Stone's Fall

By: Iain Pears

Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong, Daniel Coonan, Jonathan Keeble

This is the story of John Stone, financier and armaments manufacturer, a man so wealthy that in the years before World War I he was able to manipulate markets, industries, and indeed whole countries and continents.

A panoramic novel with a riveting mystery at its heart, Stoneï¿¿ï¿¿s Fall is a quest to discover how and why John Stone dies, falling out of a window at his London home.

Chronologically, it goes backwards, and Stone's character deepens as the book progresses. Here is a love story and a murder mystery, set against the backdrop of the evolution of high-stakes international finance, Europe's first great age of espionage, and the start of the 20th century's arms race.

©2009 Iain Pears (P)2009 Isis Publishing Ltd

Historical ooze

Storylines aside, Iain Peers (re)creates fabulous historical tableaus which ooze: the smells, textures, surfaces and light of a time that is not our own - it's worth the price of admission alone. While I enjoyed Stone's Fall, I found it dragged in places. I prefer the tighter 'An Instance of the Fingerpost'.

Still Fabulous the Second Time Round

The twists and turns, fascinating characters and perfect pace in such beautiful prose make this one of my all-time favourites. Now I'm also rereading An Instance of the Fingerpost. Thank you Mr Pears for these gifts!

Woven Tapestry

This is a very good listen for it explores the plot from a variety of veiwpoints. Complex but not complicated, elegant but not fluffy. Am on my third listen and still it holds the attention.