• The Deep Dark Descending

  • By: Allen Eskens
  • Narrated by: R.C. Bray
  • Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (7,191 ratings)

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The Deep Dark Descending  By  cover art

The Deep Dark Descending

By: Allen Eskens
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
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Publisher's summary

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)

What listeners say about The Deep Dark Descending

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absolutely brilliant!!

I read or listen rather to roughly 100 novels a year. I have the audible stats to prove it, and lately I have just been listening to stuff almost as background noise, constantly having to hit the rewind button because I missed something. then this book came along and swept my legs from under Me! I have read all of Allen's works and they are all of a superior caliber to what's generally out there, but this one is absolutely brilliant! I'm talking award winning book of the year or decade brilliant! Why this isn't in the best sellers category yet I do not know, but I think it's only a matter of time. THIS BOOK IS BETTER EVEN THAN THE LIFE WE BURY, and I would never say that lightly. I can see a 10 episode Netflix or Amazon series coming from this. It's just amazing!

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365 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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.

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208 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Eskens Novel, but brutal

Allen Eskens continues to demonstrate his command of writing. This book is superb. Best of the four books he has published.

Reader beware: this book is brutal. It is not for the faint of heart.

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80 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Vengeance delayed 5 years

The Life We Bury, the first novel in the Max Rupert series by Allen Eskens, is my favorite of all of the novels to which I have listened during recent years. Book 2, The Heavens May Fall, was almost as good. The general genre of suspense mystery/thrillers is certainly my favorite and the Rupert series falls well withing the genre. I enjoy dark suspense novels, and all three novels are dark. Narrator R.C. Bray is among my five favorite at his craft. But The Deep Dark Descending is, in my opinion, nowhere close to as good a novel as The Life We Bury or The Heavens May Fall. Put simply, it lacks the suspense buildup of Allen Eskens' earlier novels because there was never any real doubt, even as Rupert promises the man he will spare his life for a confession, about the outcome as cop Max Rupert seeks vengeance against his wife's and unborn child's murderer.

Bray's narration was outstanding as always although I wish he has used the more common French pronunciation of the word fillet.

Summary, this is a worthwhile novel while being disappointing compared to the author's earlier novels.

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73 people found this helpful

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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.

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48 people found this helpful

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Wow!

This book was a BIG surprise. Purchased based on summary and reviews. It was the right decision.
Great writing and well developed main character, you get pulled into his story and feel his desperation.
Narration was also excellent.
Highly recommend.

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47 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Captivating and engaging

Allen Eskens's books are mix of crime mystery and novel exploring human range of emotions. The characters are engaging and the atmosphere of a cold winter in Minneapolis and northern Minnesota is extremely well described and pervasive all along the story.
A good book !

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30 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Second Listen

This is my second listen of this story and it held my interest all the way through... R.C. Bray is one of my top two favorites. This story is about the love a man has for his wife who is murdered. Four years later, he can't rest until he finds the murderer. We are talking about vengeance here! And, we are talking about morality as well. One of the best line in the story is about Vengeance ... "Vengeance is not Justice... but they are not strangers to one another ... they are born of the same mother. One sired by Virtue, the other sired by the bastard son of Vice." The story opens with new evidence that comes to the Husband out of the blue. The Husband is relentless in his pursuit of the murderer.
I've been an Audible listener for 10+ years and I like only a few genres including dramas, romance, and some thrillers. I have decided to do some re-reading of some of my favorites because I'm finding it harder and harder to find stories that are interesting, entertaining, well written and well performed! Audible listener's know that the narrator can ruin a good or even great novel. I highly recommend

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28 people found this helpful

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OMG! Was this great!!!

I have read 3 of Allen Eskens books starting with "The life you Bury" which was very unique and very well done. But...these last two with Detective Max Rupert were truly a really good very involving read. The decisions the man had to make and the questioning were so well done, the reader was excellent in his delivery and I could simply not put it down. I wanted to find out who and what and mostly why. All were answered. And , to top it off, the ending was truly good. Keep up the good work Mr. Eskins and Mr. Bray. You have a fan forever!!!

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25 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Just gritty enough

Read The Life We Bury & liked Esken’s style. This is also a solid crime drama. He moves skillfully between the present & the near-present. I was not expecting the ending, but appreciated the rationale. My one quibble is that the Ordeal in the Snow scene went on a bit long.

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