Listen free for 30 days
-
The Botanist
- Washington Poe, Book 5
- Narrated by: John Banks
- Series: Washington Poe, Book 5
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery
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 £19.99
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 Cutting Season
- By: M. W. Craven
- Narrated by: John Banks
- Length: 2 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dangling from a hook in a meat packing plant isn't how Detective Sergeant Washington Poe wants to spend his weekend. He's been punched and kicked and threatened, and when a contract killer arrives, it seems things are about to go from bad to worse. He goes by the name of the Pale Man, and he and his straight-edged razor have been feared all over London for 20 years. But Poe knows two things the Pale Man doesn't. Although it might seem like a hopeless situation, Poe has planned to be here all along.
-
-
Excellent short story
- By Andromeda's Twin on 17-05-22
-
Born in a Burial Gown
- By: M. W. Craven
- Narrated by: John Banks
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Detective Inspector Avison Fluke is a man on the edge. He has committed a crime to get back to work, concealed a debilitating illness and is about to be made homeless. Just as he thinks things can't get any worse, the body of a young woman is found buried on a Cumbrian building site. Shot once in the back of the head, it is a cold, calculated execution. When the postmortem reveals she has gone to significant expense in disguising her appearance, Fluke knows this is no ordinary murder.
-
-
Craven's Good Start is a Fluke!
- By Simon on 14-01-20
-
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 Murder Book
- By: Mark Billingham
- Narrated by: Mark Billingham
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tom Thorne has it all. In Nicola Tanner and Phil Hendricks, Thorne has good friends by his side. He finally has a love life worth a damn and is happy in the job to which he has devoted his life. He has everything to lose. Hunting the woman responsible for a series of grisly murders, Thorne has no way of knowing that he will be plunged into a nightmare from which he may never wake. And he'll do anything to keep it. Finally, Thorne's past has caught up with him and a ruinous secret is about to be revealed. If he wants to save himself and his friends, he must do the unthinkable.
-
-
love Tom Thorne
- By Emac on 09-06-22
-
Wake
- An evocative and powerful thriller
- By: Shelley Burr
- Narrated by: Jacquie Brennan
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mina McCreery's sister Evelyn disappeared 19 years ago. Her life has been defined by the intense public interest in the case. Now an anxious and reclusive adult, she lives alone on her family's destocked sheep farm. When Lane, a private investigator, approaches her with an offer to reinvestigate the case, she rejects him. The attention has had nothing but negative consequences for her and her family, and never brought them closer to an answer.
-
-
Fantastic.
- By Ian Percy on 09-08-22
-
The Blackbird
- By: Tim Weaver
- Narrated by: Joe Coen, Brendan McDonald, Anjili Mohindra
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten seconds before the crash, Cate and Aiden Gascoigne are recorded on CCTV. The couple are laughing—happy, untroubled. Then their car plunges into a ninety-foot ravine. The impact should kill them. And if that doesn't, the fire will. Within seconds, the vehicle is an inferno—with the Gascoignes trapped inside. But when fire crews arrive at the scene, they find something impossible. The vehicle is empty. Cate and Aiden have vanished. Now only missing persons investigator David Raker can solve the mystery.
-
-
Gripping.
- By Richard Maidment on 09-07-22
-
The Cutting Season
- By: M. W. Craven
- Narrated by: John Banks
- Length: 2 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dangling from a hook in a meat packing plant isn't how Detective Sergeant Washington Poe wants to spend his weekend. He's been punched and kicked and threatened, and when a contract killer arrives, it seems things are about to go from bad to worse. He goes by the name of the Pale Man, and he and his straight-edged razor have been feared all over London for 20 years. But Poe knows two things the Pale Man doesn't. Although it might seem like a hopeless situation, Poe has planned to be here all along.
-
-
Excellent short story
- By Andromeda's Twin on 17-05-22
-
Born in a Burial Gown
- By: M. W. Craven
- Narrated by: John Banks
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Detective Inspector Avison Fluke is a man on the edge. He has committed a crime to get back to work, concealed a debilitating illness and is about to be made homeless. Just as he thinks things can't get any worse, the body of a young woman is found buried on a Cumbrian building site. Shot once in the back of the head, it is a cold, calculated execution. When the postmortem reveals she has gone to significant expense in disguising her appearance, Fluke knows this is no ordinary murder.
-
-
Craven's Good Start is a Fluke!
- By Simon on 14-01-20
-
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 Murder Book
- By: Mark Billingham
- Narrated by: Mark Billingham
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tom Thorne has it all. In Nicola Tanner and Phil Hendricks, Thorne has good friends by his side. He finally has a love life worth a damn and is happy in the job to which he has devoted his life. He has everything to lose. Hunting the woman responsible for a series of grisly murders, Thorne has no way of knowing that he will be plunged into a nightmare from which he may never wake. And he'll do anything to keep it. Finally, Thorne's past has caught up with him and a ruinous secret is about to be revealed. If he wants to save himself and his friends, he must do the unthinkable.
-
-
love Tom Thorne
- By Emac on 09-06-22
-
Wake
- An evocative and powerful thriller
- By: Shelley Burr
- Narrated by: Jacquie Brennan
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mina McCreery's sister Evelyn disappeared 19 years ago. Her life has been defined by the intense public interest in the case. Now an anxious and reclusive adult, she lives alone on her family's destocked sheep farm. When Lane, a private investigator, approaches her with an offer to reinvestigate the case, she rejects him. The attention has had nothing but negative consequences for her and her family, and never brought them closer to an answer.
-
-
Fantastic.
- By Ian Percy on 09-08-22
-
The Blackbird
- By: Tim Weaver
- Narrated by: Joe Coen, Brendan McDonald, Anjili Mohindra
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten seconds before the crash, Cate and Aiden Gascoigne are recorded on CCTV. The couple are laughing—happy, untroubled. Then their car plunges into a ninety-foot ravine. The impact should kill them. And if that doesn't, the fire will. Within seconds, the vehicle is an inferno—with the Gascoignes trapped inside. But when fire crews arrive at the scene, they find something impossible. The vehicle is empty. Cate and Aiden have vanished. Now only missing persons investigator David Raker can solve the mystery.
-
-
Gripping.
- By Richard Maidment on 09-07-22
-
The Murders at Fleat House
- By: Lucinda Riley
- Narrated by: Gemma Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The sudden death of a pupil in Fleat House at St Stephen’s—a small private boarding school in deepest Norfolk—is a shocking event that the headmaster is very keen to call a tragic accident. But the local police cannot rule out foul play and the case prompts the return of high-flying Detective Inspector Jazmine ‘Jazz’ Hunter to the force. Jazz has her own private reasons for stepping away from her police career in London, and reluctantly agrees to front the investigation as a favour to her old boss.
-
-
Very enjoyable
- By Claire Hatcher on 27-05-22
-
Girl, Forgotten
- By: Karin Slaughter
- Narrated by: Kathleen Early
- Length: 15 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Longbill Beach, 1982. Emily Vaughn gets ready for prom night, the highlight of any high school experience. But Emily has a secret. And by the end of the evening, she will be dead. Forty years later, Emily’s murder remains unsolved. Her friends closed ranks, her family retreated inwards, the community moved on. But all that’s about to change.
-
-
A really good listen
- By Lainey on 23-07-22
-
Northwind
- Robert Hoon Thrillers, Book 1
- By: JD Kirk
- Narrated by: Angus King
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Former soldier. Ex-copper. Current man on the edge. Shunned by his old colleagues, and dividing his time between a dead-end job and the bottom of a whisky bottle, former Police Scotland detective superintendent Bob Hoon’s life is a mess. Then an old face from Hoon’s Special Forces days turns up asking for help: His teenage daughter has been missing for months, the police have drawn a blank, and he needs the kind of help that only Hoon can provide. And besides, Hoon owes him one.
-
-
Hoon is a hoot! I'm no kidding
- By Darkangel on 19-10-21
-
Cat and Mouse
- By: M. J. Arlidge
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Bower
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A silent killer stalks the city, targeting those home alone at night—killing without pity or remorse. As panic spreads, Detective Inspector Helen Grace leads the investigation, but is herself a hunted woman, her every step dogged by a ruthless killer bent on revenge. As she tracks the murderer, Grace begins to suspect there is a truly shocking home truth that connects these brutal crimes.
-
-
Not a fan Far too unrealistic. I have outgrown MJA
- By Anonymous User on 04-08-22
-
Lying Beside You
- By: Michael Robotham
- Narrated by: Joe Jameson
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twenty years ago, Cyrus Haven's family was murdered and only he and his brother survived. Cyrus because he hid. Elias because he was the killer. Now Elias is being released from a secure psychiatric hospital and Cyrus, a forensic psychologist, must decide if he can forgive the man who destroyed his childhood. As he prepares for the homecoming, Cyrus is called to a crime scene in Nottingham. A man is dead, and his daughter, Maya, is missing. Then a second woman is abducted. The only witness is Evie Cormac, a troubled teenager with a gift for knowing when people are lying.
-
-
A fabulous series
- By Diane H. Smith on 07-07-22
-
Silent Tide
- DCI Boyd Crime Series, Book 1
- By: Alex Scarrow
- Narrated by: Aubrey Parsons
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A sinking boat is spotted off the South Coast. Waiting onboard is a grisly discovery. DCI Boyd, recently relocated from London to Hastings, is now with the East Sussex CID, and his first case is that of a local businessman and his new young wife, missing in the English Channel. All that remains of them is a grim scene aboard their half-submerged yacht and a digital trail of clues that could put Boyd and his daughter, Emma, in danger.
-
-
Brilliant start to a series
- By SandraL on 06-06-22
-
The Dark
- By: Sharon Bolton
- Narrated by: Lisa Coleman
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
DCI Mark Joesbury has been expecting this. Monitoring a complex network of dark web sites, Joesbury and his team have spotted a new terrorist threat from the extremist, women-hating, group known as 'incels' or 'involuntary celibates.' Joesbury's team are trying to infiltrate the ring of power at its core, but the dark web is built for anonymity, and the incel army is vast. Pressure builds when the team learn the snatched child was just the first in a series of violent attacks designed to terrorise women.
-
-
Been waiting a long time for this
- By Bucks on 18-07-22
-
The Accomplice
- Eddie Flynn, Book 7
- By: Steve Cavanagh
- Narrated by: Adam Sims, Laurel Lefkow
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Sandman killings have been solved. Daniel Miller murdered fourteen people before he vanished. His wife, Carrie, now faces trial as his accomplice. The FBI, the District Attorney, the media and everyone in America believe she knew and helped cover up her husband's crimes. Eddie Flynn won't take a case unless his client is innocent. Now, he has to prove to a jury, and the entire world, that Carrie Miller was just another victim of the Sandman. She didn't know her husband's dark side and she had no part in the murders. But so far, Eddie and his team are the only ones who believe her.
-
-
Eddie Flynn is back
- By Mr S Rooney on 25-07-22
-
Grimm Up North
- A DCI Harry Grimm Crime Novel
- By: David J. Gatward
- Narrated by: Aubrey Parsons
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Detective Chief Inspector Harry Grimm is forced to take leave from Bristol’s Major Investigations Team when his boss, tired of Harry chasing the ghost of his murderous father, sends him north on secondment. Used to city life and high stress, Harry fears his life will now be spent handing out speeding tickets, finding lost sheep, and directing tourists. But when a local teenager runs away, Harry finds himself pulled into an investigation much worse than anyone could have ever expected.
-
-
Brilliant
- By Sadie on 12-01-21
-
See No Evil
- By: David Fennell
- Narrated by: Jess Nesling
- Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two men are found dead in London's Battersea Park. One of the bodies has been laid out like a crucifix—with his eyes removed and placed on his open palms. Detective Inspector Grace Archer and her caustic DS, Harry Quinn, lead the investigation. But when more bodies turn up in a similar fashion, they find themselves in a race against time to find the sadistic killer.
-
-
fantastic
- By free13 on 16-06-22
-
Fatal Witness
- By: Robert Bryndza
- Narrated by: Jan Cramer
- Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Detective Erika Foster is on a late-night walk near her new house in Blackheath when she stumbles upon the brutal murder of Vicky Clarke, a true-crime podcaster. Erika is assigned to the case and discovers that Vicky had been working on a new podcast episode about a sexual predator who preys on young female students around South London, staking out his victims in their halls of residence before breaking in at the dead of night.
-
-
A little disappointing
- By Amazon Customer on 10-08-22
-
A Ritual for the Dying
- Detective Inspector Declan Walsh, Book 6
- By: Jack Gatland
- Narrated by: Robin Laing
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the body of a famous television academic is discovered in Greenwich Park, carefully positioned beside a megalithic stone fountain and missing a hand, DI Declan Walsh and the team of the Last Chance Saloon find themselves not only involved in a case that connects to the supernatural, but one that also involves 17th-century architects, Ley Lines, nuclear reactors and a secret black market organisation that specialises in particular occult items.
Summary
I swear I'm one bad mood away from calling it black magic and going home....
Detective Sergeant Washington Poe can count on one hand the number of friends he has. And he'd still have his thumb left. There's the insanely brilliant, guilelessly innocent civilian analyst Tilly Bradshaw, of course. He's known his beleaguered boss, Detective Inspector Stephanie Flynn, for years, as he has his nearest neighbour, full-time shepherd/part-time dog sitter Victoria.
And then there's Estelle Doyle. It's true the caustic pathologist has never walked down the sunny side of the street, but this time has she gone too far? Shot twice in the head, her father's murder appears to be an open-and-shut case. Estelle has firearms discharge residue on her hands, and, in a house surrounded by fresh snow, hers are the only footprints going in. Since her arrest she's only said three words: 'Tell Washington Poe.'
Meanwhile, a poisoner the press have dubbed the Botanist is sending high-profile celebrities poems and pressed flowers. The killer seems to be able to walk through walls and, despite the advance notice he gives his victims, and regardless of the security measures the police take, he seems to be able to kill with impunity.
For a man who hates locked room mysteries, this is going to be the longest week of Washington Poe's life....
Critic reviews
"Mesmerising, macabre and murderously funny. The Botanist is M.W. Craven at his sinister best. I couldn't love this series more." (Chris Whitaker)
"Another classy thriller from the king of Cumbrian crime." (Paul Finch)
"Unputdownable, gripping, clever and with a rich seam of trademark Craven humour running through it." (Imran Mahmood)
More from the same
Author
Narrator
What listeners say about The Botanist
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Stewart Webb
- 08-06-22
Average
Had great hopes for this book. But it has turned out not as expected. The story is somewhat far fetched with much pseudo science. The main police characters are not believable at all. Well read though. But I won't be bothering to listen to any more from this author
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 05-06-22
Stiff Little Fingers
Hits you like the guitar riff and pounding drums after the pause on Alternative Ulster live on Hanx.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- mollyeyre
- 02-06-22
Another really good one
I am really enjoying these Washington Poe and Tilly novels, it's fun to see how the characters have grown! An excellent story, read in just a day!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- robert dixon
- 04-08-22
Entertaining story, great reader
As a Cumbrian love Washington Poe series and all local references but also enjoyed this story written in such a way that could have guess at what might happen next and was sometimes correct. And really appreciate narration, in fact so good, characters just come out of the page.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Paul Edwards
- 31-07-22
Poe & Bradshaw strike again!
Another belter by Mike Craven. Bring on the next one!! Highly Recommended. Is this 15 words yet?
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 10-07-22
Another excellent Washington Poe
This is one of the best crime series, great characters and a clever story line every time
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 07-07-22
I really hope this was meant to be funny
I found this hilarious. It reads like a tween murder mystery, one of the characters sounding exactly like Moss from the IT crowd. Much of it was fairly formulaic, and the language nothing outstanding but there's nothing wrong with a good Agatha Christie-type novel.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- I. Morgan
- 03-07-22
another cracking read
I love the author for creating all these great characters the interaction involved with solving the crime makes the books such an enjoyable read
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Pippa Mant
- 29-06-22
A real page turner
Cleverly composed with lots of twists and turns. The motley team are endearing and lend a human element to a chilling tale. It is compelling to see how all the threads intertwine to produce a satisfying conclusion.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 27-06-22
Not good
Not my first Poe and Tilly book so I don't know if I'm just fed up with the books and narration or if this one was just really bad. The narrator makes all the females sound the same and why dom they have to sound so simple? It felt like the story just dragged on and on.... super boring