Preview
  • The Cutting Room

  • By: Louise Welsh
  • Narrated by: Alan Cumming
  • Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (33 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Cutting Room

By: Louise Welsh
Narrated by: Alan Cumming
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $27.27

Buy for $27.27

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Short-listed, Guardian First Book Award, 2002

Winner, CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger, 2002

Winner, Saltire Society First Book of the Year, 2002

When Rilke, a dissolute auctioneer, comes upon a hidden collection of violent and highly disturbing photographs, he feels compelled to discover more about the deceased owner who coveted them. Soon he finds himself sucked into an underworld of crime, depravity and secret desire, fighting for his life.

©2022 Louise Welsh (P)2022 Canongate Books
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"Unputdownable." (Sunday Times)

"I was hooked from page one." (Guardian)

What listeners say about The Cutting Room

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    16
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    22
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

slow start but good end

Well read with differing voice inflections and accents for the characters. A real cliffhanger towards the end.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Love Allen Cumming!

This story was very interesting. The narrator is superb. Makes me want to go to Scotland again. I’m looking forward to the next novel in this series. The subject matter is dark but fascinating!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Engaging

I loved the characters. They had substance. I felt empathy for them. Interesting story. Unique. The accent of the reader sounded authentic, but was easy to understand. I'm looking forward to book 2.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very good mystery with literary strength

Excellently read by Alan Cumming. This well-textured novel far exceeds my own genre expectations, and explores LGBTQ narratives with intelligence and compassion.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Cutting Room

As an Alan Cumming admirer, there was never a doubt in my mind that he wouldn’t deliver. But of course he did. His smooth Scottish burr glided in and out through the antics of the characters with ease. As far as the story goes, it was an important topic to address. Ms. Welsh had a fine grasp on the characters, and
I very much enjoyed the grittiness, cunningness, and greediness of them. Yet, they still had compassion. I look forward to listening to Alan narrate the next installment of Rilke!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping Mystery with Lots of Splendid Characters

Alan Cumming brings this terrific story to life with a dazzling array of characters, each with his or her own voice, vocabulary and vibe. The central character, Rilke, who narrates the tale, is complex and deeply flawed but also brave and noble and, most importantly, is in possession of a moral compass. I happened upon this only because I had just listened to Alan's memoir and I'd fallen madly in love with his lusty, rich Scottish accent. Here we get plenty more of that with the bonus of a multitude of variations. The story grabbed me from the beginning and now I want to read anything by this lovely author, Louise Welsh. In fact, I'm going to get her second book right now. More Alan! How could I resist? PS - The reviewer who complained that this is gay porn was, in my estimation, overreacting to a couple of spicy scenes. This book is more about old photographs and the auction trade and the city of Glasgow and police and hospitals and bookstores and pubs and smoking weed than it is about porn.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful