The Infirmary: A DCI Ryan Mystery (Multicast Drama)

An Audible Original Drama

By: LJ Ross

Narrated by: Tom Bateman, Bertie Carvel, Hermione Norris, Kevin Whately

Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Introducing a new multicast drama by L. J. Ross, the author of the international number one best-selling series, the DCI Ryan mysteries.

There's a serial killer targeting the streets of Newcastle, seemingly picking his victims at random but subjecting them all to the same torturous end. When the Chief Inspector on the case goes missing, it falls on DCI Ryan to track down the man who is brutally murdering women and goading the police to 'catch me if you can'.

As everyone becomes a suspect, Ryan and his team get drawn further and further into the case, but for Ryan the nightmare gets closer to home than he could ever have imagined.

This Audible Original drama stars Tom Bateman (Murder on the Orient Express, Jekyll & Hyde, Snatched), Bertie Carvel (Doctor Foster, Les Misérables), Hermione Norris (Spooks, Cold Feet) and Kevin Whately (Lewis, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet) and is a prequel to the DCI Ryan series.

Starring: Alun Armstrong, Rachel Atkins, Tom Bateman, Mark Bazeley, Anna Bolton, Bertie Carvel, Stephen Critchlow, Vicki Davids, Reece Dinsdale, Harriet Ghost, Frances Jeater, Jack Lloyd, Dean Logan, Daniel Matthew Lemon, Roger May, Hermione Norris, Kate Okello, Colleen Prendergast, Shaun Prendergast, Nicholas Rowe, David Seddon, Marlene Sidaway, Tom Slatter, Fiona Victory, Lauren Waine, Kevin Whately and Hannah Wood

Audible member reviews

“I was going to listen to a bit whilst I swept and cleaned the floors and then I had work to do that just couldn't wait any more. I am now the proud owner of the cleanest floor in the UK, and possibly the world! I just couldn't stop, it's a totally gripping and absorbing dramatisation. It was fascinating listening, especially as a long standing fan of LJ Ross' DCI Ryan series, and the idea of giving listeners the back story to how the team came together is inspired. A standing ovation for The Infirmary.” – Melanie, Audible member

“If, like me, you are a DCI Ryan fan then you will already know what this story is about. If you haven't yet met DCI Ryan and his crew then you are in for a treat as this starts the series off in the most chilling of ways. I could feel the goose bumps rising, my skin crawling as you got that absolute detachment, especially from Bertie Carvel as he divulged the killer's thoughts to the listener. With all the thrills and spills of your favourite DCI Ryan novels, brought to life by a stellar cast, this book will hook you from the action filled opening, through the story's dark and chilling heart, to its sad but inevitable conclusion.” – Jen, Audible member

“If you haven't read any DCI Ryan before, you are in for such a treat, and if you have, you are going to LOVE how this brings those much-loved characters completely to life. This Audible Original takes us back to the beginning, and we come to understand how and why Ryan ended up on Holy Island in Book One. With the cast of wonderful characters: Frank, Denise, Jack and the return of Arthur Griegson (superbly played by Alun Armstrong - one of my favourite actors), Ryan is hunting down The Hacker - the killer that has haunted him throughout the series so far. Bertie Carvel stood out for me: a fantastic, spine-chilling performance as the serial killer that has turned Newcastle into a ghost town. Oh, my skin crawled! So many great performances, and I was thrilled to hear genuine North East actors and accents which, along with the music and sound effects, brought authenticity to the whole story. Wonderful stuff.” – Nicky, Audible member

You can also listen to Jonathan Keeble narrating the unabridged version of the story here.

©2018 L. J. Ross (P)2018 Audible, Ltd

Well performed but predictable

As someone who loved Inspector Lewis far more than Inspector Morse, I have to admit that it was Kevin Whately’s voice that kept pulling me through this. The mystery was good, and it held my interest, but there were definitely some predictable elements. Surprisingly, one of the least interesting aspects to me was Ryan himself. The script had him deliver one of the most cringe-worthy moments in the drama: the news conference where the DCI issues his inevitable Liam Neesonish promise to the killer, “Mark my words, we will find you.” Hearing that, I couldn’t help but reflect on the fact that in my own city — not all that atypical — only 6% of all murders are solved. The speech sounds dramatic (and more than a little macho), but really, most criminals do in fact escape punishment. (I’m not suggesting Ryan should fail, only that he not be so sure of himself.)

The other drawback was the thing numerous people have commented on: the grotesque violence against women, not just mentioned in the dialogue but dramatized here in excruciating detail. I hate giving the story three stars, because I LOVE audio drama and want to see and hear more and more of it. I would definitely go for more Ryan dramas if they’re not quite as gruesome as this one.

fantastic

loved the characters being played by real actors. this is like listening to a t.v. show. I loved it!

Wonderful!!

I loved each and every moment of this Audible Book. The actors were matched well with the characters. The sound effects were great! Like listening to a radio show from the 1920's I would think. So, how cool to know why out great grandparents loved their radio soaps.

Thanks for an awesome book and experience. I have read all her books and this was a great prequel to rhem.

And for those who didn't like it because of all the sound effects, try it again, in different circumstances. :)

Very enjoyable!

Awesome thriller with great characters.
I enjoyed everything about this book but the narration.
That's on me though as the performance was great but I was struggling with the multicast drama.

I “read” many mysteries on Audible but this is my first DCI Ryan story.

The story was intriguing with some twists and turns. The characters are rich and full they come alive. DCI Ryan stops at nothing to get his man but the ending was a twist I didn’t see coming! The ensemble cast of narrators and sound effects were superb!!
5 stars for everything in this book
Denis R

Very Unique

Very interesting novel with the way it was narrated. The music and background noises and inner thinking of the characters. It was unlike other audible books I’ve listened to. It was neat but took a bit to get used to. The haunting music around the killer really is chilling. Cool experience. Great story line as well.

Uncomfortable

Uncomfortable for several reasons. 1) Repeated Low/lost volume. Very frustrating. 2) Vivid detailed mutilation.

Great prequel to the series

This is a great prequel to the series and makes me want to listen to more. Dark serial killer vs. local police...what will it cost to find and apprehend the killer? This was an enjoyable multi-cast audio book. It was told from the viewpoint of the killer, latest victim and police officer trying to catch the killer. A haunting and sad ending. Worth listening to.

Fantastic

What a fantastic audiobook! Though the ending was predictable, the story was still great. The performance by the voice actors, the music, and the sound was top notch. I hope to find another like it.

Performances were very good.

Good performances couldn't overcome run-of-the-mill plot and choppy POV changes. Obvious setups for torture of women. Northumberland was a nice change from typical London police procedurals.