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The Rise
- A Short Story
- Narrated by: Indira Varma
- Length: 2 hrs and 26 mins
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The Rise
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Summary
In this short thriller from bestselling author Ian Rankin, murder comes to London’s most exclusive high-rise—and every resident is a suspect.
The Rise is a gleaming residential tower, newly constructed from steel and blackened glass, that stands on some of London’s most prestigious real estate. Looming imposingly over Hyde Park, only multi-millionaires need apply for one of its sumptuous apartments. But when the young night concierge is found murdered in the building’s lobby, the elite residents quickly find their gilded lifestyles under unwelcome police scrutiny.
Investigating officer DS Gish has her work cut out. The only suspects, those who live in the building, aren’t accustomed to police interrogation. But it seems horribly certain that one of them must be the killer. Could it be the Russian oligarch? Or the lonely actress? Maybe it’s the family of the career criminal? Or perhaps it’s the building’s reclusive developer who lives alone in the penthouse?
Obstructed continually by locked doors, governments both foreign and domestic, and an apparent absence of motive, can DS Gish solve this impenetrable mystery and apprehend the murderer—before they slip away forever?
Critic reviews
“Indira Varma is the perfect match for this short mystery set in a prestigious apartment building in the center of London.… Varma creates believable and likable characters in the two detectives. She injects just the right amount of world-weariness into DI Milton's character. Her strong characterizations brings to life the key suspects, who range from a Russian oligarch and the wife of a wanted criminal to a has-been actress. Varma's spot-on pacing keeps the listener engaged as the clues and red herrings keep coming.”—AudioFile Magazine
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What listeners say about The Rise
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Torquaymada
- 11-12-23
Well narrated, nice twist at the end.
Plot overall was a bit of a stretch. Rankin always reliable though and delivers the unexpected at the end of the piece.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Claire
- 18-04-24
Fantastic narration, good short story
Indira Varma is an excellent narrator and I had no hesitation in buying this short story at a reduced price. I would definitely buy short stories in future if this offer continues.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 15-11-23
Disappointed
Not my most enjoyable read, didn't take to the characters. Narrator I thought was pretty good.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Norma Miles
- 02-11-23
"More good than bad people in the world. ...
... They just made less fuss."
In the Rise, a London 12 story luxury block.of flats also esteemed for it's art works, the janitor is found dead from a head injury and DS Gish with DI Jack Milton are called in to investigate. Not easy when all of the tenants are rich, famous or both. Although only two and one half hours in length, and well performed by Indira Varma, the story is fast paced and full of he character details, quirky crime twists and the careful description for which Rankin is famous in his long running Edinburgh based Rebus series.
Almost five stars but the unexpected ending came just a little too quickly. Nevertheless, an enjoyable English police procedural, and recommended to crime and whodunit fans
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Melissa Wells
- 23-12-23
Enjoyed
An enjoyable fairly old fashioned crime tale. Just my sort of story, but may not be cutting edge enough for others. Good characterisation by the voice actor: a pleasant way to catch up on the career of Ian Rankin
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- G. M. Sidoli
- 10-11-23
A slice of perfection
Like meeting an old friend, Rankin’s abilities as a writer lift the spirits. A few minutes into the story and I feel I know these characters and care about them. It made such a refreshing change from some of the books I’ve read recently, which I only finished as a courtesy to the writer. No names, no pack drill, safe to say I will not bother to read any of their other books. Why bother, when we have the likes of Ian Rankin, Val MacDermid and James Oswald?
No spoilers from me and now I’m off to listen to the latest Rebus I have on Audible
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ivor Williams
- 16-12-23
Ranking at his best
Enjoyed every minute. Hopefully the first of many. Made a pleasant change to a longer novel
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Miss O Murphy
- 03-11-23
Built a story and rushed to conclusion
I listened to an interview with the author who talked about the extensive work required to build a short story, similar to that needed to fill out a full book… I think this book highlights this clearly with a great plot built which would have been great fleshed out all the way. But instead it went for a snap finish that did not adequately reveal how the conclusions were reached. I was totally invested in the plot and would have enjoyed trying to solve the mystery but, having all the strands laid out and the intrigue built, the finale was a simple reveal by character discussion. Disappointed.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Parissa
- 11-11-23
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
I’m not usually a fan of short stories but I enjoyed this one as the plot stood up. Having said that, I agree with Miss O’Murphy in that there was enough to the plot and to the characters to make a novel out of it. It was a shame to have turned it into a short story.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Rainbow Cool Stuff
- 15-01-24
Meh…
Not sure I have ever read Ian Rankin before but I know he has published a lot of work. I am wondering if this short-ish free story was one of his earlier efforts, as it reads a bit like an amateur’s first attempt, rather than the polished work of a professional who has written for years.
The story was fairly cliche, the characters were also fairly cliche, two dimensional and not at all real feeling. Based on this I won’t be trying any more by the author.
Maybe it is a bit unfair to comment on this average tale, with no notable features, because I have just read something exceptionally well written (Wolf Hall), with amazingly well drawn characters and great plot,
so I think anything read whilst that is still in my head will fall short
Sorry but only 3 stars for me, and that is in the generous side
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