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The Killing Season
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 4 hrs and 12 mins
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The Killing Season
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Summary
For fans of True Detective and Making A Murderer, The Killing Season is a true crime saga, the story of a double murder that went unsolved for more than 35 years, and a chilling portrait of a small town upended by unimaginable violence.
In the summer of 1975, the sprawling valley town of Grand Junction, Colorado, is stunned by the grisly double murders of 24-year-old Linda Benson and her baby daughter Kelley. For Jim Fromm and Doug Rushing, the two young detectives assigned to the case, the investigation is a chance to earn their stripes and prove their mettle. At first, Fromm and Rushing peg the woman's mercurial husband, a pipe-fitter who works outside of town, as the primary suspect. But as their case against Steve Benson unravels, the detectives find themselves short on leads - and running out of time. With the city on edge and anxious for answers, a notorious serial killer goes on the lam, and yet another young woman and her children turn up dead.
In The Killing Season, acclaimed journalist Alex French traces the story of the Benson murders from the night Linda and Kelley's bodies are found strewn across their second floor apartment, to an improbable discovery, made more than 30 years later, that enabled a new breed of detectives to crack the case and bring closure to those who'd watched justice slip away. Writing in taut, atmospheric prose, French has crafted a heart-pounding tale of tragedy, resilience, and redemption - set against the burning-red vistas of the American Southwest.
Alex French is a freelance journalist. His reportage and oral histories have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, BuzzReads, GQ, New York Magazine, Grantland, This American Life, and a variety of other venues. He lives in Monmouth County, New Jersey, with his wife and two children.
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What listeners say about The Killing Season
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sue
- 20-04-17
Good for true crime podcast lovers
This is like listening to Serial or watching Making a Murderer so it's not a conventional 'book' in the slightest. It's dark and depressing and requires googling facts and context from time to time. As a true crime fan, it's appealing but it's definitely an acquired taste.
5 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- jackie
- 06-01-18
Narrator spoilt the story would give him0 if I could
I realize this is a factual account but the dry, tone less boring voice of the narrator made it a chore to listen to , far to quickly read so I had to keep rewinding to keep up with the pace of his rendition. It could have been good .
1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Gabrielle Morley
- 04-12-22
Thank god it was free
The writing was quite disjointed. Mentions other murders in quite a lot of detail which detracted from the main plot line about Linda and Kelley. The constant referrals to Ted Bundy and his killings, whilst understandable due to the fact that there were fears that Linda and Kelley were victims of Ted Bundy, made this unnecessarily complicated. I wouldn’t recommend this one…
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AMC
- 19-05-22
Harrowing story very well told
Murder told with humility, interwoven with Ted Bundy and characters you can feel empathy for.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- John Z Wilkinson
- 22-02-22
Terrible narration
So many American slang terms you need a translator: "he was in the yard smoking a heater". Also narration so fast and so many 'characters ' in early part it's difficult to get a clear picture of what is going on.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- George Eager
- 28-12-21
Ok and free!
Quite Okay. A bit slow in developing but well narrated. murderer was hardly a master criminal.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Boko
- 23-11-21
The Fall and Fall of the Powerful.
A good overall experience. Not thrilling, but very sound, and I would recommend this book to those interested in a well written true crime story. I found myself strangely empathetic to the main character as he was well drawn and believable. I haven’t met many criminals, but oddly I have come across a couple of rapists. Violent individuals who managed to live with their deeply flawed characters. It still baffles me that they can look away from their own violence. Perhaps the joy they experience while harming another, clearly vulnerable person, subsumes any restraint they may have. Is that what makes a criminal? Got it! All so long ago, and yet, just yesterday! Don’t listen to this if you are even faintly sensitive!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- S. Rifflart
- 27-10-21
Interesting for those that like true crime
Didn’t know about this crime and enjoyed the detail of the times and places and the good people who worked to finally get their man
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- nathan r.
- 10-10-21
no idea what is going on
no apostrophes or full stops from the narrator. only reason I am only preserving to find out the killer from the original killing. talking about ted Bundy most of it and I'm 100% he has nothing to do with the murder
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 17-07-19
Somewhat disappointing
This book left too much out, the majority of the book is about how police thought Benson committed the crime. They mention another murder in the same apartment complex as though it is part of the same series. Secondly, they sprinkle in bits of Ted Bundy's story as though it has some impact on the subject matter when in fact, there is no relationship whatsoever...or at least the authors fail to point out any.
Finally, the ending... so pointless. I am a huge true crime fan and I was very disappointed with this book unfortunately. it almost seems like this is an abridged version. perhaps it is...
6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Taresa Pflueger
- 08-09-18
Book of my dreams and my nightmares
I truly enjoyed this book. The narrator was perfect and the story is so scary. I listened to it multiple times.
Perfect for a fan of true crime!
4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cjf
- 20-09-16
Excellent story
Very interesting. This true story kept my interest from beginning to end. Author was able to carry the story over 35yrs keep it together, never confusing the reader. The little humor at the very end whether intentional or not was as a breath of fresh air...after a frustrating, search for the killer... This story and the Narrator deserve better reviews that what it has been receiving, and i highly recommended this listen to all true crime lovers.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Sharon
- 12-12-16
Litany of murders, clues and frustrated dectives
What would have made The Killing Season better?
I don't think there was an effort to make this book into a story. Yes, there were lots of murders and they are all horrific -- but that in itself does not lend itself into a book.
What could Alex French have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Personally, I didn't get the point of why this was made into a book. There was nothing interesting about it. No characters to care about.
What does David Drummond bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He is an excellent narrator, not his fault story is all over the place.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
I was annoyed with this story. Could not wait to for it to end.
Any additional comments?
This title of the book summarizes exactly what the book is about, but I certainly didn't expect just a recitation of who murdered who until it get so boring you stop caring. It's all over the place with a zillion characters. It was hard to keep track of all those people. Goes off on tangents discussing every clue, every detective, and every murder committed in Colorado and Utah in the early 70s.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 21-12-16
crime
good book with lots of details. gory crime novel with lots of descriptive facts. i love crime novels. lots of sadness with justice served..
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Shawn
- 13-09-16
Great book!
Great book for true crime fans! Keeps you listening through the entire book! Too bad it wasn't longer. If you like true crime this ones a must!
2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- jake kavanagh
- 24-10-21
Not even remotely interesting
This was such a boring book. I love true crime, but this was dry and had more filler than actual substance. Couldn’t actually finish it.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Pierre
- 03-10-21
Almost a 5 Star Sweep
A good performance by the reader, and overall a good story that moved along quickly, at times too quickly, with jumps in the timeline. There could have been more character building, but then some would say the story dragged a bit. It is difficult to thread that thin line. I will most definitely see what else the author has written., and the reader has performed.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Heidi Ho
- 14-08-21
I couldn’t get through it.
This is so just dry facts with the usual court play-by-play you would see on courtroom video, and nothing much to fill it in. I much prefer a human interest story, with fleshed out characters authors, such as Ann Rule, write, especially ones that are also about the victim characters. If this book was a movie, it would be in the action category, not drama, but some of the “action” would include a detailed description of the appearance of the carpet at the police station.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Donna
- 08-05-21
Excellent crime story.
Excellent crime story with excellent narration. suited for this role of book. Unsuitabe narration can ruin an otherwise good story.
1 person found this helpful