Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • A Song for the Dark Times

  • By: Ian Rankin
  • Narrated by: James Macpherson
  • Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,503 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
A Song for the Dark Times cover art

A Song for the Dark Times

By: Ian Rankin
Narrated by: James Macpherson
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Laidlaw cover art
The Rise cover art
A Litter of Bones: A Scottish Crime Thriller cover art
Open Season cover art
A Long Time Dead cover art
But Not Forgotten cover art
A Murder on Wall Street cover art
Misplaced Loyalty cover art
A New Place, Another Murder cover art
Mysteries of Treasure Cove Series cover art
Dig Two Graves cover art
Aspire to Die cover art
The Murderer's Son cover art
Silent Tide cover art
The Murder Wall cover art
Songbird cover art

Summary

From the iconic Number One best seller Ian Rankin, comes one of the must-listen audiobooks of the year: A Song for the Dark Times.

"He's gone..."

When his daughter Samantha calls in the dead of night, John Rebus knows it's not good news. Her husband has been missing for two days.

Rebus fears the worst - and knows from his lifetime in the police that his daughter will be the prime suspect.

He wasn't the best father - the job always came first - but now his daughter needs him more than ever. But is he going as a father or a detective?

As he leaves at dawn to drive to the windswept coast - and a small town with big secrets - he wonders whether this might be the first time in his life where the truth is the one thing he doesn't want to find....

©2020 Ian Rankin (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group

Critic reviews

"Ian Rankin is a genius." (Lee Child)

"A master storyteller." (Guardian)

"Rebus is one of British crime writing's greatest characters: alongside Holmes, Poirot and Morse." (Daily Mail)

What listeners say about A Song for the Dark Times

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,011
  • 4 Stars
    358
  • 3 Stars
    94
  • 2 Stars
    28
  • 1 Stars
    12
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,014
  • 4 Stars
    232
  • 3 Stars
    50
  • 2 Stars
    18
  • 1 Stars
    13
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    851
  • 4 Stars
    312
  • 3 Stars
    109
  • 2 Stars
    37
  • 1 Stars
    10

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

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

Will make more sense to those with prior knowledge

I read recently the extraordinary statistic that books by Ian Rankin represent 10% of all crime fiction read in the UK. I wanted to find out what all the fuss was about and plumped for this, his latest work. It is, apparently, the 23rd book in the Inspector Rebus series. Having not read any of the previous stories or seen the TV shows it felt like I was joining a party when everyone knew each other or watching a long running TV soap that I have never seen before.
It took me a while to work out who the characters were and I needed some help from the internet for this as ,for example, I would not have known that Samantha is Rebus' daughter otherwise. This made it all a bit hard going and although the story of a wealthy student being murdered and a missing person was well done and came together nicely in the end, it made me wonder whether I would have been better advised to start with one of the earlier books in the series.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

22 people found this helpful

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

Depressing

This is one book too many for Rebus it's depressing to read about an ex-policeman in old age with health problems just making a nuisance of himself he used to be edgy now he is just doddery sad to see a great detective hanging on where he can't even manage the stairs in his flat.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

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

Excellent return for the old dogged Rebus

I was always concerned Rebus had been retired too early and I’m pleased to see he’s still alive and kicking (just!)

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

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

A Rebus Masterpiece

So wonderful to meet up with the irascible old detective again, still up to his old tricks and determined to catch his man. He may be getting older but his hunt for the truth keeps him at the top of his game. Loved it

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

Good return for Rebus

All the familiar characters and a multi layered story, classic Rebus and a great listen.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

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

Not sure what all the fuss is about...

I really wanted to like this book. I’ve been recommended several books by the author and of course know how hugely successful this particular series is. However, what I found was a very laboured and uninteresting story, with bland characters and a very obvious outcome. I’m not sure where all the reviewers got the idea that there was some sort of biting take on modern life here. Just mentioning Brexit a few times does not make for insightful social commentary. I won’t be going back to this author, though I doubt he will lose any sleep over it!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

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

Brilliant

Perfect narration by James Macpherson, he brings the book and characters to life.

Rebus' dogged determination to find the truth continues especially as the case involves his daughter, not allowing his age or no longer being a serving police officer stop him.

One of the better Rebus books.



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

Unlistenable

Possibly the worst narration I have heard. Who told James Macpherson to make Siobhan sound like a Granny. Just awful.

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
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Time to go

Let's face it. There comes a time in every long serving literary character's life to be presented with a cozy armchair; be asked to put his feet up and allow the cold autumnal winds to blow away his well worn reminiscences of summer. Such a time has arrived for Rebus. Winter is just around the corner and his life of crime fighting has long past. His legacy will be best served far away from tired and formulaic fiction.
John Rebus RIP

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
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant story brilliantly read.

Loved the book. Rebus doesn’t disappoint- even in retirement. Ian Rankin does it again. Brilliant!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!