An Accidental Death

A DC Smith Investigation Series, Book 1

By: Peter Grainger

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

The story opens with the apparently accidental drowning of a sixth form student in the Norfolk countryside. As a matter of routine, or so it seems, the case passes across the desk of Detective Sergeant Smith, recently returned to work after an internal investigation into another case that has led to tensions between officers at Kings Lake police headquarters. As an ex-DCI, Smith could have retired by now, and it is clear that some of his superiors wish that he would do so. The latest trainee detective to work with him is the son of a member of his former team, and together they begin to unravel the truth about what happened to Wayne Fletcher. As the investigation proceeds, it becomes clear that others are involved - some seem determined to prevent it, some seem to be taking too much interest. In the end, Smith operates alone, having stepped too far outside standard procedures to ask for support. He knows that his own life might be at risk but he has not calculated on the life of his young assistant also being put in danger.

©2013 Peter Grainger (P)2016 Tantor

More of this series, Please

Would you consider the audio edition of An Accidental Death to be better than the print version?

I don't know.

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

It kept me engaged and convinced me to order the second book before I'd finished the first.

What does Gildart Jackson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The performer is clear, distinguishes the characters well, and is generally unobtrusive.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no

Any additional comments?

Please acquire the other books in the series.

A great find!!

I really enjoyed this modern detective mystery by an author I had never heard of. The narration is as wonderful as the novel. Character development and the plot line are both outstanding. The story moves along at a good pace. I look forward to listening to the other novels in the Detective Sergent D.C. Smith series.

A great start

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The portrayal of the characters is dead on and I felt the story went on at a nice, steady pace. Smith is the perfect protagonist with the right amount of intelligence, but with realistic foibles and shortcomings like the rest of us. This makes him far more approachable. He reminds me of Doctor House. House would be miserable to watch if he didn't have those weaknesses that make him relatable to the human experience and I feel this principle applies to Smith. He is exciting to watch. You never know what he is going to do next and Grainger is wise enough not to write implausible plot points into the story (I feed that would be an insult to Smith's intelligence. ) I can't wait to read the next book.

A GREAT BRITISH CRIME MYSTERY

Any additional comments?

A lovely gentle novel, none of that tough cop with a chip on his shoulder, nor does he get into unimaginable scraps, is just a gentle & often genuinely amusing book. Based in rural England, which does addy to the gentle, but very entertaining flow of this book.

Is a terrific debut for a detective series that continues to grow stronger and deserves to be better known. I agree with other reviewers that Grainger has an exceptional story-telling ability. His handling of dialogue is superb & the narrative moves the story forward with just the right amount of author-supplied detail, leaving the reader to imagine the rest. The way it is written has a hint of the Sherlock Holmes about it.

I particularly enjoyed the relative lack of gore and the focus on procedure, notably the interviews, formal and informal, where DC's skills come through in subtle ways. DC as I say, is not a flash character, nor is he a loud-mouthed maverick riding on his exceptional prowess as an investigator. Grainger gradually builds our affection for a man who many of us would not notice in a crowd and does so without the all-too-common domestic melodrama used to round out law enforcement characters. And then there is the wit, sharp and on target, and very rarely gratuitous.

Highly recommended.

Great narrator

The character and then narrator match perfectly. I look forward to reading more books by this author especially when coupled with this narrator

A Good Book

I enjoyed this book. It's not the greatest book I've ever read, so I didn't give it a 5, but a very good book with characters I want to get to know better. I believe I will get the next book in the series and see how the characters develop.

Almost great book and perfect narration..

3 1/2 *

Well, I’m not sure I like this book or I thought it was the most boring book I’ve ever read/listened to. BUT I did listen to it all and it was just nothing. The story was about a 17 year old boy that drowned and DC Smith and trainee Waters looked into it. Even the bad guys weren’t all that bad. There was never a fight, no gun battles, no nothing.

Also, the author gave you the impression that Smith was old and decrepit. Like he was too old to do anything but talk himself out of whatever. It looks like there are 7 other books about DC Smith but I won’t be reading them. This one was enough for me. No excitement whatsoever.

It was a boring book but for some reason I liked it. Or maybe it was the narrator Gildart Jackson that made the book so good.

There was absolutely no romance in this book and absolutely no swearing. It was definitely rated G.

As to the narration: He was awesome. I mean he whispered and yelled and sounded disgruntled and sounded playful, it was amazing. I will surely look for other narrations by him. (Does he need to practice his female voices? To be sure. But his emotions when he read more than made up for that. Besides, I can listen to a deep voiced woman but I can't listen to a man that sounds like a girl.)

Easy on the ears!

The storyline is the same heard many times over but the author makes it all sound somehow new again! The narrator is delightful and really brought this audible book home for me. Had to rewind a few times toward the end, must have been distracted, but it was worth it! Loved it!

Great find!

Loved this book. The characters were great, the story was so interesting, and the narration was perfect. I already have purchased my next book in the series.

Great character development

Author engages the reader from the beginning. Story is interesting to a degree but interest is raised to a high level by the depth of main characters not just described but by actions and dialogue. Its hard to avoid police procedural tropes but the author slips them in without them taking over. Narrator almost over the top with his sacasm duly noted by this listener which could have stopped me listening but instead enhanced the experience.

Looking forward to the series next novel.