Audiobook Review | “Gone to Ground” (Book Six: the Kay Hunter Detective series) by Rachel Amphlett, narrated by Alison Campbell

Acquired Audiobook By: I started to listen to audiobooks in [2016] as a way to offset my readings of print books whilst noting there was a rumour about how audiobooks could help curb chronic migraines as you are switching up how your reading rather than allowing only one format to be your bookish choice. As I found colouring and knitting agreeable companions to listening to audiobooks, I have embarked on a new chapter of my reading life where I spend time outside of print editions of the stories I love reading and exchange them for audio versions. Through hosting for the Audiobookworm I’ve expanded my knowledge of authors who are producing audio versions of their stories whilst finding podcasters who are sharing their bookish lives through pods (ie. AudioShelf and Talking Audiobooks; see my sidebar). Meanwhile, I am also curating my own wanderings in audio via my local library who uses Overdrive for their digital audiobook catalogue whilst making purchase requests for audio CDs. It is a wonderful new journey and one I enjoy sharing – I am hoping to expand the percentage of how many audios I listen to per year starting in 2018.

I jumped at the chance to become a part of the sixth audiobook tour featuring the #KayHunter series by Rachel Amphlett so quickly, I had overlooked a critical piece of the blog tour: the copies for review on this tour were not going to be provided through Audible! Having an extra credit I hadn’t had the chance to use I purchased my own copy of “Gone to Ground” rather than being provided with a complimentary copy of the story. Thereby, I am choosing to participate on the audiobook tour, sharing my ruminations with my readers for my own edification but also, as a continuation of a reader’s love for a dramatic crime serial. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

What held me in the throes of “Call to Arms” and why I was itching for the next novel:

One of the things I enjoy most about Ms Amphlett’s style of detective novels is how she gives you a seemingly one dimensional plot point and expounds upon it to encompass more layers of intrigue than you would originally feel could be pinned to a situation which by all fronts, appeared to be routine or having nothing more serious than the surface details of what was noted or observed. This is what I love about the series, because even as your keeping your toes at there ready to hear something which will be need to be re-pulled forward further inside the installment – you don’t always know which details are most pertinent to remember and which ones might not be as keenly important in the end.

This installment turnt back to the situational bantering between Kay and her colleagues – where we get to be observing their work hours closely – the funny bit is how they like to work off each other – they each compliment the other quite well, but due to the long hours and the winding ways in which a case can unnerve the detectives, they have to re-group themselves somehow and humour is one of the best equalisers! When they weren’t rubbing my funny-bone, I enjoyed listening to how they worked out their theories – each of them making suggestions and following where the evidence and interviews were yielding them to head next in an attempt to resolve the case at long last!

Kay Hunter follows her instincts to pursue a case she knew in her heart was important to solve – however, she never would have suspected how close it would come to affecting her relationship with Sharpe nor of how the case itself would become insidious in regards to the callus nature of someone who could only be referred to as self-conceited past the point of reason! Adam definitely understands his wife to such a degree it’s heart-warming whereas Kay sometimes struggles with the confidence of embracing her truer nature as a cop. She seems to be seeking approval at different intervals to where her internal sense of self falters against the tides of where her job takes her in a neverending battle for personal sanity.

Amphlett keeps us grounded on the personal journey of Kay Hunter – through all facets of her life, from what she’s feeling, thinking and how she sorts through every choice she makes both personally and professionally. One kind thing for her is having a husband (Adam) who not only believes in his wife but allows her the leeway she needs to make hard choices at times where an easier route might have been his preference. He also encourages her to do things she at first might feel she wants to recoil from accepting – such as her recent temporary elevation in status. Adam has a calming sense of knowing just what to say to help Kay settle her thoughts – all of this is part of the foundation of the series I have loved watching built. As Amphlett doesn’t sacrifice Kay’s personal life for the profession – it’s a healthy way of seeing how detectives must decide how to live a well-balanced life, without allowing the job to supersede their own humanity. All of which is vocalised by the impressively brilliant narrator Alison Campbell who immerses us directly into the heart of Kay!

-quoted from my review of Call to Arms

At the time I had finished listening to Call to Arms – I almost felt I needed to take a proper break from listening to the next installment. Each story in the series becomes increasingly difficult to listen to due to the increasing Suspense Ms Amphlett knits into the background of the stories. Not to mention the crimes themselves are on the upper edge of what I can handle listening to as they are rather difficult to read on that note.

I hadn’t foreseen another blog tour this year, as I was so dearly thankful to be a part of the first five novels which went on blog tours – finding out Gone to Ground was available to listen to after Summer, felt rather fitting – as this would be the story-line which was fully removed from the anguish Kay had gone through at work and the grief she had shared with Adam. I was definitely keen on seeing where the story would continue to shift forward and how Kay would handle moving forward after such a strong sea of adversity which had sought to undo her sanity.

When I first read the premise, however, I wasn’t quite sure if I was going to be able to get into the story itself as it is a rather gruesome plotting. The only thing I was holding onto is the fact that Ms Campbell’s narration in combination with Ms Amphlett’s muse – might be the best partnership to where I could handle a story-line like this one as otherwise, had it been another series altogether I simply would have bypassed it.

I also knew, having heard the five books prior to this sixth one – Amphlett spends a lot of time developing her characters, of inserting her readers & listeners into the background of her world – giving us a proper threading of what is going on in the lives of her lead and supporting characters whilst their fully committed to solving the case at hand. It is due to this structure of how she pulls us back into the Kay Hunter series, I had a strong feeling I could get through this installment, as I knew the main focus points were not on the crimes but rather on the people who solve them.

Gone to Ground
Subtitle: A Detective Kay Hunter novel
by Rachel Amphlett
Source: Audible | Subscription
Narrator: Alison Campbell

While attending a crime scene on the outskirts of Maidstone, DI Kay Hunter makes a shocking discovery.

The victim has been brutally cut to pieces, his identity unknown.

When more body parts start turning up in the Kentish countryside, Kay realises the disturbing truth – a serial killer is at large and must be stopped at all costs.

With no motive for the murders and a killer who has gone undetected until now, Kay and her team of detectives must work fast to calm a terrified local population and a scornful media.

When a third victim is found, her investigation grows even more complicated.

As she begins to expose a dark underbelly to the county town, Kay and her team are pulled into a web of jealousy and intrigue that, if left unchecked, will soon claim another life.

Genres: Crime Fiction, Hard-Boiled Mystery, Police Procedural, Thriller

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ASIN: B07F7FHYTT

Also by this author: Scared to Death, Will to Live, One to Watch, Hell to Pay, Call to Arms, Author Inteview: Rachel Amphlett (Gone to Ground), Bridge to Burn, Cradle to Grave, Turn To Dust

Also in this series: Scared to Death, Will to Live, One to Watch, Hell to Pay, Call to Arms, Bridge to Burn, Cradle to Grave, Turn To Dust

Published by Saxon Publishing

on 8th July, 2018

Format: Audiobook | Digital

Length: 6 hours, 36 minutes (unabridged)

Published by: Saxon Publishing

Order of the Kay Hunter Detective series:

Scared to Death | Book One (see also Review)

Will to Live | Book Two (see also Review)

One to Watch | Book Three (see also Review)

Hell to Pay | Book Four (see also Review)

Call to Arms | Book Five (see also Review)

Gone to Ground | Book Six

my review of gone to ground:

A cycling club out for a weekender of adventure unexpectedly made a roadside discovery which would make any reader’s ears pale a bit for the visual depiction of what was ‘left behind’ for the cyclist to find,.. yet without its presence Kay Hunter would not have been called to scene. After all, her particular unit investigates mysterious deaths and unearths the Criminological explainations behind the crimes they tackle. Barnes was by her side, a favourite colleague of hers whilst the CSI team also held familiar faces – as Kay stated to work the scene, her and Barnes were as puzzled as the person who discovered the wayward ‘boot’.

Kay’s team has a few growing pains coming to it as with Kay’s recent promotion, the rest of the team remains a bit lopsided. Her first pick to gain a promotion soon after her was Barnes; unfortunately for Kay, Barnes was comfortable in the role he was already employed. She had to respect his choice even if it confused her why he wouldn’t want to rise in the ranks. Barnes was her right hand man on the team, a person she could trust without blinking and know he would have her back.

You can observe her own growth as a person finding traction in front of cameras whereas only a year prior being the lead spokesperson for the unit would have put her in a bit of a tailspin of anxiety. Now, she is shining as a voice for the police and hoped the words she spoke would encourage new leads to come forward after the report went out on the newscast. The case itself was perplexing – they had a clue towards what the crime involved but without ‘more evidence’ they could only speculate which was the one thing they didn’t want anyone to do. It would only lead to heartache for everyone involved.

I was definitely curious about how Larch decided to take early retirement and moved off into the Midlands as a result. This left an open space in the team and unit Kay was now overseeing alongside with the guidance of Sharpe. With Sharper in the overseeing role for the team, you start to see how the new dynamics are forming and keeping each of the team members a tightly knit team who know they can rely on each other. What was lovely though is how Kay is open to having her fellow detectives (including the junior ones) have equal respect in the bull room so to speak – to speak their theories and to explore (as a team) what they feel might be motive and opportunity. Even if they fall a bit short of a solid lead, it helps build their foundation as a team who everyone feels comfortable being an active part of growing into a well-oiled machine of efficiency.

I was not a bit surprised when I realised there is one particular journalist which is happy to cross those invisible lines to produce a story ready for print! It is this particular bloke though who gives a sour taste in Kay’s mouth for not realising how hard her job is and how despite trying to find balance between being agreeable to the press and keeping the integrity of the investigation in tact can become a bit of a chaotic dance of wills!!

I truly loved how cheeky Adam was being about extending out the suspense about which animal he had brought home for Kay to discover as it wasn’t one she would have guessed would be a bit of a menace to gardening practices! Despite the unusual entrance of Adam’s current charge – you had to give Kay credit for being agreeable to having such a diverse array of animals a part of their lives time after time. I must admit, I would have happily welcomed Misha into the home, as there is something rather charming about having a ‘goat’ in your garden!

At the morgue we get a keen insight into the gloom and the heart-wrenching cases the ME has to sort through when the caseload becomes unbearingly brutal with cases which are harder to reconcile than usual. I think any case that goes through the morgue which deals with children and youth, has to be the cases they struggle with the most to ‘let go’ once they’ve done all they can to determine the cause of death. Medical examiners don’t get a enough credit for how strong of mind and heart they have to be to constantly do their job and remain emotionally disconnected.

I had a bit of a smirk over how Kay wasn’t quite cut out for all the interviews for the new candidates of the inbound new team member to her unit! I would think it would feel very complicated – how do you weigh the current personalities which were established with the new personality which might throw off the general balance of how everyone works as a team? You start to see in this installment how the new promotion Kay accepted is one which has far more responsibilities than she had realised possible.

The difficulties in this case began when they uncovered a doctor’s missing patient could be one of the victims. The hardest bit of course was sorting out who was guilty of the crimes but also, why this person was the person of interest to the police. The curious bit there is how winding the plot soon became – the more they interviewed people, the more confused they were to uncover who could have any reason at all to inflict harm on anyone. Their potential suspects were slowly being weeded out – almost as if they were practicing for a larger reveal lateron. Of course for Kay, Barnes and Sharpe each time they ended up chasing down a red herring was another moment where they would have difficulties explaining how they had blundered the case to the department.

One of my favourite revelations was not even related to the case, it was about Adam’s inheritance, how horses played a keen role in his award and how the friendship he had with an older lady who wanted a guardian for her horses was the key to how Adam and Kay lived rather comfortably.

Outside of focusing on Kay and Adam at home and out about in their community, there were loads of cheeky humour sequences and workplace camaraderie which I love so much in this series! It helps re-affirm who these people are and how they interact with each other. When you listening to different installments of the series and a bit of time goes by – seeing how they react to each other is another way of re-aligning you right back into the dialogue from whence you had left off in the last installment.

Seeing Kay develop her confidence in her new position is a joy – each day she’s on the job, the more she becomes a confident leader. The irony of course, their current case involves team building exercises where their potential victim was spending time – the random joy for Kay is finding that her unit works well without the benefit of an official ‘time away’ from the office to come together as a united front.

I thoroughly enjoyed the sequence involving the blacksmith and the forge – as I  initially started to think if someone wanted to get crafty, being well versed in fire-arts might be a ready advantage! Of course, what was enthralling is how the layers of this story came together – you had a blacksmith, a butcher and a handful of people who each worked in a different industry who all might have a reason to have a guilty conscience and be involved with the case.

It isn’t everyday you find a tactical response team being called in to handle an active scene where detectives are trying to determine if a scene is safe or not for the detectives but Ms Amphlett put this into this installment to show the growing concerns detectives go through to make sure everytime they’re about to make an arrest they go by the book to ensure their own personal safety.

I definitely championed having down-time where everyone in the unit can relax, bring their spouses whilst eating and becoming merry for as long of a time they could spare from work. They thankfully had planned to have once a month get together’s where each person rotates hosting. During these events you get to see them cut loose and just be themselves – their personalities alter a bit from whom their presenting on the job, giving you a lot of smile about!

There is a moment where Kay comes to the point where she knows she has the ability to draw out information out of someone who is not as willing to give her the details. In those moments Kay truly shines as the detective we’ve all come to love and respect. She gently encourages the person to share more than they feel they can and in so doing so – she finds a way to break the case. Observing her in this moment is rather crucial as you can see how her training has guided her to handle these kinds of interviews but also, how she is able to get the last bits of what will piece the whole case together in a way which will end up with a rock solid ending where the person who is guilty of the crime never quite sees her coming!

The endings are wicked brilliant – the whole team gets as wicked excited as Kay when they see how the pieces fit together and then it becomes this lovely mad dash to solve the case! You’re celebrating with them – all the hard hours of feeling they were spinning their wheels and now they can finally lay the case to rest because of a singular interview where Kay helped eek out the confusions which fuse everything else together. Of course, at this point – where you see this shift in the narrative, you have to really hold on – the endings are generally the most intense situations throughout the whole story!

Note on Content: Strong language & Certain Visuals

As previously stated, there was an episode of Scott and Bailey I had watched via #BritBox which clued me into how a case like the one in ‘Gone to Ground’ might play out. In both the episode and this audiobook – blessedly, the visuals were limited in both graphic natures, gruesome descriptions and did not quite cross into what I would consider ‘icky’ and beyond horrific. Ms Amphlett pulls back the grim details in all her installments – a signature I appreciate as I cannot handle the more grisly details which are generally inclusive of a traditional Thriller.

Having said that – you still had to brace yourself for when a particular piece of the victim was going to be ‘revealled’. In a fashion similar to Hitchcock – Amphlett helps you brace for these revealations by how she prepares the context of the chapter leading up to that kind of scene – where Hitch used music, Amphlett uses the reactions from bystanders. The Suspense become innately organic due to this technique.

on the thrilling style of ms amphlett:

When it is known what the title refers to ‘gone to ground’ – everything seemed to make better sense about the structure of this particular case. The key focus on the team and how they interact with each other has become the new standard of the series – as originally, when the series first began we would shift between the detectives and the one(s) they were pursuing – giving us a dual perspective from two different sides of every investigation.

In this particular instance – it proves how frustrating detectives become when they don’t have enough to guide them forward. I was hoping this particular case might have a decidedly brilliant wench in the wheel of the investigation and I must admit, Amphlett definitely gave us one!! It has to do with who you think is the person of interest and who the truer culprit turnt out to be – the curious bit here is how Amphlett constantly brings the sociological side of sleuthing into her stories. She focuses on the psychological and the sociological – of easing you through the hardest bits by re-focusing on the reasons ‘why’ certain behaviours are being explored and why some characters have more guilt within them than others. Sometimes your not even sure where a confession is going to lead you or if the confession your hearing is the right one for the case at hand.

I must admit, the crime(s) involved in this installment are really difficult to get through – although, I do credit Ms Amphlett for not making it worse than it was – she definitely pulls back when I have witnessed other authors who don’t have as much self-control as she does. This is a credit to her for giving us a chillingly suspenseful read but without ensuring we’ll have nightmares afterwards! You want to feel the suspense – similar to watching your favourite Hitchcock film but without feeling as if you can’t properly recover afterwards! Hitchcock and Amphlett both found the sweet spot in Suspense where they can give you chills but allow you the grace to know you can handle where the stories will lead.

I am thankful to know there will be two new #KayHunter stories arriving each year starting in 2019 – I think I can handle this series at that particular pacing of publications as I always feel I have a very full heart and mind after I finish one of the installments. You remember echoes of the stories and it takes time to ‘let go’ of the latest bits you’ve heard – as so much transpires within each of these installments, the fuller scope of the series is a keen one to become invested in seeing grow! I also hope the transition back to the UK for Ms Amphlett is a smooth one – I am sure her other readers will be as patient as I am to see when Kay Hunter re-appears — for now, she’s given us an emotionally convicting six volume series which we shall never soon forget!

specifically in regards to the audiobook:

As I am relatively new to reviewing audiobooks and listening to them with a greater frequency than of the past, I am appreciative of Ms Jess providing a cursory outline of how best to articulate my listening hours on behalf of this audiobook and the others I shall be blogging about or reviewing in future. I’ve modified the suggestions to what I felt were pertinent to respond too on my own behalf as well as keeping to the questions I felt were relevant to share.

Number of Times I’ve heard the Narrator(s):

This is my sixth listening of an Alison Campbell audiobook – as the first one was for ‘Scared to Death’ followed by the next stories in sequence of order for the Kay Hunter series.

Regards to the Narrator’s Individual Character performances:

Kay Hunter: Her voice moves through confidence to the kind of fatigue a detective can experience trying to pull pieces together in a case which have little to no clues to build a case upon. There is a cheeky smirk in her voice as well – especially when there is a moment between the high tension of detecting. I truly appreciate hearing Ms Campbell narrating Kay Hunter – as each time I hear her voice, I feel as if I overhear another facet of Kay herself.

Sharpe: Kay and Sharpe worked well together in this installment especially since Kay has a new role in the unit. You can see how they’ve developed a companionship for networking with each other to find the best way to get the unit to be more efficient out in the field. Sharpe respects her choices and her instincts which in turn helps Kay stay confident in her abilities.

Barnes: His supportive mannerisms is a calming balm to Kay’s stresses on the job whilst I love hearing how his friendship with Kay sustains both of these colleagues during long days of struggling to find clues to pair together in order to build a proper case. His knowledge of what helps Kay when she’s stressed is also an asset.

Adam: Blessedly we had the joy of finding a new side to Adam, where he is a bit more light-hearted and gets back to champion the joys for Kay to feel surrounded by less angst when she’s off the job. I also liked learning more about his back-story – how he was able to finance his clinic and how their lives were positively impacted by an unknown inheritance.

Supporting Cast:

Harriet: You truly have to hand it to Harriet for how she handles examining the crime scenes – for what she has to work with is not for the weak of heart. She has great instincts and she keeps her voice calm even if she’s worried about what the scene is telling her and what she has to then impart to Kay in order to help the investigation to move forward.

How the Novel sounded to me as it was being Read: (theatrical or narrative)

I get so dearly lost inside the narrative style of Ms Campbell – each of her voices she gives to these characters becomes so dearly familiar, you know whose about to arrive in front of your ears before you can hear what they have to say! Its a joy to return to this series, as it feels like ‘old home week’ – with voices you match readily with the characters and the characters of whom you feel more attached to due to how they feel so dearly familiar thus far into a series of six chilling thrillers!

Preference after listening to re-Listen or pick up the book in Print?

Definitely will keep listening to the audiobooks – though one day, I suspect I shall gather the books if only to admire them on my shelf and remember the memories of listening to Ms Campbell bring these to life! Then, after a respectable distance, I’ll read them whilst listening to the audiobooks — a treat I feel is as sinfully delish as the best chocolate desert or cocktail to accompany it.

In closing, would I seek out another Alison Campbell audiobook?

It goes without question – I am a huge fan  of Ms Campbell’s narration styling – the only tricky bit is is finding a story she’s narrated where I don’t automatically feel I can hear pieces of ‘Kay Hunter’. As I have grown so dearly fond of the voices she’s composed for this series, it would be hard to hear a similar variation of these voices attached to different characters. If that makes sense?!

 This audiobook review is courtesy of Audiobookworm Promotions:

Happily follow the rest of the audiobook tour by visiting the route:

whilst you do, don’t forget the lovely interview I hosted with Ms Amphlett!

{SOURCES: Book Covers for “Scared to Death”, “Will to Live”, “One to Watch”, “Hell to Pay”, “Call to Arms” and “Gone to Ground”, the synopsis for “Gone to Ground”, the biography and photograph of Rachel Amphlett as well as the blog tour banner for the Kay Hunter series and the host badge were provided by Audiobookworm Promotions and are used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded by codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Audiobook Review Banner and the Comment Box Banner.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2018.

I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life

#Audiobook Review of Gone to Ground
narrated by @EsmieMatthews

Similar to Hitchcock – @RachelAmphlett helps you brace for revelations – where Hitch used music, Amphlett uses reactions from bystanders; the #Suspense is then organic.

📖🖤https://t.co/XtqsyoL7BS | @AnAudiobookworm pic.twitter.com/0yFsogcP6a

— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) September 7, 2018