9780062239655
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Watching the Dark audiobook

  • By: Peter Robinson
  • Narrator: Simon Prebble
  • Category: Fiction, Literary
  • Length: 12 hours 55 minutes
  • Publisher: HarperAudio
  • Publish date: January 08, 2013
  • Language: English
  • (4382 ratings)
(4382 ratings)
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Watching the Dark Audiobook Summary

New York Times bestselling author Peter Robinson brings back Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks and his colleague DI Annie Cabbot in a case riddled with corruption.

A decorated policeman is murdered on the tranquil grounds of the St. Peter’s Police Treatment Centre, shot through the heart with a crossbow arrow, and compromising photographs are discovered in his room.

Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks is well aware that he must handle the highly sensitive and dangerously explosive investigation with the utmost discretion. And as he digs deeper, he discovers that the murder may be linked to an unsolved missing persons case from six years earlier–and the current crime may involve some very bad, crooked cops.

A pulsating, electrifying novel of suspense Watching the Dark is one of Peter Robinson’s finest novels.

“Ambitious…Robinson shows a keen awareness of the global reach of crime.”–New York Times Book Review

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Watching the Dark Audiobook Narrator

Simon Prebble is the narrator of Watching the Dark audiobook that was written by Peter Robinson

Simon Prebble has worked extensively on British and American television as both actor and narrator.

About the Author(s) of Watching the Dark

Peter Robinson is the author of Watching the Dark

Watching the Dark Full Details

Narrator Simon Prebble
Length 12 hours 55 minutes
Author Peter Robinson
Category
Publisher HarperAudio
Release date January 08, 2013
ISBN 9780062239655

Subjects

The publisher of the Watching the Dark is HarperAudio. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is Fiction, Literary

Additional info

The publisher of the Watching the Dark is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780062239655.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Bill

August 08, 2019

I can hardly believe that this is the 20th DCI Banks book I've read. Peter Robinson has written some outstanding novels & although this isn't one of them it is still a very good book.It opens with an unusual murder & Banks visiting some very bleak English locations, as well as some more pleasant foreign ones. The plot is good and, as always, the characters are wonderfully written whether they are major players or just ones that make a fleeting appearance.As Simon & Garfunkel almost sang....."Here's to you, Mr Robinson. I love your books more than you could know. Whoa, whoa, whoa. God bless you please, Mr Robinson. Heaven hold a place for those you write. Keep those plot lines tight." Apologies to Paul & Art for insulting their legacy. Lyrics were never my string point.

James

September 10, 2014

Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks and his protégé, D.I. Annie Cabbot return for the twentieth time in this excellent British crime series. The case opens when a police detective who is convalescing at a center for the treatment of injured police officers, is murdered, shot to death by someone armed with a crossbow. The victim is a recent widower named Bill Quinn who six years earlier had been involved in a high-profile case involving a young British woman, Rachel Hewitt, who went missing in Estonia and was never seen again.As Banks begins the investigation, he discovers that Quinn had secreted several photos showing him in an apparent compromising position with a young woman. This brings the Professional Standards division into the picture, in the person of an icy blonde named Joanna Passero. She is assigned to shadow Banks's investigation in an effort to determine if Quinn was a corrupt cop. Banks is not at all happy about this, but he has no recourse.In the process of the investigation, the team traces the victim's recent phone calls and this leads them to the body of a man who had been water boarded and then drowned. The second victim appears to have been involved in some way with a group smuggling impoverished eastern Europeans into the UK and then exploiting them there. The trail leads back to Estonia where, six years earlier, Bill Quinn had investigated the disappearance of Rachel Hewitt.If it all sounds a bit complex, it is; fortunately, we have Alan Banks to sort it all out for us. While Annie Cabbot heads up the investigation in the UK, Banks and Passero head off to Estonia where things get increasingly curious--and dangerous.It's an entertaining mystery with several twists and turns. It's fun to watch Banks in action again and to watch the relationship between him and Joanna Passero as well. The investigation is an intriguing one, and all in all, this is a nice addition to the series.

Karen

February 03, 2013

I have read quite a few Inspector Banks novels by Peter Robinson and though I’ve read them out of order (Which is fine to do) I’ve grown very fond of the ethical, gruff and clever DCI Banks and have read enough to be both rewarded and frustrated by where he’s at professionally and personally now – as I’m sure Robinson intends. Watching the Dark is the twentieth book in the Banks series and in this novel we find the intrepid inspector investigating the murder of a convalescing peer, DI Bill Quinn, a man recently widowed and who, for some reason, never quite recovered from not being able to solve a case from six years ago about a young English woman who went missing in Estonia. When Quinn is found dead with a crossbow in his chest, and compromising photos are found in his room, Professional Standards in the form of the lovely Joanna Passero arrives to partner an irascible Banks on the case.Not long after Passero is assigned, another man, who appears to be an illegal European immigrant, is also found murdered. Connections between Quinn and this man and the cold case of the young woman start to emerge. It’s at that point that Banks understands he has to travel to Estonia and perhaps solve an old case in order to bring the current one to a close and find the killer. Given permission to travel overseas, he is furious and frustrated to discover that Passero is to accompany him. Able to get under his skin, it’s not sparks that fly so much as hair and teeth when Passero and Banks are forced to work closely together. Added to this is the fact that Banks’ old partner, Annie, who has also just come out of extended convalescence, has returned to work. Determined to find form and fast, Annie refuses the favours offered by Banks and their boss, except where it means being treated as a fully-functioning member of the team. Throwing herself back into her job, she’s forced to confront her fears and memories and finds, once she becomes heavily involved in the case that the professional can be and is personal as well. Nothing and no-one is as they seem in this case and the further Banks and Annie delve, the darker and deeper they’re drawn into the shady world of prostitution, illegal immigrants and drugs and the cruelty that other humans can and do inflict upon each other…I find the more I read these books and love them, the more uneven they can be as well. Robinson has a fabulous way of bringing the characters to life on the page but sometimes, just sometimes, their actions don’t always ring quite true and seem to solve a particular narrative purpose rather than be part of their motivation. For me, one example here, was the relationship between Passaro and Banks. While initially we understood that Banks was annoyed and felt hobbled by the presence of someone from Professional Standards, when he and Passaro have it out and, in his own mind he acknowledges that his beloved Annie also worked for that section and she’s not tainted, past novels tell us that Banks would have moved on and work at building the professional relationship with Passero. In this novel, it doesn’t happen and Banks’ attitude to Passero, particularly when they’re in Estonia and he reverts back to resentment, galled a bit. Banks is not a misogynist though, typical of his generation, he struggles sometimes with women and what they want, but he has always been respectful and appreciative of what they bring to their professional roles and the workplace – this is proven with Annie. With Passero, he becomes, as Winsome accuses him at one stage, childish. But then again, I also put this behaviour down to a growing sexual attraction that he might feel for Passero and the emotional toing and froing that can cause. Likewise, after Passero unloads to Banks about her personal life, the door is open down the track for romance, so perhaps my comments are unfair and this is what Robinson was setting up; but there were times in their relationship at least that the Banks we’ve grown to know and I guess rely on to be stable was not and that was disconcerting. Love might explain a great deal, however ☺Robinson also explores the seamy and seedy side of the underworld with ease, introducing characters you hope you never meet on a dark night. While at the same time, he also manages to bring the beauty of Estonia to life, the novel sometimes reading like a travel book, but as seen through Alan Banks’ eyes – not a bad way to view another country and culture. Overall, I really enjoyed this book as I have the other Banks in the series and will look forward to trawling back and discovering more of his life and cases and fleshing out the holes that currently exist in my knowledge of DCI Banks.

Patricia

April 26, 2014

Lorraine Jensen, a patient at the St. Peter's Police Treatment Center, is in the habit of getting up around dawn when her pain is keeping her awake to sit outside before the other members of the Center are up. As the light grew stronger, Lorraine thought she could see something like a bundle of clothes at the far side of the lake. Since Barry, the head groundsman and estate manager was in the habit of keeping the artificial lake and natural woodlands tidy, it was unusual to see anything that looked out of place. Although the grass was still wet with dew, Lorraine walked to where she had spotted the bundle of clothes. She did not get all the way to the spot when she realized that it was a dead body she was looking at and not a bundle of clothes.DCI Alan Banks was immediately dispatched to St. Peter's as soon as the authorities had been notified. Banks had visited Annie Cabbot there during her recent convalescence. Now Annie was due back to work on Monday and Banks was looking forward to working with her again. When Banks and the Dr. in attendance turned over the body, they found that the victim had been shot with a crossbow bolt. Lorraine recognized the corpse as DI Bill Quinn. Banks stated that he knew Quinn too but only in passing. When Quinn's room is searched, some photographs were found that placed Quinn in a compromising position. Quinn's wife was deceased but the photographs looked as though they had been taken some time ago. Inspector Joanna Passero, of the Police Standards Division, is assigned to work with Banks to determine if Quinn has somehow done something that would reflect badly on himself as well as the department.Banks feels hindered by Inspector Passero but has no choice in the matter. As he digs deeper into the case he keeps going back to a six-year-old missing person case that Quinn investigated and Banks is beginning to feel that there are crooked police officers involved in the old case as well as the current case of Quinn's murder.This is a fast moving story that keeps the reader guessing.

Susan

October 23, 2013

I had thought this author had seemed familiar to me but the series necessarily didn't. It turns out that I had read the author before for my book club just not this series. I found that I enjoyed this book just as much as I did the author's standalone book "Before the Poison." Despite this book being later in the series, I found that I picked up on everything and was able to get a good feel for all the main characters. I enjoyed both the Alan and Annie characters and their relationship. I wouldn't mind going back and reading earlier books to see the development of this friendship however I think a new reader to the series can enjoy this book as a standalone. I also enjoyed the introduction of Joanna and wouldn't mind reading another book with her in it. Alan and Joanna have an interesting working relationship in this book, and with her wanting to change specialties I wouldn't mind seeing more with these two as partners. The book's mystery is well done full of many twists and turns. I also enjoyed how Robinson ties everything together. Overall this book was an enjoyable read, and I will definitely be checking out another book in this series.

Carol

May 31, 2018

I have never read a bad Peter Robinson book (knock on wood)...and this one was certainly no exception. This author has a way of setting the scene that raises the reader's anticipation page after page. The only thing that I found slightly "off putting" about this one was the times that Inspector Banks showed an unusual and unexpected childish side with very foolish actions that were unusual and unexpected from a man of his character and reputation. Otherwise a really great read.

Ellen

August 09, 2021

I do enjoy a good British mystery!

Ray

September 08, 2021

Yet another classic

Owlsinger

July 18, 2019

The characters in this series have been becoming more & more like family to me. I've enjoyed seeing them develop, their relationships growing & changing, some folks leaving, others coming in. Have to admit, I never expected to see Estonia as a field trip.

Maddy

May 26, 2016

PROTAGONIST: DCI Alan Banks SETTING: UK and EstoniaSERIES: #20 of 20RATING: 3.75It’s an unusual murder—Detective Inspector Bill Quinn is killed by a crossbow during his recuperation at a local police treatment center. The case is assigned to Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks, who soon finds compromising photos of Quinn and a young girl in his room. Given the fact that Quinn may have been involved in something unethical, an inspector from Professional Standards, Joanna Passero, is also assigned to the investigation. Banks feels threatened by Passero and treats her rather poorly; he believes that in addition to looking at whatever was going on with Quinn, she is scrutinizing his behavior and reporting back to her management. Also part of the team is DI Annie Cabbot, who is returning to duty after suffering a severe injury. Annie has a lot on the line, as she is feeling that her skills may have atrophied while she was recovering. The investigation reveals dozens of possible scenarios that could explain what happened to Quinn. Ultimately, Banks finds a connection to the case of Rachel Hewitt, a young woman who was in Tallinn, Estonia, for a hen party and disappeared six years earlier. Accompanied by Passero, he goes to Estonia where he finds some evidence around Quinn’s situation, although that investigation is mostly being led by Cabbott in the UK. Banks finds himself more and more involved in determining what happened to Rachel. He feels that her family deserves to find answers around her fate, despite the fact that so much time has passed.Although I am a fan of the Alan Banks series, I found that the pacing of this book left a lot to be desired. It was very slow moving at the start, understandable because the focus was on the conflict of integrating Joanna Passero into the investigative team as well as Annie’s return to work rather than an active investigation. Later, a lot of what happened in Estonia seemed redundant. Although I was never tempted to stop reading the book, I did wish that the pace would pick up. I was also bogged down by the fact that Banks is a huge fan of music and often talked about whatever he was listening to at the moment, most of which was totally unfamiliar to me. I didn’t have any frame of reference for those citations and didn’t understand what could be inferred about Banks’ character based on his musical tastes.In a departure from the norm for this series, Robinson has the protagonist conducting an investigation in a foreign country. That had the benefit of showing how Banks handles the unique problems presented by an unfamiliar settint, as well as allowing Annie Cabbot the independence to lead the investigation on the home front rather than being in a secondary position to Banks. It was humbling to see such a strong woman undergoing so much doubt about her abilities but heartening to see her performing so well at work. Robinson also did a good job of portraying the character of Passero. Although the relationship began on an adversarial note, it did move into something far more civil, if never becoming totally warm. WATCHING THE DARK is the twentieth book in the series but can be read as a standalone.

Ray

January 20, 2013

The murder of a veteran Detective while recuperating on the tranquil grounds of the St. Peter’s Police Treatment Centre would have been troubling enough for DCI Banks. The victim, Detective Bill Quinn, had recently lost his wife and was taking a much needed rest at St. Peter’s. His body is found early one morning and the cause of death was murder by crossbow.Banks steps in after the initial CSI team tends to their duty. What they turn up in Quinn’s room are some compromising photos of him with what appears to be underage women --- possibly illegal immigrants or prostitutes. This causes much anguish for Banks as Quinn was not only a long-time colleague but also a friend.As a result of the suspicion of possible police corruption, Banks has an officer from Professional Standards (the British version of Internal Affairs) thrust upon him for the duration of the investigation. Inspector Joanna Passero is a no-nonsense type and Banks intends to follow his typical detective instincts to get to the truth in spite of the interference he expects from Passero.It is quickly discovered that Bill Quinn was obsessed with a six-year-old cold case involving a young British woman named Rachel Hewitt who disappeared during a ‘hen’ (bachelorette) party with her friends in Tallin, Estonia. When a second murder takes place nearby Quinn’s things begin to look much worse than it originally appeared on the surface. It turns out that the second murder victim, Mikhel Lepikson, was in contact with Quinn prior to being tortured and murdered. He was also a journalist from Estonia.Banks is shrewd enough to dig deeper and recognize that his late friend, Bill Quinn, may have indeed been silenced due to his getting too close to a dangerous conspiracy while continuing to investigate the Rachel Hewitt disappearance. The problem is connecting the dots in a web of lies and deceit which includes illegal drugs, human trafficking and a slave labor ring.The answers will have to be found in Tallinn, Estonia, and this is where Banks and Passero head to. Meanwhile, back on home ground, Detectives Cabbot and Winsome continue to pursue leads into the human trafficking and slave labor rings that Mikhel Lepikson was close to exposing. Estonia is full of corruption and not very easy for Banks and Passero to navigate. As they rub shoulders with some dangerous people while pursuing the Rachel Hewitt case they have no idea how close they are coming to the truth and perhaps putting themselves in the same position that Bill Quinn was in before his murder.The DCI Banks British mystery series is one of the finest in the genre and the characters are all very real, dripping with humanity. What I look most forward to every time I open the pages of a Peter Robinson book is the complete emersion into popular culture --- music, food, wine, etc… --- that every Banks novel brings. He is like the British version of George Pelecanos in this fashion making the stories that much more real and a treat to read. Reviewed by Ray Palen for New Mystery Reader

Patty

January 07, 2013

Watching The DarkByPeter RobinsonMy" in a nutshell" summary...The death/ murder of a police investigator causes an old crime to resurface. My thoughts after reading this book...An officer is murdered while he is recuperating at a police rehab center. He is shot through the chest with a medieval bow and arrow...a cross bow. Questionable intimidating photos of this man with a young girl surface. Some are rather sexual in nature. The case is being handled by Inspector Banks...seasoned...distinguished...loves wine...drives a Porsche and loves music. Because this crime sort of hints of internal corruption...an internal affairs person is brought in to assist...Joanna Passero...much to Inspector Banks chagrin. There is also Inspector Banks returning partner to deal with...Annie. Returning from a serious injury...she is a bit put out by Joanna. And of course...during the investigation...another body is found...which just adds to the mystery. And...there appears to be a connection to a missing girl from a number of years ago...this was a case that the murdered policeman had a strong attachment to. Whew!What I loved about this book...For me...personally...there is nothing more enjoyable than a mystery of this kind. Inspectors and pubs and pints and steak and kidney pies...puzzling clues...windy webs...foreign intrigue...all over the place! This author knows how to tell a complicated story in an orderly manner. It's a suspense filled pleasurable tale...that unwinds in a very pleasurable manner. I loved it. I am familiar with Inspector Banks and have read many of this authors other books. I enjoy them all. This one was particularly appealing and the ending...unique and satisfying. I like the way this author gives each book closure.Favorite characters...Always Inspector Banks...quirky, fervent, a bit irreverent. Annie...battling insecurities after her injury...perhaps thinking of a love lost with Banks. These were my favorites. Final thoughts...This series is always really great and this one does not fail to entertain.

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