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Semana Santa

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About this listen

 Nominated for the Audiobook Download of the Year, 2008.

Southern Spain. It is in Semana Santa - Holy Week - and the heat is building up in the city. This is always a difficult time for the police, with thousands of visitors adding to thousands of hooded penitents parading through the medieval streets.

In the modern slums and the fine old houses of the rich and influential, some have secrets going back to the terrible days of the Civil War. When a hideous double murder is discovered on the first day, the men of the force - and a visiting female academic, Maria Gutierrez - know they are in for a long week.

©1996 David Hewson (P)2008 WF Howes Ltd Crime Fiction Mystery
All stars
Most relevant
Good history and story. got a bit confusing with some of the characters towards the end.

Good history

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I first encountered David Hewson's writings through his Rome series and found his stories enthralling and well-suited to being audio books. Semana Santa pre-dates that series and is not so successful as a book to be read aloud as it has many characters with unfamiliar sounding names and is full of elaborate writing that goes off at tangents describing, for example, dreams in great detail which leads to one losing the thread of the narrative. The book also gets off to a sluggish start, unlike the author's later books which grab attention from the beginning. I heard a recent Audible interview with the author who said that now he bears in mind how his writings will play in an audio version. This has benefited listeners, to judge by more recent books.
Semana Santa is a good story and Sean Barratt reads it superbly well giving the many characters different accents and tones of voice which helps the listener to keep track of who is whom, though I sometimes got mixed up as to who were the goodies and who the baddies!

Elaborate writing, great reader

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This was brilliant and I really enjoyed every minute of it, the book was fast and pacey always something happening, characters were portrayed brilliantly and as always Sean Barrett naration superb as usual. Had that sinking feeling when the book ended

FABULOUS BOOK

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Really engrossing story, brilliantly narrated by Sean Barrett. It draws you in with lots of different strands and just when you think you've solved it, you're taken down another path. Very enjoyable and thoroughly recommended.

Fantastically atmospheric

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Hewson is such a good writer...this kept my attention from start to finish, with some unexpected twists and some excellent characterisation. Barrett is one of my favourite narrators...highly recommended.

Thoroughly enjoyed this

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