• The Innocent and the Dead

  • DI Jack Knox, Book 1
  • By: Robert McNeill
  • Narrated by: David Monteath
  • Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
  • 3.4 out of 5 stars (7 ratings)

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The Innocent and the Dead  By  cover art

The Innocent and the Dead

By: Robert McNeill
Narrated by: David Monteath
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Publisher's Summary

One woman found dead. Another kidnapped. Two cases. One overworked Scottish detective. The Innocent and the Dead is the first in the DI Jack Knox series and comes with the prequel story 'Labyrinth'. 

DI Jack Knox is called in to investigate a high-profile case. A local distiller’s daughter has gone missing, and when he receives a ransom note, his fears that it is a kidnapping are confirmed. Knox decides to take a serious risk to capture the abductors, but the stakes could not be higher. The father is wealthy and well-connected. If Knox’s gamble goes wrong, he’ll have hell to pay. 

Meanwhile in the prequel story, 'Labyrinth', the body of an attractive young woman is found in woodland on Edinburgh’s iconic Calton Hill. Knox will have to cut through the lies of the people who knew her in order to establish a motive and collar the killer.

©2019 Robert B. McNeill (P)2020 W. F. Howes Ltd

What listeners say about The Innocent and the Dead

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Undeveloped characters

Plot lines ok but a little too tidy. Characters have no depth, but OF COURSE the middle aged lead male character has a girlfriend 20 years younger. What is it with male police procedural writers that their middle aged lead male characters usually have girlfriends 15 to 20 years younger? Argh!

1 person found this helpful

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  • patwebb
  • 05-19-20

A little short.

I really enjoyed the book. It was well read and the storyline was very good but, personally, I thought it was a little short. I think if the author had added a little more of the private life of D I knox it would have extended the story. If you want a story about a straight forward police investigation without any frills this is the one for you.

7 people found this helpful

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  • TANIA
  • 06-23-20

Very enjoyable

I like that the story has several police cases that are solved, rather than just one.. Enjoyed it very much

3 people found this helpful

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  • Marjory
  • 04-13-21

Great listen.

This is the second book I have listened to by this author and have thoroughly enjoyed them. Great story with twists to the very end. It has no explicit sex scenes , horrendous violence and no unnecessary swearing. I love the narrator who is one of my favourites. He has a great repertoire of voices for the different accents. I have just finished downloading the third book and am ready to listen to it.

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  • Teresa evans
  • 10-18-20

The innocent and the dead

Not bad a little short narration was great. The story lines could have been better

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  • JPH
  • 08-21-22

Another Author to add to my list

Enjoyed this book. Consisted of the prequel story, to DI Jack Knox so you got the bonus of two stories.

It was a little short compared to other crime thrillers I've listened to, but non the less enjoyable, and kept my attention throughout.

I initially chose this because it was narrated by one of my favourites David Monteath, and he didn't dissapoint.

Roll on the next in the series.

Reccomended.

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  • Esther
  • 07-13-21

Great Listen

Loved it, David Minteath narration is superb and the writer paints a clear picture of life in Scotland and
gives a running background of this fascinating detective.

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  • jeepster
  • 12-20-20

Disappointing

Looked forward to listening to this, but wish I hadn't wasted a credit. The narration was poor, the story plot was formulaic & I found myself not caring what happened to any of the characters. The only moments I enjoyed were the occasional references to my favourite city of Edinburgh.
Come back Inspector Rebus. All is forgiven!

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  • charlotte
  • 11-26-20

great crime story

2 fabulous stories brought to life by the outstanding David Monteath - listen & enjoy!

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  • Helen Engstrom
  • 01-22-21

Tedious and dull

I was hoping the DI Knox series would be good, but Book 1 (including a prequel) has proved disappointing. I don’t intend to buy more in the series and am abandoning this one at Chapter 3. Although David Monteith gives his usual capable narration (the voices of the two leading officers clearly echoing DCI Daley and DS Brian Scott) he cant make up for one dimensional characters, staid writing, and a boring plot.

The characters are wooden and unlovable, and they speak with unbelievable formality. Even a murderer admitting to the crime does so in the most stilted language, and the police officers are unfailingly calm and polite. Not credible at all. None of the characters are easy to like, and DI Knox is far too old and boring to really have a 20 something young detective as his lover. That’s not credible either.

The plots are pedestrian. I had worked out the identity of the murderer in the prequel long before the police did, and it was utterly predictable, as well as disappointingly stereotypical.

If you want compelling Scottish crime writing, try the DCI Jack Logan series, the Logan MacRae series, or anything by Doug Johnston. This one isn’t worth the credit or the listening hours.