Wednesday's Child

By: Peter Robinson

Narrated by: James Langton

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

Wednesday's child is full of woe.... It was a crime of staggering inhumanity: a seven-year-old girl taken from her home right in front of her desperate working-class mother. With each passing moment, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks realizes that the child's death becomes more and more likely. But there are worse fates than death in a nightmare world of human monsters and their twisted games. And the grisly discovery of a young man slain in a particularly savage fashion only starts the clock ticking faster, drawing Banks into the sordid depths of an evil more terrible and terrifying than anything he has ever encountered.

Investigate another case with Inspector Banks.

©2005 Peter Robinson (P)2011 Tantor

Critic Reviews

"A gripping thriller." (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Chief Inspector Banks cracks another case.

I have been enjoying listening to Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks series in chronological order. If you are contemplating purchasing this one, without having listened to the previous ones, I would strongly suggest that you go back and begin listening to this series from the beginning, with "Gallows View." You will see what I mean: This series introduces us not only to protagonist Alan Banks, but also to Yorkshire and its denizens. For those of us not living in Britain, these audiobooks open us up to a new world -- probably more rural, quiet, and leisurely-paced than ours. Each story builds upon the previous one, developing the characters of Alan Banks and his fellow "coppers" a little more. Aside from Banks' nicotine addiction and his incipient alcoholism, I have grown fond of him (who wants a perfect detective, anyway?), always looking forward to his next case. Peter Robinson writes beautifully: always taking time to lyrically describe the Yorkshire countryside and its weather, and to paint us verbal pictures of his characters' appearance and their gestures. (If you prefer fast-paced thrillers, getting impatient when the action slows, then you might not like the Inspector Banks series. These novels definitely qualify as mysteries, but not thrillers.) One can clearly visualize the story as it proceeds, scene-by-scene, almost as if one were watching a movie. And Peter Robinson really does devise excellent plots for his books, each one differing from the others, each one intricately thought out. In "Wednesday's Child," Robinson departs from form a bit, with a funny Hell's-Kitchen-style scene in which all the neighbors get involved in a noisy row between a blowzy woman and her good-for-nothing boyfriend, all contributing their considered opinions. If I were to find any fault with the Inspector Banks series, I would would wish for more humor; but this episode has it.

James Langton's excellent acting talent and his beautiful voice have a lot to do with my enjoyment of this series. In "Wednesday's Child," in particular, he surpasses himself with his perfect rendering of the difficult South African accent. He always distinguishes the characters from one another, even the women.

I recommend this entire series to anyone who enjoys the English-style procedural mystery genre; but, again, start from the beginning, and listen to them in order.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Wow.

I’m new to DCI Banks, having been first pulled in by the TV series. (That said, I should also note that the books are far more interesting.) This is one of the best I’ve read so far. I don’t know if the pattern is consistent, but the plot unfolds as a series of insights based on slogging police work rather than a series of engineered surprises and red herrings: I especially appreciated that aspect of it. Given the subject matter of this one, it had a stronger emotional impact than most mysteries I’ve read recently. The characters are fascinating and the locales vividly drawn. James Langton does a good job reading it.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

A fabulous narrator

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

Yes, as I feel the story and narration give a great picture of the wild and wonderful Yorkshire Dales and area.

What did you like best about this story?

A complicated thriller with many twists and a great ending.

What about James Langton’s performance did you like?

Having lived in Yorkshire many years ago, although I was not born in Yorkshire, and have lived in Canada for over 40 years. I loved his spot on Yorkshire accent, plus the variety of dialogues, melodic voice. I can visualise Inspector Banks vividly, and the many of the Yorkshire fellows I nursed during my training in Bradford Yorkshire.
Peter Robinson's descriptions of the social problems are handled very well.

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

The great Yorkshire accent, and description of the countryside and cities brought back many happy memories of my father, who was a Yorkshireman to his core, and took me on many hikes over his beloved moors.

Any additional comments?

I have read (and listened) to all the Inspector Bank's series,and enjoy James Langton's narrations very much.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Series favorite thus far!

Despite the heinousness of the crimes against children theme featured in Wednesday's Child, this audio book is still my favorite of the lot so far (listening in numbered order). The story line is compelling and often humorous, as CI Banks further contemplates the psychology of the human mind with his characteristic objective rationale.

James Langton's narration is brilliant once again.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great Listen!!!

Would you listen to Wednesday's Child again? Why?

I'm listening to the Inspector Banks series while walking six miles each morning, and I find this a fantastic incentive to get me out the door. This one pushed me an extra mile as I neared the finish. Would definitely listen again on some future walk.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Banks is the all time favorite.

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

Good voice - nothing overdone or dramatic, and clearly spoken.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

That would be a spoiler.....

Any additional comments?

The series is great for the genre and, so far, consistently good. I definitely recommend it for creative listening.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Writing

Mr. Robinson should give writing lessons. If one student could be one-third as good a writer, we would be truly blessed. The DCI Banks series is very well written. The story lines are intriguing, and I am unable to stop listening to these books. As soon as I get through writing this review I’ll be starting the next book. Keep them coming!!

a hell of a terrible true

Well done and so sadly ever word could be true and I sit here this evening,.

needlessly explicit

as much as I enjoy the DCI Banks series, particularly the ones narrated by Peter Langdon, this book was really tough to take. There were two scenes in particular that were quite needlessly explicit. Gratuitous. Nearly hardcore p*** in the approach to describing sexual violence.

So So

The previous books in the series were much better than this one. I prefer "whodunnits" rather than the search for a serial killer.

A deceive series. This keeps you reading with ease

This book picks up better than the one previous in the Inspector Alan Banks series. I began these, some time ago as I've mentioned before this review after reading a Peter Robinson Novel that wasn't a series book. That particular Novel was so excellent (Sorry Spaced out the name...watch for it in my next review. At that time, I picked up the series later in DI Banks life and career. I got pretty hooked.

Having been listening to some classics, I was in the mood for something shorter and rediscovered Detective Banks! I like these stories and the characters. If you like crime novels and deceives whose lives are developed you'll like these. I think though although this is my third in a row that I still didn't start at the beginning!

Excellent story.

This is the best so far, great story, villain was a really nasty piece of work. very gritty subject matter.

Great read

Really enjoyed the book and glad I listened to it before the TV series started. Find I can listen again and again and hear things I didn't the first time. Engaging story line makes you want to know who did it and how.

Gripping to the end. excellent narration.

loved this book, kept me gripped to the very end. Now to the next in the series.

Very good

Typical to Robinson's style, a very good story with great insight into the psychology of paedophiles.