If I Should Die

By: Matthew Frank

Narrated by: Will Rycroft

**WINNER of the 2014-2015 Waverton Good Read Award**
The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of If I Should Die, the astounding debut from British author Matthew Frank. Read by the actor Will Rycroft.
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It begins with vicious, apparently motiveless attacks on down and outs in South London. But when one of the homeless victims dies from his wounds, it's murder . . .

For the Met investigation team's newest member, Joseph Stark, death is already all too familiar. Injured in an attack that killed his fellow soldiers and tortured by nightmares since he returned, Afghan veteran Stark has enough on his hands just trying to recover without enduring the scrutiny and sideways glances of his new colleagues. The drink and painkillers he's leaning on to keep going aren't helping. And there's only so long he can ignore the efforts of the Ministry of Defence to speak to him.

When one of the victims of the attacks fights back it's soon clear that there's much more at stake than gangs preying randomly on society's weakest members. But as Stark hunts down the truth - and the rotten heart of the crimes - his own strength is fading. It seems that the ex-soldier's determination to see justice done may not, this time, be enough to carry him through.


If I Should Die is the first title in a new crime series, and outstanding characterization, pitch perfect dialogue and precision plotting mark out Matthew Frank as a debut writer to watch. With the introduction of series character and ex-soldier police detective Joseph Stark, fans of Ian Rankin's Rebus novels will be hooked from the word go.

Critic reviews

**WINNER of the 2014-2015 Waverton Good Read Award**
If I Should Die is the astounding debut from British author Matthew Frank.
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When a homeless man walks into Greenwich police station and confesses a killing, it should be the admission that cracks open a murder enquiry. Instead, he stumbles out on to the street and collapses, bleeding from a stab wound he's attempted to repair himself . . .

A gripping murder story ... Frank brilliantly maintains a balance between the demands of a complex plot and his character's difficulty in returning to civilian life ... an accomplished first novel

Well researched and totally convincing, this is the first of several Stark books. Great news if they're as good as this

A very powerful novel. The writing is so good that it is difficult to believe that this is a debut

A highly assured debut ... we'll look forward to the next

A great debut introducing an unusual lead character - I'm looking forward to reading more in the series - 5*s

Detective Sergeant Fran Millhaven is just one of the best women copper characters you'll ever meet between the covers of a book . . . but Stark is the heart of this narrative. I am so looking forward to meeting him again . . . the moment Stark crosses over from soldier to CID detective is beautiful to behold. The action scenes, too, are terrific. Riveting (Dana Stabenow, author of)

Brilliantly written

Well recommended

Skilfully plotted, with a great clarity of style. I really enjoyed it (Alison Joseph)

What a hero

Would you consider the audio edition of If I Should Die to be better than the print version?

Yes. Will Rycroft is a fabulous narrator

Who was your favorite character and why?

Joe of course. What an amazing young man with a truly heartfelt story to tell

Which character – as performed by Will Rycroft – was your favorite?

They were all good - it was so easy to distinguish each character in the narrative. Will's performance was so good I stopped doing anything and just listened.

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

The presentation at Buckingham Palace and stabbing the tyres.

Any additional comments?

More please. More of Will, more of Joe and more of the great detective team.
I was particularly impressed by Joe's (Matthew Frank's?) views on war and the obvious background knowledge and/or research that went into the book