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Philosophical Investigations
- Narrated by: Michael Fenton Stevens
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
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Philosophical Investigations
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Publisher's Summary
Meet Rook. A middle-aged philosophy professor with a sarcastic sense of humour, an ongoing rivalry with his highly strung colleague Jeremy, and a rocky relationship with his ex-wife. But he has far more pressing matters to attend to than domestic disputes and academic feuds. He moonlights as a private investigator.
Armed with a quick, inquisitive mind, an arsenal of philosophic quotations and an addiction to fear, he is willing to embroil himself in any sticky situation that comes his way. His latest assignment involves the Steele family - a set of notorious criminal gangsters. Coming from a world of underhand dealings they do not want to get the police involved when a member of the family is murdered. So they turn to Rook.
Will his philosophical investigations get to the heart of the matter and solve the case? Or will their dark and dangerous world prove too hard to crack?
Steve Attridge is an award-winning screenwriter and novelist. His television dramas include Hawkins and The Boot Street Band and his other books include Waking Dreams, Behind Closed Doors, and Bottom of the List.
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What listeners say about Philosophical Investigations
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
- Langer MD
- 2023-04-25
Unique P.I. Paradigm.. and Parody
Where do criminals turn when they need something investigated but can't get the police involved?
Cynical British Professor of Philosophy Paul Rook moonlighting as an investigator.. that's where.
BBC Screenwriter Steve Attridge provides an incongruously lighthearted mystery involving a series of gruesome murders, reprisal kidnappings, and the constant threat of death.. but fills it with sarcastic humor, 1930s Cagney & Bogart quotes, and cartoonish characters like hollywood-typecast-gangster-scions "Ma" and "Poppy" Steele. Straight-up weird scenes like talking a thug out of mutilating a woman by quoting Ancient Roman Playwright Seneca make the book a bit of a headscratcher.
Attridge offers an entertaining spoof of 1920s Hard-Boiled/Noir Detective novels, but develops a strikingly unlikable protagonist (I frankly didn't care what happened to Rook). There was consequently little to no tension.
Excellent narration from Michael Fenton Stevens can't save the book.. but he does his best. His diction, timbre, cadence, and pacing are commendable - but it's his pitch-perfect understanding of the serious/not serious tone of the book that stands out. Stevens's voice-acting is likewise subdued but spot-on (the temptation to take it over-the-top at times must have been nearly overwhelming). Bravo.
When all is taken into account, I can't wholeheartedly recommend this 7/10-star audiobook.. but if you can get it as a 'Plus' selection, it's a reasonable distraction (particularly this audiobook version). Should Audible ask for a Credit, however, spend it on something else.
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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
- pigletbunny
- 2022-09-27
A lot of fun and a breath of fresh air :-) :-) :-)
A lot of mystery novels and short stories written in the 21st century so far, even many of those classed (and often publisher-defined) as “cozy”, force the reader to ride an emotional roller coaster, or at the very least to accompany characters on their journey of sadness and disillusion. Philosophical Investigations does not do this. Instead, it takes the reader on an enjoyable romp, managing to make even cynicism fairly lighthearted :-) This is not to say that Philosophical Investigations is some sort of fluffy novel; it is full of substance, and manages to convey some unpleasant truths about humanity and the human condition in such a way that doesn’t detract from the reader’s fun romping experience.
Also, as usual, this particular narrator/performer is EXCELLENT :-) :-) :-)
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