The Taste of Wormwood

By: Keith McCarthy

Narrated by: Seán Barrett

Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Arthur Meadows has just returned home in his HGV from a long trip to southwest Europe, supposedly bringing back a consignment of cloth, yet is actually bringing back something far more deadly. Meanwhile, a young Asian couple are murdered in their small house in the middle of Gloucester, the killings done with ruthless efficiency. Beverley Wharton, now Chief Inspector, does not relish the investigation of the murders because she does not get on with her new sergeant, and because the pathologist Charles Sydenham would not have been her first choice. That honour would have gone to John Eisenmenger, but he has own problems trying to work out why Arthur Meadows has died so unexpectedly.…

©2012 Keith McCarthy (P)2013 Isis Publishing Ltd

Refreshingly Original Storytelling

This is a police procedural where whodunnit is not as important as why dunning. I was not sure if I was going to enjoy it, but I soon got hooke and appreciated the plot twists and characters with there real life hangups and problems in addition to the stress of solving murders. A well crafted and well executed book.

not sure I buy the reasoning but still a good book

I enjoy the character-driven story and the myriad of motivations of the characters' actions and reactions. I find this more true in British mysteries (vs. American), and this book doesn't lag in that regard. Internal politics, sexism, and racial profiling are rife in the police force, and this book includes all of it as a part of all the police-force characters, which I appreciate.

The actual plot involves human trafficking, smuggling, domestic terrorism, and revenge and is interesting but not really what the book is about -- it's the motivation for all of those things that make up the bulk of the book. Why the characters got involved in all of those will end up being the key to solving the crimes and preventing catastrophe. I'm not sure I buy the ultimately-revealed motivations, and that was the weak part of the book - but that only affected the final few chapters. Still, it means this is a book that won't stay with me for long, but it was enjoyable while it lasted.

Mystery + strange illness

Where does The Taste of Wormwood rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Love the unspoken interpersonal tension among the characters. Gripping story develops through different characters' points of view. I can't stop listening to this book.

Brilliant!

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

Absolutely recommended! It is a gripping story, one of those ones you don't want to put down.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the suspense and utter surprise at the twists in the story.

Have you listened to any of Seán Barrett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't.

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

At one stage I almost didn't want to listen because I could guess what terrible things were going to be said - but I couldn't tear myself away from the grimness of the story being told. I found myself thinking "Oh my god".

Excellent Procedural Eisenmenger and Wharton

Forensic pathologist John Eisenmenger and Chief Inspector Beverly Wharton are drawn into a puzzling case from two separate directions. Eisenmenger was looking into the unexpected demise of a lorry driver back from a trip to Europe. Chief Inspector Wharton had the murder of a husband and wife that she was trying to solve.

I wasn't terribly impressed with the first Eisenmenger book I listened to, but somewhere between 2006's A World Full of Weeping and this book, something good happened. This isn't a whodunit, the main question is why was it done and McCarthy does an outstanding job of putting the reader into the heads of various characters. In fact, when the book was over and the current situation resolved I immediately checked his web site to see if there was a new Eisenmenger book on the horizon (unfortunately not).. I'm really interested in where he is taking his two main characters next.

Seán Barrett does a good job with this one. No complaints about the narration.

McCarthy medical thriller

Excellent medical thriller with attention grabbing suspense all the way through. The only problem with this series is more is needed. Very much liked narrator

How I spent my summer, part 3

...now I found Keith McCarthy...all his books are voiced by Sean Barrett. (insert smile emoji here). Listened to all but two...and the only reason I didn't listen to them is because they are not offered by Audible (hint!).

So there you have it. Good listens, but have OED or Google handy. Several words to look up. "Abattoir" anyone?