The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels

By: Beth Lincoln

Narrated by: Nikki Patel

Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

Instant New York Times Bestseller!

Long-listed, Branford Boase Award

“Knives Out feel by way of Lemony Snicket…This archly told, never muddled debut whodunit reveals a roster of distinct characters, a labyrinthine setting and plot, and a mystery that is as clever as its heroine.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The suspenseful denouement is positively writhing with twists.”—Booklist, starred review

On the day they are born, every Swift child is brought before the sacred Family Dictionary. They are given a name, and a definition. A definition it is assumed they will grow up to match.

Meet Shenanigan Swift: Little sister. Risk-taker. Mischief-maker.

Shenanigan is getting ready for the big Swift Family Reunion and plotting her next great scheme: hunting for Grand-Uncle Vile’s long-lost treasure. She’s excited to finally meet her arriving relatives—until one of them gives Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude a deadly shove down the stairs.

So what if everyone thinks she’ll never be more than a troublemaker, just because of her name? Shenanigan knows she can become whatever she wants, even a detective. And she’s determined to follow the twisty clues and catch the killer.

Deliciously suspenseful and delightfully clever, The Swifts is a remarkable debut that is both brilliantly contemporary and instantly classic. A celebration of words and individuality, it's packed with games, wordplay, and lots and lots of mischief as Shenanigan sets out to save her family and define herself in a world where definitions are so important.

©2023 Beth Lincoln (P)2023 Listening Library

Critic reviews

★ “Lincoln’s love of lexicon shines. A delightful pick for sharp readers enamored of gothic sensibilities and clever prose.” —Shelf Awareness, starred review

★ “A Gothic novel of corrosive values… Lincoln’s manor-set murder mystery maintains a Knives Out feel by way of Lemony Snicket… But crackling puns outpace the body count as this archly told, never muddled debut whodunit reveals a roster of distinct characters, a labyrinthine setting and plot, and a mystery that is as clever as its heroine.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “Taking the classic manor house whodunit for a wild ride, Lincoln mixes hidden rooms and agendas, a sprawling family with unusual naming practices, gender identity discoveries, high comedy and low punning, murder, and more, then stirs briskly. While clues, suspects, and terrific set pieces pile up, the author not only pitches her young investigators into situations both life-threatening and comical, but pulls in a large supporting cast—memorable for more than just their monikers—for perceptive explorations of family ties, pressures, and responsibilities.” —Booklist, starred review

MORE! MORE! MORE!!!

FINALLY!!!!!!!! A great book series I could dive into a COULD NOT put down! A great novel is a great novel is a great novel - geared for Children or not - WHO CARES!!

I loved loved loved this book! I'm in my 40s! I read this in one sitting over the span of a 24 hour period. This book is incredible for all ages. The characters, the plot, the twists, the turns EVERYTHING about this book is a 5 star!!! I discovered The Swifts a bit late but it was released last year with Book 2 coming out in August. Beth Lincoln is a new author and this her first literary endeavor! What a debut!!! Bravo Beth! I can't wait for August for Book 2!!! This funny, endearing, eerie, edge of your seat GREAT. THANK YOU for a fine beautiful novel that reads to any reader instead of just for kids or talk down to kids as if they couldn't understand something a bit more mature!

Damn! I can't say enough.... Simply put, kids, no kids, --- 30s, 40s, 50s, 90s! READ / LISTEN to THIS BOOK.

Vibrant Language

The language and narrator made this book quite enjoyable. The first half took a bit for me to get into but necessary to understand the plot.

Inspired

Twists and turns, language play, development of some characters, kind life lessons. The story was fun and sweet. There was a villain though! So glad I listened to this book.

Clever and quirky- lots of good representation!

I loved this book- I really hope the author writes more, even if not in the same series! I'm VERY picky about the books I read, and often find I can't get all the way through many of them. This one, however, hooked me and didn't let go! It was always exciting, but never got too dark despite the topic. This book also has AMAZING character development and entertaining twists and turns. The clues are all there too, just very cleverly placed, so you can try to solve the mystery yourself while you listen if you like the mental exercise! Overall I loved it, especially as someone who loves the wittiness of British humor.

I do believe the sample may be misleading (in a way that reflects, because the author reads the forward while the narrator reads the actual book, and Audible has a bad habit of just using the prologue/forward as the sample. And I believe in this case it resulted in the author's narration being the sample rather than the actual narrator. And since obviously the author is the author, not a professional narrator, this is kind of a bad call on Audible's part. The real narrator has a smooth British accent and is very easy to listen to!

Finally, I'm adding this purely because of some reviews I saw before listening that REALLY got under my skin. This book is inclusive. It features characters of various races, orientations and genders. I've read several reviews from people review bombing based SOLELY upon the fact that they don't agree with 'that kind of thing', citing religion or politics (as if someone just EXISTING is some kind of political statement). If the mere EXISTENCE of people who are different from you offends you so much that you feel the need to leave bad faith reviews based on ideology rather than actual quality, please just don't. Review bombing because you don't agree with the existence of a character (please note, there is NOTHING inappropriate, literally just the characters EXISTING) is incredibly childish and small-minded. In that same vein, please READ the reviews before making your decision, because people are feeling increasingly comfortable doing the above and you'll miss out on something great if you just blindly look at the number of stars.

Waste of money and time

This is very violent and politicized. It should not be a children’s book at all in my opinion.