Try free for 30 days
-
The Brief
- Charles Holborne, Book 1
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from Wish List failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $22.78
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also picked
-
An Honest Man
- Charles Holborne, Book 2
- By: Simon Michael
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Criminal barrister Charles Holborne may have just escaped the hangman by proving he was framed for murder, but his life is now in ruins. His wife is dead, his high-flying career has morphed into criminal notoriety, and bankruptcy threatens. When the biggest brief of Charles' career unexpectedly lands on his desk, it looks as if he has been thrown a lifeline. But far from keeping him afloat, it drags him ever deeper into the shadowy underworld of 1960s London. Now, not only is his practice at stake, but his very life.
-
-
Gripping. Would love to see the movie
- By Anonymous User on 13-01-2019
-
The Scarlet Papers
- By: Matthew Richardson
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh, Lucy Scott
- Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Only she knows the truth. Only he can tell the world. Vienna, 1946. A brilliant German scientist spirited out of the ruins Nazi Europe in search of a new life. Moscow, 1964. A rising star of the British diplomatic service whose job is not what it seems. London, the present day. A once promising academic offered an opportunity to seal his place in history. Their stories, their lives, and the fate of the world, are bound by a single document: The Scarlet Papers. The devastating secrets contained within teased by a brief invitation: Tomorrow 11AM. Take a cab and pay in cash. Tell no one.
-
-
Fantastic tale
- By Paul Kearsley on 13-07-2023
-
The Hope That Kills
- DI Fenchurch East London Crime Thrillers, Book 1
- By: Ed James
- Narrated by: Angus King
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meet Simon Fenchurch, detective inspector working the Met’s East London beat. Honest and funny but damaged, he’s working a case that could give him answers to his deepest trauma....
-
A Long Time Dead
- A D.I. Duncan McAdam Mystery (The Misty Isle, Book 1)
- By: J M Dalgliesh
- Narrated by: Angus King
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
D.I. Duncan McAdam is dispatched home to the Misty Isle. A body has been found buried in a remote location on the Waternish peninsula. Well-preserved in the peat, Isla Matheson—missing for the better part of two decades—is revealed to a shocked island community. A teenage runaway is dead...and no one is talking.
-
-
Great story
- By Marcia Jolly on 29-10-2023
-
The Holy Thief
- By: William Ryan, W.C. Ryan
- Narrated by: Seán Barrett
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Moscow, 1936. In a deconsecrated church, a young woman is found dead, her mutilated body displayed on the altar for all to see. Captain Alexei Dimitrevich Korolev is asked to investigate. But when he discovers that the victim is an American citizen, the NKVD - the most feared organisation in Russia - becomes involved. Soon, Korolev’s every step is under close scrutiny and one false move will mean exile to the frozen camps of the far north. Committed to uncovering the truth, Korolov enters the realm of the Thieves, who run Moscow’s underworld.
-
-
Outstanding reading 5 stars
- By Infragelis on 23-01-2023
-
The Cold, Cold Ground
- Detective Sean Duffy, Book 1
- By: Adrian McKinty
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Northern Ireland, spring 1981. Hunger strikes, riots, power cuts, a homophobic serial killer with a penchant for opera, and a young woman’s suicide that may yet turn out to be murder: on the surface, the events are unconnected, but then things—and people—aren’t always what they seem. Detective Sergeant Duffy is the man tasked with trying to get to the bottom of it all. It’s no easy job—especially when it turns out that one of the victims was involved in the IRA but was last seen discussing business with someone from the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force.
-
-
Really enjoyed this!!
- By lexi on 14-01-2015
-
An Honest Man
- Charles Holborne, Book 2
- By: Simon Michael
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Criminal barrister Charles Holborne may have just escaped the hangman by proving he was framed for murder, but his life is now in ruins. His wife is dead, his high-flying career has morphed into criminal notoriety, and bankruptcy threatens. When the biggest brief of Charles' career unexpectedly lands on his desk, it looks as if he has been thrown a lifeline. But far from keeping him afloat, it drags him ever deeper into the shadowy underworld of 1960s London. Now, not only is his practice at stake, but his very life.
-
-
Gripping. Would love to see the movie
- By Anonymous User on 13-01-2019
-
The Scarlet Papers
- By: Matthew Richardson
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh, Lucy Scott
- Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Only she knows the truth. Only he can tell the world. Vienna, 1946. A brilliant German scientist spirited out of the ruins Nazi Europe in search of a new life. Moscow, 1964. A rising star of the British diplomatic service whose job is not what it seems. London, the present day. A once promising academic offered an opportunity to seal his place in history. Their stories, their lives, and the fate of the world, are bound by a single document: The Scarlet Papers. The devastating secrets contained within teased by a brief invitation: Tomorrow 11AM. Take a cab and pay in cash. Tell no one.
-
-
Fantastic tale
- By Paul Kearsley on 13-07-2023
-
The Hope That Kills
- DI Fenchurch East London Crime Thrillers, Book 1
- By: Ed James
- Narrated by: Angus King
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meet Simon Fenchurch, detective inspector working the Met’s East London beat. Honest and funny but damaged, he’s working a case that could give him answers to his deepest trauma....
-
A Long Time Dead
- A D.I. Duncan McAdam Mystery (The Misty Isle, Book 1)
- By: J M Dalgliesh
- Narrated by: Angus King
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
D.I. Duncan McAdam is dispatched home to the Misty Isle. A body has been found buried in a remote location on the Waternish peninsula. Well-preserved in the peat, Isla Matheson—missing for the better part of two decades—is revealed to a shocked island community. A teenage runaway is dead...and no one is talking.
-
-
Great story
- By Marcia Jolly on 29-10-2023
-
The Holy Thief
- By: William Ryan, W.C. Ryan
- Narrated by: Seán Barrett
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Moscow, 1936. In a deconsecrated church, a young woman is found dead, her mutilated body displayed on the altar for all to see. Captain Alexei Dimitrevich Korolev is asked to investigate. But when he discovers that the victim is an American citizen, the NKVD - the most feared organisation in Russia - becomes involved. Soon, Korolev’s every step is under close scrutiny and one false move will mean exile to the frozen camps of the far north. Committed to uncovering the truth, Korolov enters the realm of the Thieves, who run Moscow’s underworld.
-
-
Outstanding reading 5 stars
- By Infragelis on 23-01-2023
-
The Cold, Cold Ground
- Detective Sean Duffy, Book 1
- By: Adrian McKinty
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Northern Ireland, spring 1981. Hunger strikes, riots, power cuts, a homophobic serial killer with a penchant for opera, and a young woman’s suicide that may yet turn out to be murder: on the surface, the events are unconnected, but then things—and people—aren’t always what they seem. Detective Sergeant Duffy is the man tasked with trying to get to the bottom of it all. It’s no easy job—especially when it turns out that one of the victims was involved in the IRA but was last seen discussing business with someone from the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force.
-
-
Really enjoyed this!!
- By lexi on 14-01-2015
-
The Engine House: A Black Beacons Murder Mystery
- DCI Evan Warlow Crime Thriller, Book 1
- By: Rhys Dylan
- Narrated by: Joseph Tweedale
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a landslip on Pembrokeshire’s stunning coastal path reveals the harrowing remains of two bodies, ex-DCI Evan Warlow’s quiet retirement is shattered.
-
-
Stumbled upon this by chance. I love chance!!
- By BigNig on 07-03-2024
-
The Sandpit
- By: Stephen Leather
- Narrated by: Paul Thornley
- Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Who was Dan "Spider" Shepherd before he signed up as an undercover cop and began working for MI5? The Sandpit rewinds with an action-packed rollercoaster to his days in the SAS.... Dan Shepherd and his SAS team are sent into the badlands of Afghanistan to train the rebels who are battling Taliban fanatics. But what starts as a training mission in The Sandpit rapidly turns into a life or death struggle with Shepherd and his team very much in the firing line.
-
-
Meh...
- By Anonymous User on 16-07-2020
-
Songbird
- Kings Lake Investigation Series, Book 1
- By: Peter Grainger
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Detective Sergeant Chris Waters got the call at 05.29 that July morning. This is it, said DCI Reeve, you'll be first there, it's all yours, you're the crime scene manager. Suddenly, after months of waiting and wondering, Waters finds himself in at the deep end, and alone at the scene of a puzzling murder. As the investigation proceeds, the detectives at Kings Lake Central find themselves visiting familiar places and talking to some familiar faces, while old enmities reappear in the incident room. Before this is over, Chris Waters will need to make a career-changing decision.
-
-
The narration detracted from the story.
- By Anonymous User on 16-06-2023
-
Rich Men, Dead Men
- Detective Inspector Simon Wise Crime Thriller, Book 1
- By: Michael Dylan
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A killer stalks the streets of London, murdering the richest people in the capital. Is this the work of a serial killer, or just someone angry with the super rich? Or is there another reason why billionaires are being killed every three days? Detective Inspector Simon Wise, reeling from the death of his partner and harbouring more than a few secrets of his own, is assigned to the case. But the killer leaves no clues as to their identity, only bodies in their wake, and each new death sends Wise's team in startling new directions.
-
-
Top class -- great characters, brilliant narrator
- By finnea on 23-12-2023
-
The Bonnie Dead
- DCI Lomond Crime Thrillers, Book 1
- By: Andrew Raymond
- Narrated by: Angus King
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five years ago, DCI John Lomond led the search for notorious Glasgow child-killer ‘The Sandman', until personal tragedy forced him off the case. In Lomond's absence, the killer was never found. Now, with nothing but work left in his life, Lomond remains obsessed with the case–despite the nightmares it brings. When a child is abducted in similar Sandman fashion from an affluent Glasgow suburb, Lomond is brought in to find them before it's too late.
-
-
Great storytelling
- By Caro, Perth on 16-03-2024
-
First Blood
- By: Angela Marsons
- Narrated by: Jan Cramer
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the darkness of a cold December morning, Detective Kim Stone steps through the doors of Halesowen Police Station. She’s about to meet her team for the first time. When the body of a young man is found beheaded and staked to the ground in a secluded area of the Clent Hills, Kim and her new squad rush to the crime scene. This audio edition includes exclusive bonus content.
-
-
Can't stop listening
- By Jean on 18-04-2020
-
The One That Got Away
- A DI Heather Filson Novel
- By: JD Kirk
- Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a 15-year-old girl fails to make it home after school, DI Heather Filson believes she’s dealing with just another teenage runaway. The girl’s grandfather, a notorious Glasgow gangster, disagrees. Convinced one of his underworld enemies has grabbed her, he’s prepared to bathe the city in blood in order to bring his princess home.
-
-
The Master story teller strikes again.
- By carol on 27-05-2023
-
The Lincoln Lawyer: Booktrack Edition
- By: Michael Connelly
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mickey Haller is a Lincoln Lawyer, a criminal defense attorney who operates out of the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car, traveling between the far-flung courthouses of Los Angeles to defend clients of every kind. Bikers, con artists, drunk drivers, drug dealers - they're all on Mickey Haller's client list. For him, the law is rarely about guilt or innocence; it's about negotiation and manipulation. Sometimes it's even about justice.
-
-
Great story very well read
- By Anonymous User on 18-12-2023
-
Lethal Defense
- Nate Shepherd Legal Thriller Series, Book 1
- By: Michael Stagg
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Attorney Nate Shepherd left a big firm to go out on his own. He sees nothing but opportunity when an out-of-town lawyer wants to hire him as local counsel on a high-profile murder case. Though his family worries that the case hits too close to home, Nate joins the defense team. When circumstances force him to take on a bigger role, Nate ignores his family’s fears and throws himself into his client’s defense.
-
-
Wonderful Story and performance
- By maree McIntyre on 29-02-2024
-
Detective Tom Janssen Hidden Norfolk, Books 1-3
- The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mystery Collections, Volume 1
- By: J M Dalgliesh
- Narrated by: Greg Patmore
- Length: 24 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Get three absolutely gripping crime thrillers set on the UK's atmospheric north Norfolk coast from number one best-selling British author J M Dalgliesh in this great value collection.
-
-
A series that grips your imagination
- By Larwos on 15-10-2023
-
One Lost Soul
- A Chilling British Detective Crime Thriller (Hidden Norfolk, Book 1)
- By: J M Dalgliesh
- Narrated by: Greg Patmore
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a body is found on a lonely cliff top path, the angelic face of a murdered teenager lies facing the rising sun. Strangled by the hands of an unknown killer, it falls to DI Tom Janssen and his fledgling team to find out how she came to be there. Destined for a career in medicine, one to rival that of her parents, Holly Bettany’s future was as bright as it had been privileged. Seemingly, all that could threaten this promising teenager’s life was Holly herself.
-
-
Annoying narrator
- By Anonymous User on 17-07-2023
-
A Litter of Bones: A Scottish Crime Thriller
- DCI Logan Crime Thrillers, Book 1
- By: JD Kirk
- Narrated by: Angus King
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Was the biggest case of his career the worst mistake he ever made? Ten years ago, DCI Jack Logan stopped the serial child-killer dubbed "Mister Whisper", earning himself a commendation, a drinking problem, and a broken marriage in the process...When another child disappears a hundred miles north in the Highlands, Jack is sent to lead the investigation and bring the boy home. But as similarities between the two cases grow, could it be that Jack caught the wrong man all those years ago?
-
-
Cat lovers content warning
- By Anonymous User on 07-11-2019
Publisher's Summary
London in the 1960s: gang wars, corrupt police, vice and pornography. Ex-boxer Charles Holborne has plenty of opportunities to build his reputation with the criminal classes as a barrister who delivers. But Charles, an East End boy made good, is not all he seems, and his past is snapping at his heels.
When his philandering wife has her throat slashed, Holborne finds himself on the wrong side of the law and on the run. Can he discover the truth of the brutal slaying and escape the hangman's noose?
Based upon real Old Bailey cases and genuine court documents, The Brief is the first in barrister Simon Michael's series of compelling criminal dramas, an evocative slice of sleazy glamour from the swinging '60s. Simon Michael delivers an authentic and addictive listen for any crime fan.
More from the same
What listeners say about The Brief
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Derbydiva
- 02-12-2017
very true to life
I enjoyed the realistic detail of courtroom questioning, very sustained and believable. The portrayal of the police as willing to jump to the most obvious conclusions and push for conviction of an innocent victim is utterly believable and disquieting. It shows that in order to avoid false conviction a person really needs to be prepared to step outside the law. The continuing anti-Semitism in the insular world of the justice industry adds a further touch of disquiet. One feels more connected with the main character due to his having to continually overcome this 'handicap' despite his brilliance as a barrister.
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
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lyndel
- 22-10-2017
Enjoyed The New Author
Great story. No spoilers at all.
Criminal Trial performance was fascinating. I like a bit of action, Charles is a ex boxer, handy with a B&B and hot wiring a car. His criminal clients are a source of reliable information when needed and that kind of banter made this a interesting novel. Not bad for a Barrister, sworn to uphold the law.
A pleasant surprise to find all the good reviews were correct for a change. So good I'm about to read the 2nd novel in the series.
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
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kate Fitzpatrick
- 26-01-2023
good story but lots of cliches
it felt like the story was drawn up - sort of worked out like an architectural plan - and the characterisations were underdeveloped and cliched - but the court stuff was good and it was compelling in terms of pace - i've heard better books that I didn't get as far with...
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 22-11-2022
Great yarn very enjoyable
well written and narrated. very enjoyable and loved the London locale. quite believable. corruption abounds.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- jat
- 22-09-2022
Very enjoyable
Very enjoyable. The story was good. Particularly enjoyed the legal aspects of the story and the courtroom procedures etc.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 30-08-2022
Brilliant!
Most riveting book, excellent use of English language, description of the commons wonderful!
I listened to this in two sittings and did not want it to end.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- finnea
- 29-04-2022
Wonderful!--why not more famous?
i thoroughly enjoyed both the Charles Holborne books on Audible -- can't believe Simon Michael isn't more famous (perhaps he is but i've just made the discovery).
I usually like contemporary police procedurals but felt like i'd run out of the high quality ones with great readers. Then i found these. Wow. Terrific characters, plot, reader.
Please Audible record the rest!!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 08-02-2022
Great story.
This was a great story first time I have listened to this author. Loved everything about the story, excellent storyline and narration Could not put it down . Would recommend this book to others.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!