The Silver Collar

I’ll admit, I approached *The Silver Collar* skeptical of yet another ‘plucky rogue in olde London’ tale—but Hodgson disarmed me within chapters. The plot hinges on a *brutal* cold open (a man literally collared like a dog in a public square), and from there, it’s a sprint through back alleys and backroom deals. Kloska’s narration sells it: his Hawkins isn’t the usual swashbuckling hero but a man whose charm is a shield against his own exhaustion. When he growls, *“I’ve a talent for pissing off powerful men,”* you believe him—and wince, because you know he’s right. The audiobook’s pacing is its secret weapon. Hodgson and Kloska trust the listener to keep up, so exposition comes in sharp bursts (a whispered prison confession, a drunken noble’s slurred threat) rather than info-dumps. That said, the midsection sags slightly under political maneuvering—if you’re here for *action*, the Westminster intrigue might test your patience. And while Kitty Sparks is a firecracker, her subplot occasionally feels tacked on to ‘give the lady something to do.’ But the finale? Worth every minute. The last hour unfolds like a stage play, all gasps and betrayals, with Kloska’s performance hitting a fever pitch. If you love your mysteries with teeth—and a narrator who knows when to bare them—this is your next listen.