The Laughing Policeman cover art

The Laughing Policeman

Brimstone Chorus, Book 1

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The Laughing Policeman

By: Elizabeth J. Brown
Narrated by: Nigel Peever
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About this listen

The law failed him. The demon won’t.

Charlie Haynes is an aging ex-detective, working unsolved cases. Obsessed with cleanliness and order, Charlie is a loner who trades on his experience of grisly crimes, and struggles to maintain a relationship with his adult daughter.

When three teenagers are murdered in a public cemetery, the ritualistic killings show similarities to one of Charlie’s old investigations: a savage serial killer who targeted the members of a notorious Traveller family, the Boswells.

Charlie is called in to speak to the one surviving witness, whose terrifying testimony confirms his fear: the Caravan Cannibal is back, roused by the reappearance of an ancient dagger that has haunted Charlie throughout his career.

As Charlie realises he has a personal connection to the killer, he must confront his own demons to protect the last remaining Boswells, Ciara, and her young daughter, Addy, and free an innocent from the grip of an insatiable evil.

The Laughing Policeman is the first book in the Brimstone Chorus dark fantasy series. If you like gritty, fast-paced suspense, dry humor and dark supernatural forces, then you won’t be able to put down Elizabeth J. Brown’s addictive and ultraviolent debut.
A warning: The Laughing Policeman contains scenes of violence and strong language, that some readers may find distressing.

©2022 Elizabeth J. Brown (P)2023 Elizabeth J. Brown Crime Crime Fiction Dark Fantasy Fantasy Horror Scary Fiction Exciting Witty Suspense

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I loved everything about it. Best book I’ve heard in years . Just Awsome story more please

It was fantastic

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Listener received this title free

This was my first read of Brown's, and I went into it pretty much completely blind. I didn't know what to expect and tried to keep my expectations reasonable, and ended up having them exceeded. It's difficult to discuss the plot without giving too much away, but The Laughing Policeman is a tale of the supernatural and occult spanning three decades—and is certainly not one for the faint of heart.

There are some moments of truly gruesome violence, occasionally bordering on extreme horror. That was a surprise to me, but a pleasant one, and more than once I found myself wincing along to these depictions. These scenes are balanced out by dialogue laced with humour, with one duo in particular bringing to mind Tom Hardy and Venom in the recent movies. Brown has written strong, flawed, complex characters that I found myself really invested in by the end, and I could never wait to dive back into the book to learn more about them.

I listened to the audiobook presentation of The Laughing Policeman, which is an incredibly immersive experience. As well as performing a wide variety of voices, and narrating with real panache, Nigel Preever brings the world to life using sound effects, music and other tricks of the trade—it is almost like listening to a play rather than a book, and was a great way of experiencing this story for the firs time.

A brutal yet funny story with an excellent narrator

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Listener received this title free

Well written story. Also, Nigel Peever really does an amazing job on the performance of this book, drawing the listener in and holding the attention

Definitely worth a listen.

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Listener received this title free

I saw this book on tiktok when someone was talking about the cool cover which was the first thing that drew me to the book and after hearing the premise for the story I was hooked.

I really enjoyed the interesting dynamic between Stephen and the demon, as they almost seem to bond at points and have an understanding of the other then other times the difference between their world views are glaringly obvious as Stephens humanity fights to be heard over the demons joy of inflicting pain and killing. The battle for dominace over the physical body is where the idea of the laughing policeman comes from as Stephen tried to heal himself and the demon reopens the gashes on his face each night.

Stephen is driven solely by revenge but thanks to the possession must carry it further to a blood debt and wipe out the entire family line. Throughout the book Stephen is presented with dilemmas that test his humanity and sometimes his grief and rage push him into decisions that reflect the demons preferences than his own and his dismay at finding the shared thoughts and actions.

I am definitely looking forward to more in this series and am interested in the progression of the world building and the lore behind the demons encountered. I also really liked that while the demon clearly enjoyed killing and tormenting humans it wasn't his whole goal or motivation, that was simply to go home. No seeming plans for world domination or war just figuring out a way to get home, whilst doing demonic stuff along the way.

Nigel Peever gives an excellent performance, bringing the characters to life in vivid detail, really drawing you into the story. He also has one of the best villain laughs I have heard in a while, very menacing and really helped show the divide between the characters of Stephen and the demon.

The production was very clean and sound quality was excellent, the background music and sounds really helped bring the book to life.

I was given this audiobook for free and have left this review voluntarily.

He laughs at everybody when he's walking in the street

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Loved this. It was different than what I was expecting. lots of humour and horror, with great character development. A great novel that I think would appeal to readers of every genre. The audiobook is fantastic too. Well narrated with a great production. Easy 5 stars.

Brilliant!

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Listener received this title free

Gypsy curses, blood debt, murder mystery, and demonic possession - a delightful combination that the author molded into a dark unsettling story.
I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of The laughing policeman, not only loved the story, but the narration was superb with a Shakespearean voice and brilliant sound effects throughout.
Really looking forward to the second book now, Elizabeth J Brown is a greatly talented author and this book gave all the thrills and goosebumps you want from an excellent horror book!

great story, excellent narration!

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Listener received this title free

How amazing. Couldn’t turn it off. Great use of characters, draws you in and spits out a compelling story with a what’s going to happen next. Great listen.

Gripping thriller

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I thoroughly enjoyed this story. A lovely twist on a supernatural thriller. There is a good amount of gallows humour that will have you chuckling out aloud one minute, and grimacing in terror the next! I cannot wait until the next book in the series. I’d love to see this made into a movie!
Nigel Peever is an excellent actor, his talent for narration is sublime, and never overlook his fantastic ability to produce these books with sound effects, music, and a plethora of accents is second to none.
If you’re hesitant on this purchase, don’t be, I can guarantee you’ll enjoy this.

Brilliant concept - Great Book - Superb Narration

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I’ve just finished the audio book and I have to say I really enjoyed it! It has a brilliant storyline in which you can visualise the characters and the scenes! Can’t wait for the next in the series!

An excellent book

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Listener received this title free

First 'enhanced' audio book I've listened to too - a fun story - waiting for the next one to be turned into an audio book now!

Fun story

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