The Old Fox Deceiv'd

By: Martha Grimes

Narrated by: Steve West

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

It is a chill and foggy 12th Night, wild with North Sea wind, when a bizarre murder disturbs the outward peace of Rackmoor, a tiny Yorkshire fishing village with a past that proves a tangled maze of unrequited loves, unrevenged wrongs, and even undiscovered murders.

Inspector Jury finds no easy answers in his investigation - not even the identity of the victim, a beautiful young woman. Was she Gemma Temple, an impostor? Or was she really Dillys March, Colonel Titus Crael’s long-lost ward, returning after eight years to the Colonel’s country seat and to a share of his fortune? And who was her murderer?

©1984 Martha Grimes (P)2013 Simon & Schuster

Second reading through narration a real pleasure

Where does The Old Fox Deceiv'd rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 5

Who was your favorite character and why?

Richard Jury and Melrose Plant. They are strong men with different personalities formed out of different upbringings yet they develop an intuitive relationship as the books move through the series. While the books can be stand alone, reading them in sequence lets you see this respect grow; you also meet the other characters with all their eccentricities as they move in and out of the books. They are a treat and how Jury and Plant interact with them is great fun.

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

So far, this is my 3rd book I'm "rereading" with narration by Steve West. The Audible narration is a true delight. I read all the Martha Grimes Richard Jury books years ago, up to her latest. Her earlier ones are her best as one follows the eccentric characters through several books.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

These are murder mysteries after all so the subject is not humorous. However, there are lots of chuckles especially with Mr. West's narration catching the sarcasm and off kilter humor of the characters. He conveys the dry humor and quirkiness in these books so well yet the seriousness of the murder(s) comes across strongly in his narration.

Any additional comments?

Mr. West has an impressive range for the various voices, so much so at times I almost think more than one person is speaking the various voices. He doesn't use extremes for a female voice or a child's voice yet he captures these very well.

Another entertaining Richard Jury Mystery!

I enjoyed this one even more than the first. I just love Jury and Plant and how they are together. So many fun and interesting characters. I liked the storyline of this one and it kept me guessing to the end.
Again, Steve West and his fabulous narration really made this book even better. Truly amazed by his talent and all of this different voices he did for each character.
Aside from me really enjoying the series so far, I highly recommended this series based on his performances alone. In this one my favorites were Percy Blythe, Les Aird (no idea now to spell that one) and Agatha, though she's not in this one as much.

Jury n plant solve it again!

Great thoroughly enjoyable England fox hunting terriers n suspense I loved the narrator too thanks

Inspector Jury- Sympathetic Scotland Yard

I read this book when it first came out. I still have the book, I loved it so much. That began a years long crush on both Jury and Plant. When we visited England I had to find a Fairy Cake! It’s been 37 years and my ardor has not diminished. If you like British mysteries, this is a great choice!

What a pleasure!

Martha Grimes is a wonderful writer and this book is full of crisp details, intriguing characters, and a twisty plot. Steve West does a beautiful job of narrating with accents and tones of voice that reveal the characters both male and female. Loved it!

Grimes/West combo excellent

I'm a longtime fan of Martha Grimes and worried about how the book would sound on tape because the characters were clear in my head. Steve west is one of the best readers ever with an attractive basic voice and good characterizations without stooping to grotesque accents and chortles that you can't understand, as I find w some narrators. The only complaint is with the directors prep. There are quite a number of mispronounced words, especial anything vaguely French or Italian. Could these be prepped ahead? Words like dilettante, contributing, bas-relief and the old "famous" actor of the forties is Charles Boyer (French boy-YAY). .. cultural differences. But he's a great reader. I've enjoyed him in several Grimes books and she's a sensational writer blending drama, psychological insights beautiful phrase structure (with a few Germanish forms--outreaching her hand, e.g.) and a superb sense of humor. Especially fun are in -jokes about other writers, their characters and their styles

Great English Humor

Love the descriptive writing, places, odd English sayings and personalities. Great good fun to hear!

The who done it?

I really enjoyed listening to this one. I didn't know who done it until the very end.

Enjoyable

One of those books that you won't soon forget. I highly recommend it to any cozy reader.

Jury and Plant Ride Again!

Excellent narrator. I've read the series before--love the characters--but the narrator made it feel like a new read.