Death of an Author

De: E. C. R. Lorac

Narrado por: Simon Mattacks

Vivian Lestrange - celebrated author of the popular mystery novel The Charterhouse Case and total recluse - has apparently dropped off the face of the Earth. Reported missing by his secretary Eleanor, whom Inspector Bond suspects to be the author herself looking for publicity, it appears that crime is afoot when Lestrange's housekeeper is also found to have disappeared. Bond and Warner of Scotland Yard set to work to investigate a murder with no body and a potentially fictional victim, as E. C. R. Lorac spins a twisting tale full of wry humour and red herrings, poking some fun at her contemporary reviewers who long suspected the Lorac pseudonym to belong to a man (since a woman could apparently not have written mysteries the way that she did).

©1935 The Estate of E. C. R. Lorac (P)2023 Soundings

Excellent

And thoroughly enjoyable. The mystery was interesting, the characters thoughtfully drawn, and the conclusion surprising but plausible.

Fun Listen, Well Read

This was a recommendation after I finished the Lord Wimsey books, it was fun. I’ll explore more from this author.

Everything You Want Out of a Mystery

A classic mystery, that is, with an emphasis on character and dialogue. The buoyant character of our chief inspector is infectious. His detective sergeant is skeptical yet surprisingly imaginative. Their chief suspect is an enigma and a treasure at the same time. And Simon Mattacks makes them even more engaging.

What's more, this is a book that, among other topics, discusses the idea of the mystery story as serious literature, something other than, as the publisher character here puts it, "here today and gone tomorrow". Certainly we should be glad this one is still here today.

Surprisingly Good with Fantastic Narrator

Warning: avoid the foreword which is used as the preview. It gives too much away! If you want to get a sense of the narrator’s voice, listen to a preview from another book he reads. And rest assured—he is excellent!

Well crafted plot that kept me guessing up to the end with an excellent narrator who shifted between characters expertly. There are precious few “here we are in Lord Dilly’s antechamber” moments that it seems to me only Agatha Christie can pull off, though I enjoyed the occasional visit to the London club and such. The book’s characters really seemed to come alive. Even though the clue gathering is quite improbable, the well crafted plot allows you to suspend disbelief and enjoy the puzzlement of it all.

I loved the Scotland Yard detective on the case, the intelligent, imaginative Warner, and the nuts and bolts police officer Boyd, both of whom have endless time to mull and discuss the case—fine by me as I go about my household chores.

Bought this on sale but now that I have read it, I would have been happy and satisfied had I paid full price or used one of my credits.

Surprisingly Complex..

I was quite impressed by the author of this book..
It was complex and fully packed with red herrings

Okay at first

but by the end I just didn't care. Narration a good fit for the story.

Convoluted

this was an interesting story and not formulaic. more repetitive than necessary, rehashing the evidence, but satisfying ending.

My favorite so far

Lorac was skilled and clever and the performance of this book was well done. The flow and plot twists were superb, the threads were neatly tied, and characters consistent

Smart literary mystery

Lots of twists and turns, interesting characters, some thoughtful probing into stereotypes and assumptions. The ending is a bit abrupt, but I enjoyed the detectives process of working through clues and challenging wits with the killer.

Modern classic mystery

Intricate and surprisingly fresh. The puzzle is complex, but not ridiculous. The period details, particularly the transport is great.