Wednesday's Child

An Inspector Banks Novel #6

By: Peter Robinson

Narrated by: James Langton

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Wednesday's child is full of woe.... It was a crime of staggering inhumanity: a seven-year-old girl taken from her home right in front of her desperate working-class mother. With each passing moment, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks realizes that the child's death becomes more and more likely. But there are worse fates than death in a nightmare world of human monsters and their twisted games. And the grisly discovery of a young man slain in a particularly savage fashion only starts the clock ticking faster, drawing Banks into the sordid depths of an evil more terrible and terrifying than anything he has ever encountered.

Investigate another case with Inspector Banks.

©2005 Peter Robinson (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A gripping thriller." (San Diego Union-Tribune)

a hell of a terrible true

Well done and so sadly ever word could be true and I sit here this evening,.

Good series. Don’t listen to this one 1st.

The writing and narration are both good. However don’t recommend you listen to this one first. You can Google “DCI Banks books in order”, and listen that way. Otherwise the character development will seem to be lacking.
This is a more complex story compared to others earlier in the series, so it’s almost a given that more of the writing attention went into the multiple plot lines, with a sense of assumption that the reader/listener already has the back story on the continuing characters. Trigger warning (not spoiler, as you find out right at the beginning) - this book is centered around main story line of young child neglect and abduction. Well written, but difficult subject for me. Will continue with series because of good writing, narration, main characters.

A fabulous narrator

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, as I feel the story and narration give a great picture of the wild and wonderful Yorkshire Dales and area.

What did you like best about this story?

A complicated thriller with many twists and a great ending.

What about James Langton’s performance did you like?

Having lived in Yorkshire many years ago, although I was not born in Yorkshire, and have lived in Canada for over 40 years. I loved his spot on Yorkshire accent, plus the variety of dialogues, melodic voice. I can visualise Inspector Banks vividly, and the many of the Yorkshire fellows I nursed during my training in Bradford Yorkshire.
Peter Robinson's descriptions of the social problems are handled very well.

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

The great Yorkshire accent, and description of the countryside and cities brought back many happy memories of my father, who was a Yorkshireman to his core, and took me on many hikes over his beloved moors.

Any additional comments?

I have read (and listened) to all the Inspector Bank's series,and enjoy James Langton's narrations very much.

Never Disappointed!

Peter Robinson’s Inspector Banks Novels are exceptional and the narrator, James Langton, is amazing! I’m always enthralled by these novels and can’t wait to listen to the next one!

Excellent Story

I tried to read this book about 10 years ago and never got a chance to finish it. Excellent story, disturbing though but very tastefully written.

Great Listen!!!

Would you listen to Wednesday's Child again? Why?

I'm listening to the Inspector Banks series while walking six miles each morning, and I find this a fantastic incentive to get me out the door. This one pushed me an extra mile as I neared the finish. Would definitely listen again on some future walk.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Banks is the all time favorite.

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

Good voice - nothing overdone or dramatic, and clearly spoken.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

That would be a spoiler.....

Any additional comments?

The series is great for the genre and, so far, consistently good. I definitely recommend it for creative listening.

needlessly explicit

as much as I enjoy the DCI Banks series, particularly the ones narrated by Peter Langdon, this book was really tough to take. There were two scenes in particular that were quite needlessly explicit. Gratuitous. Nearly hardcore p*** in the approach to describing sexual violence.

Wow.

I’m new to DCI Banks, having been first pulled in by the TV series. (That said, I should also note that the books are far more interesting.) This is one of the best I’ve read so far. I don’t know if the pattern is consistent, but the plot unfolds as a series of insights based on slogging police work rather than a series of engineered surprises and red herrings: I especially appreciated that aspect of it. Given the subject matter of this one, it had a stronger emotional impact than most mysteries I’ve read recently. The characters are fascinating and the locales vividly drawn. James Langton does a good job reading it.

Series favorite thus far!

Despite the heinousness of the crimes against children theme featured in Wednesday's Child, this audio book is still my favorite of the lot so far (listening in numbered order). The story line is compelling and often humorous, as CI Banks further contemplates the psychology of the human mind with his characteristic objective rationale.

James Langton's narration is brilliant once again.

So So

The previous books in the series were much better than this one. I prefer "whodunnits" rather than the search for a serial killer.