The Killing

By: David Hewson

Narrated by: Christian Rodska

Length: 25 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Who killed Nanna Birk Larsen? Through the dark wood where the dead trees give no shelter Nanna Birk Larsen runs…. There is a bright monocular eye that follows, like a hunter after a wounded deer. It moves in a slow approaching zigzag, marching through the Pineseskoven wasteland, through the Pentecost Forest. The chill water, the fear, his presence not so far away... There is one torchlight on her now, the single blazing eye. And it is here....

Sarah Lund is looking forward to her last day as a detective with the Copenhagen Police department before moving to Sweden. But everything changes when nineteen-year-old student, Nanna Birk Larsen, is found raped and brutally murdered in the woods outside the city. Lund’s plans to relocate are put on hold as she leads the investigation along with fellow detective Jan Meyer.

While Nanna’s family struggles to cope with their loss, local politician Troels Hartmann is in the middle of an election campaign to become the new mayor of Copenhagen. When links between City Hall and the murder suddenly come to light, the case takes an entirely different turn. Over the course of twenty days, suspect upon suspect emerges as violence and political intrigue cast their shadows over the hunt for the killer.

©2012 David Hewson (P)2012 Macmillan Digital Audio

Critic reviews

"This adaption of 'The Killing' is a huge success…. So how does it survive this possibly awkward transmutation? The answer, in short, is extremely well. David Hewson - the author of more than a dozen detective novels set in Italy and with no need to stoop to anything too hurriedly commercial - has taken what was television gold and turned it into literary gold." ( Guardian)

Excellent Story.

What made the experience of listening to The Killing the most enjoyable?

Good atmosphere captures the Scandanavian setting. A smart, flawed, but believable main character.

What did you like best about this story?

Very good police procedural.

Any additional comments?

Long, so a few false paths in uncovering the story.

fascinating, and hard to stop listening

What made the experience of listening to The Killing the most enjoyable?

I've found myself detouring on my walk to work so I can listen for longer. The narrator has a perfect voice for the tone of the book, making the book effortlessly listen-able.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I thought the way the unfolding of the case unravels the whole community felt very real. So often in books it seems that death doesn't really touch anyone aside from the immediate family.I haven't seen the TV series, but this book adaptation has so much inner life and complexity.

A real page turner

I loved this book. For once, my commute wasn't long enough!

The story is great, and the narrator good. In fact I enjoyed it so much, I've got hold of the TV series the book was based on to see where David Hewson made changed.

Overall a very enjoyable book and highly recommended.

A struggle

I struggled to get through this book mostly, unfortunately, due to the narration. The narrator is blessed with the ability to use a multitude of different accents which he used often and in large doses. The accents he chose to use did not go with the style of the book and caused me many cringe fests and totally detracted from the substance of the story.