The Child cover art

The Child

An Audible Drama

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Child

By: Sebastian Fitzek
Narrated by: Rupert Penry-Jones, Jack Boulter, Emilia Fox, Stephen Marcus, Robert Glenister, Andy Serkis
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £17.99

Buy Now for £17.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Shortlisted for the BBC Audio Drama Awards 2015

My name is Simon. I’m 10 years old. I’m a serial killer. Robert Stern (Rupert Penry-Jones), a successful defense attorney, doesn’t know what lies in store for him when he agrees to meet a new client in a derelict estate on the outskirts of Berlin. Stern is more than surprised, when his old love interest and professional nurse Carina (Emilia Fox) presents him a ten year old boy as his new client: Simon (Jack Boulter), a terminally ill child, who is convinced he has murdered many men in a previous life.

Robert’s surprise turns into horror when he and Carina find human remains in a cellar the boy has led them to. The remains of a man whose head has been split with an axe 15 years ago - just like Simon claimed he had. Things go from bad to worse within hours when Stern discovers more dead bodies, the investigating police officer Engler (Andy Serkis) starts to chase him as a suspect in the murder cases, and his own past comes to haunt him. Stern’s friend and former criminal Andi Borchert (Stephen Marcus) is the only one to believe Stern and Carina. Hunted by the police, and led by Simon’s memories, they start to investigate shady sub cultures of Berlin, and soon discover things that are more gruesome than anything they could have imagined…

Audible Studios London presents a gripping audio dramatisation by Sebastian Fitzek, Germany’s most successful thriller writer, whose books are read around the world in more than 20 different languages. This unabridged dramatisation introduces listeners to a completely new approach to audio entertainment, a full-length dramatised book adaption with an original score and soundscapes from the heart of Berlin. Featuring amazing performances by a cast of over 20 actors in a breathtaking plot, The Child provides a truly immersive listening experience.

Like this and looking for more unabridged multicast drama from Sebastian Fitzek? Then simply type ‘Amok’ in the search box, download and enjoy!

©2014 Audible Studios (P)2014 Audible Studios
Psychological Suspense Scary Exciting England Fiction
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Murder of Harriet Monckton cover art
Amok cover art
Passenger 23 cover art
The Nightwalker cover art
The Soul-Breaker cover art
Don't Wake Up cover art
Between You and Me cover art
Transference cover art
The Black Echo: Harry Bosch Series, Book 1 cover art
Crimson Shore cover art
The Life We Bury cover art
Relic cover art
Skin and Bones cover art
The First Shot cover art
The Mayfly cover art
Nocturnal: A Novel cover art

Editor reviews

‘My name is Simon. I'm 10 years old. I'm a serial killer.’ Thus begins the brilliant The Child, an audio drama from Audible Studios. In this audiobook, German author Sebastian Fitzek paints a chilling portrait. Defence attorney Robert Stern is persuaded by his old flame, nurse Carina, to take on the case of a young, terminally ill boy who claims to recall past-life experiences of murdering several men. Following Simon’s instructions, Robert and Carina are shocked to uncover several dead bodies around the shady areas of Berlin, and soon detective Engler has Robert in his sights as a suspect. With voice performances by Rupert Penry-Jones, Emilia Fox, Robert Glenister and the brilliant Andy Serkis, The Child is an astonishing drama.

Critic reviews

"The Child is an unmissable milestone for fans and newcomers to audio dramas alike. A compelling, star-studded drama that mixes narration, performance, music and soundscapes into a moving story about a troubled young boy and a shocking series of dark crimes in Berlin. Essential listening," (David Hewson, author of The Killing series, co-author Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Novel and Macbeth: A Novel.)
"Fitzek’s thrillers are breathtaking and full of wild twists. The only disappointment : there is, inevitably, an end to the story!" (Harlan Coben)
"Action-packed and edgy, The Child is a dark and immersive listening journey." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about The Child

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,553
  • 4 Stars
    1,076
  • 3 Stars
    594
  • 2 Stars
    218
  • 1 Stars
    176
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,966
  • 4 Stars
    809
  • 3 Stars
    320
  • 2 Stars
    132
  • 1 Stars
    101
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,319
  • 4 Stars
    953
  • 3 Stars
    580
  • 2 Stars
    258
  • 1 Stars
    218

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

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

Chilling, Difficult in places, but damn good!

I'd definitely recommend this. The additional dimensions added by the multiple actors and sound effects make this a very engrossing format. All of the actors were very good in their roles and the narration was top notch.

The story strays into some difficult areas, there is violence and it descends into the world of the paedophile although it steers clear of going too far. The plot builds well and the very chilling "Voice" works very well.

I think some people might find the ending just a little weak but I liked it well enough. I will look out for more of these "radio plays" from Audible in the future.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

38 people found this helpful

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

Dreadful

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Like listening to a terrible radio play. I stuck with it until the end but really wished I hadn't bothered. I've listened to around 150 audiobooks and this was by far the worst.

What did you like best about this story?

It appears that a great story was lost in overproduction

Do you think The Child needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Not unless it's an unabridged reading of the book

Any additional comments?

My mum has since listened to the recording and disliked it as much as I did.

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
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

only an okay book

The story line is okay with a good twist but it's a long story, in some places far too long. Overall I wouldn't rate this book as brilliant. I also didn't find the performance that good, it all just sounded a bit cheap.

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
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Gripping Drama

Thoroughly enjoyable book, great acting, storyline and subject matter. However, I thought the sound mix was very poor, there were places when the dialogue was unclear, drowned out by music, and the effects of certain voices so over processed, virtually impossible to make out what was being said. It spoilt it for me.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

an enjoyable listened-to

I really enjoyed the story and the voice overs. Very absorbing when I could not sleep.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Plenty of twists and turns in the plot

I did enjoy this audioi play.
I think "Amok" was better but maybe because I'm listening to these out of order.
I may even buy the German originals!?

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

The Child.

Totally enjoyed this book. If you like Thriller and suspense Story you will like this. I must admit I will be looking out for other books by Sebastian Fizek. 👍🏾

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Setting the Bar for Audible Releases

What did you like most about The Child?

This was an outstanding purchase, my favourite yet from Audible. There are some very talented readers out there but having well-known actors performing a specially adapted audible-version of a book takes the medium to another level. Please do more of these Audible!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Child?

The story really stuck with me - would definitely like to re-listen again to this performance.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Great actors, really brought the story to life for me.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

What a great way to relax after a hard day at work

What made the experience of listening to The Child the most enjoyable?

Just an easy way to relax after a long day at work and listen to the story

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

Some hope in the darkness

Excellent narration and acting by all in this chilling tale. Not easy listen by any means, but not entirely devoid of hope, which is remarkable seeing its dark subject matter.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!