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The Four Last Things

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The Four Last Things

By: Andrew Taylor
Narrated by: Ric Jerrom
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About this listen

 Andrew Taylor's Roth Trilogy was recently made in to a three-part TV adaptation for ITV called Fallen Angel, starring Emilia Fox and Charles Dance.

The structure of the Roth Trilogy is unusual in that it is composed of interlocking stories but each novel is self-contained and may be read independently of the others. The first novel, The Four Last Things, is set in the 1990s. The second, The Judgement Of Strangers, moves back to 1970, and the third, The Office Of The Dead, to 1958.

Little Lucy Appleyard is snatched from her child minder's on a cold winter afternoon, and the nightmare begins. It is as if the child had disappeared into a black hole with no clues to her whereabouts...until the first grisly discovery in a London graveyard. More such finds are to follow, all at religious sites. In a city haunted by religion, what do these offerings signify?

©1997 Andrew Taylor (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Genre Fiction Mystery Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction

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All stars
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I love this author but probably prefer some of his other works. I felt this audio very distracting due to the background noise throughout! It sounds like a tv is on.

Pretty good

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I was almost put off buying this because of some of the discouraging reviews. I should have known better as I have enjoyed other books by the author. It is certainly a dark tale, reminiscent of Barbara Vine, and not what is known as a “ cosy crime novel”, with the tension slowly building up. I’m definitely going to be using some credits to purchase the rest of the trilogy.

A gripping story

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I was looking forward to the next Andrew Taylor audiobook and I wasn’t disappointed by the story, the characterisation or the performance. What really spoiled it throughout was the noise of background voices across the entire recording. It was as though the reader had a radio on faintly all the time - or was next door to someone who just didn’t stop talking.

If you’re going to record an audiobook, the least that should be ensured is that there are no distractions. This was incredibly intrusive and meant Taylor’s work was not done justice to.

Great story and good reading, spoiled by background noise

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This was a bit laborious to listen to. I'm not saying it was awful, just a little.....slow.
And I felt bits were missing, like pieces of a puzzle.
The narrator had a very soft voice, and for much of the time I could hear noise in the background, as if a tv was on in the next room.
I'm going to persevere with the other two books though.

A bit slow...

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This is a very exciting and psychologically complex conclusion to Andrew Taylor's trilogy of loosely interconnecting stories. While it is true that each book stands alone your experience will be much enriched if you start with 'The Office of the Dead', followed by 'Judgement of Strangers' and finish with 'Four Last Things'. I felt that the pace and excitement of the narrative builds up across the three books as the threads of the lives of the different characters, who straddle the three books, intersect with extraordinary consequences.

Thrilling conclusion to trilogy

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This was a revist, having read this trilogy some years ago. I can't recall my thoughts at the time, but this time listening made a disturbing impression. Deeply disturbing, captivating story, masterfully written and wonderfully narrated.

Revisit

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I liked the contrasting point of views of the two main characters. The description of harrowing trauma was unsettling realistic. I wept. I like the writing style and themes of his author and this is another smooth read/listen with no nonsense additions. Fab.

On my tippy toes with suspence

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This book was over- worked and far too long. A very disappointing novel from Andrew Taylor.

A disappointing listen

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I enjoy psychological thrillers, and I was looking forward to following this set of three in reverse chronological order, as intended by the author, but I won't be bothering with the other two. The characterisation was poor, especially the vicar,Sally Appleyard, who didn't lose her faith, in my opinion, because there was never any evidence that she had any to begin with. The others were stereotypes, - A Strange Young Man, a policeman who is the Strong, Silent Type, a Bitter Male Vicar who is against women priests, and a female villain who doesn't so much change her identity as lose it all together.

The whole book was slow and dreary, with no contrast between any of the characters or events.

I stuck with it, in the hope that it might get somewhere, but it didn't, and at the end I was left exclaiming "Is that it?"

Can I recommend instead "At the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness" which was moving, entertaining, and completely unselfconscious.

Choose something else

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Don't waste your money. This book meandered so much it was nothing like I expected it to be. I was expecting a child abduction crime novel, when in actual fact it was more about the characters themselves. I will not be purchasing any more books by this author.

Tedious

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