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Wednesday's Child Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,120 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Wednesday's child is full of woe...
It was a crime of staggering inhumanity: a seven-year-old girl taken from her home right in front of her desperate working-class mother. With each passing moment, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks realizes that the child's death becomes more and more likely. But there are worse fates than death in a nightmare world of human monsters and their twisted games. And the grisly discovery of a young man slain in a particularly savage fashion only starts the clock ticking faster, drawing Banks into the sordid depths of an evil more terrible and terrifying than anything he has ever encountered.
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"Seven year old Gemma's incredibly stupid and slatternly mother gives her child to two people who say they are from child protective services and are investigating "abuse" allegations. They promise to return her the next morning. However, she is "busy" and doesn't get around to calling the police until late in the day. Then a body of a young man turns up in an abandoned lead mine. The two don't seem to be related. Peter Robinson is one of the authors who is at the top of my crime-reading list. One article I read said that he is underrated. He truly is. He writes so incredibly well - clearly and with warmth and intelligence. This book is often said to be his finest. It certainly is a fascinating look into what people will do to satisfy their emotional needs. Don't miss this one!"
— Larraine (5 out of 5 stars)
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A gripping thriller.
— San Diego Union-Tribune -
“A gripping thriller.”
— San Diego Union-Tribune -
“Provocative, mesmerizing, and memorable, this chilling story is a must for mystery collections of every size.”
— Booklist -
“An unsurprising but thoroughly accomplished British procedural that puts its lowlife denizens through their paces with all the withering mastery of a lion tamer.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Wednesday's Child Listener Reviews
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" The emotional core of the story, Gemma, got short shrift in a rushed ending. Still this was a solid Banksian tale. Having read some slightly out of order, I've found these pre-Annie Cabbot stories a bit flatter, but a good read all around. "
— Desiree, 2/12/2014 -
" This is an Inspector Banks story and very good because it ends well. A little girl is taken in a bizarre way from her mother, there's a robbery of a warehouse, a man ends up dead in a grizzly way, and do all these things connect or are they separate crimes??? That is the question. In his own way of out of the box thinking Inspector Banks keeps slogging along and finding more unattached evidence and then he sees the picture. "
— Carol, 1/29/2014 -
" Love these Inspector Banks books but I must say that I don't think that this one was as good as the others. "
— Pauline, 1/26/2014 -
" Another excellent Alan Banks story. Peter Robinson just knows how to keep your interest up in a well woven plot. "
— Bill, 1/20/2014 -
" Currently addicted to Peter Robinson - enjoy the twists and turns. This was a dark plot but the usual excellent ending. "
— Maggie, 1/18/2014 -
" Hullo again Chief Inspector Alan Banks of Eastvale CID. The adventure begins after a young girl is removed from her home by a couple of social workers who turn out to be imposters. The sixth book in the detective series written by Peter Robinson is the best yet. More complex from a psychologic and police perspective. "
— Marisa, 1/8/2014 -
" Solidly entertaining, like all of the books in this series. "
— Jim, 1/7/2014 -
" This is a high 2, maybe if I was in a slightly more generous mood I'd give it a 3. It's a bit dated, although that makes it interesting in another way, but the story goes on at a good pace and it's got enough twists and turns to keep my attention. I'll be reading more in the series. "
— Kate, 12/19/2013 -
" great criminal in this one... my favorite of the series so far! "
— Melelani, 12/16/2013 -
" A child is abducted from her mother's home by a couple posing as social workers, and while the police are looking for her the body of a murdered man is discovered. A good read. "
— Stephen, 12/11/2013 -
" I have only read the more recent Banks novels and this seemed a bit at odds character wise. Storyline itself was okay. "
— Julaine, 12/10/2013 -
" One of the better Robinson mysteries.Stayed up well past midnight to reach the end. "
— Victoria, 12/5/2013 -
" Good story - tailed off a bit at the end. "
— Peter, 10/16/2013 -
" Another great mystery by Peter Robinson. A little girl kidnapped and a trail of murders. The tension builds until the tide turns in the last 30 some pages. "
— Pamela, 10/2/2013 -
" I loved this bookj, but like a few of his i was a bit let down by the ending :( you sort of gear yourself for the happy ending you wish for.....and its stops short of what you want to read :( but as a fan of his books i cant wait to start the next one! "
— Zoe, 2/4/2013 -
" A good solid English police procedural, along the lines of the Rebus series from Ian Rankin. I want a job as a copper in the UK. Part of their working day includes trips to their local pub. "
— Miyan, 6/19/2012 -
" These aren't the best mysteries in the world (although they are pretty good) but I've gotten fond of the regular characters. And I generally like anything that takes place in a different country. And if you add tea drinkers into the combo that's even better:o) "
— Maggie, 4/30/2012 -
" Didn't get to the end, lost interest... "
— Ruth, 4/25/2012 -
" I dunno. It was pretty good? If I read more mysteries I would probably have more of an opinion. "
— Kate, 1/11/2012 -
" My dad recommended this to me, really enjoyed it. Understated cops, but still gruesome enough to keep my morbid interest held. "
— Lucy, 10/17/2011 -
" I love Peter Robinson's mysteries---this one was a real page-turner as are all his Inspector Banks books. I liked the unexpected way the two story-lines converged at the end of the novel. "
— Gail, 8/31/2011 -
" Another good mystery. Grim subject but sensitively portrayed. I'm addicted to Robinson! "
— Nancy, 6/12/2011 -
" Banks looks for a missing child, and stumbles upon the body of a dead man connected to the abductors of the child. A satisfying English mystery. "
— Pat, 4/27/2011 -
" A child is abducted from her mother's home by a couple posing as social workers, and while the police are looking for her the body of a murdered man is discovered. A good read. "
— Stephen, 1/20/2011 -
" Another good mystery. Grim subject but sensitively portrayed. I'm addicted to Robinson! "
— Nancy, 6/6/2010 -
" A good solid English police procedural, along the lines of the Rebus series from Ian Rankin. I want a job as a copper in the UK. Part of their working day includes trips to their local pub. "
— Miyan, 7/31/2009 -
" Love these Inspector Banks books but I must say that I don't think that this one was as good as the others. "
— Sparhawk, 4/18/2009
About Peter Robinson
Peter Robinson (1950-2022), author of the award-winning Inspector Banks novels, won the Anthony, Barry, Macavity, Martin Beck, and Arthur Ellis awards, among others. The Inspector Banks novels have been named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, a New York Times Notable Book, and a People magazine Page Turner of the Week. His novels have reached #1 on the London Sunday Times bestsellers list and hit the New York Times expanded list of bestsellers.
About James Langton
James Langton, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, trained as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and later as a musician at the Guildhall School in London. He has worked in radio, film, and television, also appearing in theater in England and on Broadway. He is also a professional musician who led the internationally renowned Pasadena Roof Orchestra from 1996 to 2002.