The Deathwatch Journal cover art

The Deathwatch Journal

An Original Story for BBC Radio 4

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Deathwatch Journal

By: Ian Rankin
Narrated by: Jimmy Chisholm
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £7.99

Buy Now for £7.99

About this listen

A gripping original story for BBC Radio 4 by award-winning crime writer Ian Rankin, written for the landmark Radio 4 Book at Bedtime.

Saughton Prison, Edinburgh, 1962.

Prison guard Thomas Scott watches over a condemned man sentenced to hang for the murder of his wife.

His prisoner is a guilty man, that's for sure. William Telfer has done enough bad things in his life. And Scott has been in his job long enough to know that guilty men often proclaimed their innocence right up until the moment the noose was placed around their necks. But as they wait out the days until his execution, Scott begins to suspect that Telfer is innocent of this murder.

An innocent man could be hanged by the neck until dead. And his jailer doesn't know what to do about it....

To find out the truth, Scott must explore Edinburgh's darkest corners. And he is running out of time.

From the best-selling author of the Rebus novels, this original story asks what you would do in the face of doubt and in the search for justice.

This release contains additional material not included in the radio broadcast plus an extended postscript.

©2017 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2017 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd Crime Thrillers Mystery Thriller & Suspense
All stars
Most relevant
much prefer crime novels. Style not flowing and inclusive. quick read not recommended. like radio......

OK

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It's probably impossible for Ian Rankin to write a bad story, but this isn't quite up to his usual high standard. The problem is that it is far too short, so that characters are left sketchily drawn and the plot is hurried through. I really would like to have this expanded into a full-length novel so that we can get into the people and their motivations properly. For example, it was never really clear what drove Gracie to get involved, and I would like to have learned more about Scott's wife and his history, and why he chose his particular job.
Having said all that, it was a good absorbing listen, and I was left guessing about the outcome until the end.

Jimmy Chisholm did a excellent job of narration. I've not listened to him before, but he was really clear and all the characters were well differentiated.

Too short!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Very good story, some things don’t change I guess. Worth the listen for the “twist” at the end.

Interesting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.