Far From The Tree – Rob Parker (Audiobook)
Twenty-seven bodies, vacuum-packed, buried in a woodland trench. Some have been there for years, some for just days.
When DI Brendan Foley recognises one of the Warrington 27, he knows this case is about to shake his world.
Detective Sergeant Iona Madison is a skilled boxer and a vital support for Foley. Theirs is a newly established police force, and loyalties are about to be tested to the extreme.
Pressure mounts as news of the mass grave is plastered over the news. Brendan knows they can’t crack this case alone, but he’s not letting a rival force take over.
Their investigations lead them into the murky underworlds of Manchester and Liverpool, where one more murder means little to drug-dealing gangs, desperate to control their power bases.
But as Madison steps into the ring for the fight of her life, the criminals come to them. It’s no coincidence that the corpses have been buried in Foley’s hometown. The question is, why?
I am an Audible member and I purchased this audiobook through my membership allocation.
I bought Far From The Tree when it was an Audible Only title and because it was by Rob Parker – who is currently releasing books faster than I seem to be able to read them. Knowing this author can write a pacy thriller and reading that blurb (above) about a mass grave and an investigating officer recognising one of the victims, I decided Far From The Tree was a book I didn’t want to miss out on. Turns out my instinct was on the money as I could’t get enough of this one.
The good news for non-audiobook readers is that Red Dog Press have just announced there will be a paperback release of Far From The Tree in July of this year. The audiobook remains immediately available and I rate it highly, narrator Warren Brown is magnificent and does a fabulous job bringing life to DI Brendan Foley and his collleagues. The action is set in Warrington and England’s North West and even to my untrained (and Scottish) ear I was able to place the regional accents and feel entirely satisfied the authenticity and accuracy which you would hope to hear was very much accomplished.
Why was Far From The Tree such a hit with me? It gripped me early and kept me hooked. I didn’t want to stop listening and Rob Parker really nailed the dynamics and impact of the story with a strong set of characters.
Lead character is Brendan Foley. He is meant to be enjoying his son’s christening but is called out to supervise a shocking discovery in a local wood. When we arrive on the scene with Foley the police are uncovering a trench which appears to be a mass grave. The bodies within are all wrapped tightly in plastic but it is immediately clear that some have been in the ground for quite some time. Nothing the Warrington Police have seen before can have prepared them for this and readers can immediately see the impact it is having on them.
Foley is briefly called away from the crimescene and we see his DS, Iona Madison, step up to oversee matters while Foley returns to his family to explain his absence to his wife and to get his father to keep an eye on proceedings (and his wife) while Foley will be away. This distraction from the body-filled trench was extremely effective in introducing Foley’s family, who will go on to play a significant role in later events, and also showcasing Madison as the strong, effective investigator she needs to be in Far From The Tree.
I am loathe to get too deeply into events of the book as part of my review (Spoilers) however, I do want to touch on how much I enjoyed this book as a strong police procedural thriller. The investigation into twenty seven multiple murders is no mean feat, particularly when many of the victims were buried in a condition which involved maiming or disfigurement. Foley and his team doggedly pursue the small clues they can uncover as the pathologist completes examinations. I also enjoyed the side of the story where action slips to Foley and his family. The strain an investigation such as this can put on the officers is something not always explored in fiction but Rob Parker takes time to show the devestation it can have on a family and it brings you closer to Foley and Madison and their loved ones.
This isn’t an easy review as I am trying so hard to avoid spoilers. What I can share is that Far From The Tree is easily one of the best audiobooks I have listened to for some time. I did a full six hour listening session to get through three quarters of the story in one go – previously the longest audiobook session I had completed was around 2 hours (and that was while I was driving). I loved this book, it got its claws into me early and didn’t let me go. When it ended I didn’t feel I was done with these characters – they endured shocks, grief, personal trauma and not all the team will be at their desks in the weeks following the story…but I still wanted more. When a book leaves you craving more chapters then it has done its job. Brilliant. Pure page turning drama.
Far From The Tree is currently available in audiobook format only but will be released in paperback on 2 July 2021. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1839012099/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i8