Listen free for 30 days
-
Scheme
- Narrated by: Aaron Shedlock
- Length: 1 hr and 56 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Anthologies & Short Stories
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £1.89
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Silver Serpent
- By: Scott Mariani
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Under the fierce heat of the Australian outback, the laws of nature serve a rough justice. When a man vanishes deep in the Northern Territory, local police write it off. But his family suspect otherwise—and when the call for help goes out, Ben Hope and Jeff Decker are there to hear it. Ben’s instincts, honed by years of Special Forces missions, soon see the story told by a trail of bullet casings, rumours of a missing map and a lethal cocktail of greed, power and money.
-
-
Always the best ☺️
- By sweetbecks on 26-05-22
-
With a Mind to Kill
- By: Anthony Horowitz
- Narrated by: Rory Kinnear
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Behind the Iron Curtain, a group of former Smersh agents want to use the British spy in an operation that will change the balance of world power. Bond is smuggled into the lion's den—but whose orders is he following, and will he obey them when the moment of truth arrives? In a mission where treachery is all around and one false move means death, James Bond must grapple with the darkest questions about himself. But not even he knows what has happened to the man he used to be.
-
-
007 is back
- By Tony Swinton on 26-05-22
-
The Midnight Lock
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A woman awakes in the morning to find that someone has picked her apartment’s apparently impregnable door lock and, terrifyingly, rearranged personal items, even sitting beside her while she slept. The intrusion, the police learn, is a message to the entire city of carnage and death to come. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are brought in to investigate and soon learn that the brilliant, sociopathic intruder, who calls himself 'the Locksmith', can break through any lock or security system ever devised.
-
-
Very good
- By Cindy on 23-06-22
-
Trouble in Mind
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Elijah Alexander, Kate Reading, Dennis Boutsikaris, and others
- Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This collection of short stories from king of suspense Jeffery Deaver grips with every listen. An aging actor attempts to revive his career by entering a celebrity poker game for a reality TV show. A successful crime writer dies under seemingly natural circumstances, but for one cop, doubts are lingering. Lincoln Rhyme is at the end of the line, or is it just another twist in the tale?
-
-
Not Deaver's best
- By Music lover on 06-05-15
-
The Never Game
- Colter Shaw Thriller, Book 1
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A killer is changing the rules. One murder at a time. You wake up all alone, in the middle of a forest, miles from anywhere. Beside you lie five objects - a lighter, grease, picture-frame wire, a piece of silk, a bottle of water - which you will need to use if you want to survive. You’ve been taken by the Whispering Man, and there is no escape. He makes the rules, and nobody ever gets out alive. Enigmatic investigator Colter Shaw is fighting to stop the murders. But another victim has been snatched from her family, and he’s running out of time.
-
-
Definitely not the same level of Deaver.
- By Les on 15-10-19
-
The Stone Monkey
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Adam Sims
- Length: 15 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lincoln and Amelia are recruited to track down a cargo ship carrying two dozen illegal Chinese immigrants, as well as the notorious human smuggler and killer known as the Ghost. But when the capture goes disastrously wrong, Lincoln and Amelia find themselves in a race to stop the Ghost before he can track down and murder the two surviving families who have vanished deep into the labyrinthine world of New York City's Chinese community....
-
-
Probably a great story, but...
- By Flower Girl on 05-08-15
-
The Silver Serpent
- By: Scott Mariani
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Under the fierce heat of the Australian outback, the laws of nature serve a rough justice. When a man vanishes deep in the Northern Territory, local police write it off. But his family suspect otherwise—and when the call for help goes out, Ben Hope and Jeff Decker are there to hear it. Ben’s instincts, honed by years of Special Forces missions, soon see the story told by a trail of bullet casings, rumours of a missing map and a lethal cocktail of greed, power and money.
-
-
Always the best ☺️
- By sweetbecks on 26-05-22
-
With a Mind to Kill
- By: Anthony Horowitz
- Narrated by: Rory Kinnear
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Behind the Iron Curtain, a group of former Smersh agents want to use the British spy in an operation that will change the balance of world power. Bond is smuggled into the lion's den—but whose orders is he following, and will he obey them when the moment of truth arrives? In a mission where treachery is all around and one false move means death, James Bond must grapple with the darkest questions about himself. But not even he knows what has happened to the man he used to be.
-
-
007 is back
- By Tony Swinton on 26-05-22
-
The Midnight Lock
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A woman awakes in the morning to find that someone has picked her apartment’s apparently impregnable door lock and, terrifyingly, rearranged personal items, even sitting beside her while she slept. The intrusion, the police learn, is a message to the entire city of carnage and death to come. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are brought in to investigate and soon learn that the brilliant, sociopathic intruder, who calls himself 'the Locksmith', can break through any lock or security system ever devised.
-
-
Very good
- By Cindy on 23-06-22
-
Trouble in Mind
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Elijah Alexander, Kate Reading, Dennis Boutsikaris, and others
- Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This collection of short stories from king of suspense Jeffery Deaver grips with every listen. An aging actor attempts to revive his career by entering a celebrity poker game for a reality TV show. A successful crime writer dies under seemingly natural circumstances, but for one cop, doubts are lingering. Lincoln Rhyme is at the end of the line, or is it just another twist in the tale?
-
-
Not Deaver's best
- By Music lover on 06-05-15
-
The Never Game
- Colter Shaw Thriller, Book 1
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A killer is changing the rules. One murder at a time. You wake up all alone, in the middle of a forest, miles from anywhere. Beside you lie five objects - a lighter, grease, picture-frame wire, a piece of silk, a bottle of water - which you will need to use if you want to survive. You’ve been taken by the Whispering Man, and there is no escape. He makes the rules, and nobody ever gets out alive. Enigmatic investigator Colter Shaw is fighting to stop the murders. But another victim has been snatched from her family, and he’s running out of time.
-
-
Definitely not the same level of Deaver.
- By Les on 15-10-19
-
The Stone Monkey
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Adam Sims
- Length: 15 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lincoln and Amelia are recruited to track down a cargo ship carrying two dozen illegal Chinese immigrants, as well as the notorious human smuggler and killer known as the Ghost. But when the capture goes disastrously wrong, Lincoln and Amelia find themselves in a race to stop the Ghost before he can track down and murder the two surviving families who have vanished deep into the labyrinthine world of New York City's Chinese community....
-
-
Probably a great story, but...
- By Flower Girl on 05-08-15
-
Cause of Death
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Scott Merriman
- Length: 2 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jon Talbot is a history professor who makes sense of the past by examining facts. He also knows how to speculate about the what-ifs. Jon’s doing both following the death of his wife, Pax. Driving home late from a volunteer assignment, she plunged off a mountain highway and died. The police find nothing suspicious about the facts: a deer in the road, a blown tire, a broken neck. But the what-ifs are leading Jon down a twisting trail of secrets. After five years of marriage, he is finally getting to know his wife.
-
-
Nice and twisty
- By Terry Reesa on 16-05-22
-
Speaking in Tongues
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Ed Sala
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Megan's life isn't going well. It's also about to get worse. A drunken joke has left her having to see a tedious therapist. In his absence, the dynamically different Dr Peters takes over - or so Megan thinks. He manages to shock her innermost secrets out of her, and then he whacks a syringe into her arm before she has time to cry out. Aaron Matthews, alias Dr Peters, isn't having the best of times, either. Chance keeps sabotaging Megan's meticulously planned abduction. If he believed in luck, he'd be cursing his.
-
-
Lacking the usual Deaver magic.
- By Mrs Kate Evans on 14-02-16
-
More Twisted
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: uncredited
- Length: 14 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Murder: a millionaire philanthropist is shot while he sleeps. His terrified wife made a narrow escape. Or did she? Mystery: a crime writer's violent fictions start to come chillingly true. Has he unwittingly inspired a murderer? Suspense: a young woman is trapped in a tunnel deep underground. Two men battle to rescue her. Are they heroes, or driven by some darker motive?
-
-
Entertaining
- By Kim on 16-01-09
-
A Maiden's Grave
- By: Jeffery Deaver
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Harding
- Length: 15 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A trio of desperate convicts has hijacked a bus carrying a group of deaf and mute schoolgirls who are now being held hostage in a disused slaughterhouse. FBI agent Arthur Potter is flown in to negotiate with the men, as are local police, state troopers, politicians and the media. Not everyone has the same agenda. And the killers will kill one innocent child an hour, on the hour, until their demands are met.
-
-
Hostage Heroines
- By sarahmoose2000 on 08-04-12
-
One Good Deed
- By: David Baldacci
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1949, Aloysius Archer arrives in the dusty Southern town of Poca City. He has nothing but a handful of dollars, the clothes he’s wearing and an appointment with his new parole officer. After his wartime experiences in Italy and a prison sentence for a crime he didn’t commit, Archer is looking for a fresh start and a peaceful life. On his first night of freedom, Archer meets local business tycoon Hank Pittleman, who promises Archer handsome compensation to work as his debt collector.
-
-
Hardboiled.
- By Andrew Stonehouse on 11-08-19
-
The Death of Remembrance
- By: Denzil Meyrick
- Narrated by: David Monteath
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the present, an old fisherman is found dead by the shoreline and a stranger with a mission moves into a shabby Kinloch flat/ Meanwhile, D.C.I. Jim Daley is trying to help Brian Scott stay sober, and the good people of Kinloch are still mourning the death of one of their own. As past and present collide, Daley finds himself face to face with old friends and foes. Memories can only last as long as those who keep them, and ghosts will not be silenced.
-
-
Shadows from the past and murder in the present
- By Vicuña on 03-06-22
-
The Bone Code
- By: Kathy Reichs
- Narrated by: Linda Emond
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
En route to Isle of Palms, a barrier island off the South Carolina coast, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan receives a call from the Charleston coroner. During the storm, a medical waste container has washed up on the beach. Inside are two decomposed bodies wrapped in plastic sheeting and bound with electrical wire. Chillingly, Tempe recognises many details as identical to those of an unsolved case she handled in Quebec 15 years earlier. With a growing sense of foreboding, she flies to Montreal to gather evidence and convince her boss Pierre LaManch to reopen the cold case.
-
-
Fast pace full of surprises
- By Bannell on 17-05-21
-
A Time to Kill
- Jake Brigance, Book 1
- By: John Grisham
- Narrated by: Michael Beck
- Length: 16 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Carl Lee Hailey guns down the hoodlums who have raped his 10-year-old daughter, the people of Clanton see it as a crime of blood and call for his acquittal. But when extremists outside Clanton hear that a black man has killed two white men, they invade the town, determined to destroy anything and anyone that opposes their sense of justice. Jake Brigance has been hired to defend Hailey. It's the kind of case that can make or break a young lawyer.
-
-
This is Why I Love John Grisham!
- By Simon on 02-08-18
-
Silent Scream
- Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller, Book 1
- By: Angela Marsons
- Narrated by: Jan Cramer
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five figures gather 'round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult-sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken, but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood. Years later a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders that shock the Black Country.
-
-
Good story, dreadful narrator.
- By G. Willoughby on 04-10-15
-
Reverie
- By: Eliza Andrews
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Saydah
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lucinda Hamilton settles down in sleepy Reverie, South Carolina, because she's running from the troubles of her past. But when her dangerous ex-husband evades law enforcement, she fears that no amount of running will ever make her safe again. Two women are determined to keep Lucinda's past at bay - the mysterious young nurse living on the other side of Lucinda's duplex, who won't even tell Lucinda her name, and Ardie Brown, an ex-marine who's recently moved back to Reverie herself. It's hard for Lucinda to trust either one; it's even harder to admit that she's falling for both of them.
-
-
Intriguing, atmospheric and moving
- By Sarah on 25-02-19
-
Hidden Deep
- The Hidden Saga, Book 1
- By: Amy Patrick
- Narrated by: Amy Deluca
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seventeen-year-old Lad knows the law of his people all too well: Don't get careless and don't get caught. It's allowed his race to live undetected in this world for thousands of years, mentioned only in flawed and fading folklore...Lad's never been able to forget about Ryann since that night 10 years ago. When he sees her again, his fascination re-ignites and becomes a growing desire that tempts him to break all the rules. He's not even supposed to talk to a human, much less fall in love with one.
-
-
A delightful tale.
- By locky8 on 18-06-20
-
Oath of Honor
- Blue Justice Series, Book 1
- By: Lynette Eason
- Narrated by: Callie Beaulieu
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Police officer Isabelle St. John loves her crazy, loud law-enforcement family. And she knows they'll be there for her when things get tough. Like when her partner is murdered and she barely escapes with her own life. Determined to discover exactly what happened, Izzy's investigation sends her headfirst into a criminal organization, possibly with cops on the payroll - including someone from her own family. With her dead partner's handsome homicide detective brother Ryan shadowing her every move, Izzy's head is spinning.
Summary
A detective tracks a poetry-obsessed serial bomber—meter by deadly meter—in an explosively clever short story by international bestselling author Jeffery Deaver.
When an improvised explosive device is found outside a hospital, the understaffed Middleton PD knows it’s up against a pro. No one takes credit for the sophisticated device—all that Detective Jake Sloan has to go on is a poem. The cryptic rhyme surfaced shortly after the bomb scare. But ex-soldier and football player Sloan has never been much of a poetry buff. When a second verse turns up, containing a message in code, he solicits the help of English professor Ciara Hawkins. Together, they rush to read between the lines and stop the countdown to tragedy. But as the clock ticks, Sloan senses that beneath this complex case is a motive that is simpler and more disturbing than anyone could have anticipated.
More from the same
What listeners say about Scheme
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- alydf7
- 23-06-22
Excellent but too short
Deaver delivers a great story - as always. But it was too short and maybe there will be more. It is worth listening to, however.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Crystal428
- 23-06-22
Excellent short story
This was an excellent short story from Jeffery Deaver. No surprise there but the storyline was full of surprises. I kept guessing what was going to happen and I was wrong! I really like that. There was very little gore and no violence. I really like that too. I was surprised by that coming from a Jeffery Dealer story.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- amazonian
- 22-06-22
Language and tone
Politics, language and tone make this story too taxing. It feels negative and narrator not engaging.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Cathie Byers
- 15-06-22
Nice twist to the story.
I really enjoyed this story and I love the twist towards the end. I will be reading more of this author.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- ShannonVM
- 05-06-22
Kept me guessing!
Scheme's not my typical read anymore, but when I saw Aaron Shedlock was narrating I couldn't resist! I just love his voice and would listen to him narrate just about anything, He did a terrific job bringing this story to life.
This was an entertaining read, but it left me wanting more- that ending! I wonder if this will become a series with Detective Sloan? I'd definitely read more, especially if there was a follow-up to this story, I need a resolution!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Reggie
- 28-05-22
Brilliant story!!
This short story grabs you from the start..,how could it not when you have a possible militia group leaving bombs around the city? Then there are the poems that leave clues to the locations…you’ll get caught up in the rush! The ending will astound you…and leave you wanting more. Great performance by Aaron Shedliock, who really brought Detective Sloane to life.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amazon Customer
- 25-05-22
Very interesting!
The short story ended to soon. I was left wondering what happened next. Loved it😊
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- M. Gleason
- 21-05-22
Enjoyed this one
All was good and I liked the shorter length. Despite that, this one packs a wallop that I didn’t see coming. No spoilers but you should listen to it.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- mrsmonkeytoes
- 18-05-22
good
it was a very good story. i didn't see the ending coming and appreciate how detailed the ending was explained. that's what made it good. i love a good short story & this was definitely one of those.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Cynthia
- 14-05-22
Deaver perfection! Can't wait for more
As usual, Jeffery Deaver brings interesting characters, storyline, and delivery! So looking forward to his next book