The Meaning of Night Audiobook By Michael Cox cover art

The Meaning of Night

A Confession

 Preview

$0.00 for first 30 days

Try for $0.00
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

The Meaning of Night

By: Michael Cox
Narrated by: David Timson
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.79

Buy for $25.79

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel
"After killing the red-haired man, I took myself off to Quinn's for an oyster supper." So begins the extraordinary story of Edward Glyver - booklover, scholar, and murderer. As a young boy, Glyver always believed he was destined for greatness, and a chance discovery convinces him that he was right. Greatness does await him, along with immense wealth and influence. Overwhelmed by his discovery, he will stop at nothing to win back a prize that he knows is rightfully his.

Glyver's path to reclaim his prize leads him from the depths of Victorian London, with its foggy streets, brothels, and opium dens, to Evenwood, one of England's most beautiful and enchanting country houses, and finally to a consuming love for the beautiful but enigmatic Emily Carteret. His is a story of betrayal and treachery, of death and delusion, of ruthless obsession and ambition. And at every turn, driving Glyver irresistibly onward, is his deadly rival: the poet-criminal Phoebus Rainsford Daunt.

The Meaning of Night is an enthralling novel that will captivate listeners right up to its final thrilling revelation. Thirty years in the making, this debut from Michael Cox has earned starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and Publishers Weekly.

©2006 Michael Cox (P)2006 Recorded Books Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense England Crime Fiction Exciting Scary Feel-Good

Critic reviews

"A masterful first novel and a must." (Booklist)
"[A] richly imagined thriller....Its exemplary blend of intrigue, history, and romance mark a stand-out literary debut." (Publishers Weekly)
"A bibliophilic, cozy, murderous confection out of foggy old England and a learned and remarkably entertaining treat." (Kirkus Reviews)

People who viewed this also viewed...

Fingersmith Audiobook By Sarah Waters cover art
Fingersmith By: Sarah Waters
All stars
Most relevant  

Would you listen to The Meaning of Night again? Why?

The writing is so good it bears repeated listening. I had read the book in print so it took me a while to get used to David Timson's narration. However I have really come to like it now and would love to hear more of him.

Any additional comments?

If you liked The Black Tower, An Instance of the Fingerpost or My Name Is Red, you will like this. Great writing combined with excellent storytelling is a rare combination. The Meaning of Night and its sequel, The Glass of Time, are in a class of their own. I hope there will be a third book soon by Michael Cox.

A wonderful mystery, superbly written.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates the classic style of writing and storytelling

Wonderfully done

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a very well told first person narrative and vibrant characters. While I admire narrator David Timson I did not feel he was a good match for this material which often made the main character less sympathetic and even frustrating. Even so I highly recommend this book.

Wonderful Dickensian story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you like Dickens and mystery and long books and great narration, you will love this book. Obviously I like all of the above and thus liked this Cox offering very much. Highly recommended. I will get more books by Cox.

Dickensian with a dark twist

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This first novel is indeed a feat of fiction, skillfully written and plotted. Although you can anticipate the subterfuge to come towards the end, where the story does get a bit melodramatic, the book succeeds in providing a solid story. It is quite long, but the characterizations are well done and it does have its clever twists and turns. The narration is good, although the reader's improvisation of female characters, especially Emily, is rather grating. All in all, a good listen.

Prosaic and compelling

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I'm not usually a reader of mysteries/suspense/crime novels, but I thought this book had great potential. The main character and his obsession with revenge carried me along, but I felt that the last quarter of the book was disappointing and too predictable.

Could have been better

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Finally, a modern author who can recreate the tone, detail, language and mood of the 19th century British masters!

Author's style is dead on!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A great story, engrossing classical details, and a tremendously artistic use of language are all delivered perfectly through the exceptional voice talent of David Timson.

Listening to "The Meaning Of Night" was a particularly wonderful and rich experience.

Absolutely Wonderful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fascinating, witty, it-was-a-dark-and-stormy-night story; well-drawn world of London in the mid-1800s; interesting characters. And the reader is wonderful--made the characters come alive. One of those rare books that I think I probably enjoyed listening to more than I would have enjoyed reading.

Terrific

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The Meaning of Night is a facsinating homage to Wilkie Collins, which includes a captivating mystery of identity and revenge.
Very well written, i much enjoyed the narration, and by the time i reached 2.5 hours of listening, i was deeply sunk into the mystery.
After reading chater 1, I had a serious moral difficulty following the story, as it exposes the reader to the worst possible crime. I considered quitting altogether. But, the book was so well written, and kept me listening and reading to find out the entire story behind this unforgiveable crime.

Excellent book, wonderful narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews