Innocent Victims

This audio edition contains two novellas from Walters—“Chickenfeed” and “The Tinder Box.” The first is based on an actual murder case that took place on an English chicken farm in 1924; the second charts the community’s rage at the prime suspect in two savage slayings in the village of Sowerbridge. Given the premium that Walters places on the plausibility of average, everyday people committing evil and violence, it’s vital that narrator Simon Prebble maintain the illusion of normalcy when voicing the novellas’ characters. The aural deception Prebble creates is so effective that listeners will be stunned when the mask is finally removed. Prebble’s rendition of different genders and accents is skillful and brings to life the author’s characters. The result is a deliciously chilling listen. A Mysterious Press hardcover. (June)