The Deep Dark Descending

By: Allen Eskens

Narrated by: R.C. Bray

Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

Homicide Detective Max Rupert never fully accepted his wife's death, even when he believed that a reckless hit and run driver was the cause. But when he learns that in fact she was murdered, he devotes himself to hunting down her killers. Most of his life he had thought of himself as a decent man. But now he's so consumed with thoughts of retribution that he questions whether he will take that last step and enact the vengeance he longs for.

On a frozen lake near the US-Canadian border, he wrestles with a decision that could change his life forever, as his hatred threatens to turn him into the kind of person he has spent a career bringing to justice.

©2017 Allen Eskens (P)2017 Tantor

Critic Reviews

"Eskens infuses the old this-time-it's-personal trope with raw urgency, righteous indignation, and enough scorching action to melt every trace of the Minnesota snow in his finest hour to date." ( Kirkus, Starred Review)

absolutely brilliant!!

I read or listen rather to roughly 100 novels a year. I have the audible stats to prove it, and lately I have just been listening to stuff almost as background noise, constantly having to hit the rewind button because I missed something. then this book came along and swept my legs from under Me! I have read all of Allen's works and they are all of a superior caliber to what's generally out there, but this one is absolutely brilliant! I'm talking award winning book of the year or decade brilliant! Why this isn't in the best sellers category yet I do not know, but I think it's only a matter of time. THIS BOOK IS BETTER EVEN THAN THE LIFE WE BURY, and I would never say that lightly. I can see a 10 episode Netflix or Amazon series coming from this. It's just amazing!

Vengeance Is Not Justice

Another great Allen Eskens novel... If you enjoy narrator R.C. Bray, you already know he's an excellent narrator using just the right amount of drama and tension in his voice and using different tones to separate the characters... he really elevated this listening experience for me... But this is a strong, interesting story on its own just as much as “The Life We Bury” and “The Heavens May Fall” .. all are interesting stand alone stories. The Publisher's Summary and other reviewers provide a good synopsis so I won’t repeat too much here.

Vengeance is mines’ says Max Rupert… and he goes after his wife’s murderers without real second thoughts. He is a decent man so when he hears in his head the voice of the dead woman who had raised him, he listens but his need for retribution keep driving him towards his goal. “Vengeance is not justice,” he says to himself, “but those two ideals are not strangers to one another. They are born of the same mother, one sired by virtue, the other is the bastard son of vice…” Wow! I enjoyed this story.

I recommend.

Revenge! Payback is Hell!

I enjoy this series by Eskens. The Deep Dark Descending is a good addition to the series starting Police detective Max Rupert. I strongly recommend reading the first 2 books prior to this one. You need to understand some of the back story to fully appreciate Max's actions in this book. Max's attitude is dark and his payback turns violent so beware if you're sensitive to dark, gritty plots. The narration by Bray is outstanding.

Excellent Eskens Novel, but brutal

Allen Eskens continues to demonstrate his command of writing. This book is superb. Best of the four books he has published.

Reader beware: this book is brutal. It is not for the faint of heart.

Just gritty enough

Read The Life We Bury & liked Esken’s style. This is also a solid crime drama. He moves skillfully between the present & the near-present. I was not expecting the ending, but appreciated the rationale. My one quibble is that the Ordeal in the Snow scene went on a bit long.

Wow!

This book was a BIG surprise. Purchased based on summary and reviews. It was the right decision.
Great writing and well developed main character, you get pulled into his story and feel his desperation.
Narration was also excellent.
Highly recommend.

Captivating and engaging

Allen Eskens's books are mix of crime mystery and novel exploring human range of emotions. The characters are engaging and the atmosphere of a cold winter in Minneapolis and northern Minnesota is extremely well described and pervasive all along the story.
A good book !

Vengeance delayed 5 years

The Life We Bury, the first novel in the Max Rupert series by Allen Eskens, is my favorite of all of the novels to which I have listened during recent years. Book 2, The Heavens May Fall, was almost as good. The general genre of suspense mystery/thrillers is certainly my favorite and the Rupert series falls well withing the genre. I enjoy dark suspense novels, and all three novels are dark. Narrator R.C. Bray is among my five favorite at his craft. But The Deep Dark Descending is, in my opinion, nowhere close to as good a novel as The Life We Bury or The Heavens May Fall. Put simply, it lacks the suspense buildup of Allen Eskens' earlier novels because there was never any real doubt, even as Rupert promises the man he will spare his life for a confession, about the outcome as cop Max Rupert seeks vengeance against his wife's and unborn child's murderer.

Bray's narration was outstanding as always although I wish he has used the more common French pronunciation of the word fillet.

Summary, this is a worthwhile novel while being disappointing compared to the author's earlier novels.

Okay mystery

After loving two previous Eskens novels, The Life We Bury, and The Heavens May Fall, I was so excited to read this new one. The main character, Max Rupert, is a detective and still plagued by the death of his wife five years earlier. I liked Rupert and he made me care about this story. After a good start, the middle half of the novel was a bit flat. Part of it was a typical (under-the-table) investigation into the wife's death (looking like murder). The novel ended out going back and forth between 2 days: where Rupert is in the process of executing the man he thinks is responsible for his wife's death, and the backstory that brought him there. I didn't love that approach, nor did his actions seem consistent with the character I had gotten to know. The final couple of hours did pick up quite a bit, almost boosting my 3 star rating to a 4, but too much of the story was only okay.

SUSPENSEFUL AND RIVETING

This book left me exhausted, but it was an intriguing read from the very first page until the last word. I have been anxiously waiting for this book , as I’ve read all the prior books by this author and wanted to find out what happened to Max Rupert’s wife. I highly recommend reading the previous books in the order they were written so as to fully appreciate this character and his actions in this latest novel. I had no idea how the story would end and definitely did not anticipate the conclusion. This author is brilliant in how he keeps the reader guessing as to if a character is what they seem to be or if they end up being a villain, a victim or maybe even a combination. There are no easy answers or storybook conclusions , but definitely a satisfying experience. This book will stay with me for a long time and I eagerly wait for the next novel by Allen Eskens. The narrator, R. C. Bray, did an excellent job, and changed his voice/ accent to perfectly match the characters.

Rupert the Wolf!

When RC Bray is narrating a book you know that it at least isn't going to sound dull. When the man himself describes a book as one of the best thrillers he has read then that's more than enough to make me sit up and take note!

And this does not disappoint at all, it really does live up to that kind of billing. Unbeknownst to me when I chose it, this is a continuation of an existing story from previous books. Max Rupert, an experienced homicide detective is haunted by his wife's death and seeks to discover the truth behind it. It genuinely worked for me as a stand-alone but I would imagine that reading the previous books would flesh out the characters and add to the enjoyment.

It's a short, sharp and fast-paced thriller. From the brooding, dark and very cold opening it moves on at considerable speed, never dragging. In fact maybe some of Rupert's discoveries may come to him just a little easily. That aside though it's high quality writing and we're treated to a classic dual timeline albeit covering only three days in total.

It's a novel of discovery and revenge, well worthy of a strong recommendation!

Excellent dark thriller

Another brilliant book in the series with Max Rupert showing his dark side. A very well written book that proves why revenge is a dish best served cold (pun intended and you'll understand why after you've listened to the book!)
R C Bray is brilliant as usual and makes the story come alive.
A must listen, especially if you've listened to the other books in the series.

Excellent

Finished this book in one sitting. Moves along at a fair pace and kept me hooked from the start. R C Brays narration is as always spot on.

gripping thriller

loved it, keeps you on the edge of your seat, R C Bray is a brilliant narrator.