Bad Dog

I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes at the ‘legendary beast’ premise—until about 30 minutes in, when *Bad Dog* flipped the script. This isn’t *The Hound of the Baskervilles* with a body count; it’s a gritty, procedural-driven thriller where the supernatural is always *just* out of frame, leaving you (and the characters) questioning what’s real. Smith’s writing shines in the details: the way a farmer’s calloused hands tremble when describing the ‘dog’ he saw, or how the detective’s caffeine-fueled exhaustion mirrors the listener’s growing paranoia. The murder itself is brutal, but the real tension comes from the community’s refusal to confront what’s happening, preferring to blame a ghost story rather than a human monster. Tim Bruce’s performance is *almost* flawless. His pacing is deliberate, letting the atmosphere breathe, and his voice for the killer—when it finally arrives—is chillingly ordinary, which makes it worse. My only critique? The female characters occasionally blur together in his narration; a few more distinct vocal choices would’ve helped. And while the ending ties up neatly, the final act rushes a bit after such a meticulous buildup. Still, the audio production is crisp, with no distracting edits, and the use of ambient sounds (distant howls, rain on windows) is subtle but effective. If you love crime thrillers that linger in your head like a half-remembered nightmare, this one’s for you—just don’t listen to it alone in the dark.