But for the Grace: A DC Smith Investigation Series, Book 2 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Peter Grainger (Author), Gildart Jackson (Narrator), Tantor Audio (Publisher)

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"We are living in the departure lounge," said Ralph Greenwood, "and flights leave with monotonous regularity." So when another resident of the Rosemary House care home is found dead in her chair one Saturday evening in December, no one is very surprised - not until the results of a routine post-mortem reveal something extraordinary. Sergeant DC Smith and his team have to tread carefully as they investigate what took place, and Smith himself has to confront some difficult memories. Others, meanwhile, seem intent on getting him to leave the force altogether, while, despite his best efforts, his social life also becomes a little more complicated. To top it all, Kings Lake has been waiting weeks for the snow to fall, in a winter that seems as if it will never end.

Listening Length

9 hours and 16 minutes
Author

Peter Grainger
Narrator

Gildart Jackson
Audible release date

October 11, 2016
Language

English
Publisher

Tantor Audio
ASIN

B01M0YOA29
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	9 hours and 16 minutes
Author	Peter Grainger
Narrator	Gildart Jackson
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	October 11, 2016
Publisher	Tantor Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B01M0YOA29
Best Sellers Rank	#82,181 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #725 in Traditional Detective Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals) #1,877 in Police Procedural Mysteries #2,928 in Crime Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

1,112 global ratings

5 star		63%
4 star		28%
3 star		7%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Christine Evans

Something to think about

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 18, 2023

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A very though provoking story. I enjoyed the interaction between the characters. DC so personal life entwined with the case.

One person found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Excellent Story!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 29, 2022

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I am warming up to this author after being a bit lukewarm after the first in the series. The characters are lovely and seem quite fully drawn. The police procedural aspect is quite interesting as is the moral dilemma entailed within it. Is it a crime to help someone have the means to end their medical suffering in old age? I was once again abruptly brought up short by the last chapter. I suppose that sets the scene for a future episode but it is so sudden and disconnected with what went on before. I can't say I appreciate it as a literary device.

One person found this helpful

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An Avid Reader

As Good as the First Book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 13, 2014

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This author is definitely worth reading and also worthy of a top agent. It is nothing short of amazing that a book can be as good as this one is without the benefit of a good editor, which makes it even more exceptional in how very good it is! A few small words are missing here and there throughout, whether overlooked in the proof-reading or when transferred to a Kindle format, but are of little significance. I can think of at least 5 best-selling authors currently in print, each with numerous volumes to their credit, who cannot write nearly as well.

The one thing I find a bit curious and puzzling in both books, however, is the perspective on age and aging. Perhaps the population in the UK ages far more dramatically than is the case with the population in the US, but the book characters seem to each be about 10 to 15 years older than their given ages, which tends to jar my attention away from the story suddenly at various intervals. In the US, at least, people in their early 50's are generally perceived to be hitting or thoroughly enjoying their professional peaks, and it is rather uncommon for people in their early to mid-70's to be consigned to care homes, or what are referred to as assisted living homes in the US. The average age of occupants of such facilities in the US is probably a good deal closer to mid-80's, and at least 30% of individuals also elect to continue working well past the age of 65, particularly if they own a business or simply enjoy their work or profession. While many do retire at 65, a small percentage also do so for the express purpose of starting a new career or to start a business. It is true that there are certainly some as young as mid-40's in special living facilities, due to very severe diseases, like early on-set Alzheimer's or aggressive MS and other catastrophic physical illnesses, but those would be the exceptions, by far. Certainly, most people in their 70's continue to live independently in their own homes or apartments, many in their 80's and some in their 90's also do, often with family members or professional care givers helping with shopping or chores, and checking in to see that all is well with them. For these reasons, I think that most US readers would find it a bit difficult to identify with or relate to characters in their early 50's who consider themselves so far past their working prime, nor with care homes where the majority of occupants are in their mid-70's and requiring that level of daily living assistance and care. It took some mental gyrations and adjustments every so often, since the characters' ages had seemed rather implausible, but the book was excellent apart from that.

I've recommended this author to my spouse, who has also downloaded the first book, and fully intends to read this one as well. We both hope there will be many more to come of this series.

2 people found this helpful

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JOG

Excellent mystery and not overly depressing or gory

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 17, 2022

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I've finished two of these and am enjoying them greatly. i like spending time with DC Smith--sharp and generous of spirit and an amazing bluesman. Mysteries are solved, which is what makes them a great genre in these nasty times, but sometimes they are just too depressing, pessimistic or gory for me and I don't want to spend time in their world, no matter how well written. These certainly aren't "cozies", but you leave them feeling that the human race might just be OK to hang out with, after all.

One person found this helpful

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Avedon if only

an age old question

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 9, 2022

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It’s hard to agree with DC Smith that a crime was committed but I kept turning pages anyway. In fact, I felt it was a bit of a stretch to assemble the murder squad for an assisted suicide case but the author creates such compelling characters that they’re hard to leave. This is an important book in the series because it introduces Jo Levinson, who will become Smith’s partner, but there are some other intriguing characters, one of whom, Ralph Greenwood, is the most engaging. I don’t need to explain or spoil the plot which is in fact obvious very quickly, but the real pleasure of the book is in its exploration of the characters of the squad and their interactions.

One person found this helpful

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Virginia Parrish

Best British cop since Inspector Banks

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 27, 2015

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DC Smith is the best British cop I've met since Inspector Banks. He's old-school, a little shabby, doesn't swear, and may not seem to be as quick and alert as some of the bright young officers -- but don't let that unassuming exterior fool you. DC, who elected to leave his position as an Inspector and revert to being a sergeant -- is as smart as they come. He uses his almost Sherlockian powers of observation to pick up on subtle clues that often escape others. In this book, he investigates a death in a nursing home. Nothing is what it seems, and we go with him about the town of King's Lake, becoming more familiar with it and its inhabitants, good and bad, until the sad final truth is revealed.
DC is ably assisted in his investigation by a cast of supporting characters: DC Christopher Waters, Detective Inspector Allison Reeve, the pompous Superintendent Allen, Charlie Hills, John Murray and Maggie Henderson, among others. Each of the minor characters is distinctly and vividly depicted, so the reader comes to know them well. Peter Grainger has a real talent for drawing the reader in to the characters' lives. It takes a while, maybe even more than one book, to get to the depths of Smith's character, just as it would if you met him in real life. You have to know him for a while before you learn the story of his late wife's long, losing battle with cancer, and even longer before he'll pick up his guitar and play for you. Smith is someone I intend to become even better acquainted with in the rest of Grainger's books and, I hope, future books yet to be written.

10 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Sue D

Another DC Smith story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 15, 2017

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As with the first in the series, DC Smith, an experienced detective who has taken a step down in seniority, is investigating a seemingly simple death. Also as before, he is supervising the young Chris Waters, who now has a few months experience and is growing in confidence. He still serves to ask our questions about how things are done and why.
This is the tale of a death in a care home that seems straightforward enough until the postmortem throws up some unexpected results. The story unfolds quite slowly, giving us time to get to know the characters, not only the staff and residents of the home, but also the police officers. There were a few twists in the story keeping me guessing till the end. There were enough loose ends in the unfolding saga of DC Smith to make me want to buy the next book.
I am asking myself if I can eke out the series to last me till Christmas, or whether I just go for it and read the lot in a week. I can see this as a TV series, although I am really enjoying it as a book. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys well written stories that make you think a bit after you have put them down. I hope the next one is just as good!

One person found this helpful

Dorset Reader

Thought provoking topic

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 31, 2022

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So far I've two books in this series and am completely hooked by the stories and the quality of the writing. I'm delighted to have found a new author who has such a masterful grip on his characters bringing them to live so clearly and convincingly.

Absolutely recommend this book to readers who enjoy police procedurals that are engaging, witty and keep you guessing.

Eskay

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 15, 2015

Verified Purchase

A new author to me but one I've come to like very much. The main character is fascinating and cleverly developed both in the present and his past life as each book unfolds. The fact that the stories/plots are set in everyday situations involving seemingly everyday people shows how good the writing in as I find myself quickly absorbed - a care home for the elderly isn't most people's idea for the location of riveting read but Peter Grainger knows how to make everyday events relevant and absorbing. Overlaying the plot there examinations of moral and personal issues woven into the narrative, cleverly done so that the flow of the story isn't disrupted.

The characters are believable - especially Detective Sergeant DS Smith, a quiet, sensitive man approaching retirement who has the wisdom gained from what appears to have been an eventful life in Army Intelligence and then the police who seeks the truth even when it is unexpected or unwelcomed. Cleverly, Smith's story is slowly being developed across the series of books which augers well for the future. A man of few but carefully chosen words with an ironic, often mordant sense of humour - the sort of policeman you want to believe in.

This is a story about real life - the boring minutiae of an investigation into an everyday event that produces uncertainty and then an investigation into a possible crime - well written so that it becomes a page turner. As in real life this is a story where the outcome is always in doubt..... As Smith might say - "You can be sure of nothing" Even the choice of the name "Smith" implies "ordinary" but this a well told story that is far ordinary.

From my dim and distant youth I have a recollection of the impact of reading "Hallelujah Corner" by John Harris (a long lost book it seems) had on me - I remember it was about real people in real situations but was a very well told story (off to find a copy!). Peter Grainger has that gift too - well written, believable stories but thought provoking stories. Long may they continue.

Kindle Customer

Thought provoking

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 16, 2021

Verified Purchase

4stars for There But for the Grace but only because I began to guess the outcome. D C Smith investigating a death in a nursing home I'm fairly sure began to question exactly what the close friends of the deceased were bounds of friendship bonds were about. A good read.

One person found this helpful

stewart

Thoroughly enjoyable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 26, 2021

Verified Purchase

My second read in the DC Smith series and I will be completing the series without doubt. Smith's engaging personality rivals that of Inspector Jack Frost and each story is cleverly plotted and exceptionally well written . I do hope this writer receives the recognition he deserves and look forward to see his books as a tv series in the future .

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But for the Grace: A DC Smith Investigation Series, Book 2 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

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