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The Broken Afternoon

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The Broken Afternoon

By: Simon Mason
Narrated by: Matt Addis
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About this listen

 A DI RYAN WILKINS MYSTERY

A four-year-old girl goes missing in plain sight outside her nursery in Oxford, a middle-class, affluent area, her mother only a stones-throw away.

Ryan Wilkins, one of the youngest ever Detective Inspectors in the Thames Valley force, dishonourably discharged three months ago, watches his former partner DI Ray Wilkins deliver a press conference, confirming a lead.

Ray begins to delve deeper, unearthing an underground network of dark forces in the local area. But will he be able to get closer to the truth of the disappearance? And will Ryan be able to stay away?

This audiobook includes an exclusive preview of the next in the DI Ryan Wilkins Mysteries A Voice in the Night.

(P) 2023 Quercus Editions Ltd©2023 Simon Mason Crime Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Fiction Crime Exciting Suspense

Critic reviews

Oxford-based author Simon Mason has made a mark with his almost identically named sleuths Ray Wilkins and Ryan Wilkins, the former precise and formal, the latter dishevelled (and now discharged from his job). In The Broken Afternoon, a child goes missing from an Oxford nursery, and the duo must work together again to tackle a clandestine criminal network. Such issues as the vulnerability of children and current diversity drives are grist to Mason's mill in this beguiling offspring of Colin Dexter's Morse series.
Move over Morse. Simon Mason's Oxford crime novel confounds all our expectations. (Val McDermid)
His work has qualities in common with that of fellow Oxford novelist Mick Herron: alert, amusingly cynical, relishing absurdities
The detectives Ryan Wilkins and Ray Wilkins - no relation - are back . . . Having established their relationship so vividly last year in A Killing in November, Simon Mason spreads his wings to show just how good a writer he is. The horror of paedophilia is never downplayed and throws into relief Ryan's unconditional love for his young son: "Be good, Daddy." Oxford and its environs - described so well you can smell the heat-crazed pavements and the rank luxuriance of the water-meadows - is a character in itself . . . The result . . . is a funny, thrilling and life-affirming story.
A welcome return from an unforgettable, nuanced character.
There is no one else like him!
Humane, tense, funny and fabulous (Amanda Craig)
The writing is fast and colourful, the men's love-hate relationship is entertaining, and their own troubles add depth to this excellent police procedural.
This pacy tale, with twists and raw emotion, is gripping
There is a long history of crime fiction set in Oxford, stretching back to Dorothy L Sayers. Contemporary writers offer a very different view of the city . . . Simon Mason's superb second Oxford-set novel, The Broken Afternoon, opens in a poky office of a van hire company . . . Child abduction is a difficult subject for genre fiction, but Mason handles it sensitively, and every sentence is beautifully written.
A bright new series that makes Colin Dexter's Oxford feel distinctly passé
Simon Mason is a bright new talent who sets his second book of this series in a thoroughly modern Oxford
that makes Morse seem distinctly passé.
Mason's superb crime novels are set in a version of Oxford where areas of deprivation co-exist with posh family homes. His detective, working as a night security guard, stumbles on information about the disappearance of a child. Mason handles a difficult subject well and every sentence is beautifully written.
All stars
Most relevant
The narrator, Matt Addis makes this story come alive, it is like listening to a play. The story was good too but it is the narration that makes it an excellent listen. I can’t wait to listen to Matt Addis again.

Excellent narrator

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I read this straight after the first book and I’m just sorry that the next book in the series isn’t available until 2024. Matt Addis’ reading is superb and really brings the book to life. Recommend!

Loved this!

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Love this book even better than the first - fantastic narration too - can’t wait until next

Loved every second

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I enjoyed every minute of this audiobook. Great characters and a compelling story. The narrator was also excellent- bravo!

I loved this book!

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Reading the reviews I think we are all fans of Ryan Wilkins, even though he’s a very unlikely detective inspector and why he’s suspended!Posh guy and rough guy pairing usually make a good detective series. Ray Wilkins personality not very appealing, but of course with all these characters it’s about their upbringing !There is amusing dialogue especially from Ryan and little Ryan, which softened the horrible crime. I did figure who did it, but I think that’s probably because I listen to far too many whodunnits. Good well balanced narration. Look forward to the next one

Humour lightened an unpleasant subject

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