Holding

A Novel

By: Graham Norton

Narrated by: Graham Norton

Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

From Graham Norton, the BAFTA-award-winning Irish television host and author of the "sparkling and impish" (Daily Mail) memoirs The Life and Loves of a He Devil and So Me, comes a charming debut novel set in an idyllic Irish village where a bumbling investigator has to sort through decades of gossip and secrets to solve a mysterious crime.

The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama, but when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be those of Tommy Burke - a former lover of two different inhabitants - the village's dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated sergeant PJ Collins struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community's worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret.

In this darkly comic, touching and, at times, heartbreaking novel, perfect for fans of J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy, Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of loveable characters and explore - with searing honesty - the complexities and contradictions that make us human.

©2016 Graham Norton and Hodder & Stoughton (P)2017 Simon and Schuster Audio

enjoyable listen

I love the narrator, that was a good story and the characters were a bit different I would recommend this book on audible

I LOVED this book.

I don't give stellar reviews loosely. By comparison, I just gave my last Anne Rice novel 3 stars. Bored me to death.

I HIGHLY recommend this book. The story was compelling, suspenseful and sweet and the performance was spot on.

Just loved it.

Endearing new hero -hope to see more of him

Quick, tight, pleasing little Irish-village mystery of unidentified old bones and long-held secrets and loves, enlivened by a fat, sweaty police sergeant with a sharp mind and open heart. The narration was excellent, and I hope to see more books featuring “PJ.”

Great listen!

I enjoy Graham Norton on BBC America & his book did not disappoint!! Parts were laugh out loud funny and I think he let his Irish accent shine! I can't imagine listening to anyone else red this book! I recommend & look forward to more fiction from this author

Wonderful!

Lots of humor and great character development is in this story about a mystery in a little village. There were so many clever twists and turns.

The narrator could not have been better. He was perfect for this book.

I loved it and will look for more by this author

A good read and the author's name at on is great!

The narration was fabulous and the story was interesting but not too graphically descriptive to turn me off.

Good enough!

This isn’t the best book I’ve ever listened to but it was good enough! I hated the main character in the beginning and somewhat through the middle but he oddly comes out ok in the end. That may have been the authors point now that I think of it and if so it was successful! The author/narrators voice is good, nice tone, but I’d recommend working on woman’s voices a bit, they all sound “whispery” and put on. Overall it kept my attention and I’d recommend it especially if it’s on sale!

Moving and brilliant

Graham Norton has an amazing and nuanced insight into people and life! The facets of both plot and characters pulled me in and made me want to read more from Mr. Norton. He's a wonderful writer and narrator.

Very enjoyable!

I really enjoyed this novel. I do get a bit worried when I see authors are to read their own work, but Graham Norton is a wonderful narrator. The story was engaging and thought-provoking; the quick wit of Mr. Norton and some of the word play had me laughing out loud.

Great up until the end

I loved the majority of this book. The main character was overall adorably flawed and the village equally so. I was very close to recommending this book up until the end. I don’t want to give away too much though. I say give this book a try, but don’t be surprised if the ending disappoints you.