Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Barking

  • By: Tom Holt
  • Narrated by: Ray Sawyer
  • Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (183 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
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.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
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.
Barking cover art

Barking

By: Tom Holt
Narrated by: Ray Sawyer
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

How to Survive the Afterlife: Books 1-3 cover art
The Stranger Times cover art
The Antipope cover art
The King of Scanlon's Rock cover art
Clovenhoof cover art
Starter Villain cover art
Between Jobs cover art
A Man with One of Those Faces cover art
Oddjobs cover art
The Idiots' Club cover art
The Invisible Library cover art
The Colour of Magic cover art
A Spell in the Country cover art
Being Human: Chasers cover art
Bo Blackman cover art
Down Cemetery Road cover art

Summary

Monsters are roaming the streets of London. Of course, some monsters are scarier than others: Unicorns? No bother. Vampires? Big deal. Werewolves? Ho hum. Lawyers? … Aaargh! Duncan's boss doesn't think that he's cut out to be a lawyer. He isn’t a pack animal. He lacks the killer instinct. But when his best friend from school barges his way back into Duncan’s life, with a full supporting cast of lawyers, ex-wives, zombies and snow-white unicorns, it’s not long before things become distinctly unsettling. Hairy, even.

©2008 Tom Holt (P)2011 Hachette Digital

Critic reviews

"Dazzling." ( Time Out)
"Frothy, fast and funny." ( Scotland On Sunday)

What listeners say about Barking

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    99
  • 4 Stars
    57
  • 3 Stars
    21
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    89
  • 4 Stars
    39
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    74
  • 4 Stars
    41
  • 3 Stars
    15
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Barking

Werewolves, lawyers, vampires, zombies and a unicorn. Just another day at the office. If you’ve listened to Tom Holt before you’ll know what you’re getting into, it’s the real world with added fantasy elements and humour. This one is a little darker than other books by this author I’ve listened to. But it is still very good, with lots of humour, and very accurate and funny observations on dog (well wolf) behaviour, which any dog owners will recognise. I really enjoyed it, and it was excellently read by Ray Sawyer. Highly recommended.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A diamond in the rrrrrruff!

I've been a fan of Tom Holt's books for several years, so was really pleased to find unabridged recordings here on Audible. Ray Sawyer brings the work to life with a wide range of characteristisations.



The story itself contains Holt's usual mix of subtle references, cunningly crafted turns of phrase, and characters both credible and entertaining. 'Barking' also draws on Holt's real life experience as a solicitor, adding greatly to the authentic 'feel' of the work.



In conclusion, a well-wrought recording which should please Tom Holt fans new and established alike.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Easy Bed Time Listening

If you're after a book with laugh out loud comedy then perhaps this isn't it. It's well written and read well but it lacks the real oomph that some of the other Tom Holt books offer. It's a great book to listen to as you're off to bed as it doesn't require too much attention as it's quite slow going.

The book does have it's moments and I did enjoy it. If you want a book about the supernatural with a dash of the mundane realities of life today then this is for you! But as I've already said, there are better Tom Holt books out there.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Totally enjoyable escapism to unwind by

Along with Tom Sharpe and Christopher Fowler, Tom Holt is one of the three great comedy writers of the day. He has the perfect partner in Ray Sawyer his narrator who makes all of his books a great listen with his variety of voices. Quirky humour may not be everyone's cup of tea but if you've never tried this variety then you'll never know. There is absolutely no predictability from storyline to storyline so his books are always a pleasant and refreshing surprise, even when there is a theme such as J.W. Wells & Co.linking some of them together there's always something new. The inherent problem with his audiobooks is their addictive quality so that you eventually end up skulking around secretly listening to "just one more chapter". It almost makes you feel like one of his less wholesome characters. Barking is a great standalone and the title says it all. If you're not already a member, then joining the Tom Holt gang is a must, and if you listen to this book you'll understand why.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

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

So dull

What disappointed you about Barking?

Repetitive drivel, clichés and 2d characters. Faintly misogynistic. Plot had potential but was so poorly executed, comic fiction is so hard to get right, and Tom Holt has not got it.

Would you ever listen to anything by Tom Holt again?

I stopped listening to this before the halfway mark. Life is too short.

What aspect of Ray Sawyer’s performance might you have changed?

His female voices.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The Best View of Lawyers Ever

Another fantastic Tom Holt story, that piques your interest and then sucks you into the world of some amazing characters so that you believe and cant wait for what happens next. Very unusual story that is well told and narrated. If there was a next episode I would simply buy it immediately.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

Silly and fun

Loved this, another great story, in a great series by Tom. Very funny and his books always keep me wanting more. Moving onto the next one now ☺️

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Unexpected and wonderful

I really enjoyed this listrn and would highly recommend it to anyone eho appreciates dry humour and fantasy.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Clever, amusing, a joy to behold

I am just a huge fan of Tom Holt so this is going to be a biased review. Another classic Holt slant on real life with the main character a put upon lawyer not really going anywhere although he should really be. Old friends fall back into his life with, as it turns out, a bit of help.

Ray Sawyer is perfect as always for Tom’s books and he does a great job. As soon as I hear his voice, I know I am going to enjoy the story.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Not the best Tom Holt

I’ve read/listened to quite a few of holts books in the past, and I have to say this is my least favourite.
Why ? Well there just doesn’t seem to be a structured story. Starts of with a small amount of character development.
Then it meanders slowly through to some set pieces that just don’t seem to connect .
The performance by Ray Sawyer is the only redeeming feature in my eyes/ears lol.
Hand on heart m I couldn’t recommend this to anyone , but there are others who love it.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!