Le Boucher-boulanger: L’histoire vraie de Robert Hansen, le chasseur d’humains

François Bouillon isn’t just narrating this book—he’s retelling it, like a grizzled Alaskan telling a cautionary tale over a campfire. His voice has a texture that matches the story’s grit: deep, measured, with a hint of gravel that suggests he’s seen things. He nails the switch between Hansen’s inner monologue (quiet, almost whiny) and the clinical details of his crimes (cold, detached), never overacting but never pulling punches. The pacing is impeccable for a short audiobook—no meandering tangents, just the relentless march toward Hansen’s inevitable downfall. The only misstep is the occasional abrupt transition between scenes, which jolts you out of the immersion. That said, the production is otherwise top-notch: clear, balanced audio with no distracting background noise. Ortiz’s writing is the real star here. She avoids the trap of making Hansen a two-dimensional villain; instead, she treats him like a human-shaped open wound, one that oozes cruelty and dysfunction in equal measure. The story’s standout moment comes when Ortiz dissects Hansen’s bizarre obsession with ‘trophy’ victims—women he would release into the wilderness just to hunt again—a detail that’s as horrifying as it is bizarre. If you’re looking for lurid sensationalism, this isn’t it. If you want a case study in how abuse warps the mind and how justice, however delayed, will out, then buckle up. Bouillon’s narration and Ortiz’s sharp prose make this one of the most unsettling true-crime listens in years.