Autographs in the Rain

By: Quintin Jardine

Narrated by: James Bryce

Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

As Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner takes an evening stroll with Louise Banks, an old flame and now a film star, it seems his biggest worry is that a new colleague is scheming to enlarge his territory at Skinner's expense. But when a frightening shot-gun attack sends them diving for cover, it seems danger has chosen to zero in on him once again.

©2001 Quintin Jardin (P)2001 Isis Publishing Ltd

Super Bob

Would you consider the audio edition of Autographs in the Rain to be better than the print version?

Well, both are good - just different formats

What was one of the most memorable moments of Autographs in the Rain?

The death of the old man in the bath and subsequent revelations about his sordid life.

Have you listened to any of James Bryce’s other performances? How does this one compare?

The whole of the Skinner series is narrated by James Bryce, which provides a pleasing consistency when one listens to the books in succession. As usual, James is on top form.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

I am a fan of the Skinner series, but I am still not entirely sure why to be honest, which sounds kind of weird. The thing is, the plots are at times too fantastic to be believable and I am not sure I actually like Bob Skinner, or for that matter his wife and daughter. Funnily enough the most sympathetic in their household is a kid they adopted. Of course he is special as well - sole survivor of a plane crash, both parents bumped off in different books - and highly intelligent. Bob is super Bob - super lover, super strong, super amateur golfer and super smart. He effectively rules Edinburgh. He has one superior, but that is "not a real policeman" as often stated, and politicians have a rather hard time reigning him in. He surrounds himself with friends, and promotes at least one or two of them per book. He should be desk bound, but solves the crimes usually himself, punching (and shooting) his way through the books. Although he sometimes makes an arrest, he usually does not hesitate to shoot his suspects, up close or sniper-like, or even rip their heads off (almost literally). When his marriage goes through a bad patch, both him and his wife have affairs with people who wish to do them harm (directly or indirectly). They are taken care off, which is that. And oh yes, his wife's father of course played footie with Kennedy, as you do, and Bob en passant also solves that little shooting from years back. In this book Bob meets an old lover, an actress. Not your everyday one, but one that apparently has won, at a ridiculously young age, such a slew of awards (Oscars and BAFTAs) that would actually mean she is one the greatest actresses there has ever been. Hmmm.....Sure, Skinner has weak sides, and the author has tried to portray this and that not everything works out well for Skinner, but it is marginal. But....I keep picking up the next instalment in the series every time as I am curious what fantastic story-line Quintin Jardine, the author, has dreamt up this time. It is a saga effectively :-)

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Wonderfully exciting and gruesome descripive crime

Quintin Jardine is the master at creating realistic relationships, family interactions and great examples of crime fighting and detection making sure that you can't wait to read each book in the Skinner series. as he moves his characters along in their personal and professional relationships. Ensuring that the crimes and criminals come to life

1 of 2 people found this review helpful