Cabal

Aurelio Zen, Book 3

By: Michael Dibdin

Narrated by: Michael Kitchen

Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

When, one dark night in November, Prince Ludovico Ruspanti fell 150 feet to his death in the chapel at St. Peter's, Rome, there were a number of questions to be answered. Inspector Aurelio Zen finds that getting the answers isn't easy, as witness after witness is mysteriously silenced - by violent death. To crack the secret of the Vatican, Zen must penetrate the most secret place of all: the Cabal.

©1992 Michael Dibdin (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

This series just gets better and better

Michael Dibdin's writing is tighter and so easy to listen to. In face Michael Kitchen is the best for this series. Not looking forward to the next book as I understand he does not do it. The Cabal is the best thus far and I was a little sad when it ended. Having PBD (Post Book Depression) isn't my idea of fun. I will get over it and get on with the next book. This story is so clever and interesting. Listen to this book or miss something you should of experienced in life.

Great story, great reader

For fans of Michael Dibdin, this is a real treat. Michael Kitchen is perfect for Zen and his adventures.

Zen and the Art of Falling...

"Nothing had changed. Nothing ever would. In sheer frustration he fired his pistol again and again, blasting away as though to punch new stars in the sky."
-- Michael Dibdin, Cabal

Dibdin writes tight little Italian mysteries that are blessed with one huge plus -- Aurelio Zen. He seems to be a direct descendent of both Father Brown and Inspector Montalbano (or Philip Marlowe).

Zen is an Italian anti-hero detective. A skilled and savvy investigator with a morality that seems at times to be just a bit fluid. He would prefer to be left alone but is often thrust into cases that require him to walk the delicate wire between the treachery of Italian bureaucracy and the mendacity of the Italian criminals and conspiracies he is tasked with solving (the detective trying to solve crimes while also dealing with an inept bureaucracy is also found and fascinatingly explore by James Church in his North Korean "Inspector O" novels).

Zen is a kind and likable weasel, a jaded fox, a middle-aged divorcee living with his mother. He is easy to identify and feel sympathetic with. Quite often he kind of deserves our sympathy.

This just isn't the strongest book I've read so far in the series (I've now read the first four). It ends too quick, and seems to fall too hard at both ends. There are moments of genius and movements of boredom, yet like Zen, the reader seems left at the end with very little payoff for all his/her efforts.

Not like the film series

Any additional comments?

Not like the film series at all. I like the designer side of it. I liked the gifted sister, Ariana. But I didn't care for Zen's actions towards the end. Oh well. I'm going to read Book 4 and see how it goes.

Just thinking about this story makes me smile

What a treasure.
There is macabre humour in the story's symmetry.The start and finish.

Zen very patiently explains why a death in the Vatican is suicide and a death in Rome is murder.
Kitchen is the perfect reader who does convey the nuance behind Aurelio Zen's appearance of professional behaviour as he determines his course of action in difficult circumstances.
Forget the series you may have seen on TV. This story written by Michael Dibden, read by Michael Kitchen is one you will listen to again and again.

Deception everywhere and a satisfying conclusion

Where does Cabal rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Both story and narration are in my top ten.

What did you like best about this story?

Zen has always skated on the edge of the corrupt Italian system, I was on tenterhooks following him as he descended deeper into it's murky waters. Deception on all sides with a satisfying conclusion.

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

Michael Kitchen has an incredibly versatile voice. He largely uses vocal light and shade to distinguish the characters and speaks with absolute clarity. This adds another dimension to Michael Dibdin's wonderful writing.

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

This book had me laughing and close to tears at times.