
Narrator does a great job for the most part (I personally did not like the high pitch voice only at times) .
Thanks to Netgally, James Woolf and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to an ADC

Unfortunately this book didn’t grab me as regular mystery/ thrillers do. It was all flat and I kept waiting for the suspense to come but I didn’t get it except at the end. It is more of a domestic drama than a mystery or thriller. Hence why I’m rating it 3 star cos it was truly well written.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape for this audio ARC

The Company She Keeps

Rebecca is our main character and is too smart to be connected to so many awful men !!

Enter love interest #1- Simon. The Yorkshire Ripper serial killer has returned and taken up much of the time of her part- time love interest, who is a police officer, and also married.

Love interest #2 - Larry, a financial consultant, an American that I can’t even remember how they met ?? But they maybe ran into each other on the street and grabbed some tea? They be one serious fast.

Love interest (kind of?) #3 Mervyn who Rebecca cut things off with but he is obsessed and determined to get her back. He insists on meeting and sharing information to “keep her safe.”

Rebecca is a busy girl and starts to wonder how well she knows any of these men and could any be trusted ??

The accent of the narrator was beautiful, but made me slow down off of my usual pace to understand thoroughly.

I personally had a hard time keeping the story straight in the beginning which may have been because I was doing audio, but it did get better. Would’ve also liked to lean in a little more to the serial killer plot line, the focal point was mainly on Rebecca and what trouble she’s got herself into with the three men of her life and the death of Larry’s wife.

Overall, though I enjoyed this quick cat and mouse thriller and would recommend it ! A solid 3.5, rounded up to 4.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story had so much going on with different men and this ripper I had to make sure I really paid attention. Though it was exciting to find the killer and most importantly figure out how it would all turn out.

This was a DNF for me. I really tried but it just didn’t hit the mark. It didn’t grab my attention right away like most books do. I also didn’t like the narrator and I think that’s a big part of why this was a DNF. I also felt like this would be more of a domestic drama than a thriller.

The Company She Keeps follows Rebecca as she is a single woman in the late 70's and early 80's . She has been having an affair with Simon a local cop when she has a chance meeting with Larry, an American living in England. Soon Rebecca and Larry are serious until Rebecca finds out that his wife Sarah's death may have not been accidental. Now Rebecca is afraid for her safety as she chases the clues into Sarah's death. This was a good who done it book with the ending that witll suprise you.

This book was not for me. I was so excited to listen based off of the premise, but it felt flat.

I can’t determine if it was the narration or the story itself, but I found myself skipping chapters as they were so mundane and boring. The beginning held my attention, but it quickly fell flat.

Maybe I would try this read in regular book form, but this audiobook wasn’t for me.

This book just felt flat. I kept having issues with the audio format stopping and restarting. The book was a dud overall.

"The Company She Keeps" by James Woolf is a thriller about a serial killer.

Set in 1979-80 in England, women were treated as second-class citizens, even worse than we are now.

This book was boring for most of it and then way too scary at the end for me! The MFC seems to attract serial killers. The behavior of the MMC was inconsistent, and some of it was just unbelievable.

The narrator, Karen Cass, had to voice many conversations between an American man and a British woman. She certainly tried to get the voice right for the American, but it just didn't sound right.

Characters - 2/5
Writing - 2/5
Plot - 2/5
Pacing - 1/5
Unputdownability - 2/5
Enjoyment - 1/5
Narration - 3/5
Cover - 2/5
Overall - 15/8 = 1 7/8 rounded up to 2 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and James Woolf for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

I was excited to read this because who doesn't like a historical fiction thriller revolving around a real-life serial killer? This, unfortunately, wasn't that. This book genre jumped too much for me and didn't give me what I thought I was going to be given via the blurb.

This jumped between wanting to be part historical fiction, part social commentary, part serial killer mystery, part romance, and part domestic/romantic thriller. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a book that jumps genres and can be more than one thing, but this one tried to get a toe into each of them without doing a good job being really any of them. It's also a slow build thriller. You'll have to be patient and wait for the roller coaster to get to the top of the long climb before things start to really take off.

This book is light on the Yorkshire Ripper and it's really just a setting to add more tension in the story, which, I guess, it does to an extent. I wasn't really invested at all. I wasn't over/under whelmed. I guess I was just...whelmed?

Rebecca is a great character! She's strong and independent. She's not dumb, nor is she a damsel in distress who needs a man (or anyone really) to save her. She's a take the bull by the horns kinda gal and doesn't make the stupid decisions that FMC tend to make in thrillers. So, kudos for that. I really did enjoy her a lot. The book was well-written and did have twists and turns that I think a lot of people will enjoy. I felt it was a bit obvious, but, again, I was just listening waiting for the Ripper to become more of a "character" in the story I guess.

Henrietta Meire was a fantastic narrator. She was able to give everyone their own distinct voice/accent (including an American man) that was believable and didn't sound forced/horrible. However, her "young, British child" voice does need some work and note that you'll probably need to turn the volume down during those scenes as it's a little shrill (for me).

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

Great audiobook! I love the time period (late 70s) and reading anything set in it. The characters were all very interesting, each man bringing something else to the story. I love a good mystery and the cat and mouse game. Narration was also spot on. Can’t wait to check out more by James Woolf! Many thanks to NetGalley for this wonderful opportunity!

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review!

I was initially hooked, but after a while, I found myself getting a bit annoyed (I’m so sorry about that). The story itself wasn’t bad at all. Our narrator, Rebecca, is an intelligent and successful character who finds herself entangled with Larry, who is obsessed with her. The main question is: can he be trusted?

The ending was good and unexpected, in my opinion.

I might read something else from this author in the future.

Women suspects her fiancé is a killer and he almost kills her in the end. She ends up killing him. Good suspense story

Thank you Netgalley, James Woolf and Dreamscape Media for the audio Arc of The company She Keeps.
Narrated by Henrietta Meire

This is a slow burn psychological thriller of our MC Rebecca, who is caught up in a cat and mouse game between 3 men who is interested in her. A charming American with a dodgy past, a philanderer of a policeman and Mervyn a creepy journalist. As Rebecca makes her choice to settle down with one of them and trying to keep herself safe due to the Yorkshire Ripper being at large. The truth will come out. Eventually.

I did really enjoy this one, bearing in mind that the narrative is set between 1979 and 1984 and set between the Midlands and Yorkshire, UK. It is a slow burn, building the complicated dynamics with Rebecca and these men who are clawing for her attention. I feel that, even though I was only very young around this time period. I love the authenticity of the plot, characters and references within the narrative itself. I loved the music references and just how different things were,. I remember reading/seeing about the Yorkshire Ripper in the news and how frightening it was.
As the story picks up after the character building, you are faced with some great twists which slowly unravel and I felt the pay off at the end was great.

I really enjoyed listening to Henrietta Meire who narrated this book. I felt like her voice suited the storyline really well. I did listen to this boson 1.5 speed but that's a personal preference

3.5 stars for Storygraph 4 stars for other websites