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People Who Eat Darkness

By: Richard Lloyd Parry
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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Summary

In the summer of 2000, Jane Steare received the phone call every mother dreads. Her daughter Lucie Blackman - tall, blonde and 21 years old - had stepped into the vastness of a Tokyo summer and disappeared forever.

That winter, her dismembered remains were found buried in a desolate seaside cave. Her disappearance was mystifying. Had Lucie been abducted by a religious cult? Who was the mysterious man she had gone to meet? What did her work, as a 'hostess' in the notorious Roppongi district of Tokyo, really involve? And could Lucie's fate be linked to the disappearance of another girl some 10 years earlier?

Over the course of a decade, Richard Lloyd Parry has travelled to four continents to interview those caught up in the story and been given unprecedented access to Lucie's bitterly divided family to reveal the astonishing truth about Lucie and her fate.

©2011 Richard Lloyd Parry (P)2017 Audible, Ltd
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What listeners say about People Who Eat Darkness

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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Unforgettable

One of the best books I have encountered in a long while, combining the fascination of a murder mystery brilliantly told with the sheer alien-ness of a society so very different from our own, and at it's core the epitomy of darkness itself, the perpetrator. This book will stay with me for a long time.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Stunning

Brilliantly well written. Nuanced, complex, multi-layered evocation of the impact of murder on a family. Narrator is mannered and affected but doesn’t spoil the story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Very chilling and disturbing story

This is a very disturbing story, not least because the perpetrator had money and influence to be able to avoid detection for so long. And who knows how many other unfortunates came into his clutches? Well written, well narrated (Simon Vance is my favourite narrator which is why I chose this book originally) and leaves a feeling of disconcertment.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Nothing unexpected

The book is full of filler material. Thankfully, a good portion of that is of interest to me.

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Amazing

One of the best books I’ve ever listened to, would recommend it to anyone interested in the real life crime/murder/mystery genre

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Very in-depth account of real events

A very detailed account of the events leading up to a young woman’s death and the family’s fight for justice.
If anything I found this book contained too much information and detail, the author a journalist who investigated and followed this case from start to finish over many years, provides so much information about the city, culture and intimate details of people and places that I would compare it to an extraordinary long newspaper story.
Interesting as this true story is I found it to be a difficult listen, the level of detail makes the book to long and in some parts repetitive.
The historical case is interesting, so if you are a fan of true crime and like ‘in depth reporting’ this book might be for you!

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incredibly sad story. but gripping

I'd heard of Lucie naturally. But didn't really know the story behind her sad death. This book gives incredible detail about her murder and that of her assailants other victims. a truly evil individual.

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9 people found this helpful

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all sides

what a horrific thing for any family to go through. i like how the writer took no sides and showed how differently everyone involved dealt with their grief.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Japan underground

A long and crime-filled true story from the undergrounds in Japan. It's interesting to hear about the infamous side of Japan compared to it's colourful side.

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Well worth reading

shocking but interesting book to read. Well written and very well researched. A very sad event.

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