Preview: The Pain of Others

Summary

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Deep Cover – Preview: The Pain of Others

Host: Tim Pabone (Narrator)
Podcast: Deep Cover (Pushkin Industries)
Air Date: April 14, 2026

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Episode Overview

This special episode of Deep Cover presents a preview of the audiobook The Pain of Others, narrated by Tim Pabone. The excerpt dives into a real-life tragedy in a quiet Spanish town, where a brutal crime leaves a family searching for answers. The story unfolds as Miguel Hernandez, haunted by the loss of his sister Rosario and the mysterious kidnapping of Nicolas, returns home two decades later to reconstruct a fateful night that irrevocably changed his life. Intertwining true crime, investigative reporting, and literary suspense, the story explores themes of memory, violence, and the inscrutability of those closest to us.

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Key Themes and Discussion Points

1. The Event That Shattered a Community

[03:04–04:20]

• Setting: A quiet town in the Spanish countryside.
• The crime: Miguel Hernandez’s best friend murders Miguel’s sister, then commits suicide by jumping off a cliff, leaving unanswered questions.
• Impact: The incident devastates Miguel’s family and the close-knit community.

2. Lingering Questions and Personal Reckoning

[04:20–07:59]

• Two decades later, Miguel returns home, still searching for answers, haunted by the doubts of what he may have missed.
• The narrative grapples with questions of responsibility, the nature of evil, and the psychological aftermath of trauma.
• A central existential question is voiced: “Did he fail to see the warning signs that his best friend was capable of this horrific crime?”

3. Atmosphere and Literary Approach

• The story’s telling is slow, atmospheric, and introspective, blending narrative nonfiction with literary suspense.
• Details evoke a sense of place and sorrow: “The cold sinks into your bones and the damp into your brain. It’s December in the lowlands of Murcia…”
• Focus on how memory and pain shape identity and haunt survivors.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

“The first thing you hear, a voice that awakens you, a phrase you’ll never forget. For a moment you try to tell yourself it’s a dream.”
— Narrator (Tim Pabone), [04:15]

“They killed Rossi and they took Nicolas, you hear your father say clearly now. That’s when you open your eyes, still baffled, jump out of bed, throw on the clothing that lies nearest to hand, and run off to the living room.”
— Narrator (Describing Miguel’s memory), [04:35]

"He says it with that same lost look in his eyes, expression unhinged, incredulous, as if he didn’t really know what happened, as if nothing had happened at all. Nothing. That’s the word it begins with every time someone asks."
— Narrator [06:25]

“This nothing that can’t be said. This nothing that creeps into every crook and corner. This nothing that immobilizes you and clouds your mind. This nothing and two questions. Who killed Rosie? Who took Nicolas away?”
— Narrator [07:10]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:04] — Tim Pabone introduces The Pain of Others audiobook and sets up the crime that anchors the narrative.
• [05:00] — The morning after the crime: Miguel and his family’s immediate reactions and confusion.
• [06:25] — Community grief and shock are described, focusing on the numbing repetition of “Nothing happened” by the bereaved.
• [07:10–07:59] — The thematic crux: confronting “the nothing” and the haunting questions that remain unanswered.

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Tone and Style

• Language: Richly descriptive, emotionally resonant, introspective. The narrative immerses the listener in the fog of grief and uncertainty.
• Mood: Somber, haunting, and deeply personal, reflecting both the bewilderment of sudden loss and the obsessive quest for meaning.

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Summary

This preview episode of Deep Cover offers a haunting glimpse into The Pain of Others, an audiobook that merges the conventions of true crime with the psychological intensity of a literary novel. Through the eyes of Miguel Hernandez, listeners are drawn into a decades-old mystery where violence rends the fabric of a community and leaves survivors confronting painful, unanswerable questions. Tim Pabone’s narration lingers on trauma’s quiet aftermath, underscoring how, sometimes, what remains isn’t the violence itself—but the void it leaves behind.

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To listen to the full audiobook, visit Pushkin FM Audiobooks or your preferred audiobook platform.

Transcript

[Tim Pabone]

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[Tim Pabone]

Hey listeners, this is Tim Pabone, and I'm in your feed today to bring you an excerpt from an audiobook I narrated. The Pain of Others In a quiet town in the Spanish countryside, a violent crime shattered a family. Miguel Hernandez's best friend murdered his sister and hours later jumped off a cliff, taking his secrets with him. No motive, no explanation. Twenty years later, when time has dulled the shock but not the questions, Miguel returns home in an attempt to reconstruct the tragic night that marked the end of his adolescence. But revisiting the past awakens ghosts he thought he left behind. Based on true events, the Pain of Others is a chilling audiobook novel that blends true crime, investigative reporting, and literary suspense. An unflinching reckoning with violence, memory, and the question that still haunts the author. Did he fail to see the warning signs that his best friend was capable of this horrific crime? Here's a preview. If you want to hear more, find the Pain of others at Pushkin FM Audiobooks or wherever you get your audiobooks. Part 120 years. Someone broke into Rosario's house, killed Rossi, and kidnap Nicolas, you hear your father say in the other room. It's the first thing you hear, a voice that awakens you, a phrase you'll never forget. For a moment you try to tell yourself it's a dream. You remain there, paralyzed in the sheets. It's five in the morning and you've barely slept a wink. Your Christmas Eve dinner didn't go down well, and for hours you've been tossing and turning in bed. They killed Rossi and they took Nicolas, you hear your father say clearly now. That's when you open your eyes, still baffled, jump out of bed, throw on the clothing that lies nearest to hand, and run off to the living room. Your mother's in her nightgown next to the Christmas tree. She looks at you and starts to cry. Rosario's children, she manages to say. What happened? You ask. Something bad, she responds, Something bad, son, and she brings her hands to her face to hide her tears. Your father's in the bathroom getting dressed. Your brother the first to hear the news is standing in the doorway, trying to hurry him along. He walks out and tells you, come along if you feel like it. Your mother stays home. You go with them. Be careful, she warns, and lock the door behind you. The cold sinks into your bones and the damp into your brain. It's December in the lowlands of Murcia. The three of you walk down the dark road in silence. A soft roar absorbs every sound, and it grows as you approach the road, walking in the direction of the driveway, which is dense with silhouettes that then dissolve in the morning shadows. Soft light from a cracked fixture lights up the bystanders faces. No one looks at each other and everyone speaks softly. Three patrol cars are blocking the entrance to the house. Beside them, alone, pacing in small circles with his hands behind his back, is your friend's father. What happened, Anton? Your brother, asks as you approach him. Nothing, he murmurs, eyes trained on the ground. Just that they've killed my Rossi and taken Nicolas with them. This is all he says, and he repeats it over and over to the neighbor from across the street, to your neighbor Julia, to your cousin Maruja, to anyone who stops their car and comes over and asks. He says it with that same lost look in his eyes, expression unhinged, incredulous, as if he didn't really know what happened, as if nothing had happened at all. Nothing. That's the word it begins with every time someone asks. And that is what no one understands. This nothing that can't be said. This nothing that creeps into every crook and corner. This nothing that immobilizes you and clouds your mind. This nothing and two questions. Who killed Rosie? Who took Nicolas away?

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23 year old Elizabeth Plunkett heads off for a night away with friends. It's the summer of 1976, the best

[Tim Pabone]

summer we've had for years.

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Just hours later, she is kidnapped by two men in British Bay.

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