A Dead Man in Istanbul

By: Michael Pearce

Narrated by: Bill Wallis

Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

The undersecretary of the British embassy in Istanbul has died while attempting to swim the Dardanelles Straits. The circumstances of his death have to be investigated, so the Foreign Office sends out an officer: Sandor Seymour, an unobtrusive Special Branch detective.

©2005 Michael Pearce (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

British Embassy life in the Ottoman Empire

Initially I thought this murder investigation was set in current times but the Embassy staff use a landau and the customs seem more fitting to the late 19-early 20th centuries. (I must have not registered the stage setting descriptions). The narrator does a fine job of the Upper Crust "Old Boy" speech/narration; although it does get a bit too thick at times for me. Somehow I haven't been able to get into this book so I've taken a break about 5hours into it. I'm not sure if I just can't identify with the characters or am mixing them up. If you like historical tidbits and don't mind a slowish unfolding of a plot then I'd say this isn't bad; but if you have trouble with a strong "Old Chap" accent you might give this one a pass. I'd love to hear what someone else has to say about this book. It could be I'm just not in the mood for it.

Loved this story read by Bill Wallis

It is personal preference, and, I find Wallis a better reader than Clive Mantle (Dead Man in Trieste). Wallis does capture the personality of our hero Seymour and with judicious pause conveys the spoken and unspoken responses.

Seymour is called in from The Yard because he is a linguist (having learned the languages of the people in his childood neighbourhood). Lovely impressions of British Embassy staff and their interests as well as a glimpse of early 1900's Istanbull. And then there is the murder he is not expected to solve as well as the resolution of the impasse of how to find Jusice.

I would like to know more about the author and when these were written, as distict from being published.
Light enjoyable listen that does evoke a time and place.

Great listen

Bill Wallis is a wonderful narrator. The story and characters are interesting and the pace of the book keeps you engaged. I love the dialog of the native Turkey people.

This series is worth a listen

I'm usually too stingy to spend credits on such short light listens, but I find Pearce's "Dead Man..." series credit worthy. For once, Bill Wallis' sometimes over-the-top narration is either toned down (or has found its fit). I find each novel a decent light historical mystery that -- though never didactic-- always teaches me something about history on top of just evoking period. Peacre writes with a dry humour too -- so that between the history, the mystery and the smiles, the 5--7 hours slip by.