The Agora Letters Volume 2: Five Historical Murder Mysteries

By: Clay Boutwell

Narrated by: Clay Boutwell

It is 1890. In the twilight of his years, Carl Brooke records his reminiscences as a member of the Agora Society. Each letter describes the society's involvement in solving a crime, often coming to the aid of Captain Barnwell of the Boston police.

Get five complete mysteries in one. This collection includes stories six through 10 in the Agora Mystery series:

• Murder by Monday, Book 6
• Eggs over Arsenic, Book 7
• Remember Thy Oath, Book 8
• The Felled Crabapple Tree, Book 9
• The Eye of Bennu, Book 10

Knowledge of prior stories is not necessary to enjoy any of these mysteries in any order.

©2018 Clay Boutwell (P)2018 Clay Boutwell

Fabulous Historical Mysteries

First: the stories themselves are beautifully written. Strongly written characters, excellent mysteries and plots. Second: I had no idea that the author was such an amazing narrator! This explains his storytelling skills as a writer!

5 Great Mysteries from Victorian America

Clay Boutwell is a brilliant story teller whose talents as both a writer and a narrator are showcased in this collection of stories about an investigator for the Agora Society.
The stories are well told in a classic Victorian style that hearkens back to the best of Arthur Conan Doyle. The hero, Brooke solves a series of apparently unrelated cases with the help of his friend and colleague Captain Barnwell. There's plenty of action, great attention to detail both in describing the characters and setting and in documenting our hero's painstaking investigative techniques, a brilliant, devious and thoroughly evil mastermind lurking in the background like a haunting refrain in a Hollywood thriller, and the edge-of-your-seat finale is both thrilling and satisfying.
I loved the individual stories and the vehicle of the Agora society which ties them all together in a neat package.
A collection that's well worth your time.

Murder Most Foul--History and Mystery

This series of five epistolary-style tales, delightfully narrated by the author, is the second half of a group of ten which comprise the entire arc of the Agora Society stories. Each demonstrates different qualities of observation in ferreting out the relevant issues which have created the conundrum at hand. While most of these stand alone (nine and ten are better read together), the overarching context is better served by reading them in order. Set post Civil War, the narration and language by and of the author exemplifies the stiffer proprieties of the times and the more formal style of writing contemporary thereto. (Sorry, it's catching!) Fans of Poe and Doyle should be enthralled!
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Murder by Monday, Book 6~~In Defense of Dogs
A penitent murderer is being haunted by his past sin; but did he even kill the man he'd shot in self defense?
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Eggs over Arsenic, Book 7~~The Art Critic
A drawing room whodunnit with a deserving corpse and some pretty seedy suspects.
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Remember Thy Oath, Book 8~~Pirates!
Legally, duress negates contracts, but pirates don't operate under the law. Can The Agora Society save the day?
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The Felled Crabapple Tree, Book 9~~Civil War Trauma
A veritable love story, there is still a great deal of historic action and reaction in this tale of a Civil War veteran's changed personality, now known as PTSD. Flawed people still want to appear perfect to their loved ones; but can one live with oneself, knowing one has wronged another? Another quandry to be solved.
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The Eye of Bennu, Book 10~~Facing His Nemesis
Within the series of 10 stories, most of the previous tales really seem to stand on their own within a greater story arc involving the Agora Society. However, by the time you get to the last two, the interrelatedness becomes compelling and, although you would have a fine fable with just the last chapter, the integration of the whole is worth the effort to read the entire series, or at least stories nine and ten together. I had the benefit of listening to the author read his own words and enact them, using distinct voices for the different characters, with as much skill as a professional voice artist. This episode represents the conclusion and brings history and mystery together, tying off all the disparate threads one didn't realize had been left hanging.

Well Done

This series is one of my favorites. Told in the form of a letter and set in the Victorian era, each story is infused with the language and behavior of the time all revolving around a mystery.

The reader here is the author whose voice is a wonderful match for this series. His absolute familiarity with the material allows all the emotion and nuance he intended. Well done and very enjoyable.

Okay

I was gifted this audiobook with the understanding that I would leave an honest review.
I see that most reviews are 4 or 5 stars. I thought I would just love this series but I had a really hard time getting into it. It is not a bad story but just not one I loved or want to explore more. So please give this book a chance and make up your own mine. The narration for this book was done by the author and I did enjoy his voice very much.