Going Underground cover art

Going Underground

Jonathan Roper Investigates Series, Book 1

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends December 16, 2025 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.
Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Going Underground

By: Michael Leese
Narrated by: Michael Healy
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Only £0.99 a month for the first 3 months. Pay £0.99 for the first 3 months, and £8.99/month thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Start my membership

About this listen

A spate of murders, deranged scientists, and heavily armed mercenaries - little wonder there's a state of panic at Scotland Yard.

Chief Inspector Brian Hooley has a plan, and it won't make him popular. He wants to bring back autistic detective Jonathan Roper. Currently suspended on misconduct charges, his condition, coupled with a relentless work ethic, makes Roper a unique investigator with observational skills that allow him to see what others miss. But he is also a complex man who doesn't get social boundaries, and plenty of his colleagues just don't like him.

Hooley doesn't care about that. He knows Roper is the one to make a difference.

What follows is a roller-coaster ride, with the veteran cop about to find out what it's like to be the subject of Roper's unflinching gaze as his personal habits face intense scrutiny.

This special relationship is warmly observed and provides a comic contrast to a darkly compelling story where the pair is pushed to the limit.

©2017 Michael Leese (P)2018 Tantor Dark Humour Literature & Fiction Mystery Traditional Detectives
All stars
Most relevant
so glad I tried this book. looking forward to the next one. love the characters (apart from the horrendous 'baddies').

loved it. esp DCI Hooley

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I enjoyed the story once I got over the very disconcerting narration.

What a strange accent and Often strange pronunciation.

Disconcerting narrator

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
not my favourite narrator voice but he read well and clearly. Great storyline. I almost listened to the whole book in one sitting!

the fascinating storyline

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Partly because of the way it was read (some very odd pronunciations) and partly because of the characters I cannot say I greatly enjoyed this as a listen. The opening scenario is intriguing and I only persevered to see how matters were resolved. The portrayal of the "autistic" investigator's supposed "autistic" character traits played on tropes and left me feeling distinctly uncomfortable. The narrative might have worked better if that character had simply been presented as having various eccentricities and if we had been spared the dialogues where his superior "explains" how the world works. The actual underlying story is a good one.

Not for me

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Aren’t there enough English actors? If not then it’s fine for Americans to read in their own voices. Caricature upper class English accents and dreadful pronunciation of simple words spoilt an otherwise good yarn!

Terrible reading

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews