• Dark Crimes

  • DCI Sophie Allen, Book 1
  • By: Michael Hambling
  • Narrated by: Cat Gould
  • Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (158 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
Dark Crimes  By  cover art

Dark Crimes

By: Michael Hambling
Narrated by: Cat Gould
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $14.61

Buy for $14.61

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

A young woman's body is discovered on a deserted footpath.

It seems like a simple crime for DCI Sophie Allen and her team to solve. But not when the victim's mother is found strangled the next morning. The case grows more complex as DCI Sophie Allen discovers that the victims had secret histories involving violence and intimidation. There's an obvious suspect, but Detective Allen isn't convinced. Could someone else be lurking in the shadows, someone savagely violent, looking for warped revenge?

Dark Crimes is the first in a series of detective thrillers featuring DCI Sophie Allen, head of the newly formed Violent Crime Unit in Dorset. She is pushed to the limit in her first major case as the team's head.

©2016 Michael Hambling (P)2016 Tantor

Love Books? You'll Love Audible.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Transform your day

Replace endless scrolling with endless listening. Chores can be fun.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Listen everywhere

Download titles to listen offline, wherever you are in the world.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Carry your entire Library

Your stories go where you go. Audiobooks don’t weigh a thing.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Listen and learn

Discover stories that can change your mind, your well-being, and your life.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Reach your reading goals

You can’t turn pages while you drive—but you can press play.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Find your niche

WIth thousands of titles to explore, there’s something for everyone.

Try for $0.00 $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

What listeners say about Dark Crimes

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    59
  • 4 Stars
    49
  • 3 Stars
    31
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    45
  • 4 Stars
    35
  • 3 Stars
    27
  • 2 Stars
    14
  • 1 Stars
    17
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    56
  • 4 Stars
    41
  • 3 Stars
    24
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    7

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good story but strange narration

This is well written and moves fast. The police office and its cast of characters engage the listener. The crimes are horrible. There is a real twist at the end. I just don't know what is wrong with the narrator. I've listened to other books she performed and enjoyed them - not the greatest, but solid. This time, though, her timing and tone drag and drone.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Story line was good

Didn’t care for the narrator
Almost didn’t finish but the story was good
Probably won’t listen to another by that author unless a different narrator
Shame

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I should have read the reviews for the second book

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The story was good and the plot kept me interested but the narration was awful. I should have read the reviews for the second book since the narrator was judged to do a poor job

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sophie

Would you be willing to try another one of Cat Gould’s performances?

I tried another book that she narrated and I couldn't listen to it. I guess I thought it would get better but I found that my ability to put up with the narration but after ten minutes I gave up and returned the book..

Do you think Dark Crimes needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Probably with a different narrator

Any additional comments?

No

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love the strong female lead. And the excellent na

Normally I listen to my audiobooks while driving. This one captivated me enough that I even had it on at home.I already have book two downloaded & ready to go.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Narrator Spoiled Story

The book should have been edited more stringently. The story is okay,but I don’t think the characters are really believable. The narrator is terrible;regardless of the author, I will stay away from anything she narrates!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Worst narrator

I'm not sure the story didn't deserve more stars, although the writer's research into psychopathy was a little too much lesson and too little like believable speech from the characters. Nonetheless, the story could have been compelling with a better reader. Normally you get used to bad narrators, but this one made every word grate on my nerves.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Almost Too Good to be True

What made the experience of listening to Dark Crimes the most enjoyable?

It was a very good crime procedural. Seems to have an inside view.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Plot was fairly complicated but came together well.

Which character – as performed by Cat Gould – was your favorite?

Sophie Allen is the lead and she is very good. But she is almost too good to be true. I always need some flaws in my heroes.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Although I did not listen to it in one sitting I could have easily done so.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Decent Plot, Engaging Characters, Weird Narration!

Sophie Allen is a charmer. Her team seem ok. The villains are suitably villainous. A simple story gradually gets more complex, but the clues are all there and the denouement works well. The locations are good, and well described. Who decided that it made any sense to have an Australian Narrator? Nothing against Cat Gould ... but she reads Australian, and this book is English. The characters are very specifically located, and her accent and bogus attempts to simulate regional presence just don't work. Is it that Tantor has a stable of narrators? For some reason I've found the same problem with other Tantor productions.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Story is good

This had a very interesting story but reader was horrible. I only finished it as I wanTed to see how they caught the bad guy and the twist at the end was well thought out.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Needs to get her accent right

mysteries, thriller, law-enforcement, procedural, abuse, abusive-spouse, psychopath, psychological, cooperation, multiple-murder, murder-investigation, framed, friendship, false-information, family-dynamics, family, due-diligence, duplicity, predators, England

DCI Sophie Allen has a law degree and a master's in psychology but is dedicated to police work. Her husband has charge of the maths department and they have two daughters. The first victim will have no chances for those things. Nor will her mother or the next victim. It's a hard slog for the joined departments to sort it all out and find the right killer.
I read #11 in series yesterday morning and then started this as audio in the afternoon!
Great story, inappropriate narrator (wrong accents).

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!