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  • Complicity

  • By: Iain Banks
  • Narrated by: Peter Kenny
  • Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (318 ratings)
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Complicity cover art

Complicity

By: Iain Banks
Narrated by: Peter Kenny
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Summary

Complicity n. 1. the fact of being an accomplice, esp. in a criminal act.

A few spliffs, a spot of mild S&M, phone through the copy of tomorrow's front page, catch up with the latest from your mystery source - could be big, could be very big - in fact, just a regular day at the office for free-wheeling, substance-abusing Cameron Colley, a fully paid-up Gonzo hack on an Edinburgh newspaper. The source is pretty thin, but Cameron senses a scoop and checks out a series of bizarre deaths from a few years ago - only to find that the police are checking out a series of bizarre deaths that are happening right now. And Cameron just might know more about it than he'd care to admit.…

©1993 Iain Banks (P)2013 Hachette Digital

Critic reviews

"A remarkable novel...superbly crafted, funny, and intelligent." (Financial Times)

"A stylishly executed and well-produced study of fear, loathing, and victimisation which moves towards doom in measured steps." (Observer)

"Ingenious, daring, and brilliant." (Guardian)

What listeners say about Complicity

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Why do I like this so much? ....

I'm not a Scottish young male journo with a drug habit; this book is grim, brutal, uncompromising and convoluted ...so why do I like this so much?

I like it because Iain B. makes you think. He challenges your preconceptions, delights in startling you and gives you a mental workout. I like it because he invents strong, believable characters and puts them in hideous situations with storylines that are unpredictable and challenging. I like it because his dark and difficult books are clever, engaging and enjoyable to read. They put footprints all over your brain.

Iain Banks is simply brilliant, with and without the M. His books steal a bit of headspace and never really leave you.

Peter Kenny deserves a mention too. He is a great narrator and really brings the characters and stories to life with a subtlety that others lack. I love his work.

I thoroughly recommend all of the Banks audio books, perhaps with the exception of Feersum Endjinn. Get that in print as half the fun is in the spelling.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Golden Banks

I never read this one the first time around and it was good to catch up on this. I love the constant references to his Tosh and fascination with the new technology of the period. A Toshiba lap top with a colour screen - magic! OK - so not one of his best, but I kind of read or listen to Iain Banks because I love his Iain M Banks so much.

Heard he was on his last legs in the papers last week. This is devastating! He is just one of the good guys, we need him! Also saw critics in the papers claim his Fiction is better than his SF - what?!

Please, Please, Please - someone call the Culture and get him into a med box and fix him - now, this is an order! 13/4/13



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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Very good in its genre

The sad occasion that made me pick up this particular book was reading about Iain Banks terminal illness and realising that I'd never got around to reading any of his books. Giving it only three stars is not really fair, as it is quite excellent in its genre. It's probably more that I'm a bit tired of the thriller/crime-fic/social indignation genre...

It's a well enough thought out story and the protagonist, a traditional "hack", is quite credible. I always love it when books are set in Scotland - I can't explain why - still haven't been!



The narrator is a master of accents, which is quite entertaining, surely, but in the end slightly irritating. I'm not sure that I really want narrators to act like they are in a radio play rather than reading a book.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Banks at his non Sci-Fi best

This is excellent, gritty and compelling Banks. And Peter Kenny is excellent also. In tone it puts me in mind of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but this clearly pre-dates....and is of course set in Scotland.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Usual creepy Iain -M Banks

I read this at the time because I knew the author from his science fiction work. These can definitely not be confused!
Still a great read (though not my genre) very well written and performed

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Shame about narrator

Love the book, love the story, one of my favourite of Iain Banks books. Unfortunately I find the narrator impossible to listen to, really irritating fake accent and completely unfitting to the characters in the story. Hope its not the same fit other Banks audible books, this is the first one I've listened to.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story shame about the narrator

I was really looking forward to rediscovering Iain Banks having read his books as a teenager. Unfortunately I couldn't get beyond chapter 3 of Complicity as the narrator is very annoying. He narrates in a very short, flat and fast style. I did try again but within 5 minutes I had to turn it off. I will not be returning to the title. The narrator spoilt it. It's a shame as I really looking forward to listening to it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping, grizzly murder mystery with amoral twist

Really enjoyed this book. I have even more respect for Iain Banks' story telling prowess and sorrow that we've lost him to the big C already. Kept me listening at certain points longer than I intended because of the "what the fek is going to happen next" hooks in the storyline.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

I'm Returning This One

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

I can't imagine who would enjoy this book. I thought it was thoroughly revolting.

What was most disappointing about Iain Banks’s story?

Far too much gratuitous sex for my taste.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Narrator was ok, it was the content.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I think the underlying story might have been ok but it is interspersed with very graphic murders and unpleasant sex scenes.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

excellent whodunit

really interesting tale, excellent narrator, clever and witty story of two lives over the years.

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