Try free for 30 days

Preview
  • The River Man

  • By: R. B. Croft
  • Narrated by: Dominic West
  • Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (37 ratings)

A 30-day trial plus your first audiobook free.
1 credit/month after trial—to buy any title you like, yours to keep.
Listen all you want to a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.

The River Man

By: R. B. Croft
Narrated by: Dominic West
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $9.99

Buy Now for $9.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

How do you track down a killer who might not even exist?

An Audible Original from thrilling new talent, R B Croft, narrated by star of The Crown, The Wire and The Affair Dominic West.

Clem knows every inch of Watersmeet like the back of his hand. After all, he’s controlled crime here for most of his career. But after a shock murder, he meets jaundiced yellow eyes shining out of the darkness beyond the houses on the village’s eerie southern slopes, and everything he thought he knew about the place is thrown into question.

Clem’s grown up with local legends, just like everyone else. But could the River Man be real, and might this creature be behind the recent mysterious killings? It’s a theory – and not one that his superiors want to hear. They’re more interested in courting soundbites and social media with their own wild explanations. Drugs? Gangs? Clem just doesn’t believe it.

Suspended, he takes matters into his own hands and strikes out into the woods behind the farm. Here, amongst the trees and hidden caves, he discovers more than he ever wanted to. Something that’s been hiding. Something that needs to be smoked out. Clem sets out to solve the village’s biggest crime ever, but at what cost?

About the author

R B Croft loves the wild and the creeping sensation that comes with wondering ‘what if…?’. A married father and certified book nut, he’s often found outdoors with a pen in his hand, getting himself into trouble. His literary idols are too many to count, but include Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Michelle Paver, Christina Henry, Peter Benchley, CJ Box, and CJ Tudor - and anyone who stops him from sleeping.

About the narrator

Dominic West is one of the country’s finest and most versatile actors. His thirty-year career has included roles in some of the most iconic television series, from his award-winning portrayal of Jimmy McNulty in The Wire, to Charles, Prince of Wales in The Crown. Since making his film debut opposite Sir Ian McKellen in Richard III, he has appeared in movies as diverse as Oscar-winning musical Chicago, historical drama Downton Abbey: A New Era, provided voices in Disney Pixar’s Finding Dory and played real-life activist Jonathan Blake in the multi-award-winning Pride.

©2024 R. B. Croft (P)2024 Audible, Ltd

Critic Reviews

“A thrilling mash-up of crime and folk horror. With genuinely chilling scenes, The River Man is packed with suspense on every page.” (Sarah A. Denzil, author of The Silent Child)

"Clem's journey through the shadowy underbelly of Watersmeet is riveting. The book masterfully blends crime and folklore, creating a thrilling narrative that will make you doubt what you thought you knew. A compelling listen that brilliantly weaves mystery, local legend, and raw emotion." (Mark Dawson, author of the John Milton, Beatrix and Isabella Rose and Atticus Priest series)

“Mysterious deaths in a small town, The River Man chilled me to my core. Part folklore, part serial killer, this is creepy, eerie storytelling at its best.” (Sam Holland, The Echo Man, The Twenty, The Puppet Master)

What listeners say about The River Man

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    20
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    24
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    20
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A bit different

This book wasn't really my cup of tea. It was nearly a DNF, but I chose to push on. A story of a "mythical" creature come to life to terrorise a small community. The hero is a semi-retired cop who rescues the town.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The water hides secrets

i enjoyed this very much from start to finish not to far over the top if you have a good imagination and some time to relax enjoy love the voices more like this please

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very good book

Enjoyed listening to this. Would recommend to others the story seemed simple though entertaining. Good energy and endearing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Confused

The story was supposed to be set in England who have front steps/verandahs not stoops which is American. At the beginning the old cop had to go to the local library to find information on old tales of monsters in the area. Towards the end he was thinking about all the stories he heard as a child about the monster. Very poorly written

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.