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Wealthy Sir Hubert Handesley's original and lively weekend house parties are deservedly famous. To amuse his guests, he has devised a new form of the fashionable Murder Game, in which a guest is secretly selected to commit a 'murder' in the dark, and everyone assembles to solve the crime. But when the lights go up this time, there is a real corpse....
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the young, feisty, devastatingly acute Horace Rumpole in this collection of cracking cases, also starring Timothy West as the older Rumpole. Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders: It is the '50s, and two war heroes have been shot dead. Defending the suspect is deemed hopeless, so the case is handed to a novice. But the novice's superiors didn't count on the tenacity and wit of the young and hungry Horace Rumpole.
Three perplexing puzzles - and three inimitable Wimsey solutions - told with wit, humor, and suspense. Narrator Ian Carmichael, the quintessential Lord Peter, provides great entertainment with his talented performance of these three stories. In "Striding Folly", a frightening dream provides a haunting premonition. A house numbered 13 is in a street of even numbers, and a dead man was never alive in "The Haunted Policeman." And "Talboys" sees Lord Peter's own children accused of theft.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Louise Brealey read a love story in letters, played out against the backdrop of the Second World War. 'Can you feel, as you read these words, that I am thinking of you now; aglow, alive, alert at the thought that you are in the same world, and by some strange chance loving me.' A small blue box opened in 2008 revealed a wartime world of love, longing and frustration. Inside were bundles and bundles of letters written neatly on thin blue airmail paper or headed army notepaper.
Benedict Cumberbatch reads five stories featuring the famous vegetarian railway detective, Thorpe Hazell, as heard on BBC Radio 4. In "The Affair of the German Dispatch-Box", Hazell hatches a daring plan to retrieve a highly sensitive government document before it reaches the German Ambassador. In "Sir Gilbert Murrell's Picture", when an entire wagon containing valuable paintings disappears from a goods train, Hazell's skill is needed. Plus three more adventures!
Ian Carmichael stars as Lord Peter Wimsey in the much-acclaimed radio dramatisations of: Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, Strong Poison, Five Red Herrings and Have His Carcase.
Wealthy Sir Hubert Handesley's original and lively weekend house parties are deservedly famous. To amuse his guests, he has devised a new form of the fashionable Murder Game, in which a guest is secretly selected to commit a 'murder' in the dark, and everyone assembles to solve the crime. But when the lights go up this time, there is a real corpse....
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the young, feisty, devastatingly acute Horace Rumpole in this collection of cracking cases, also starring Timothy West as the older Rumpole. Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders: It is the '50s, and two war heroes have been shot dead. Defending the suspect is deemed hopeless, so the case is handed to a novice. But the novice's superiors didn't count on the tenacity and wit of the young and hungry Horace Rumpole.
Three perplexing puzzles - and three inimitable Wimsey solutions - told with wit, humor, and suspense. Narrator Ian Carmichael, the quintessential Lord Peter, provides great entertainment with his talented performance of these three stories. In "Striding Folly", a frightening dream provides a haunting premonition. A house numbered 13 is in a street of even numbers, and a dead man was never alive in "The Haunted Policeman." And "Talboys" sees Lord Peter's own children accused of theft.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Louise Brealey read a love story in letters, played out against the backdrop of the Second World War. 'Can you feel, as you read these words, that I am thinking of you now; aglow, alive, alert at the thought that you are in the same world, and by some strange chance loving me.' A small blue box opened in 2008 revealed a wartime world of love, longing and frustration. Inside were bundles and bundles of letters written neatly on thin blue airmail paper or headed army notepaper.
Benedict Cumberbatch reads five stories featuring the famous vegetarian railway detective, Thorpe Hazell, as heard on BBC Radio 4. In "The Affair of the German Dispatch-Box", Hazell hatches a daring plan to retrieve a highly sensitive government document before it reaches the German Ambassador. In "Sir Gilbert Murrell's Picture", when an entire wagon containing valuable paintings disappears from a goods train, Hazell's skill is needed. Plus three more adventures!
Ian Carmichael stars as Lord Peter Wimsey in the much-acclaimed radio dramatisations of: Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, Strong Poison, Five Red Herrings and Have His Carcase.
Benedict Cumberbatch reads these four new Sherlock Holmes stories by John Taylor: 'An Inscrutable Masquerade', 'The Conundrum of Coach 13', 'The Trinity Vicarage Larceny' and 'The 10.59 Assassin'. Inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories, John Taylor has written four more mysteries featuring the world's greatest detective. Read by acclaimed actor Benedict Cumberbatch, these new adventures share all the suspense of the original tales.
Whose Body? first introduced Lord Peter to the world and begins with a corpse in the bath of a London flat. Clouds of Witness finds Wimsey investigating murder close to home, and in Unnatural Death he investigates the suspicious demise of an elderly woman. First broadcast on BBC radio in the 1970s and presented here in their entirety, these full-cast adaptations are admired by fans of the genre worldwide.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the young Horace Rumpole in this second stellar collection of court cases, also starring Timothy West as the older Rumpole. 'Rumpole and the Man of God': It is 1959, and Rumpole must defend a clergyman accused of shoplifting who, although he clearly did not commit the crime, is curiously reluctant to be cross-examined under oath. Meanwhile, Hilda (she who must be obeyed) has big news....
In this Christmas special 'Molokai' - It's Christmas morning, but when Carolyn schedules an extra stop-off to the Hawaiian island of Molokai, Arthur has just seven minutes to celebrate Christmas. Stephanie Cole, Benedict Cumberbatch & Roger Allam star in the second series of the hit sitcom about the tiny charter airline for whom no job is too small, but many, many jobs are too difficult.
John Finnemore (Dead Ringers & Mitchell & Webb) has written this brilliant new sitcom starring Stephanie Cole, Roger Allam & Benedict Cumberbatch. Cabin Pressure is set in a small airline business. The flipside of the glamorous world of international airlines.
The complete finale of the hit BBC Radio 4 sitcom- 2 episodes. Cabin Pressure is set in the wing and prayer world of a tiny, one-plane airline, staffed by two pilots, one on his way down, and one who was never up to start with. In this, the finale of the whole series, we discover that for MJN Air, whether it's choosing an ice-cream flavour, putting a princess in a van or remembering your grandmother's name, no job is too small, but, many, many jobs are too difficult.
A collection of BBC radio full-cast dramatisations of Jane Austen's six major novels. Jane Austen is one of the finest writers in the English language, and this volume includes all six of her classic novels. Mansfield Park: on a quest to find a position in society, Fanny Price goes to live with her rich aunt and uncle. Northanger Abbey: young, naïve Catherine Morland receives an invitation to stay at the isolated Gothic mansion Northanger Abbey.
Seven BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations of P. D. James' acclaimed mysteries, plus P. D. James in Her Own Words. This collection includes: Cover Her Face, A Taste for Death, Devices and Desires, A Certain Justice, The Private Patient, An Unsuitable Job for a Woman and The Skull Beneath the Skin.
The first part of the Memoirs of Giacomo Casanova, a special film tie-in version. The film, starring Heath Ledger as Casanova with Jeremy Irons and Sienna Miller, will be released in UK February 2006.
When George Abbershaw is invited to Black Dudley Manor for the weekend, he has only one thing on his mind - proposing to Meggie Oliphant. Unfortunately for George, things don't quite go according to plan. A harmless game turns decidedly deadly and suspicions of murder take precedence over matrimony. Trapped in a remote country house with a murderer, George can see no way out. But Albert Campion can.
Benedict Cumberbatch reads Ian Kelly’s biography of one of the most beguiling and controversial individuals of any age. In this fascinating biography of the notorious libertine, Ian Kelly draws on documents by Casanova, his friends, and his lovers (male and female) in order to bring fresh insights to the man’s life and world. The sights and smells of 18th-century Europe are brought keenly to life, as are the colourful incidents of Casanova’s life.
Felicity Jones, David Tennant and Benedict Cumberbatch star in BBC Radio 4's full-cast dramatisation of the novel by Jane Austen, one of the great English classics. Seeking a position in society, young Fanny Price goes to live with her rich aunt and uncle. But her life there is not as she might wish. Felicity Jones plays Fanny, whilst David Tennant is her cousin Tom and Benedict Cumberbatch his brother Edmund.
The season had begun. Débutantes and chaperones were planning their luncheons, teas, dinners, balls. And the blackmailer was planning his strategies, stalking his next victim. But Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn knew that something was up. He had already planted his friend Lord Robert Gospell at the scene. But someone else got there first...
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
On the whole, probably not. I'm a fan of Ngaio Marsh and other classic English mystery writers largely for the restoratively escapist experience they provide -- the luxury of immersing myself in a not-too-serious puzzle in an elegantly mannered, rarified society at a distant time, without bothering my little head about the real world questions of social justice and an impermeable class system, economic depression, and xenophobia that also characterized these times. I also consider listening to the perfect vowels and resonant tones of Benedict Cumberbatch's voice a truly satisfying indulgence. Unfortunately, Cumberbatch doesn't do young women spectacularly well, and he does American women less successfully than English women. Since many of the most importent characters in this story, both the ones we're supposed to love and the ones were supposed to despise, are women, that fact makes the escapist exercise of suspending disbelief more difficult, the experience a bit less satisfying. Moreover, I have never thought that Marsh does very well by her characters when they are trying to express deep emotions, especially romantic ones. Lines that had struck me as uninspired or unsuccessful when reading this old favorite--but which I shrugged off, and read on in search of the bad guys -- are revealed as jaw-droppingly silly, vapid, even embarrassing in narration. (I suspect that the abridgment makes it even worse, as these things seem to come even more out of the blue than in the original, but I think the fault is there in the original.). Again, hard to stay rapt in the the moment when the urbane hero is making an implausible goob of himself. Overall I still enjoyed both the narration and the story, but I suspect that I could have spent the time on much more edifying or, alternatively, more effectively escapist, offerings.
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
Either left the development of the Alleyn -- Troy romance to another time, or done much more with it, more believably. I also would have made Cumberbatch's interpretations of the characters "Donna" and Bridget less affected and more straightforward.
Which character – as performed by Benedict Cumberbatch – was your favorite?
A toss-up. Cumberbatch's voice is ideal for Alleyn: I don't think I'd want to hear anyone else do it. Cumberbatch brought out aspects of Lord Robert Gospell's character that I had overlooked when reading the book, so I was surprised and then impressed by what he did with that character.
Do you think Death in a White Tie needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
As to writing, a moot point: there are many, many Alleyn books, and Dame Ngaio is no longer with us. As to recording, yes, absolutely. Cumberbatch should do as many of these books as possible, preferably focussing on books that have a high proportion of men and/or elderly women in the dramatis personae. And then he should do the Campion stories. And the Lord Peter Wimsey stories. And all the Sherlock Holmes.
11 of 12 people found this review helpful
I hate to say this because I love Benedict Cumberbatch's speaking voice, but the narration on this audiobook is really bad - the pacing is too quick and, espcially with the fast pacing, it's difficult to tell one speaker from another. There are parts where the narration is much better and there is tone and emotion in the various character's voices, and other times when it sounds like the book is being read quickly with little inflection, as if under time constraints. I don't know if that's a post-production issue or if Cumberbatch read it that way.
I haven't decided if I'm going to continue or return it. I might choose an unabridged Ngaio Marsh title with a different narrator, as I can see some good mystery underneath it all.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Benedict Cumberbatch reads Marsh's work brilliantly, giving the story charm and humour, emotion and detail. Set in an upper class realm of debutantes and high society, Marsh's mystery makes for a very entertaining and amusing audiobook. Highly recommended.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Would you consider the audio edition of Death in a White Tie to be better than the print version?
I love the book, but Benedict Cumberbatch's performance adds an extra dose of goodness.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Death in a White Tie?
I loved the scene between Alleyn and Lord Robert where the inspector enlists his friend to "go undercover."
Have you listened to any of Benedict Cumberbatch’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I've listened to two others and all are absolutely wonderful. Aside from his deliciously sexy voice, he has a real knack for character voices and gave each their own personality.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The interactions between Alleyn and Troy were very sweet.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
superb! kept me totally entertained and longing for more. I will revisit again and again!
Fabulous as always! And who better than Cumberbatch to bring it to life! A classic!
What about Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance did you like?
Benedict has a wonderful voice which he uses to bring all of the characters to life. It makes it so much easier to keep track of who everyone is.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I listen to the whole thing in one sitting.
Any additional comments?
This is a classic with all the characters you've come to love. This book seems to take place immediately after An Artist In Crime and continues the romance between the detective and the painter he met in Fuji.
loved this rendering of Death in a White Tie
(make that pg13 for adult themes)
I love Ngaio (ny-oh) Marsh
her writing is superb PG rated stuff
fascinating stuff.
well done on all the voices and accents. (even American) Mr Cumberbatch.
well spent time and money
The reader is brilliant but the abridged version is, well, too abridged. The listener sadly misses out on the delightful characters and complex story.
Marsh is much better than Agatha Christie better character development. Highly recommend all her works
Benedict Cumberbatch is fantastic at the voice acting in this one, there are times when you really forget that it is all just him and there isn't some elderly stiff upper lip gentleman or a querulous old woman acting it with him. The storyline itself is great and you will be working to figure out how the crime was pulled off, and serious kudos if you actually manage to guess it before the big reveal.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Would you consider the audio edition of Death in a White Tie to be better than the print version?
YES, the performance had the lively quality of a radio play. I felt every moment that I was in the room.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Death in a White Tie?
Inspector Alleyn description of Troy; "would he ever recover from the love of her"
What does Benedict Cumberbatch bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
He has a mastery of voices that bring each character vividly to life, conjuring a whole person out of the air.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Allen and Troy' s reunion.
Any additional comments?
After listening to "death in white tie" I immediately downloaded another Marsh/Cumberbatch book.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I bought this abridged version by mistake so will no doubt wind up buying the full version at some point! Benedict Cumberbatch is a good narrator, giving clarity to both male and female characters. He does mispronounce 'Alleyn' as Allain all the through, which I found mildly irritating. It's such a fundamental slip on the part of the production team. Having said that, I have listened to this story more than once, so if you like abridged books, this one has been treated well.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
A classic who-dun-it from a still very popular author. The downside of this book is that it's abridged - shame! However, the upside is that it's narrated by the absolutely excellent Benedict Cumberbatch who brings it alive in such a way that it's quite a job to realise that it's just one person reading this book. I just wish that it was the whole book he was reading, and not an abridged version.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
What made the experience of listening to Death in a White Tie the most enjoyable?
Benedict Cumberbatch's narration was amazing, proving he is as amazing narrator as well as a talented and amazing actor!! More please!!
What was one of the most memorable moments of Death in a White Tie?
Excellent story, strong characters
Have you listened to any of Benedict Cumberbatch’s other performances? How does this one compare?
Yes listened to them all, I'd love more, he's someone along with Tom Hiddleston I could listen to all day long!.....
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, couldn't bring myself to stop listening
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
absolutely love the story telling, Benedict's voices are excellent. good story and well worth a re-listen. one of my Sunday morning favourites.
The reading was lovely, beautiful acting, but oh dear there were bits when the voice dropped so low I simply couldn't catch the words. Story was lovely in its period fashion and the end quite a surprise after so many herrings had been landed
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Yeees......... It was a pleasant way to pass a few hours and of course Benedict Cumberbatch is great but I literally can't remember what the book was about only a couple of weeks later!
What could Ngaio Marsh have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Made it more interesting
Which character – as performed by Benedict Cumberbatch – was your favourite?
cant remember any of them!
Do you think Death in a White Tie needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
No. One was enough
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Most enjoyable Inspector Alleyn story, and fantastic characterisation and narration by Benedict C. if you like the whodunnits of early last century, you should enjoy this.