Whodunnit?: Murder in Mystery Manor

By: Anthony Zuiker

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

A grand estate. Ten unsuspecting guests. A diabolical game of life and death.

A companion to the upcoming show Whodunnit? on ABC.

Ten excited guests arrive at the Westlake Estate, expecting a lavish retreat. They are the winners of a sweepstakes to "Live Like a Billionaire for a Week." But what was supposed to be a promising escape soon turns into a horrific nightmare. Within hours of arrival, the guests sit down for an extravagant dinner. When they pull their party poppers as instructed, a loud chorus of bangs resounds, followed by earsplitting screams as the guest seated at the head of the table bursts into flames and slumps to the floor. The others are told they must solve the crime or be the next victim. The killer, their diabolical host, is hiding among the frightened guests. Is the murderer the well-toned trophy wife, the retired deputy sheriff, the stoned college dropout, or perhaps the sweet, homely grandmother? The killer toys with them, inviting the guests to explore the lavish estate, from the stables to the hedge maze, in an effort to uncover the gory details of how the murderer pulled off such a gruesome murder. Alliances are forged carefully and information is shared warily, since none of the remaining guests knows whom to trust. The next to die a hideous death will be the one with the least accurate solution to the latest murder. In the end, only three guests will remain: the winner, the loser, and the killer.

Full of tricky plot twists and over-the-top schemes, Whodunnit? Murder in Mystery Manner is riveting required listening for mystery fans. Listeners are treated to an edge-of-their-seat thriller as they participate in solving the crime. It's Clue meets Ten Little Indians.

Anthony E. Zuiker is the creator and executive producer of the CSI franchise, which includes CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, and CSI: NY. His mystery reality show, Whodunnit?, is his first foray into unscripted television. He lives in Los Angeles with his three children and his wife, Michelle.

Whodunnit is performed by the show's host/butler, accomplished narrator Gildart Jackson.

©2013 Anthony Zuiker (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Bring me More!!!

I had see a little of the TV show. Not liking it at all but these books are fantastic. I love the narrators voice. I would pay for these free books no problem!! Bring me some more!!!!!!!!!!

Kinda Like "Ten Little Indians" -- Not for kids

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The author says at the beginning that people like to solve the crime along with the detective in the story. That, however, requires some clues to be dropped along the way. Some red herrings are expected, but not like thoughts described in the mind of the murderer that lead you to believe that he/she is truly sympathetic to the victims. Even assuming that the murderer is a sociopath, this is not quite fair play by the author. This may be acceptable for a TV script in which resolution is expected in an hour, but it doesn't play very well in a book.

The book also comes through like a remake of the movies "Clue" and "Murder by Death". The main difference lies in some truly ingenious albeit lurid and contrived murder methods.

I would NOT change the narrator -- he's great!

If you’ve listened to books by Anthony Zuiker before, how does this one compare?

N/A

Which scene was your favorite?

The resolution, which was left truly up in the air till the end, although how the murderer came to be able to afford the setup is truly mysterious.

Did Free: Whodunnit? inspire you to do anything?

Not particularly -- my background obviated the need to check the technologies in the murder methods, most of which I figured out before the textbook solution was revealed.

Any additional comments?

How can one complain about a free book? Not a waste of time, but I suspect that Zuiker, who showed some ingenuity in the murder methods, can do better by applying it to the plot as a whole. (He showed more in CSI in my opinion.)

I love this book

I love murder mystery and I love the game clue so when it seemed to be clue type of book. I thought to myself why not if I hate it I can always return it. So I tried it and I love it. I highly recommend this book who loves clue type of books. I have already bought the second one and I am going to try it

Fabulous book

Is it has many twists and turns Joe never believe who the murderer is unless you actually listen to the third book first which I accidentally did but that isn't properly find that was an accident but overall fabulous

great read!

I usually don't read mystery novels but I was enthralled by this one and the sequel. It was free but definitely worth paying for if it cost money.

sooo good!

excellent. couldn't stop listening! I really was wondering throughout who did it and usually I figure it out right away. the narrator is so good I have downloaded other books he has done because love his style. I wish there were more of these. He only wrote two and they're both really captivating! ! must read!!

Just barely worth the time, but for free why not?

With a more talented writer this could have been pretty enjoyable. Obviously the premise is contrived, nearly ridiculous, but I was willing to suspend disbelief. I just would have felt better about spending time listening to this if it was better written. However, if you need something to listen to and don't have a credit, it might be worth a try.

Captivating

The narration is great, however I was a left hanging and confused at the end. Overall, a very interesting and twisted story.

Great story but get on with it already!

I listen to audio books at work and found the narrator easy to listen to and engaging while still being able to work. The story was entertaining and fun to listen to but by the 4th and 5th victims, I found the repetition a little tedious. Person dies, investigation, share evidence, challenge, find out who could die next, repeat. It got a tad slow toward the middle but overall, a great audio book.

crazy mystery

riveting. excellent story. kept me on my toes trying to see who would be next and the killer was.