The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves: audiobook vs book, which should you choose?
A young woman is found dead in the pool of a North Devon holiday home in a heatwave, and her best friend is missing. Matthew Venn’s fourth case works equally well on the page and in the ear.
Either works
Either works for The Dying Light, so pick the format you enjoy. None of our checks clearly favours one side: Jack Holden, who has read the Two Rivers books since the second, reads it alone, listeners rate his performance highly, and it is a 384-page mystery with no maps or tricky layout. One reviewer says it moves between several detectives’ viewpoints, which some readers find easier to track in print.
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The audiobook at a glance
| Recording | UK edition, our verdict | US edition |
|---|---|---|
| Narrator | Jack Holden | Jack Holden |
| Length | 10 hours 33 minutes (10h 33m), unabridged | 10 hours 33 minutes (10h 33m), unabridged |
| At 1.5x | about 7h 2m | about 7h 2m |
| At 2x | about 5h 17m | about 5h 17m |
| Audio publisher and date | Macmillan Digital Audio, 8 October 2026 | Macmillan Audio, 29 September 2026 |
| Audiobook price | £12.20 on Audible UK | $20.24 on Audible US |
| Kindle price | £11.99 on Amazon UK | Not listed |
| Macmillan hardback, 384 pages, 8 October 2026 | Minotaur Books hardback, 384 pages, 29 September 2026 | |
| Listener rating | Performance 4.63 from 104 ratings | Performance 4.72 from 104 ratings |
Both editions are read by Jack Holden and run the same length, so they are probably one recording; we couldn’t confirm that. The UK Macmillan Digital Audio edition, the newer release, is the one scored.
Ratings and prices checked 5 November 2026. Prices change often. Amazon US does not show Kindle prices outside the US, so US Kindle prices are not given.
Lengths checked 5 November 2026. Speed times are calculated.
The Dying Light
Ann Cleeves
- Genre
- Crime
- Series
- Two Rivers, book 4
- First published
- September 2026 (US), October 2026 (UK)
- Length
- 384 pages (hardback)
- On audio
- 10 hrs 33 mins, Jack Holden
On this page
Why we reached this verdict
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.
None of the thirteen checks clearly applies to this book, so neither format has the edge.
Checked, not a factor here (13)
None of the thirteen checks applies, so neither format has the edge. That’s even at 50%, so either format works.
Every book gets the same thirteen checks, set in advance. Verdicts are never paid for or influenced by affiliate links. Last edited 5 November 2026, and rechecked every year as editions and narrators change. Read the checks in full · Is listening the same as reading? See what the research says.
The recording in detail
- Scored
- Jack Holden, Macmillan Digital Audio, 2026, 10h 33m, unabridged
- Critic review
- No critic review of the recording found yet
- Alternatives
- US Macmillan Audio edition, also Jack Holden (10h 33m)
- What you miss
- Nothing. There’s no map, glossary or special layout
What this book actually is
The Dying Light is the fourth novel in Ann Cleeves’s Two Rivers series, featuring Detective Matthew Venn in North Devon. During a summer heatwave, a young woman is found dead in the pool of a luxury holiday home called Tide House, and her best friend is missing.
It came out on 29 September 2026 in the US (Minotaur Books) and 8 October 2026 in the UK (Macmillan). It follows The Long Call, The Heron’s Cry and The Raging Storm, and the case itself is new.
The case for reading it
One reviewer says the story is told mainly from Venn’s viewpoint, with sections from his colleagues Jen and Ross and from another character. If you like to keep track of who knows what in a mystery, the page makes it easy to flick back.
It is a 384-page hardback, a comfortable length for a few evenings of reading, and nothing in it needs a map or a list of characters.
The case for listening to it
Jack Holden has read every Two Rivers book since The Heron’s Cry, so series fans get the same voice for Venn and his team. Listeners rate his performance 4.63 on Audible UK and 4.72 on Audible US.
At ten and a half hours, it is a good length for commutes, and the story runs as a single investigation.
The audiobook in detail
Macmillan Digital Audio released the UK edition on 8 October 2026, unabridged, in 10 hours 33 minutes, read by Jack Holden. Macmillan Audio released the US edition on 29 September 2026, also read by Holden, at the same length.
Ben Aldridge reads the first book, The Long Call. Holden reads The Heron’s Cry, the short story The Girls on the Shore, The Raging Storm and The Dying Light.
Who should ignore this verdict
Go with whichever format you usually prefer for crime. If you have listened to the earlier Venn books with Jack Holden, carry on with him; if you like to track several detectives’ threads closely, read it.
Kindle
- 384 pages (UK hardback)
- Flick back to check a clue
- About 6½ hours to read (our estimate)
Related verdicts
The Keeper
Literary crime.
The Thursday Murder Club
A British crime series opener.
The Man Who Died Twice
Series crime, a second case for the team.
The Heights
A long-running British detective series.
Wild Dark Shore
A remote setting and a mystery.
We Chase Shadows
Short chapters rotate between Amy, Steve, Rosie, Felicity and the villains, all read by one narrator, which can be hard to follow over audio. The story also breaks back to Malaga in 2001, and on the page you can see where each jump starts.
Start hereHow we decide
The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.
Questions people ask
Who narrates The Dying Light audiobook?
Jack Holden reads it on his own, in both the UK and US editions.
How long is The Dying Light audiobook?
10 hours 33 minutes. About 7 hours 2 minutes at 1.5x and 5 hours 17 minutes at 2x (calculated).
Is The Dying Light audiobook abridged?
No. It is unabridged.
How many pages is The Dying Light?
The UK hardback from Macmillan and the US hardback from Minotaur both have 384 pages.
Which series is The Dying Light in?
It is the fourth book in Ann Cleeves’s Two Rivers series, featuring Detective Matthew Venn, after The Long Call, The Heron’s Cry and The Raging Storm.
Do I need to read the Two Rivers books in order?
The publisher says Venn “returns” after The Raging Storm, so the same team continues, but the case itself is new.
Who narrates the other Two Rivers audiobooks?
Ben Aldridge reads The Long Call. Jack Holden reads The Heron’s Cry, The Raging Storm and The Dying Light.
Where is The Dying Light set?
In North Devon, at a holiday home called Tide House, during a summer heatwave.
When did The Dying Light come out?
8 October 2026 in the UK and 29 September 2026 in the US.
Should I read or listen to The Dying Light?
Either works. Jack Holden reads it alone and listeners rate him highly, and nothing in the book needs the page. Read it if you like to track several detectives’ threads closely.
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