Animal Instinct: Human Zoo

by Simon Booker

We're all animals...although some of us have more primal instincts than others.

Ex-policeman Joe Cassidy has a keen interest in animal behaviour and how it can have a bearing on some of the most heinous of human crimes - a talent that has heavily informed his detective work over the years. Although until now, he thought that he had left detective work behind....

Suffering from PTSD and wracked with guilt and failure after a grisly discovery in a particularly disturbing case, Joe lives in a lonely shack in the shadow of the nuclear power station at Dungeness. But when the daughter of an old friend goes missing, the investigation centres on the wealthy family's animal park.

Owing the owner a favour from years past, Joe is drawn further and further into the enquiry - hoping to solve the riddle of the disappearance amid the family's increasing dysfunction and desperate to find redemption for himself in the process.

Featuring: Fehinti Balogun, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Ed Bluemel, Imogen Church, Brendan Coyle, Laurence Dobiesz, Victoria Hamilton, Rebekah Hinds, David John, Harry Lloyd, Brigid Lohrey, Joseph Marcell, Michael Shon, James Smith, Jo Stone-Fewings, Niky Wardley, Sarah Whitehouse and Lia Williams.

Genres: Audiobook

2 pages, Audible Audio

Published April 18, 2012

About the author

I’m an author and screenwriter with many credits in primetime drama on BBC1 and ITV. I’ve written original thrillers like The Stepfather for ITV1, penned BBC1 adaptations such as Just William, and worked on long-running series including The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Holby City and The Mrs Bradley Mysteries starring the wonderful Diana Rigg. I’ve also written romantic comedies for American TV, including Perfect Strangers starring Anna Friel and Rob Lowe (and yes, his eyes really are that blue). I started my writing career with a collection of plays for BBC Radio 4 and have worked extensively as a TV and radio producer, and as a journalist.

Without Trace is the first in a series of psychological thrillers featuring Morgan Vine, a single mother and journalist who specialises in miscarriages of justice. I enjoy writing for TV but it’s great to branch out into new territory. And I hope Morgan Vine might one day show up on a screen near you.

I live in London and Deal, Kent. I’m a volunteer facilitator in restorative justice, working with offenders at HMP Brixton. My partner is fellow crime writer Melanie "M.J." McGrath. We often discuss murder methods over breakfast.

Reviews

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 rating

When ex-policeman, Joe Cassidy, gets a call from an old friend asking him to look into the murder of his daughter, he can't refuse. Once again, Joe is drawn back into the world of crime. Only this time, it proves more difficult to solve as Joe is fighting past and present demons that may be linked to the murdered girl.

Phenomenal story and production! 👏

Audible Original
Duration: 5 hours and 37 minutes

[Gail Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this book because that's the only to get it, it's only available on Audible. I have to say that I found it really enjoyable.

Joe Cassedy isn't a policeman anymore, but that doesn't stop him investigating when an old friend in trouble comes to him. What starts out looking like a fairly straightforward murder mystery soon descends into something unexpectedly darker. Making reference to animal behaviour, it reminds the reader that we're all just beasts in the end and what is done to the victim family is certainly beastly.

There's an interesting side story about Joe and his marriage that keeps the reader interested too.
Kent is my home county, so I recognised many of the places named, which made it feel like visiting an old friend. Though the territory of the themes in the book was a whole new world to me, there was clearly a lot of research that went into writing this story, and the author did the most wonderful job of only using what was necessary to get the message across.

There's a great cast and high production values to this presentation. Who wouldn't enjoy listening to Brendan Coyle, he's got a lovely voice, my only issue was that every time Joseph Marcell spoke - he did a good job of this in fairness - but every time I inevitably got an image of Geoffrey the Butler from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", this is doubtless a function of my age more than the production.

Would I recommend it? Yes, definitely.

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this! I will say that, based on the subtitle and the audiobook cover, I expected it to be way darker and more disturbing than it actually was (check out the short story "The Zoo" by Gemma Amor if you want the story that this title/cover seem to be hinting at). I see on here that there's a print version of the book where they removed the subtitle and used a different cover photo, and I think that one sets you up much better for what this actually is: a procedural-adjacent mystery/thriller.

That said, the nice thing about reading widely is that, even when a book isn't advertised correctly, you can still usually enjoy it for what it is, and I liked this mystery. I definitely didn't predict the big twist at the end (though I suspect I would have gotten closer if I were reading it visually rather than listening, since my attention to detail with audio is nil lol). The book was also a nice mix of narration and audio drama; there was enough narration to explain what was happening but enough music, sound effects, and voice changes that it held my attention in a way that traditional audiobooks struggle to do. I will warn you, however, not to listen to the climax of the book in a public place or things could get quite awkward (you'll see what I mean when you get there).

I don't know if the author intends to write more mysteries with this protagonist, but I liked him and would be happy to read them if he ever did.

[Missi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5 stars. This turned out better than expected. For the first hour I wasn't sure why I was even bothering listening. And in fact, I think I wasn't paying attention as I believe I missed things. Like who the characters were. LOL
But it did eventually get my attention. I may listen to this again in the distant future.
Sound quality was ok. Sometimes the back ground noise overpowered the voices. Some voices were too soft to hear compared to other narrators. The main female narrator sounded like she had a cold.
Decent story. Much darker than anticipated.

[Chellbian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy listen/read. I haven’t read a thriller or crime novel for a while, so it was a nice change of tempo. I didn’t guess the ending which is a sign of a good writer. And I liked Brendan Coyle as the main character. All in all a good, solid read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

For once, I didn't see any of the twists coming. It was interesting to hear lots of local place names which made the book more personally interesting.
I found the majority of the characters likeable, the pace and style of the writing was very easy to listen to.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I thought at all. It was amazing, kept me riveted and guessing till almost the last. Really enjoyed.

[Megneto♓️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't hold my attention. Some of the sounds were hard to hear with background noise. Wasn't for me unfortunately 😔

[Elar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice crime story, a little bit too predictable, but enjoyable till the end.

[Little Butts · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been interesting but went straight for taboo instead