Bloody brilliant!

A story full of twists and turns it kept me gripped.Fantastic story narrated really well I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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end of lies

Good story unexpected twists and a very good ending
didn't expect happy ever after great

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Lots of twists and turns

4.25⭐️

A stand-alone mystery thriller with a crime element. This is one of my go to authors, different to the other books of his I’ve read.

I had the audiobook read by Colleen MacMahon. A narrator I really enjoy listening to.

Becky arrived home to find her husband Chris dead, and her home being ransacked. They want something that belongs to them, and have given her 7 days to return it, and a beating to reinforce the message.

The narrator is Becky, it has a chatty style. We learn of Chris and Becky’s plan to outdo a major criminal with a cringy name of mr Savage, with the aim of getting rich. Neither are your usual criminals, Becky is a librarian, Chris works for the police in intelligence. The story moves between before Chris dies and Becky’s subsequent struggle with mr Savage. I can’t say that I liked Becky or Sienna (her best friend) they are both so mercenary.
It’s an action packed treasure hunt and rollercoaster ride which gives it a good pace with plenty of interest throughout. Lots of twists and turns, one I initially struggled with the believability of, but the author sold it to me. On occasion I felt that the tension felt a bit over done, it’s so hard to make it seem effortless.

It’s one I’d recommend reading/ listening to.

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A proper rollercoaster of a story.

Having discovered Andrew Barrett through his Roger Conniston series of books written from a SOCO perspective, I was hooked. Being a Yorkshireman myself, I like Andrew’s depictions of his hometown, Leeds and the no nonsense lead characters. I decided to give this stand alone title a go in audiobook format and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. The narrator does a sterling job. The End Of Lies sets off at a pace and maintains it with surprising twists and turns and edge of your seat stuff throughout. A proper rollercoaster of a story. I’m a fan and I reckon you could be too.

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Nothing else to do but wait.

A dramatic and thrilling start to End of Lies has forty six years old librarian, Becky Rose, return home to find her husband, Chris, lying murdered on the floor and unknown men ransacking their house. She barely escapes with her life. She and Chris, who had worked for the police as an intelligence analyst and coordinator, had been married for twenty two years and, as she said, she still 'loved him so much that it hurt.' Despite working hard, they had not been wealthy, unable to afford a new car or luxury holidays. And Chris had devised a dangerous plan to change all that, a plan which had obviously gone wrong...

Author Andrew Barrett is a powerful writer, bringing his subjects vividly to life. Written mostly in the present but with some chapters backtracking to explanatory past events, this story follows Becky's discovery and her actions and reactions, both external and within herself, over the next few days. She has the reader's sympathy even if, at times, she can be less than nice. Well written in the first person, and quick to read, this book is gripping, fast moving and occasionally unexpected.

First read in print version some months previously, the second reading, this time of the Audiobook, narrated by Colleen MacMahon, had lost none of the pleasure of first time around: Despite knowing what was to come, the story was still chilling and exciting. Ms.MacMahon has a very pleasant voice, well modulated and giving a dramatic reading even if the individual protagonist voicings were differentiated only by the addition of slight accents. But to my ear, she was wrong for the first person performance of Becky and I was glad that I had read the print/ebook version first.Sent
The book can stand up to the wrong narrator, however, and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys crime thrillers, especially those with a psychological twist. It's A very good read.

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Good story but spoilt by the narrator

A pretty sound story although nowhere near the same league as the brilliant Eddie Collins books by this author. Sorry but I hated the woman narrator. She was supposed to be a librarian from Leeds but she had a strange sloane ranger accent which I felt didn't suit the character, particularly where all the swearing was concerned. I'm sure I would have really enjoyed it with a different narrator.

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A real Gripping Thriller and a what an ending !!

This is the first ever audio book I have listened to and although I found it a bit difficult to start with and requiring a different type of concentration to absorb the story despite already reading it some time ago the narrator Colleen MacMahon did a brilliant job and as for my first audio book was in two minds. Prefer reading but will try more audio books in the future now that I've tried this book. The story is brilliant and as follows.
The books starts with a question “How can you tell if you’re lying to yourself?” It all starts with Becky, Becky Rose who with her husband she adores decide on a plan to become very wealthy by devious means. The trouble is it involves a gang boss called Savage who is someone you don’t want to be involved with; ever. A list of twelve people who both the police and Savage want whatever the cost. The story keeps you turning pages going from past to present and it soon becomes apparent Becky is up to her neck in trouble. The story takes you no a journey through Becky’s eyes and you are instantly drawn into one hell of a chase with both the police Di Steve Hughes and DS Alison Merchant closing in on her and bad man Savage taking no prisoners. Into the mix also comes Sienna a long time best friend who gets in the mix and certainly liven things up. But all is not what it seems
Loved, absolutely loved the twists and turns ending, one of the best endings I’ve read for ages and one that is not what you were expecting, at all. A Sublime and brilliantly written book.

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A fantastic listen

A great story as always from Andrew. A great narrator as well. Highly recommended, most enjoyable.

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Exceptional Story & 1st Class Narration.

The narration of this audiobook is perfect for the story. We hear a mild mannered librarian speaking with a gentle well spoken voice but that voice is somewhat at odds with much of what she has to tell us. There’s a murdered husband, gangland violence and she likes to swear. A lot. Colleen MacMahon does a wonderful job bringing Becky Rose to life. The story is first class but I don't think this audiobook would be anywhere nearly as brilliant as it is without her.
As for the story itself, this is what every crime thriller wants to be. We follow Becky as she tries to deal with the death of her husband as well as the criminal gang that he was trading dangerous information with. Becky must find the list they want at the same time as trying to stay alive. This was one of those rare stories that you don’t want to end as it’s so good but at the same time you can’t wait to find out what happens when it does. Andrew Barrett gives us a main character that is so out of her comfort zone we are scared for her. We wouldn’t want to be where she is, dealing with what she is and that coupled with the very real feel to her makes it so compelling. This is what Andrew Barrett does best, he creates a story and character and you know where it’s going and how it fits then he takes you off somewhere else. By the end he’s dropped you off at a very different place than the one you thought you were heading to. It’s told first person by Becky and I thought the author captured her ‘voice’ perfectly and really brought her to life. Once I’d reached the end I wanted to start again just to see it all unfold from a new perspective. I’m a fan of Andrew Barretts writing and this story instantly became one of my favourites, highly recommended.

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Quality fast paced thriller full of twists and turns.

This story hits the ground running and maintains the pace throughout. Becky goes through hell but somehow manages to adapt and survive all challenges thrown at her, and there are lots.

Colleen MacMahon brings the characters to life brilliantly and has a pleasant easy to listen too voice.
I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys gritty no nonsense thrillers. This is the forth book by Andrew Barrett that I have enjoyed and am looking forward to the next one.

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