Listen free for 30 days
-
The Meaning of Night
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Series: The Meaning of Night, Book 1
- Length: 22 hrs and 53 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
People who bought this also bought...
-
The Glass of Time
- By: Michael Cox
- Narrated by: Multiple Narrators
- Length: 20 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Esperanza is no ordinary servant. She has been sent by her guardian, the mysterious Madame de l'Orme, to uncover the dark and dangerous secrets that her new mistress has sought to conceal, and to set right a past injustice in which Esperanza's own closest interests are bound up.
-
-
Read his first, first!
- By Nathanael on 10-09-09
-
Speaks the Nightbird
- By: Robert R. McCammon
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 30 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Carolinas, 1699: The citizens of Fount Royal believe a witch has cursed their town with inexplicable tragedies -- and they demand that beautiful widow Rachel Howarth be tried and executed for witchcraft. Presiding over the trial is traveling magistrate Issac Woodward, aided by his astute young clerk, Matthew Corbett. Believing in Rachel's innocence, Matthew will soon confront the true evil at work in Fount Royal....
-
-
Utterly gripping
- By Mrs on 02-08-12
-
The Redemption of Alexander Seaton
- By: S. G. MacLean
- Narrated by: Crawford Logan
- Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Banff in the 1620s. A man staggering down the street. He appears drunk, but he's been poisoned. The victim, and apothecary's apprentice, is discovered dead in Alexander Seaton's house, a fallen minister whose life lies in tatters after his affair with the Laird's daughter is discovered and he is cast out of the kirk in disgrace. When his friend is accused of the apprentice's murder, Alexander sets out to solve the crime and clear his friend's name.
-
-
Great book, well read
- By Rachel on 16-05-09
-
Past Caring
- By: Robert Goddard
- Narrated by: Paul Shelley
- Length: 19 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why should distinguished Edwardian Cabinet minister Edwin Straford resign at the height of his career? Why does the woman he loves so suddenly reject him? Why, 70 years later, should people go to such lengths to prevent the truth coming out?
-
-
Past Caring
- By AmyAlice on 19-08-13
-
The Anatomy of Ghosts
- By: Andrew Taylor
- Narrated by: John Telfer
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1786, Jerusalem College, Cambridge. The ghost of Sylvia Whichcote is rumoured to be haunting Jerusalem, since disturbed fellow-commoner, Frank Oldershaw, claims to have seen the dead woman prowling the grounds. Desperate to salvage her son’s reputation, Lady Anne Oldershaw employs John Holdsworth, author of The Anatomy of Ghosts a stinging account of why ghosts are mere delusion to investigate.
-
-
Good book, brilliantly read.
- By V. Hannides on 25-09-10
-
Murder at the Ritz
- By: Jim Eldridge
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
August, 1940. On the streets of London, locals watch with growing concern as German fighter planes plague the city’s skyline. But inside the famous Ritz Hotel, the cream of society continues to enjoy all the glamour and comfort that money can buy during wartime - until an anonymous man is discovered with his throat slashed open. Detective Chief Inspector Coburg is called in to investigate, ably assisted by his trusty colleague, Sergeant Lampson.
-
The Glass of Time
- By: Michael Cox
- Narrated by: Multiple Narrators
- Length: 20 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Esperanza is no ordinary servant. She has been sent by her guardian, the mysterious Madame de l'Orme, to uncover the dark and dangerous secrets that her new mistress has sought to conceal, and to set right a past injustice in which Esperanza's own closest interests are bound up.
-
-
Read his first, first!
- By Nathanael on 10-09-09
-
Speaks the Nightbird
- By: Robert R. McCammon
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 30 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Carolinas, 1699: The citizens of Fount Royal believe a witch has cursed their town with inexplicable tragedies -- and they demand that beautiful widow Rachel Howarth be tried and executed for witchcraft. Presiding over the trial is traveling magistrate Issac Woodward, aided by his astute young clerk, Matthew Corbett. Believing in Rachel's innocence, Matthew will soon confront the true evil at work in Fount Royal....
-
-
Utterly gripping
- By Mrs on 02-08-12
-
The Redemption of Alexander Seaton
- By: S. G. MacLean
- Narrated by: Crawford Logan
- Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Banff in the 1620s. A man staggering down the street. He appears drunk, but he's been poisoned. The victim, and apothecary's apprentice, is discovered dead in Alexander Seaton's house, a fallen minister whose life lies in tatters after his affair with the Laird's daughter is discovered and he is cast out of the kirk in disgrace. When his friend is accused of the apprentice's murder, Alexander sets out to solve the crime and clear his friend's name.
-
-
Great book, well read
- By Rachel on 16-05-09
-
Past Caring
- By: Robert Goddard
- Narrated by: Paul Shelley
- Length: 19 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why should distinguished Edwardian Cabinet minister Edwin Straford resign at the height of his career? Why does the woman he loves so suddenly reject him? Why, 70 years later, should people go to such lengths to prevent the truth coming out?
-
-
Past Caring
- By AmyAlice on 19-08-13
-
The Anatomy of Ghosts
- By: Andrew Taylor
- Narrated by: John Telfer
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1786, Jerusalem College, Cambridge. The ghost of Sylvia Whichcote is rumoured to be haunting Jerusalem, since disturbed fellow-commoner, Frank Oldershaw, claims to have seen the dead woman prowling the grounds. Desperate to salvage her son’s reputation, Lady Anne Oldershaw employs John Holdsworth, author of The Anatomy of Ghosts a stinging account of why ghosts are mere delusion to investigate.
-
-
Good book, brilliantly read.
- By V. Hannides on 25-09-10
-
Murder at the Ritz
- By: Jim Eldridge
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
August, 1940. On the streets of London, locals watch with growing concern as German fighter planes plague the city’s skyline. But inside the famous Ritz Hotel, the cream of society continues to enjoy all the glamour and comfort that money can buy during wartime - until an anonymous man is discovered with his throat slashed open. Detective Chief Inspector Coburg is called in to investigate, ably assisted by his trusty colleague, Sergeant Lampson.
-
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
-
A Season for the Dead
- The Rome Series: Book 1
- By: David Hewson
- Narrated by: Sean Baker
- Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first in an Italian crime series set in Rome. Whilst Sara Farnese pours over ancient texts in the silent and beautiful Vatican reading room, a crazed man enters carrying a bloodied bag. He walks up to Sara's desk. He has something he would like her to see. Sara is inextricably linked to a series of horrific murders, each one representative of the death of a martyr of the Church. Enter Detectives Costa and Rossi. They must protect Sara whilst hunting down the killer, and time is running short.
-
-
An extraordinary and gripping story
- By Kirstine on 28-02-08
-
Long Summer Day
- By: R F Delderfield
- Narrated by: Jonathan Oliver
- Length: 27 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paul Craddock is still young when he is invalided out of the army after the Boer War and he discovers the neglected estate of Shallowford in a secluded corner of Devon.
-
-
A long holiday in Devon
- By Alison on 25-09-12
-
The Crimson Petal and the White
- By: Michel Faber
- Narrated by: Jill Tanner
- Length: 41 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
NOW A MAJOR BBC DRAMA starring Romola Garai, Chris O'Dowd, Gillian Anderson, Richard E. Grant, Shirley Henderson and Mark Gatiss. 'Watch your step. Keep your wits about you; you will need them....' So begins this irresistible voyage into the dark side of Victorian London. Amongst an unforgettable cast of low-lifes, physicians, businessmen, and prostitutes, meet our heroine Sugar, a young woman trying to drag herself up from the gutter any way she can.
-
-
I loved it!
- By knittyboot on 26-05-11
-
The Invisible Ones
- By: Stef Penney
- Narrated by: Dan Stevens
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Small-time private investigator Ray Lovell veers between paralysis and delirium in a hospital bed. But before the accident that landed him there, he had promised to find Rose Janko. Rose was married to the charismatic son of a travelling gypsy family, Ivo Janko. When Ray starts to investigate her disappearance he's surprised that her family are so hostile towards him.
-
-
An excellent story, narrated well
- By Helen on 25-10-12
-
The Ashes of London
- By: Andrew Taylor
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, September 1666. The Great Fire rages through the city, consuming everything in its path. Even the impregnable cathedral of St. Paul's is engulfed in flames and reduced to ruins. Among the crowds watching its destruction is James Marwood, son of a disgraced printer and reluctant government informer. In the aftermath of the fire, a semi-mummified body is discovered in the ashes of St. Paul's, in a tomb that should have been empty. The man's body has been mutilated, and his thumbs have been tied behind his back.
-
-
Mystery and murder in 'the dunnest smoke of hell'
- By Rachel Redford on 27-04-16
-
Into the Blue
- By: Robert Goddard
- Narrated by: Paul Shelley
- Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harry Barnett, a middle-aged failure, leads a shabby existence. He is reduced to caretaking a friend's villa on the island of Rhodes and working in a bar to earn his keep. Then a guest at the villa - a young woman he had instantly warmed to - disappears on a mountain peak. Under suspicion of her murder, Harry becomes obsessed by the mystery that has changed his life and begins to trace back the movements and encounters that led to the moment where she vanished into the blue.
-
-
A mystery sustained right to the last...
- By Rosemary White on 10-03-13
-
Sight Unseen
- By: Robert Goddard
- Narrated by: John Telfer
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is a hot summer's day in the tourist village of Avebury. A man sits outside the Red Lion pub, waiting. He sees a woman with three young children, two of them running ahead while their sister dawdles behind. A child's voice catches on the breeze. For want of anything more interesting to do, the man watches. He sees nothing sinister or threatening. Even when another figure enters his field of vision, he does not react. The figure is ordinary - male, short-haired, stockily built. But he is moving fast, at a loping run. And then it happens.
-
-
Its one of the best crime thrillers I have read !!
- By Peter akers Once again a first class thriller well done JR Ellis on 22-09-19
-
The Seeker
- Damian Seeker 1
- By: S. G. MacLean
- Narrated by: Nicholas Camm
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, 1654. Oliver Cromwell is at the height of his power and has declared himself Lord Protector. Yet he has many enemies at home and abroad. London is a complex web of spies and merchants, priests and soldiers, exiles and assassins. One of the web's most fearsome spiders is Damian Seeker, agent of the Lord Protector. No one knows where Seeker comes from, who his family is, or even his real name. All that is known of him for certain is that he is utterly loyal to Cromwell and that nothing can be long hidden from him.
-
-
A Dark-Cloaked Figure
- By Simon on 10-12-16
-
The Bedlam Stacks
- By: Natasha Pulley
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An astonishing historical novel set in the shadowy, magical forests of South America, which draws on the captivating world of the international best seller The Watchmaker of Filigree Street. Deep in uncharted Peru, the holy town of Bedlam stands at the edge of a forest. The shrine statues move, and anyone who crosses the border dies. But somewhere inside are cinchona trees, whose bark yields quinine: the only known treatment for malaria. On the other side of the Pacific, it is 1859, and India is ravaged by the disease.
-
-
Enchanting in a weird way
- By Erica on 06-01-18
-
Borrowed Time
- By: Robert Goddard
- Narrated by: John Telfer
- Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One fateful summer evening, businessman Robin Timariot meets a strikingly beautiful woman while out walking. They exchange only a few words, but those words prove to be unforgettable. A few days later, the newspapers are full of the rape and murder of Lady Louise Paxton - and to his horror, Timariot realises that this was the woman he met just hours before her death. A man is swiftly charged and convicted of the crime, but a series of bizarre events begin to convince Timariot that all is not what it seems.
-
-
Excellent As Always
- By Belinda Spiteri on 04-10-18
-
Semana Santa
- By: David Hewson
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is in Semana Santa - Holy Week - in Southern Spain, and the heat is building up in the city. 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.
-
-
Elaborate writing, great reader
- By Kirstine on 16-09-08
Summary
Shortlisted for the Costa Coffee Book Awards, 2006
A cold October night, 1854.
In a dark passageway, an innocent man is stabbed to death.
So begins the extraordinary story of Edward Glyver, book lover, scholar and murderer. As a young boy, Glyver always believed he was destined for greatness. This seems the stuff of dreams, until a chance discovery convinces Glyver that he was right: greatness does await him, along with immense wealth and influence. And he will stop at nothing to win back a prize that he now knows is rightfully his.
Glyver's path leads him from the depths of Victorian London, with its foggy streets, brothels and opium dens, to Evenwood, one of England's most enchanting country houses. His is a story of betrayal and treachery, of death and delusion, of ruthless obsession and ambition. And at every turn, driving Glyver irresistibly onwards, is his deadly rival: the poet-criminal Phoebus Rainsford Daunt.
Thirty years in the writing, The Meaning of Night is a stunning achievement. Full of drama and passion, it is an enthralling novel that will captivate listeners right up to its final thrilling revelation.
Includes an exclusive recorded interview with the author.
More from the same
Narrator
What listeners say about The Meaning of Night
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Annelli
- 12-11-06
Enthralling
A truly captivating tale, one that unravels tantalisingly yet satisfyingly. I have rarely been so swept up in a narrative, so impatient at being interrupted by real life, so eager to return to the haunts of E.G. in any of his varied guises. Where I would once have secluded myself by the fireside or by the pool to read, I now do housework and gardening oblivious to the drudgery, in thrall to my ipod and stunning works of fiction such as 'The Meaning of Night'. A masterpiece indeed!
61 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Shoshi
- 24-09-08
Utterly Captivating
I had put this in 'My next listen' a while ago and downloaded it to my iPod, so when I started to listen, I had forgotten about it and why I'd chosen it, so everything came as a surprise. From the first few minutes I was absolutely captivated and at several points my heart rate increased dramatically! I began to wonder if this was written by a modern author or whether I was actually listening to a genuine Victorian novel as its period was so convincingly portrayed, and the style of language so authentic. I loved all the antiquarian background and warmed to many of the characters, whom I found very convincing.
My first impression of the central character was not a favourable one, but the author successfully manipulated my emotions to the extent that I felt utterly led by the nose through every highway and byway until I was rooting for 'G' with all I was worth!
Beautifully narrated, too.
A book I have no doubt I shall return to again and again.
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Jane
- 18-07-07
A little bit unpleasant
I'm a fan of the neo Victorian novel and this had quite a lot going for it. The central mystery is interesting, and the final explanation of it satisfying. The first person narration and flashbacks generally worked well. There was lots of suspense (if I had read it rather than listened to it, I would have said that it was a page turner).
However, I never warmed to the central character (I know he's supposed to be morally ambiguous, but I just found him unpleasant). I also felt that some of the revelations and twists were drawn out too long, or telegraphed too far in advance.
Overall it was clever and interesting, but I was quite relieved when I finally finished it and could go on to something else.
25 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Madgey
- 18-07-10
Brilliant - loved every second !
Completely enthralled ? thoroughly enjoyed the descriptive nature of the text, it gave an understanding of the etiquette and a historical insight into the time period as the story unfolded. The mystery, twists, turns and triumphs and injustices were superb. Like other listeners; I did not want to switch off and for 22 hours of enjoyment ? it proved excellent value for money (credit). I purchased the sequel and it was equally as good.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Glynis
- 28-06-10
a struggle!!
opted for this as it had good reviews (which i do use for recommendations) but i really struggled with this novel. i will have another go at it in the winter months. maybe its better suited when the sun isnt shining!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Mark
- 06-04-07
An Excellent Listen
Very modern, yet perfectly in period. Beautifully read and pleasing to my ears.
The few minor lapses in style are easily forgiven, as the whole picture is thoroughly engrossing and interesting.
I look forward to the next novel.
Best wishes to the author in his continued fight with cancer. He has many many readers rooting for him!
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Amazon Customer
- 20-05-08
Fantastic
Brilliant interwoven characters and depiction of Victorian England. Deals with loss, revenge & how decisions effect those around us, often in unplanned ways. Narration very good (ie use of accents to distinguish characters) & well paced which is important in a production so long.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Patricia
- 03-11-06
gripping
absolutely brilliant - fascinating historically and what a great story - twists to the end
17 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- gilbrek
- 25-01-07
Curate's egg
Beautiful and very knowlegable descriptions and great use of the Victorian 1st person, but some of the plot devices grate a little. A bit like when Le Carr? has a character expiring all day from a mortal wound, but they just live long enough to deliver half of an enigmatic clue. The worst example was when a character armed with all of the necessary paperwork to finish the story in the next two pages, knowing that he is in mortal danger, says ?I won?t give you this stuff now I?ll just ride home through this dark forest and see you tomorrow?. There are some great parts to it though.
24 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Julian
- 30-06-07
TrueVictoriana.
It has been a long time since I enjoyed a book like this one. I was totally taken away by it. Poor old E. G. One can see his mistakes happening, and you want to shout at him or, telephone the studio or something ridiculous. And of course it is all so inevitable. The thing about Michael Cox is that, he has mastered the victorian art of telling a story. Certainly, some of the devices are a bit obvious and long drawn out; it simply isn't possible to tell a complete story in this way in front of the fire with a cigar in your hand. But, what the hell, it is a magnificent story, and I for one loved it. I have even contemplated buying the actual book, just for the pleasure of seeing it on my shelves. Yes, I do read as well. And oh joy, Michael revealed in the interview at the end of it (who was the interviewer? She ought to go back to school) that there is to be a sequel! I for one cannot wait. Come back Mr. Glyver, all is forgiven.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Amy Andrews
- 02-07-08
great narration
A very interesting story of anger and revenge. Wonderful narration!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Marius
- 15-01-07
Pantomime
I enjoy most of the Victorian classic writers, but this modern attempt to emulate them simply did not work for me. John Fowles managed the trick masterfully, but Michael Cox does not. The book simply seemed to be trying too hard, with characters speaking as wooden caricatures, and cliches rolling in thick and fast. This was not helped by the narrator, who played it out as an amateur pantomime. I'm aware that the book has had rave reviews, so others may well enjoy it.
6 people found this helpful