Jack Be Nimble

Knight & Culverhouse #3

by Adam Croft

A killer is loose on the streets of Mildenheath, and his barbaric crimes seem a little too familiar... As the body count begins to rise, DS Wendy Knight and DCI Jack Culverhouse start to realise that the killer is emulating the gruesome, grisly murders of the world's most famous and elusive serial killer : Jack the Ripper. With Culverhouse struggling to come to terms with his ex-wife's dramatic return after she disappeared eight and a half years earlier and Knight trying to cope with the trauma she’s suffered following devastating events of two previous cases, the race is on to stop the killer before he completes his final kill and retreats back into the darkness. They know he's going to kill again, but they don't know where or who his next victim will be. And what's worse, they don't know who he is either... Jack Be Nimble is a gripping, fast-paced serial killer thriller which will captivate fans of Peter James, Ian Rankin and Mark Billingham. ‘Adam Croft has to be one of the best authors in crime .’ ‘ I couldn't put this down , especially towards the end.’ ‘I have to admit, I'm hooked on Knight & Culverhouse ... brilliantly written .’ Lucy Hayward ‘Extremely well-written ... a great, page-turning whodunit .’ Jessica Grace Coleman ‘Once the story starts to unfold, you really won't want to put it down until the climax .’ Gary Alce ‘Once again, Adam manages to captivate the reader within moments of opening the book ... Highly recommended .’ The Knight and Culverhouse series Too Close for ComfortGuilty as SinJack Be NimbleRough JusticeIn Too DeepIn the Name of the FatherWith A Vengeance

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Thriller, Audiobook, Fiction

254 pages, Paperback

First published July 10, 2015

About the author

With more than half a million books sold to date, Adam Croft is one of the most successful independently published authors in the world, and one of the biggest selling authors of the past year.

Following his 2015 worldwide bestseller Her Last Tomorrow, his psychological thrillers were bought by Thomas & Mercer, an imprint of Amazon Publishing. Prior to the Amazon deal, Her Last Tomorrow sold more than 150,000 copies across all platforms and became one of the bestselling books of the year, reaching the top 10 in the overall Amazon Kindle chart and peaking at number 12 in the combined paperback fiction and non-fiction chart.

His Knight & Culverhouse crime thriller series has sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide, with his Kempston Hardwick mystery books being adapted as audio plays starring some of the biggest names in British TV.

In 2016, the Knight & Culverhouse Box Set reached number 1 in Canada, knocking J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child off the top spot only weeks after Her Last Tomorrow was also number 1 in Canada.

During the summer of 2016, two of Adam’s books hit the USA Today bestseller list only weeks apart, making them two of the most-purchased books in the United States over the summer.

Before writing full time, Adam had previously worked as an internet marketing consultant, delivery driver and professional actor.

Adam has been featured on BBC Radio, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, The Bookseller and a number of other news and media outl

Reviews

[Martin Pingree · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 3rd book in this series is just as good as the first two. Culverhouse & Knight are once again trying to solve another series of murders. Very good read !

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this series! Saw books 4-6 free on Barnes and Noble so ordered the others so I could start at the beginning.
Great character development and intriguing stories. Nice quick reads!

[Tracy jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

3rd book in the series abs another good storyline. Kept me gripped until then end.

[Tamara De Cubber · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 sterren

[Laura McCaskill · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third book in the series. I feel like they keep getting better as you get to know the characters more! I’m looking forward to reading more in this series. I assume the storyline about Culverhouse’s wife Helen will continue in future books in the series as it was introduced in the previous book and is yet to be resolved.

[Garry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am hooked, hopefully Santa will me book 4 in the series

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW a copycat serial killer from years ago that has kept everyone in the dark of who the killer really was. Now a new serial kill out killing women with the same MO only a little different. This killer thinks he can outsmart the cops which he has up to a point. The police are keeping their cards close to their chest not giving out more information than they have to. If the public knew there was a serial killer loose they would panic and may give him the upper hand. The race is on to find the killer before another women dies. Will they be too late or will they finally catch him?

Mr. Patterson narration is outstanding from his accent to his character emotions. I thought his male and female voices were great. You always know what each are feeling whether it be excitement or anger the narrator really puts each emotion in his voice. He really pulls this listener in leaving your heart skipping a beat from time to time as the chilling thrill leaves another women dead. I did not hear any repeated words or any background noise. There is no place where the volume changes from one chapter to the next. The narrator really gives you a wonderful clear, clean and crisp audio that takes you back in time to a day long ago with one serial killer who got away. As he bring you forward to the present and the copycat killer you are left spellbound and invested in the listen. Mr. Patterson has a very strong voice that really pulls you in. With this story based in London his accent really make it easy to picture the story unfold before your eyes giving you a believable story you can get lost in. I was hook from start to finish and didn’t want to put the audio down. I can’t wait to listen to more of his work.

I was a little lost with Jack’s wife not sure where that came into the story. I am guessing you learn more about her and their relationship in the past books. This is a story inside a story leaving you wondering if she might be one of the victims. There is a lot of mystery around her, where she has been, where is their daughter, what does she want and where will she end up.

DCI Jack Culverhouse will have to be fast on his feet to work out this highly entertaining thriller. As the pieces start falling together leaving everyone with their mouths hung open to this new twists to an old serial killer. I really enjoyed this thriller it kept my attention making my heart beat faster and my eyes big as the hunt goes on. It will be a while before you work out who the killer is if you can. The author doesn’t give you many hints but it is there if you listen. The story moves around Jack, Wendy, Jacks wife and the killer with a lot of wonderful supporting characters. With Wendy and Jack working together they work through the clues brings excitement to the read. This is a pretty fast pace listen that is full of chilling facts of old and new. The serial killer plays a dangerous game of cat and mouse getting very bold at times when he thinks the police are too dumb to put the pieces together. The book is full of murder, mystery, true facts, hate, indifference, sorrow and just plain old good writing that hooks you from the beginning until the end. I haven’t read/listen to anything by this author but he sure pulls you in with vivid details that leaves you with your mouth open.

[Samantha Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very gutted to give this book a 4* as the other 2 books in series I gave 5*. I just felt this one was a bit slow and was more of a pass along book

Don't get me wrong I love the culverhouse series and did enjoy this book but felt there wasn't much excitement in this one

I do recommend this series tho and can't wait to read #4

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too bad. But why did they take so long to know who the bad guy was?

[Jodi Pomerleau · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars...this one was a little better than the previous 2 stories. I was engaged in the mystery but distracted by the Helen story which went nowhere, and frankly, I could see no reason for it. I was enjoying the story right up until it was very clear to me who the murderer was, and I was frustrated that the officers did not follow up on what was clearly a link that needed investigating....at that point I knew whodunit. Of course, had they followed up there would be no dramatic ending, but for me it was all moot because there was only the stand off that was mildly entertaining, not the reveal at all. A good enough story that I might entertain future stories of Knight and Culverhouse, as I do like the characters. But I won't be going out of my way to find the books...this set of 3 came to me as a free set from an online budget book source.

[Shirley Hartman-Rozee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in this series that I have read—and it’s #3. So I have no background knowledge on any of the characters. Culverhouse is a real jerk—I don’t like his coarse language—and he doesn’t seem to get along very well with his team. I found the book slow and plodding except for the final chapter. In fact, I sort of skimmed over several pages that involved characters who had no meaningful business being there—they added nothing to the plot. Also, the biggest problem I have with crime stories or police procedurals is the unending political claptrap that always gets in the way. Here’s a thought: why doesn’t someone write a book about a team of investigators who actually work well together and like each other.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first thoughts were, "not another Jack the Ripper rehash," but past experience with Adam Croft’s books is to keep an open mind and I wasn't disappointed. It certainly is a reworking of a "Jack the Ripper" copycat killer but told in an exciting way. Knight and Culverhouse seem thwarted at every turn and despite the killer's claim that modern policing hasn't significantly advanced since the Victorian era they (no spoilers) was proven wrong and despite the use of technology it’s still the ability to analyse and draw conclusions that ultimately solve the crime.

[Graham Sillars · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book in August and have only just finished it in November.

It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it, it’s because I’m a scatter brained mess!

I put the book away on the shelf absentmindedly when tidying up a few books I’d left lying around and only remembered about it a few days ago.

This was a brilliant book. A copycat killer re-enacting the killing of Jack the Ripper.

Very clever and edge of your seat.

I wish I hadn’t misplaced it back in August!

[linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got the box set which are the first three books in the Knight and Culverhouse Series. This is an excellent detective story which keeps you in suspense until the final pages. You can work it out a bit earlier if you recognise the subtle hints.
A good read, something a bit different. If you read the first 2 books you get a good insight in the main characters lives.

[Erik Sapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very simplistic. The story is good, but the writing leaves a lot to be desired. It is very superficial with no depth.

The part with Culverhouse's ex-wife is pointless. I assume the author plans to continue it in later books, but there is no reason. As it is, it's words that dangle but never leads anywhere.

[Mary Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The killer was murdering women in a similar style to the infamous Jack The Ripper, killing on the same dates and emulating how they died and were left in similar 'dumping' grounds. It was really tense at times but the two main characters, Wendy Knight & Jack Culverhouse were still prominent enough for their own story lines to show through.

[Kev · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third instalment in this series and a real improvement on the first two. Not that the first two are poor, but this one focuses more on the crime and not so much on the personal stuff which I find gets in the way. I know Wendy struggled badly in book two, but I felt her troubles spoil the story. This time around felt more edge of your seat and I loved how it kept you guessing.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Adam Croft's books. This was not one of my favourites but it was still an enjoyable story. I didn't guess the ending. I love the earthiness of Culverhouse and how Knight works hard to prove herself in a man's world.

[Marco Morissette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written and the plot is very well develop as of the use age of the characters! The suspense is from the very beginning until the last page! Adam Croft really surprise me! Anxious to read the next one of the series!

[Paul Devall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Ripper...

Another good read for the train to work and back. The Jack character had me fooled. I thought it was the profiler. It goes to show no matter how many mysteries you read and how many movies you can watch, the best ones are where you can't tell whodunit.

[Donna Ann Sutcliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant. This was gripping and a slow burner but I just wanted to rush home to finish it. Culverhouse has a delimma and Wendy is bit quieter in this on but then she has been through hell in the first two books. Love it .

[Cat Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read books 1-3 back to back, I finally felt like I connected to the characters. It was nice to read from other PoVs, in particular, I enjoyed finding out more about Culverhouse. The plot was also more engaging and felt less rushed to an outcome. This, for me, was the best so far.

[Steph Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best one in the series so far! Much longer than the others and a more enjoyable storyline which felt fuller and more interesting throughout. Not as twisty as I expect but I still enjoyed it and flew through once I got going.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best of the first three books for the development of Knight and Culverhouse’s characters.

Good story, but a “who dun it” no one could solve by reading because...

Read it yourself, I’m not giving it away.

[Roland Marchal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my 3rd K&C book and I do enjoy them. The quality of the writing fluctuates in that every so often you enter the realms of disbelief but having said that I am looking forward to the next. A sort of easy listening for the reader.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

All characters have now (for me) become readable characters. And enjoyable read with yet again another great plot. I'm already thinking that Mildenheath rates up there with Midsommer - not a place to go!

[Estelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good edge of the seat story! Book 4 next.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories are growing on me. I enjoyed this one a lot more than the previous two.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book much better than 1 & 2, likely because I knew all the characters so the focus on the story was more enjoyable.
Will definitely read more.

[Christine Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I am fascinated with Jack the Ripper this book appealed to me and Adam Croft did not let me down even if I guessed the murderer I felt for Luke wish that hadn’t happened though