Lord John and the Hellfire Club

By: Diana Gabaldon

Narrated by: Jeff Woodman

Length: 1 hr and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

This title also appears as a novella in the collection “Lord John and the Hand of Devils.”

New York Times best-selling author Diana Gabaldon, beloved for her immensely popular Outlander series, crafted this fast-paced tale of intrigue when asked to contribute to an anthology honoring the late, great Ellis Peters. Outlander supporting player Lord John Grey investigates the death of a red-haired man only to become mixed up in the affairs of Sir Francis Dashwood and his notorious Hellfire Club. And as Lord John digs further, his life becomes threatened.

©1998 Diana Gabaldon (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC

Interesting piece of historical fiction

I actually listened to this twice before writing my review. I was a little confused the first time through, but must admit that I was also listening while distracted.

This is a story about Lord John Grey, from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. It was written as a prequel to a series of books specifically about this character. In this tale, Lord John is witness to a murder ... and also invited (somewhat against his will) to join the local Hellfire club. These incidents prove to be related in some rather unexpected ways.

I thought the narrator's voice was lovely, although his characterizations were not terribly varied.

I find the idea of creating a series about this particular character intriguing. This audio book felt like a novella, so there was not as much development as one might prefer. Nevertheless, I found it entertaining.

Excellent short story

Good mystery provided some background on Lord John after his return from Scotland. the narrator was excellent

Hellfire and ?

Unfortunately this was the least interesting of all her books. Kinda an afterthought. I believe she was busy elsewhere trying to get her thoughts in order for her prize series "Outlander". My suggestion don't bother.

Not her best but definitely enjoyable

This was definitely an enjoyable listen, although it did not have the strength of the Outlander books. The narrator's voice and intonations definitely helped draw one into the story. I have to say that when I was interrupted, I found it hard to realize I was somewhere in the 20th century and not caught up in the intrigue og th 18th!

Enjoyable

An enjoyable historical adventure, and sometimes it's nice to "read" something you can finish in a day.

Not Long Enough!!

I made the mistake of reading the Private Matter prior to Hellfire. I enjoyed the Private Matter immensely but was a little disappointed in Hellfire. It seemed too short of a story & the ending was kinda ...Huh? I had to listen to it twice to make sure I got it right.

Loved the narrarator, and the little Jamie inserts! I will listen to the next stories about Jonathan. I fell in love with him in the Outlander series! Loved his honor!

the beginning of a new series

The beginning of a new series with Lord John as the main character. A good story with an excellent narrator.

mehhhh...

It's just so hard to switch from the outlander series to a new narrator and get into it. the story is pretty good, but not as exciting or addictive like the outlander books read by Davina porter

STOP! Buy Lord John and The Hand of Devils instead

I hope you read my review title before buying this, the first of Gabaldon's Lord John tales. It's not that the story is bad (it isn't) but it is the beginnings of fleshing out the characters of a post-Dragonfly in Amber/Voyager (from the Outlander series) John Grey and Harry Quarry. And the stories only get better from here.

The problem is that "Lord John and the Hellfire Club" appears in the short story trilogy "Lord John and The Hand of Devils" along with two other short stories. So, for the sake of value, and the benefit of getting two other great John Grey shorts (Lord John and the Succubus/Lord John and the Haunted Soldier), get that instead of this book. I didn;t realize until after I had both, that I had a duplicate tale among them.

Jeff Woodman is perfect as both John and his earthier friend Harry, giving them both unique and likeable voices in their first story together since leaving Ardsmuir Prison. Both characters grow and get better with future tales...so get the Hand of Devils to hear more of them instead!

Short but clarifying

This is a short story by Diana Gabaldon and I believe her first work with Lord John Grey as central character. It is important in that it makes her ensuing novel, "Lord John and the Private Matter", much more comprehensible. I mistakenly read "Lord John and the Private Matter" before I stumbled on this story and consequently had a bit of confusion at certain points as "Hellfire" sets the stage for "Private Matter". It is short-- I burn CDs to listen in the car, and this was only one CD plus a little bit of another. But for those of us who are diehard Diana Gabaldon fans, it is a good fill-in on the adventures of Lord John Grey.