A Pale Horse

By: Charles Todd

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Late on a spring night in 1920, five boys cross the Yorkshire dales to the ruins of Fountains Abbey, intent on raising the Devil. Instead, they stumble over the Devil himself, sitting there watching them. Terrified, they run for their lives, leaving behind a book on alchemy stolen from their schoolmaster. The next morning, a body is discovered in the cloisters of the abbey--a man swathed in a hooded cloak and wearing a gas mask.

Scotland Yard dispatches Inspector Rutledge to find out who the man was and why he died in such mysterious circumstances. But the villagers clearly have something to hide. And what does the huge chalk sculpture of a pale horse of the Apocalypse have to do with the crime?

©2008 Charles Todd (P)2009 BBC Audio

Narrator

I enjoyed listening to the original narrator better. This is not bad, but I would prefer the original guy.

Enjoyable

My first Ian Rutledge, but despite not having the backstory, this book filled in most gaps

beat one yet

Even though I had an idea about who the killer was, but this web had a more interesting setting and complex victim.

Long mystery read by Simon Prebble

Thanks to the excellent narration of Simon Prebble this long mystery was interesting and reliable.

excellent!

excellent story,characters, plots..

this book , I really enjoyed .
a wonderfully read performance.
a wonderfully developed set of characters.
so many turns. so many twists yet so we'll done.
enjoy.

The narrator made this book work for me

Would you listen to A Pale Horse again? Why?

Yes. In fact, I have a few narrators that I will listen to again if I can't find a book of interest and one of those narrators is Simon Prebble.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Pale Horse?

I think this one, more than the others in the series, had a wonderful culmination of events where secrets were revealed. In this particular story, there were a few surprises I hadn't seen coming and that's always a good thing.

What about Simon Prebble’s performance did you like?

His voice is smooth, not over acted. There are some narrators who disappear as the story unfolds and you are aware of only the story. There are some who are so bland or over acting that you wish for another narrator, any narrator. And then there is Simon Prebble, a narrator whose voice enhances the story. He does any good book justice and he served this one very well.

Any additional comments?

I hadn't realized how much the narrator brought to this series until I listened to another audio book with a different narrator -- I didn't finish that one. If you've turned away from this series with any other narrator, give this one a try.

Wondering

if I should listen to this story again? I just didn't enjoy it nearly as much at the rest of the series. The story seems to ramble and get caught up in unnecessary, endless details. Hamish, who usually is a nagging helper just becomes a nasty nag. I must suggest skipping this one-sorry.

One of the best Inspector Rutledge books

it takes most of the book to tell the story, and just as in real life, the investigation into a disappearance get distracted by one death after another. The entire book was a satisfying read.

Best so far - - Narrator is fantastic ~ !

I have listened to several of the Rutledge series books and this is, to me, the best so far with a fantastic narrator. Simon Prebble makes the book.

A Tough Case

One of the best stories I've listened to in years. The narrator brings the book alive with so many different voices.