Killing Floor Audiobook By Lee Child cover art

Killing Floor

Jack Reacher, Book 1

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Killing Floor

By: Lee Child
Narrated by: Dick Hill
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THE FIRST NOVEL IN LEE CHILD'S #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING JACK REACHER SERIES—NOW AN ORIGINAL SERIES ON PRIME VIDEO!

“From its jolting opening scene to its fiery final confrontation, Killing Floor is irresistible.”—People

Ex-military policeman Jack Reacher is a drifter. He’s just passing through Margrave, Georgia, and in less than an hour, he’s arrested for murder. Not much of a welcome. All Reacher knows is that he didn’t kill anybody. At least not here. Not lately. But he doesn’t stand a chance of convincing anyone. Not in Margrave, Georgia. Not a chance in hell.

Accolades & Awards

Series Essentials
Most Popular
Anthony Award
1998
Anthony Award Series Essentials Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Crime Thrillers Mystery Crime Suspense Thriller Fiction Military Scary Genre Fiction War & Military

Critic reviews

Praise for Killing Floor
A People Magazine “Page-Turner”
A Barry Award winner
An Anthony Award winner

“All [Jack Reacher novels] are ripping yarns, but.... Killing Floor wins awards for Best Corrupt Southern Town in a Summer Novel and Best Exploding Warehouse.”—Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly

“Combines high suspense with almost nonstop action. Reacher is a wonderfully epic hero: tough, taciturn, yet vulnerable.”—People

“Great style and careful plotting. The violence is brutal… depicted with the kind of detail that builds dread and suspense.”—The New York Times

“A complex thriller with layer upon layer of mystery and violence and intrigue…A long unsettling trip that leaves your brain buzzing and your stomach knotted. The author pens nightmarish images as casually as an ordinary writer would dot an ‘i’ or cross a ‘t’.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

“A tough, compelling thriller with characters who jump off the page.”—Houston Chronicle

“Violent and visceral…A cut above…Reacher is as tough as he is resourceful. An exciting, edge-of-the-chair account. Compelling and relentlessly suspenseful.”—The Denver Post

“Some novelists can write top-notch action and some can create compelling mysteries, yet it’s rare to find both of those skills displayed in a single book. Lee Child’s Killing Floor is one of them. But not content with writing a rip-roaring thriller, Child also gives us one of the truly memorable tough-guy heroes in recent fiction: Jack Reacher.”—Jeffery Deaver

“A big, rangy plot, menace as palpable as a ticking bomb, and enough battered corpses to make an undertaker grin.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Beautifully detailed action scenes and fascinating arcana about currency and counterfeiting…[A] taut and tough-minded first novel.”—Publishers Weekly

“I love the larger-than-life hero, Jack Reacher. I grew up a fan of John Wayne’s and Clint Eastwood’s movies, and it’s great to see a man of their stature back in business. Lee Child grabs you with the first line and never loosens his grip. Killing Floor is a terrific ride.”—Nevada Barr

“This is a kick-ass first novel by the very talented Lee Child. Hero Jack Reacher has presence and dimension—a man you definitely want on your side. Child has a sure touch and a strong voice. Definitely a talent to watch.”—Lynn S. Hightower

Featured Article: The 20 Best Thriller Audiobooks to Get Your Heart Racing


Few stories lend themselves to audio better than thrillers. Listening gives you time to play detective and figure out the mysteries with the characters. There’s no way to quickly flip through the tense, nerve-wracking parts—and that’s what makes hearing them so much more exciting. Whether you enjoy classic detective thrillers, or something more sinister, there are endless stories to choose from. Here are the 20 best thriller audiobooks to get you started.

Featured Article The 20 Best Thriller Audiobooks to Get Your Heart Racing
Captivating Mystery • Engaging Plot • Excellent Narration • Compelling Protagonist • Thrilling Suspense • Moral Code

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My first Audible copy of Killing Floor, purchased years ago, was narrated by Dick Hill in 1997, and the narration duration of the text of the book, excluding a 30 minute segment from the next book Dye Trying, was 14 hours 57 minutes. This version of Killing Floor is narrated by Dick Hill in 2015 and the recording duration is 17 hours 47 minutes, So the 2015 version of the text is 2 hours 50 minutes longer than the 1997 version using the same narrator.

First I verified the narrated text of the two versions is identical, so the difference in length of the books is entirely due to the speed of recording Dick Hill's voice. Hill's voice has changed a lot in 18 years: 2015 Dick Hill is deeper and marginally clearer. Frankly, the 2015 version is painfully slow to listen to at recorded speed while the 1997 version is not. For me the fastest comfortable playing speed for the 1997 version is 2X while for the 2015 version it is 3X.

If you have the the earlier version of the audiobook is getting the 2015 version worthwhile? Not for me although the changes in Dick Hill's voice are pleasing.

I have listened to the Audible versions of all of the Reacher series twice. Killing Floor is one of the best books in the series. So far it seems that Books 1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 15, 16, and 17 have been remastered (the versions originally sold by Audible are no longer available).

Jack loves 'em and leaves 'em

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Enjoyed listening to this book. The story keeps you not wanting to turn it off. Great knowing Jacks first adventure. Love the storyteller voice. and tempo.

always good listening material<br /><br />

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Good enough if you like bravado. Unfortunately, the reader's voice was too old sounding for a 36 year old protagonist. That alone made it hard for me to listen too.

Decent, but flawed

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Lee Child has such a way with a story! Very violent but funny too; and Reacher is soo tough but so compassionate; he's like a therapist with a punch! Great story, this one. I love how Lee Child goes into such detail; he really gets it. The narrator; he is very good but I have to agree with another reviewer; he sounds like he is 80! Voice sometimes loses a syllable as happens with older folks. But I can handle that because he is a good narrator; the different accents; you are never at a loss who is speaking. Highly recommended.

Well worth the read

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Nice story but the narrator sounds like he is 65 years old. He is the voice of Jack Reacher who is supposedly 36. It feels wrong.

Wrong narrator

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