Death in Zanzibar

By: M. M. Kaye

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

From one of our most beloved and renowned authors, here is a new edition of this classic masterpiece of mystery and romance.

Dany Ashton is invited to vacation at her stepfather's house in Zanzibar, but even before her airplane takes off there is a stolen passport, a midnight intruder - and murder. In Zanizbar, the family house is Kivulimi, the mysterious "House of Shade", where Dany and the rest of the guests learn that one of them is a desperate killer. The air of freedom and nonchalance that opened the house party fades into growing terror, as the threat of futher violence flowers in the scented air of Zanzibar.

Richly evocative, Death in Zanzibar will charm longtime fans and introduce new ones to this celebrated writer.

©1959, 1983 M.M. Kaye (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Read don't listen

Any additional comments?

I'd read this book and some of the other MM Kaye mysteries years ago. This one was a favorite. They are dated but that's part of the charm. This was the third of these mystery I've listened and the performance is disappointing. The characters are voiced as though it was a melodrama, the manly-men are brusque, loud, abrasive and the women shrill. Dani the young heroine comes off as a whinny nincompoop. If you like this type of story try Death in Cyprus instead.

5 people found this helpful

Bad performance

Why is it that they cannot find narrators to match the book! This is a lovely little mystery (a bit dated but still a fun book) but the narration ruined it for me. An American obviously trying on an English accent...and not done at all well! I was able to complete the listen but only because I wanted to hear how it ended. Otherwise a waste of time.

5 people found this helpful

Old Favorite Now in Audio

I read and loved M. M. Kaye's mystery series decades ago. When I finished one, I always had the urge to travel to the location in which they were set (Zanzibar, Kenya, Kashmir, Cyprus). It was a pleasure to see Death in Zanzibar available on Audible.com. Written in the late 1950's, Death in Zanzibar is an old fashioned mystery. For the most part, it has stood the test of time. I would describe it as an exotic cozy with a strong romantic subplot, if there is such a thing. A cross between Agatha Christie and Elizabeth Peters. If you like a hard boiled police procedural, this isn't the book for you. The narrator does an excellent job.

10 people found this helpful

Love M M Kaye

Would you consider the audio edition of Death in Zanzibar to be better than the print version?

No

Who was your favorite character and why?

Danny. She was the heroine

What three words best describe Bahni Turpin’s performance?

Lively
theatrical
varied

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

exciting mystery in exotic Zanzibar

Any additional comments?

Performance not as good as the cultured voice of Virginia Mckennan. If another of her mysteries are done would prefer another British reader

2 people found this helpful

Dated but ...,

Definitely dated but interesting. Meant to relevant to it's time, 60 years later the US still has a Mid East problem and Africa is more complicated than we realize.

1 person found this helpful

Great narration

I loved the story and didn’t guess the villain. The narration was very entertaining. Dani and Lash travel to Zanzibar amidst lots of cloak and dagger turns.

Love a good murder mysery

And M. M. Kaye is one of my favorite murder mystery writers. Even though I already read the book and know who did it, I still enjoy re-reading her books. I love the characters and the settings.

Great M.M. Kaye

Fantastic plot, great sense of place and time, and flawless performance. One of M.M. Kaye's best, and I'm hooked on Bahni Turpin as a narrator.

Old-fashioned mystery with annoying over the top r

Would you try another book written by M. M. Kaye or narrated by Bahni Turpin?

A book by the author, yes, a book by the same narrotor, no.

What other book might you compare Death in Zanzibar to, and why?

Agatha Christie's mysteries, possibly, but this would ignore the exotic location, and the fact that the characters here are somewhat more fleshed out.

What didn’t you like about Bahni Turpin’s performance?

The female protagonist sounds childish and whiney, quite a few other voices are over the top (`manly man' , `pretentious man',...) detracting and distracting from the content.

Do you think Death in Zanzibar needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. It's all resolved, and there isn't enough depth to the characters to warrant further stories about them.

Any additional comments?

This book is set in the fifties, and somewhat old-fashioned, and readers should know that.

3 people found this helpful