The Deep Dark Descending

By: Allen Eskens

Narrated by: R.C. Bray

Homicide Detective Max Rupert never fully accepted his wife's death, even when he believed that a reckless hit and run driver was the cause. But when he learns that in fact she was murdered, he devotes himself to hunting down her killers. Most of his life he had thought of himself as a decent man. But now he's so consumed with thoughts of retribution that he questions whether he will take that last step and enact the vengeance he longs for.

On a frozen lake near the US-Canadian border, he wrestles with a decision that could change his life forever, as his hatred threatens to turn him into the kind of person he has spent a career bringing to justice.

©2017 Allen Eskens (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Eskens infuses the old this-time-it's-personal trope with raw urgency, righteous indignation, and enough scorching action to melt every trace of the Minnesota snow in his finest hour to date." ( Kirkus, Starred Review)

Revenge! Payback is Hell!

I enjoy this series by Eskens. The Deep Dark Descending is a good addition to the series starting Police detective Max Rupert. I strongly recommend reading the first 2 books prior to this one. You need to understand some of the back story to fully appreciate Max's actions in this book. Max's attitude is dark and his payback turns violent so beware if you're sensitive to dark, gritty plots. The narration by Bray is outstanding.

SUSPENSEFUL AND RIVETING

This book left me exhausted, but it was an intriguing read from the very first page until the last word. I have been anxiously waiting for this book , as I’ve read all the prior books by this author and wanted to find out what happened to Max Rupert’s wife. I highly recommend reading the previous books in the order they were written so as to fully appreciate this character and his actions in this latest novel. I had no idea how the story would end and definitely did not anticipate the conclusion. This author is brilliant in how he keeps the reader guessing as to if a character is what they seem to be or if they end up being a villain, a victim or maybe even a combination. There are no easy answers or storybook conclusions , but definitely a satisfying experience. This book will stay with me for a long time and I eagerly wait for the next novel by Allen Eskens. The narrator, R. C. Bray, did an excellent job, and changed his voice/ accent to perfectly match the characters.

Tough, honest exploration of morality and revenge

I agree with reviewers that describe this work as brutal and intense. A decent man is driven beyond his accustomed moral boundaries because of the slaughter of his soulmate, and his pursuit of the instigator is relentless to the point of astonishment. But that explains only the narrative page turning force of the book. There is here something deeper: an unflinching examination of the human soul rendered to a shattered extreme by the imperatives of civilized morality on the one hand, and the cellular demands of animalistic revenge on the other. But the best part is the ending, where guilt and responsibility must be resolved. Brilliant stuff.

Great writing

The way the story unfolds is great. The narrators voice is very appealing for listening.

So So

It was interesting enough to finish but probably wouldn't recommend it. Didn't really like narrator.

too sadistic for me

A revenge story that is true to it's premise, but for me, too harsh. …...

Cop Part Was Good; Revenge Part Got Tedious

This is really two books which converge at the end. The book where he was a cop dealing with the office politics and chasing down the case was good. I particularly liked the office pay-back-set-up (no more on that here so no spoiler alert). But the revenge portion started out with promise, but then droned on and on. It got to the point where I was "whatever your going to do, just do it!"

Sad, long love story with vengeance!

A little different kind of ESKENS. This story has us pulled into Det. Max’s deep grief and his determination to find his wife’s murderer. You feel the rage and the relief! Not the usual plot turns you’re used with this author, but great descriptions and a deep vibe throughout.

Kept me listening

I’ve had a hard time getting into an audiobook lately so I found this book by searching “best audiobooks”. I got into the book quickly and I finished in record time however I thought the end was fairly predictable and would have loved additional plot twist.

angry "noir"

Would you try another book from Allen Eskens and/or R. C. Bray?

The performance was appropriately angry to the point of being too much. Overall was just what you expected it from the beginning.

If you’ve listened to books by Allen Eskens before, how does this one compare?

Yes....will not do it again specially with this narrator

What three words best describe R. C. Bray’s performance?

angry and angry and angry worthy of all fashioned detective story.

Do you think The Deep Dark Descending needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

no! It was be same old same old