A Killing on the Hill Audiobook By Robert Dugoni cover art

A Killing on the Hill

A Thriller

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

A Killing on the Hill

By: Robert Dugoni
Narrated by: Robert Dugoni
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $30.09

Buy for $30.09

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

A gripping new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.

The Great Depression. High-level corruption. And a murder that’s about to become Seattle’s hottest mystery. It’s the kind of story that can make a reporter’s career. If he lives to write about it.

Seattle, 1933. The city is in the grips of the Great Depression, Prohibition, and vice. Cutting his teeth on a small-time beat, hungry and ambitious young reporter William “Shoe” Shumacher gets a tip that could change his career. There’s been a murder at a social club on Profanity Hill—an underworld magnet for vice crimes only a privileged few can afford. The story is going to be front-page news, and Shoe is the first reporter on the scene.

The victim, Frankie Ray, is a former prizefighter. His accused killer? Club owner and mobster George Miller, who claims he pulled the trigger in self-defense. Soon the whole town’s talking, and Shoe’s first homicide is fast becoming the Trial of the Century. The more Shoe digs, the more he’s convinced nothing is as it seems. Not with a tangle of conflicting stories, an unlikely motive, and witnesses like Ray’s girlfriend, a glamour girl whose pretty lips are sealed. For now.

In a city steeped in Old West debauchery, Shoe’s following every lead to a very dangerous place—one that could bring him glory and fame or end his life.

©2024 La Mesa Fiction LLC. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
Crime Thrillers Fiction Historical Legal Thriller Mystery
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

“The elements of a scandalous crime are everywhere: a dubiously employed moll who could be a ringer for Jean Harlow, a former boxer with big money problems, a nattily dressed gangster insisting he shot his assailant in self-defense and the illegal nightclub whose patrons are rumored to include the mayor, various council members and even the chief of police.”—Alida Becker, New York Times Book Review

“William’s romantic coming of age takes up almost as many pages as his journalistic work, giving parts of A Killing on the Hill a poignant sweetness reminiscent of Thornton Wilder. But William’s forays into his new hometown’s shadier regions are as hard-boiled as any pulp-magazine novella.”—Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal

"Dugoni scores a decisive win with this tale of greed, lust, and bloodshed: it’s chock-full of expertly drawn characters and plenty of historical lore, and its note-perfect noir atmosphere could accommodate James Cagney. Here’s hoping this gets the series treatment.”Publishers Weekly (starred review)

What listeners say about A Killing on the Hill

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    388
  • 4 Stars
    140
  • 3 Stars
    57
  • 2 Stars
    16
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    373
  • 4 Stars
    113
  • 3 Stars
    40
  • 2 Stars
    15
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    361
  • 4 Stars
    123
  • 3 Stars
    42
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    7

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

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

The era so well portrayed

Loved the narration as well as the story. It held my interest throughout. Great well portrayed characters

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

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

Great story!

This was a fascinating story. It was very different from his other work but definitely a great one! Loved it!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

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

Absolutely charming and engaging and rather heart wrenching 1930s Seattle depression novel

An overall charming and completely wonderful story. Skilled recreation of 1930s depression, culture. Completely endearing and engaging characters and a wonderful thrilling plot!

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
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

How different this book is from the other books by this author I have read

It seemed a bit slow but I finally got into the pace and story and enjoyed the read.

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

Fell in love with shoo...schu?

Nothing to dislike about another Dugoni hit. One always falls in love with his characters. Love him as the narrator as well...

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

The author ends up being a great narrator!

4.25 Stars 🌟

This was a new direction from Mr. Dugoni and I wasn't sure what to expect. I am a big fan of his other series, particularly the Tracey Crosswhite series and the Charles Jenkins series. This was more of a historical fiction stand alone (at least I think it's a stand alone).

The setting is the early 1900's - I think it is set in 1933 - so right in the middle of the Great Depression. We get to meet William “Shoe” Shumacher who is a very young kid who is trying to help his family out by getting a job to help support his family. He is originally from the Mid-West, but through a friend of a friend, they learn that there is an opening for an apprentice for a newspaper in Seattle Washington. So, he arrives in Seattle with a suitcase and pretty much nothing else. But William is ambitious and little by little he begins to make a name for himself as he gets the new job promotion to a reporter on the crime beat.

Things start to become interesting when there is a murder of a man from "The Underworld" or the crime-like mafia in the city. For some reason, the lead detective Blunt gives William the scoop and takes him under his wing for the beginning of the investigation. This case then develops into the "Trial of the Century".

Little by little, William is beginning to wonder if he was chosen because of his naivety and if he is being manipulated once it becomes clear that there is more to the case than meets the eye.

I liked this book. I actually LOVED the details, like 2 cents for a newspaper, and a quarter was a ton of money. Mr. Dugoni paints a very colorful and descriptive setting and it was easy to picture the events as they were happening.

The storyline gets interesting and you do not know until the very end WHO is actually involved in the bigger picture. So - yep, another winner.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that Robert Dugoni is the narrator. When I saw that I thought, "Uh Oh" because sometimes when an author chooses to narrate his own book, well sometimes that can be good, but most of the time, it is not. I am happy to say that I thought he did a fine job with the narration. *Phew!*

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

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

Dugoni Doesn’t Disappoint

A great read from an amazing author. I’ve loved every single book Robert Dugoni has written, and this one follows suit. A cast of multi-layered, likable characters paired with mystery, suspense, a little bit of humor and topped off with some feel-good moments. Very enjoyable listen. Definitely recommend.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

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

A cant-put-down tale of human nature.

The tapestry of ethics, morality, values, greed and other human foibles made this a great read. Narration by the author was surprisingly excellent.

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

Great story

This is a great story set in the 1930s. I couldn’t put it down until the end.

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
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Great story well worth a credit

This author makes great coming of age stories. Well worth a credit. If you like novels that are not in present day you will like this one

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!