Watchman cover art

Watchman

From the iconic #1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Watchman

By: Ian Rankin
Narrated by: Roger Allam
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £12.20

Buy Now for £12.20

About this listen

 Bombs are exploding in the streets of London, but life seems to have planted more subtle booby-traps for Miles Flint. Miles is a spy. His job is to watch and to listen, then to report back to his superiors, nothing more. The job, affording glimpses into the most private lives of his victims, appeals to Miles. He doesn't lust after promotion, and he doesn't want action. He wants, just for once, not to botch a case. Having lost one suspect - with horrific consequences - Miles becomes too involved with another, a young Irish woman. His marriage seems ready to crumble to dust. So does his home.

But Miles is given one last chance for redemption - a trip to Belfast, which quickly becomes a flight of terror, murder and shocking discoveries. But can the voyeur survive in a world of violent action?

Read by Roger Allam

(p) 2004 Orion Publishing Group©1988 John Rebus Ltd Crime Fiction Detective Espionage Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Crime

Critic reviews

Ian Rankin is perhaps the best and most complex thriller writer in Britain today
Britain's No.1 crime writer
An addictive writer ... a remarkable talent
Rankin is the thinking man's thriller writer
Rankin is a master of his craft
All stars
Most relevant
Oh, Mr Rankin, what a fabulous foray into the world of cloak and daggers. A rip-roaring story full of characterisation AND I could listen to Roger Allam all day long. Thank you both so very much.

Fabulous Story and Narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a different style of book compared with Ian Rankin's Rebus detective series. It's closer to his style when writing under his nom de plume of Jack Harvey. It's in the same genre as John Le Carre's spy stories and is similarly complicated with lots of twists and turns and many characters which makes it a bit more difficult to follow as an audio book. It's excellently read, which helps, and is a good story, but you have to concentrate and not leave too long a gap between listening sessions otherwise you forget who is a goody and who a baddy.

Complex spy story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Lots of twists and turns, the novel gathers speed about half way through, try putting the book down then.

Great spy novel.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
didn't like found it slow going .. would not my cup of tea at all

Not up to par

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