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The Darker Arts
- Frey & McGray, Book 5
- Narrated by: Andy Secombe
- Series: Frey & McGray, Book 5
- Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery
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Summary
Madame Katerina, Detective 'Nine Nails' McGray's most trusted clairvoyant, hosts a séance for three of Edinburgh's wealthiest families.
The following morning everyone is found dead, with Madame Katerina being the only survivor. When questioned she alleges a tormented spirit killed the families for revenge.
McGray, even though he believes her, must find a rational explanation that holds up in court, else Katerina will be sentenced to death.
Inspector Ian Frey is summoned to help, which turns out to be difficult as he is still dealing with the loss of his uncle and has developed a form of post-traumatic stress (not yet identified in the 19th century).
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PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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What listeners say about The Darker Arts
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Performance
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- Maths
- 11-08-19
Exiting, fun and very entertaining
Very entertaining , hard to stop listening.
Looking forward to the next book in the series.
7 people found this helpful
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- James C.
- 11-11-19
Terrible Scottish accents
I'm Scottish and I love gothic / Victorian fiction so I was really excited to try this book, but the narrator's Scottish accents are so terrible I can't pay attention to the actual story. 20 minutes was torture. Andy Secombe has the perfect voice for gothic fiction starring English characters, but I really wish a Scottish narrator had been hired for this.
4 people found this helpful
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- D. Dolenz
- 15-08-19
Wonderful series
I really enjoy this series. The newest instalment does not disappoint. The narrator is superb.
3 people found this helpful
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- Dicky
- 15-08-19
The best of the series so far
A ripping yarn. A locked room mystery. Humourous characters. Constantly dashing from moment to moment. I loved the narration of Mr Secomb, as usual.
3 people found this helpful
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- Wren
- 26-02-20
Very good book
Good addition to the series. Good pace atmosphere and characters.
Enjoyable well thought out fiction.
2 people found this helpful
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- Paulina
- 08-08-19
Victorian Scots Paranormal-adjacent Crime Drama
The title says it all. Everything I need to listen through a whole book in a single day.
5 people found this helpful
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- Lucy
- 07-06-20
fantastic series
I've really enjoyed this whole series of books. They are beautifully read, great stories and the characters are wonderful.
1 person found this helpful
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- Kittie Abbott
- 25-02-20
Enjoyable as always
I love the characters of Frey and McGrey. I love the way the stories are written and most of all I love the narration which just brings both the above and all the other characters to life in such an entertaining enjoyable way.
I would be lost of there were no more in this series to listen too!!
The story is not amazing but, is enjoyable and if you have enjoyed the other books then you will enjoy listening to this.
1 person found this helpful
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- Janet
- 04-12-19
Not for me
I chose this book because it sounded, from the review, the kind of storyline I enjoy, but after a few chapters I decided it was most probably a book I should read rather than listen to. The Scottish accent was so very strong and the voice so harsh that it was unpleasant to listen to, as well as making it hard to follow the story. Definitely not a voice to send you to sleep -
1 person found this helpful
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- K
- 04-10-19
Exponentially drawn-out.
I am totally a fan of de Muriel and of the refreshingly irreverent McGrey and Frey partnership. In fact, I have given the previous novels rave reviews. I wanted so much to do the same here and I am glad to see that other readers have loved this instalment in the series; I'm sorry that I did not, this time.
The story starts intriguingly enough but more and more the reader is bogged down in legalities, inheritance, deeds and so many false leads that far from an interesting conundrum we are faced with a tedious bird's nest of bureaucracy. Previously, the plots have belted along at a cracking pace; this time, I often felt the itch of my trigger finger on the fast-forward button - my loyalty to the series was the only thing that stopped me.
I have noted the many readers preferred the greater 'reality' of this novel. I felt the dearth of the supernatural elements meant a considerable dimming in the excitement. Of course, the previous instalments weren't believable, who said they needed to be? The supernatural is a grey area but Oscar de Muriel's great art was throwing the reader headlong into a willing suspension of disbelief.
I will read future instalments in this series but I hope the next one is more boo than bore.
Secombe is a master of his craft and very definitely one of the best and most lively readers in the business.
1 person found this helpful
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- Ms Peach
- 14-08-19
Great dialogue
The dialogue is brilliantly written. It is humorous and believable. The characters are engaging. The narrator is marvelous. The story is very very slow to develop. After 12 chapters I skipped to the end. I liked the end. Very inventive.
1 person found this helpful
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- Marina de Souza Vidal
- 12-08-19
Even more gripping than the previous
Another great chapter in the Frey-McGray story, this one even more gripping than the previous. It is interesting to see how trauma has affected Frey and the dynamic of his relationships. It was also nice to have a new glimpse into McGray's personal historal. I'm already looking forward to the next one.
1 person found this helpful