Pretty Much Perfect

In the midst of so many riches, I don’t know what to praise first. The characters—even the minor ones, like the night watchman—live and breathe. The dialogue can make you laugh out loud. And the story—not just the whodunnit, but all the goings-on in and out of the law firm around which the story revolves—keeps you entertained right up to the end. I was completely drawn into the world that all these finely rendered elements created. No doubt, David Thorpe’s sterling performance helped me get there.

NOTE: For a far more erudite appreciation of Gilbert's life and work, especially this book, you can't do better than Martin Edwards' introduction. But do it after you finish the last chapter--he gives away too many surprises.

22 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Truly remarkable find.

Published in 1950, this is one of the best English mysteries I’ve ever encountered. Having just finished The Thursday Murder Club, which is also brilliant, I have been searching for something similar. Touché!

Witty, well written and narrated, and a clever mystery make for a five star experience.

9 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

A whimsical delight

The story is very British, and the reader likewise is very British. You don’t have to be a bob or a dedicated Anglophile to appreciate and enjoy the book. The reader is fairly bursting with energy and enthusiasm. The characters are delightful. The story is a well-crafted mystery. I recommend it highly

9 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

maybe better read add a book

I found this book very hard to get into. there are so many characters thrown at thre reader it is hard to keep them straight, especially since many of them make only brief appearances. there is really no main character. the murderer, when revealed, was underwhelming.

David Thoroe is the wrong narrator for this stay.

6 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

great narrator

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, in large part because of the narrator. He brought the characters in the story to life. Highly recommend.

6 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

An enjoyable read

I found this an enjoyable and light hearted book to listen too. David Thorpe is my all time favorite narrator and does much to bring the book alive. Without his narration, I’m not certain if I would have enjoyed the book as much. The plot has a good pace to it and kept my interest with several interesting twists. I would recommend if you are looking for a good cozy mystery that focuses more on deductive reasoning and less of suspense and trills. I’ve listened to this multiple times as one watches their favorite old movie flicks over and over again :-)

5 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Great story, almost great narrator

I enjoyed the story and the characters. They were entertaining and full of humor. David Thorpe is a pretty fantastic narrator, creative and flexible with voices and well paced. The only issue is that there are unnaturally long pauses at really odd times. Sometimes they come in the middle of a sentence, sometimes during dialogue. Not sure if editing could fix this, but still worth the listen.

3 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

I could listen to David Thorpe read the phone book

and love it. I'm not sure I followed this story but it was entertaining.

3 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Highly entertaining, superlative narration

What makes this story so entertaining are the well developed, if a bit stereotypical, characters, their interactions, and the clearly delineated narration of David Thorpe. While the author gives the reader several red herrings, he also plants many clues which make it easy to figure out the plot rather earlier in the novel than he may have wished. Still, I enjoyed this novel very much and hope to try another by this same author soon.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Great plot, great characters and great reading!

Loved the English legal firm details, which reminded me of one of my favorite mystery writers by Sarah Caudwell. The narration made it very entertaining and easier to follow all the various characters