The Lovecraft Investigations - The Shadow Over Innsmouth

The Lovecraft Investigations #3

by Julian Simpson

A foggy seafront town where something’s coming from the water. An ancient cult, a stranger with a bandaged face and a body in a shallow grave. The podcast investigation continues.

Podcasters Matthew Heawood and Kennedy Fisher return and this time the story is Kennedy Fisher. A simple investigation into the disappearance of a young man from a mental health facility has taken them from Rhode Island to Iraq, to the Suffolk countryside – as they realised that everything uncovered in season one threaded through to season two.

Towards the end of 'The Whisperer In Darkness,' the investigation turned inward as Kennedy discovered a possible family connection to the uncovered conspiracy. And evidence forces Heawood to question the veracity of Kennedy's account of her time in Iraq. As Kennedy heads off to Innsmouth, to look into her apparently spooky ancestry, Heawood is going to Iraq to answer the most disturbing of all questions: could Kennedy be a killer?

Both Kennedy and Heawood make life-changing discoveries as the two investigations come together and reach a gripping conclusion, just as the Coronavirus pandemic is sweeping the world.

Barnaby Kay and Jana Carpenter star in writer/director Julian Simpson’s H.P. Lovecraft-inspired universe.

Genres: Horror, Audiobook, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal, Classics

Audio CD

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Shabbeer Hassan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather well dramatised modern take on the Lovecraftian tale. The stars reflect the quality of the production and not the story per se. I have a love/hate relationship with Lovecraft's craft so as to say and how his views seeped into everything he created. In times like these, the separation of art from artist becomes rather challenging albeit the BBC version does smoothen some of the rough edges around the original story.

My Rating - 3/5

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole series is a high water mark of audio drama Lovecraft modernisations, two reporters of a podcast that become ensnared in the many threads that will be recognisable to readers of Lovecraft and inspire deep unease in those not familiar. Either way, it's a brilliant, epic series and I am genuinely sorry that it's over, but might there be more....?

[vk chompooming · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the Lovecraft Investigations! They were chilling, somewhat intense, and current compared to when Lovecraft actually wrote these stories. These are radio dramas, so easy to get through, but The Shadow Over Innsmouth was easily the weakest of the 1st three. It was slow and uneventful. I'm loving the series, so far, so I give it 3 stars.

[(Mark) EchoWolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this is supposed to be the third and final episode. And like most series, the first is the best, the second is good, and the third and final is a little perplexing, because there was so many threads left unanswered, including what happened to everyone at the end, they all disappeared with the town of Pleasant Green, this has me bamboozled. I know Lovecraft mysteries kind of usually end like this, leaving questions, but I want another episode, because the failure at the end is Kennedy Fisher not describing what she saw and experienced while Matthew is trying to save her and the bad occult chanting forces are trying to bring back their god to destroy the earth. So why wouldn't her final podcast topic be what she saw and experienced. It was a great series that leaves many questions unanswered for me at the end, so I made up my own ending, like most people probably have.

[Zack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creative, gripping, and enjoyable. Significantly less racist than the original, I'd assume, based on the author. I think my least favourite of the series. It failed to tie up ends where it could have. Also cheesy in many ways.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this so much I wanted to hear the audiobook too.

[Hypatia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Thought the Innsmouth plotline had potential to be more interesting.

[Grey]

Got recommended this an unique HPL adaption that I'll definitely like. Listened to the dexter ward and innsmouth episodes. It's made in the style of those true crime podcasts set in the modern day and oh boy turns out I hate that. If I liked those I'd probably be all in but for me this completely annihilates the atmosphere.

[OG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, we are really getting into it now. Creepy and nasty stuff happening in insmouth, of course. I love that it’s set in lockdown and the trap is set. I also love the implication that lockdown is all part of the infernal plan. Excellent reimagining. Onwards ho!

[Stefan Koepeknie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit ambitious.

[Lobo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Z jednej strony ta seria daje mi to, czego nie ma w Tanis: splata wątki i postaci, bardzo dobrze zszywa różne elementy fabuły ze sobą, tworzy spójną narrację. Z drugiej strony, o jejku, ale to było rozczarowujące. Po pierwsze, wszystkie momenty naładowane akcją (napaści, śledzenie, walki) przekazywane są za pomocą serii dźwięków (trzask! prech! zgrzyt!) i nikt nie tłumaczy, co się dokładnie dzieje. Po drugie, nie wiemy czemu rytuał się nie udał ani co się właściwie stało. Seria dźwięków i "a potem staliśmy na skraju pola i nie było śladu po wielkim złym mziu, które miało zniszczyć świat i nikt nie wiedział czemu". Dokładnie jak w Tanis. Nie wiem, czy wytłumaczenie, że czyste serce Kennedy nie pozwoliło na wezwanie złych mocy nie byłoby ciekawsze, ale przynajmniej byłoby czymś. Także ten, daje się słuchać, ale pierwsza część serii była najlepsza, każda kolejna jest słabsza.

[Jillian Neubauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third season really was different than the others. I think that Matt and Kennedy are very believable characters in a crazy alternative universe. I was a little confused at some points about characters and the plot lines, but they all seemed to come together in the end so I guess that is what it is about. I don’t think that Lovecraft’s stories are supposed to make sense, so it fit in quite nicely. Also seeing as this is horror I was frightened a few times (quite enjoyable if I do say so myself). I have so many questions that probably won’t get answered, but I think that is okay! Overall I REALLY enjoyed this whole show and yes I do recommend listening in:))

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eerie finish to an unsettling series. Author Julian Simpson has done a fantastic job with difficult subjects: updating Lovecraft to the modern day, linking 3 different stories and still making things chilling. My only regret is that we don't have a real ending. The cast and production are outstanding and the implications were chilling. I hope they do more. We need to find out what really happened that last night!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the previous 2 series but I found myself loosing interest as this series went on. I found it hard to keep up with the story. I'm not sure if I've missed something critical or if I just found it hard to take all of the information in as it did seem like a lot of info to take in quickly at times. Maybe it moved too fast for me?

[Hannah Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best radio drama I have ever heard. Based on HP Lovecraft mythology, it is just so well written. The main characters Kennedy and Matt are so well rounded and frankly fascinating. It's created like it's a mystery podcast but it's absolutely gripping. Highly recommend

[James Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third season of BBC Lovecraft Investigations series. Very clever modernisation of HP Lovecraft's novels in the form of a podcast.

[Simona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely the weakest for the three.
I've lost track of all the different cheaters a.