Listen free for 30 days
-
The Birdwatcher
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Thriller & Suspense
People who bought this also bought...
-
Salt Lane
- DS Alexandra Cupidi, Book 1
- By: William Shaw
- Narrated by: Jasmine Blackborow
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
She always went to far. DS Alexandra Cupidi has done it again. She should have learnt to keep her big mouth shut after the scandal that sent her packing - resentful teenager in tow - from the London Met to the lonely Kent coastline. Murder is different here, among the fens and stark beaches. She was the one who found the killers. The man drowned in the slurry pit had been herded there like an animal. He was North African, like many of the fruit pickers that work the fields. The more Cupidi discovers, the more she wants to ask - but these people are suspicious of questions.
-
-
First review I’ve left..
- By Mark M. on 02-02-19
-
A Song from Dead Lips
- By: William Shaw
- Narrated by: Cameron Stewart
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, October 1968. As Beatles fans encamp outside Abbey Road Studios up the road, the Marylebone CID is as much an old boys' club as it ever was: comfortably sexist, racially prejudiced and crawling with corruption. Detective Sergeant Cathal Breen is the pariah of the office, having just run out on a fellow officer held at knifepoint, when it's shaken up by the arrival of WPC Helen Tozer: awkward chatterbox, farmgirl, and the first woman to enter the murder unit - apart from the secretary.
-
-
Very enjoyable
- By Mrs G Buchanan on 05-02-16
-
The Reckoning
- By: Sue Walker
- Narrated by: Jonathan Hackett
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In June 1973 the bodies of three missing teenagers were found on the tiny Scottish island of Fidra. And when his father is arrested for the murders, 11-year-old Miller McAllister's life fell apart. 32 years later, Douglas Mcallister has died in prison and Miller returns home after decades of self-imposed exile. Because, though the rest of his family prostested Douglas' innocence, Miller always maintained his guilt.
-
-
An atmospheric story
- By Allan on 23-09-06
-
Firewatching
- By: Russ Thomas
- Narrated by: Jamie Parker
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Someone is setting fire to Sheffield. It starts with small things – dustbins and abandoned sheds – so people don’t notice at first. But the calling card is there if you look for it. Soon the fires spread to offices, homes, people. The Firewatcher’s followers are growing and they have one particular blaze in mind – one that the police would do well to pay attention to. But D/S Adam Tyler is distracted by a case, one that he is unknowingly connected to. And if he can’t discover the link between the fires and himself, he will burn – along with the entire city.
-
-
Brilliant narration
- By Bookworm on 12-11-20
-
The Snow Killer
- The DI Barton Series, Book 1
- By: Ross Greenwood
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A family is gunned down in the snow, but one of the children survives. Three years on, that child takes revenge, and the Snow Killer is born. But then, nothing - no further crimes are committed, and the case goes cold. 50 years later, has the urge to kill been reawakened? As murder follows murder, the detective team tasked with solving the crimes struggle with the lack of leads. It’s a race against time and the weather - each time it snows, another person dies.
-
-
Outstanding
- By Andromeda's Twin on 28-11-19
-
A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil
- By: Christopher Brookmyre
- Narrated by: Angus King
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We could tell you about the bodies. We could tell you their names, where they were found, the states they were in. We could tell you about the suspects, too, the evidence, the investigators; join a few dots, even throw you a motive. But what would be the point? After all, you know these people. You went to school with them. We all did. So if you really knew them then, you’ll already have all the answers....
-
-
"F*&%ing Brilliant!!!"
- By Jacqueline on 22-07-15
-
Salt Lane
- DS Alexandra Cupidi, Book 1
- By: William Shaw
- Narrated by: Jasmine Blackborow
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
She always went to far. DS Alexandra Cupidi has done it again. She should have learnt to keep her big mouth shut after the scandal that sent her packing - resentful teenager in tow - from the London Met to the lonely Kent coastline. Murder is different here, among the fens and stark beaches. She was the one who found the killers. The man drowned in the slurry pit had been herded there like an animal. He was North African, like many of the fruit pickers that work the fields. The more Cupidi discovers, the more she wants to ask - but these people are suspicious of questions.
-
-
First review I’ve left..
- By Mark M. on 02-02-19
-
A Song from Dead Lips
- By: William Shaw
- Narrated by: Cameron Stewart
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, October 1968. As Beatles fans encamp outside Abbey Road Studios up the road, the Marylebone CID is as much an old boys' club as it ever was: comfortably sexist, racially prejudiced and crawling with corruption. Detective Sergeant Cathal Breen is the pariah of the office, having just run out on a fellow officer held at knifepoint, when it's shaken up by the arrival of WPC Helen Tozer: awkward chatterbox, farmgirl, and the first woman to enter the murder unit - apart from the secretary.
-
-
Very enjoyable
- By Mrs G Buchanan on 05-02-16
-
The Reckoning
- By: Sue Walker
- Narrated by: Jonathan Hackett
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In June 1973 the bodies of three missing teenagers were found on the tiny Scottish island of Fidra. And when his father is arrested for the murders, 11-year-old Miller McAllister's life fell apart. 32 years later, Douglas Mcallister has died in prison and Miller returns home after decades of self-imposed exile. Because, though the rest of his family prostested Douglas' innocence, Miller always maintained his guilt.
-
-
An atmospheric story
- By Allan on 23-09-06
-
Firewatching
- By: Russ Thomas
- Narrated by: Jamie Parker
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Someone is setting fire to Sheffield. It starts with small things – dustbins and abandoned sheds – so people don’t notice at first. But the calling card is there if you look for it. Soon the fires spread to offices, homes, people. The Firewatcher’s followers are growing and they have one particular blaze in mind – one that the police would do well to pay attention to. But D/S Adam Tyler is distracted by a case, one that he is unknowingly connected to. And if he can’t discover the link between the fires and himself, he will burn – along with the entire city.
-
-
Brilliant narration
- By Bookworm on 12-11-20
-
The Snow Killer
- The DI Barton Series, Book 1
- By: Ross Greenwood
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A family is gunned down in the snow, but one of the children survives. Three years on, that child takes revenge, and the Snow Killer is born. But then, nothing - no further crimes are committed, and the case goes cold. 50 years later, has the urge to kill been reawakened? As murder follows murder, the detective team tasked with solving the crimes struggle with the lack of leads. It’s a race against time and the weather - each time it snows, another person dies.
-
-
Outstanding
- By Andromeda's Twin on 28-11-19
-
A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil
- By: Christopher Brookmyre
- Narrated by: Angus King
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We could tell you about the bodies. We could tell you their names, where they were found, the states they were in. We could tell you about the suspects, too, the evidence, the investigators; join a few dots, even throw you a motive. But what would be the point? After all, you know these people. You went to school with them. We all did. So if you really knew them then, you’ll already have all the answers....
-
-
"F*&%ing Brilliant!!!"
- By Jacqueline on 22-07-15
-
The Body in the Marsh
- DCI Craig Gillard, Book 1
- By: Nick Louth
- Narrated by: Marston York
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Criminologist Martin Knight lives a gilded life and is a thorn in the side of the police. But then his wife, Liz, goes missing. There is no good explanation and no sign of Martin.... To make things worse, Liz is the ex-girlfriend of DCI Craig Gillard who is drawn into the investigation. Is it just a missing person or something worse? And what relevance do the events around the shocking Girl F case, so taken up by Knight, have to do with the present? The truth is darker than you could ever have imagined.
-
-
Tired old tropes.
- By K on 18-09-20
-
Hell Bay
- By: Kate Rhodes
- Narrated by: Stephen Perring
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
DI Ben Kitto needs a second chance. After 10 years working for the murder squad in London, a traumatic event has left him grief-stricken. He’s tried to resign from his job, but his boss has persuaded him to take three months to reconsider. Ben plans to work in his uncle Ray’s boatyard, on the tiny Scilly island of Bryher, where he was born, hoping to mend his shattered nerves. His plans go awry when the body of 16-year-old Laura Trescothick is found on the beach at Hell Bay. Her attacker must still be on the island because no ferries have sailed during a two-day storm.
-
-
An enjoyable murder/mystery...
- By Salter on 18-05-18
-
He Is Watching You
- Detective Maddie Ives, Book 1
- By: Charlie Gallagher
- Narrated by: Antonia Beamish
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meet Detective Maddie Ives in this absolutely gripping, race-against-time series opener from best-selling author Charlie Gallagher. A young woman’s body is left in a metal container in a remote location. The killer is careful to position her under a camera that links to his smartphone. He likes to look back at his work. He is watching her. But she isn’t dead. So he will return to finish the job. He can barely contain his excitement at the thought of getting to do it all over again. But he must be careful. He cannot rush. Rushing makes you careless....
-
-
slow start
- By Frances Murphy on 06-12-19
-
The Crossing Places
- By: Elly Griffiths
- Narrated by: Jane McDowell
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When she's not digging up bones or other ancient objects, Ruth Galloway lectures at the University of North Norfolk. She lives happily alone in a remote place called Saltmarsh overlooking the North Sea and, for company; she has her cats Flint and Sparky, and Radio 4. When a child's bones are found in the marshes near an ancient site that Ruth worked on ten years earlier, Ruth is asked to date them.
-
-
Gripping
- By Heli on 12-11-11
-
The Stranger Diaries
- By: Elly Griffiths
- Narrated by: Anjana Vasan, Andrew Wincott, Esther Wane, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clare Cassidy is no stranger to murder. As a literature teacher specialising in the Gothic writer R. M. Holland, she teaches a short course on it every year. Then Clare's life and work collide tragically when one of her colleagues is found dead, a line from an R. M. Holland story by her body. The investigating police detective is convinced the writer's works somehow hold the key to the case.s....
-
-
The stranger diaries
- By brenda peirce on 18-11-18
-
Water's Edge
- A Highlands and Islands Detective Thriller (Highlands & Islands Detective, Book 1)
- By: G R Jordan
- Narrated by: John McNab
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Detective Inspector Macleod returns to his island home 20 years after the painful loss of his wife. With a disposition forged in strong religious conservatism, he must bond with his new partner, the free spirited and upcoming female star of the force, to seek the killer of a young woman and shine a light on the evil beneath the surface. To do so, he must once again stand in the place where he lost everything. Only at the water’s edge will everything be made new.
-
-
Highly recommend
- By Marjory on 07-03-21
-
White Bones
- Kate Maguire Book 1 (Unabridged)
- By: Graham Masterton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lennon
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On an isolated farm in southern Ireland, a decades-old grave houses the dismembered bones of 11 women. Detective Superintendent Katie Maguire of the Irish Gardai is used to bloodshed, but these white bones speak of unimaginable butchery. Not far away, a young American tourist is at the mercy of a sadistic killer. His tools are a boning knife, twine, and a doll fashioned from rags, nails, and fish-hooks. The murder of his victims is secondary only to his pleasure at their pain.
-
-
Not for the faint hearted!
- By Jill Murray on 04-04-16
-
The Last Act of Hattie Hoffman
- By: Mindy Mejia
- Narrated by: Caitlin Thorburn, Jeff Harding, John Moraitis
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eighteen-year-old Hattie Hoffman is a talented actress, loved by everyone in her Minnesotan hometown. When she's found stabbed to death on the opening night of her school play, the tragedy rips through the fabric of the community. Sheriff Del Goodman, a close friend of Hattie's dad, vows to find her killer, but the investigation yields more secrets than answers: it turns out Hattie played as many parts offstage as on.
-
-
Brilliant
- By Kerrie on 20-07-17
-
Grave Doubts
- By: Elizabeth Corley
- Narrated by: Charlotte Strevens
- Length: 16 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sergeant Louise Nightingale is content in the knowledge that a psychopath has been put behind bars for a very long time. She is unaware that he was just a student of a much more deadly opponent - a nameless, faceless terror who is intent on proving his prowess on the killing field. It soon becomes clear that Louise is his ultimate goal. Desperately trying to find Nightingale before the killer does, DCI Andrew Fenwick wonders if her continued silence means he is already too late.
-
-
Love it, love it, love it.
- By Charlotte on 28-11-08
-
Far from the Tree
- Thirty Miles Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Rob Parker
- Narrated by: Warren Brown
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brendan Foley has worked to balance the responsibilities of a demanding job and a troublesome family. He’s managed to keep these two worlds separate, until the discovery of a mass grave sends them into a headlong collision. When one of the dead turns out to be a familiar face, he’s taken off the case. Iona Madison keeps everything under control. She works hard as a detective sergeant and trains harder as a boxer. But when her superior, DI Foley, is removed from the case, her certainties are tested like never before.
-
-
Outstanding!
- By Sue on 13-07-20
-
Out in the Cold
- By: Stuart Johnstone
- Narrated by: David Monteath
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After an incident makes remaining in Glasgow impossible, Police Sergeant Don Colyear is sent to work in a remote Highlands town. His new Inspector wants him gone and the locals wonder why he’s even there. Still, Don makes a go of things, striking up a good working relationship with rookie officer Rowan Forbes. As Don starts to investigate petty crimes, it soon becomes clear that there is something off about the town. A string of teenage disappearances has not been given due attention.
-
-
Absolutely Brilliant!
- By Mrs Julia Hackett on 19-03-21
-
Hand in Glove
- By: Robert Goddard
- Narrated by: John Telfer
- Length: 16 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tristram Abberley was an acclaimed English poet of the 1930s whose legendary reputation was sealed when he died fighting for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. Nearly 50 years later, his sister Beatrix is brutally murdered in her seaside cottage. Her family are stunned by the crime - especially Beatrix's niece, Charlotte Ladram. But Charlotte has little time to mourn her aunt as 50 years of secrets begin to unravel.
-
-
Great Earlier Work From Robert Goddard
- By Mark F. on 10-04-18
Summary
Police Sergeant William South has a reason for not wanting to be on the murder investigation. He is a murderer himself. But the victim was his only friend - like him, a passionate birdwatcher.
South is warily partnered with the strong-willed Detective Sergeant Alexandra Cupidi, newly recruited to the Kent coast from London. Together they find the body, violently beaten, forced inside a wooden chest. Only rage could kill a man like this. South knows it. But soon - too soon - they find a suspect: Donnie Fraser, a drifter from Northern Ireland. His presence in Kent disturbs William - because he knew him as a boy.
If the past is catching up with him, South wants to meet it head on. For even as he desperately investigates the connections, he knows there is no crime, however duplicitous or cruel, that can compare to the great lie of his childhood.
Moving from the storm-lashed, bird-wheeling skies of the Kent Coast to the wordless war of the Troubles, The Birdwatcher is a crime novel of suspense, intelligence and powerful humanity about fathers and sons, grief and guilt and facing the darkness within.
More from the same
What listeners say about The Birdwatcher
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rogayah
- 28-07-16
A twist in the tail
The story moves from present to the past and Billy's childhood during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. It was well plotted and soon became engrossing.
The narrator Roger Davis was good too in conveying the atmosphere of the small Irish village community and the Kentish area of Dungeness.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Louise
- 21-07-16
Loved this...
This is my first William Shaw book...but I will definitely read the rest...well written, great characters..and a good old yarn...very well narrated.... I'm hoping there will be a sequel....
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- E. L. Baxter
- 20-08-16
Excellent atmospheric book.
Excellent atmospheric book. Good characters and a strong storyline. Lead character was likable. Highly recommended for fans of Mo Hayder
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Panny
- 14-06-16
Most enjoyable book this year.
What did you like most about The Birdwatcher?
I liked everything about this book. The narrator was good and didn't speak too fast and the story line kept me gripped. I found the characters very interesting.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Birdwatcher?
I liked the way the book went back and forth in time and I found the Irish part of the book very interesting.
Have you listened to any of Roger Davis’s other performances? How does this one compare?
First time I have listened to Roger Davis. I found I could understand him and he did not speak too fast. I have a great deal of difficulty understanding narrators who talk fast especially if they have an accent. (Are some recordings are speeded up in the sound studio?)
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
There were several moving moments when William South was a young boy during the Troubles in Ireland.
Any additional comments?
This narration was ideal for me and just at the right speed. I hate it when narrators talk too fast and the sentences are one long garble, particularly if they speak in a strong accent. I give up because I just cannot understand them.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- alli100
- 04-06-16
Great story & narration.
This is my first audiobook by William Shaw & read by Roger Davis & I don't think it will be the last.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Oops 66
- 29-01-21
A good start to a new series
I have enjoyed this first book of DS Alexandra Cupidi, Book and pleased that this has now become a series. I am about to read the book 1 in this new series. I always like a detective series, the people in the team of detectives you come to know, I always chose these types.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- boslon
- 13-02-20
Fantastic story and narration
I’d read the 2nd and 3rd book in this series before reading The Birdwatcher. This one provides the back story on William and Alex and has an intriguing plot and excellent characterisations. William Shaw has quickly become one of my favourite authors and the narration/acting of Roger Davis is superb.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Angela
- 23-11-19
Should be the first of the Cupidi series
The biggest disappointment of this book was that I only discovered it after listening to the 2 Cupidi books which meant that I was backtracking. It didn’t matter as far as South’s story went but it did mean that the South and Cupidi relationship was a known.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- mollyeyre
- 16-09-16
Kept my interest!
Quite an interesting tale with two parallel times being shown, South as a boy and as a man.
Although I guessed who the murderer would be it was still enjoyable as reasons unfolded. Well read by Roger Davis, the earlier life being told in a Northern Ireland accent it was easy to differentiate between the different times.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- M D Aron
- 21-05-16
Great story well read
Really good police story. Listened to it over 3 days. Beautifully read with a great Northern Ireland accent
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Mark
- 16-12-19
Sargent South finds himself involved in a murder
Sargent South finds himself involved in the murder of a friend and neighbor and the staged suicide of his supposed killer while alternately recounting his own childhood story. Each story and set of characters are well developed with plot twists to keep you interested. Author William Shaw and narrator Roger Davis combine to make a good team. This book is well written, with all the elements of a good book, albeit with gloomy, almost sad undertones. Despite this it went into the bottom of the top tier in my library.