• Lord John and the Private Matter

  • By: Diana Gabaldon
  • Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
  • Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (5,542 ratings)

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Lord John and the Private Matter  By  cover art

Lord John and the Private Matter

By: Diana Gabaldon
Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
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Publisher's summary

With more than 10 million copies in print worldwide, New York Times best-selling author Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series is a global phenomenon. Lord John and the Private Matter, starring one of the most popular Outlander characters, captures all the adventure and magic of the series while delivering a fresh tale that is utterly captivating.

Lord John is in a difficult spot. His cousin Olivia is engaged to marry the Honorable Joseph Trevelyan, but he has just observed something of a rather personal nature that, if confirmed, might put an end to any talk of marital bliss. Determined to investigate further, Lord John is distracted when the Crown calls for his services. A comrade in arms has been slain, and to complicate matters, the victim may have been a traitor. Now Lord John has not one, but two puzzling mysteries to solve.

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

Critic reviews

"Gabaldon takes readers for a walk on the wild side....A compelling and unique period mystery for the author's legion of fans." (Kirkus Review)

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What listeners say about Lord John and the Private Matter

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

slow start. .... draws you in midway

glad I stuck with it. was hard in the beginning but once his investigation picked up it was much easier.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Expected more story from Gabaldon

If you could sum up Lord John and the Private Matter in three words, what would they be?

Just not as consuming a story as other Gabaldon works.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

No

Have you listened to any of Jeff Woodman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This performance is good

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

None

Any additional comments?

The occasional mention of Jamie Frazer's name from the Outlander books seemed a poor attempt to link this to the other blockbusters.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Love Lord John!

I’ve come to way prefer the Lord John books over Outlander — Jamie notwithstanding. But Johnny is irresistible. Jeff Woodman does a fantastic job, but it’s nice that Davina Porter peeps in with the intro and outtro to tie them nicely to the Outlander audiobooks.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The adventure grows

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This audiobook is an important part of the whole Outlander/Lord John concept. Diana Gabaldon brilliantly gave us this Lord John series to fill in the pieces between the Outlander stories, and both story lines were well joined. Also, the narrator was awesome!

What other book might you compare Lord John and the Private Matter to and why?

All of the Lord John books and the Outlander books. The pace of the story, the details, history, and narration provide continuity.

Which character – as performed by Jeff Woodman – was your favorite?

Lord John. Jeff Woodman really made it possible for me to have a visual of Lord John as I listened to his voice.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

rereading all b4 bees

as always, I notice something new every time I reread in anticipation of a new release.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another Winning Series

I really love the book. I love the character, John, and his family. I especially love the natural way that the author deals with John's homosexuality by weaving it into the story as a matter of course and making it normal and ubiquitous in nature just as it should be and so rarely happens.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

It gets better- I promise! Keep listening.

It was hard to listen to at first. I wasn’t caught up in the story as much as I was with the Outlander series but it’s slowly took on a very Sherlock Holmes vibe which I enjoyed.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Lord John Investigates

I’ve loved the Lord John books, and this is my second favorite. The characters are richly developed, and the pace of dealing with the ‘private matter’ is akin to a battle scene. Our introduction to Tom Bird is amusing as he proves himself to be a valuable valet. An excellent listen.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Lord John

It took me awhile to get interested in this. A whole different take on John as a sleuth. I almost deleted both of them but I will listen to the second one now.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

great book

I liked learning more about Lord John. He is a good detective. good reading of the story too

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