A Shot in the Dark

By: Lynne Truss

Narrated by: Matt Green

Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

After the notorious 'Middle Street Massacre' of 1951, when the majority of Brighton's criminals wiped one another out in a vicious battle as the local police force enjoyed a brief stop en route for an ice cream, Inspector Steine rather enjoys life as a policeman. 

No criminals, no crime, no stress. 

He just wishes Sergeant Brunswick would stop insisting that perhaps not every criminal was wiped out that fateful day. So it's really rather annoying when an ambitious - not to mention irritating - new Constable shows up to work and starts investigating a series of burglaries. And it's even more annoying when, after Constable Twitten is dispatched to the theatre for the night, he sits next to a vicious theatre critic who is promptly shot dead partway through the opening night of a new play. It seems Brighton may be in need of a police force after all.... 

©2018 Lynne Truss (P)2018 W.F. Howes Ltd

Funny and Brilliant

If you like your mysteries absolutely madcap and completely hilarious, then this is exactly the book you want. I was screaming with laughter throughout, and the mystery is genuinely surprising, too.

A somewhat fun send-up of police procedurals

I think Lynne Truss is a very good writer, and loved "Life at Absolute Zero" and "Eats, Shoots and Leaves." But she clearly had her tongue firmly lodged in her cheek when writing this one... it takes the tropes of the conventional "police procedural" murder mystery and takes them to absurd extremes just for fun (the moronic Chief Inspector who takes all the credit, the much smarter constable who is always showing him up behind the scenes, the unlikely villains, the well-placed coincidences, etc.). It is fun in its own way, but it's a bit like a bad pun -- the appropriate response seems to be a groan, rather than a laugh. I do have to say the killer's solution to "disempower" Constable Twitten at the end is very clever ('nuff said, no spoilers).

I'm guessing the others in the series are along the same lines. I'll probably try one or two, but chances are I'll get tired of the leg-pulling after a while.

Funny, funny funny!

Loved it, actually laughed out loud. Can't wait to listen to the rest of them.

Save your credit or your money!

Agonizingly dull and flat! The end doesn't come soon enough. This is one to avoid.

Good Fun

This sort of who dunnit story with great narration of the story and interpretation of the characters had some lovely laugh out loud moments.
It was a fun listen.

Love this

Having thoroughly enjoyed Life at Absolute Zero I looked for more Lynne Truss stories. So pleased to have found the Brighton constabulary in the 1950s and their improbable murders. Such a good listen. Not for those looking for serious murder mysteries but if you enjoy a good story, well drawn characters, Brighton setting and gentle humour then this is pure gold.

Loved the story lines

Nice.y narrated with characterisation voices, albeit preferred the follow on series of BBC4 casted dramatisation.

Bally marvellous

Characters are loveable, story line clever and references to the era absolutely bang on. I loved it. Narrator is bally hilarious in portraying each of the main cast. Starting the next book straight away!
Bally marvellous.

Disappointing

I'm probably in the minority but this was a waste of my time. Such Irritating characters that I felt no sympathy with at all mean I shall not be looking for other books by this author or narrator. I really couldn't care what happened to any of them which is an essential for me be invested in a book. What a shame, this will be returned.

Only OK

odd pauses where they shouldn't be such as before 'but' to the extent that it breaks the flow of the reading and at least two unedited retakes.

A shot in the dark

Awful, puerile, l couldn’t listen anymore to such childish rubbish. I went straight to the end to enable me to write a review. Sorry, not for me.