The Copper Peacock and Other Stories
People who bought this also bought...
-
A Shot in the Dark
- Mydworth Mysteries - A Cosy Historical Mystery Series 1
- By: Matthew Costello, Neil Richards
- Narrated by: Nathaniel Parker
- Length: 3 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 490
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 433
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 428
Sussex, England, 1929. Mydworth is a sleepy English market town just 50 miles from London. But things are about to liven up there, when young and handsome Sir Harry Mortimer returns home from his diplomatic posting in Cairo, with his beautiful and unconventional American wife, Kat. No sooner have the two arrived, when a jewel robbery occurs at Harry's aunt's home - Mydworth Manor. The police are baffled and overwhelmed with the case. But Harry and Kat have an edge in the hunt for the dangerous culprit.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A good start.
- By justthisonce on 02-09-20
-
A Little Night Murder
- Mydworth Mysteries - A Cosy Historical Mystery Series 2
- By: Matthew Costello, Neil Richards
- Narrated by: Nathaniel Parker
- Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 49
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 47
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 47
From the authors of the best-selling series Cherringham. A young poacher is found shot dead in the woods of a grand estate near Mydworth. A sad accident it would seem. But the boy's mother is convinced it is murder and when Harry and Kat investigate, they find the poacher's life was not as innocent as he made out... Nathaniel Parker, born in 1962, graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and went on to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. His television career began in 1988 when he played Flying Officer 'Flash' Gordon in the LWT mini-series "Piece of Cake".
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Love these characters
- By maria on 03-31-20
-
Beating About the Bush
- An Agatha Raisin Mystery, Book 30
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrated by: Penelope Keith
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 341
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 301
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 299
When private detective Agatha Raisin comes across a severed leg in a roadside hedge, it looks like she is about to become involved in a particularly gruesome murder. Looks, however, can be deceiving, as Agatha discovers when she is employed to investigate a case of industrial espionage at a factory where nothing is quite what it seems. The factory mystery soon turns to murder and a bad-tempered donkey turns Agatha into a national celebrity, before bringing her ridicule and shame.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Penelope is back!!
- By atisha on 12-04-19
-
One Across, Two Down
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Nicky Henson
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 44
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 35
There are only two things in life that interest Stanley: solving crossword puzzles, and getting his hands on his mother-in-law’s money. For 20 years, the puzzles have been his only pleasure, the money his only dream. It has never occurred to Stanley that his mother-in-law would try to outsmart him and the money would never be his. Until now. It is only now that Stanley, so clever at misleading double meanings and devious clues, decides to construct a puzzle of his own - and so give death a helping hand.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fantastic!
- By Suzanne fox on 03-09-18
-
The Veiled One
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 14
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Robin Bailey
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 102
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 69
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 71
Concealed by a shroud of dirty brown velvet was what looked like a heap of rags. In a desolate subterranean car park of a Shopping Centre, Dorothy Sanders pulled back the velvet curtain revealing the grim discovery of a woman’s body. Inspector Michael Burden, for a while conducting the investigation without the help of Wexford’s intuitive genius, blunders down a number of blind alleys before uncovering the truth.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
5/5*
- By Mark Miller on 05-29-15
-
The Keys to the Street
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Simon Russell Beale
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 77
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 61
Mary Jago had donated her own bone marrow to save the life of someone she didn’t know. And this generous act led directly to the bitter break-up of her affair with Alistair. For him, it was as though her beauty had been plundered. But the man whose life she had saved would change Mary’s life in a way she could never have imagined.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Mystery with humor and insight
- By Ida Hagman on 10-02-12
-
A Shot in the Dark
- Mydworth Mysteries - A Cosy Historical Mystery Series 1
- By: Matthew Costello, Neil Richards
- Narrated by: Nathaniel Parker
- Length: 3 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 490
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 433
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 428
Sussex, England, 1929. Mydworth is a sleepy English market town just 50 miles from London. But things are about to liven up there, when young and handsome Sir Harry Mortimer returns home from his diplomatic posting in Cairo, with his beautiful and unconventional American wife, Kat. No sooner have the two arrived, when a jewel robbery occurs at Harry's aunt's home - Mydworth Manor. The police are baffled and overwhelmed with the case. But Harry and Kat have an edge in the hunt for the dangerous culprit.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A good start.
- By justthisonce on 02-09-20
-
A Little Night Murder
- Mydworth Mysteries - A Cosy Historical Mystery Series 2
- By: Matthew Costello, Neil Richards
- Narrated by: Nathaniel Parker
- Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 49
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 47
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 47
From the authors of the best-selling series Cherringham. A young poacher is found shot dead in the woods of a grand estate near Mydworth. A sad accident it would seem. But the boy's mother is convinced it is murder and when Harry and Kat investigate, they find the poacher's life was not as innocent as he made out... Nathaniel Parker, born in 1962, graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and went on to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. His television career began in 1988 when he played Flying Officer 'Flash' Gordon in the LWT mini-series "Piece of Cake".
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Love these characters
- By maria on 03-31-20
-
Beating About the Bush
- An Agatha Raisin Mystery, Book 30
- By: M. C. Beaton
- Narrated by: Penelope Keith
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 341
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 301
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 299
When private detective Agatha Raisin comes across a severed leg in a roadside hedge, it looks like she is about to become involved in a particularly gruesome murder. Looks, however, can be deceiving, as Agatha discovers when she is employed to investigate a case of industrial espionage at a factory where nothing is quite what it seems. The factory mystery soon turns to murder and a bad-tempered donkey turns Agatha into a national celebrity, before bringing her ridicule and shame.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Penelope is back!!
- By atisha on 12-04-19
-
One Across, Two Down
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Nicky Henson
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 44
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 35
There are only two things in life that interest Stanley: solving crossword puzzles, and getting his hands on his mother-in-law’s money. For 20 years, the puzzles have been his only pleasure, the money his only dream. It has never occurred to Stanley that his mother-in-law would try to outsmart him and the money would never be his. Until now. It is only now that Stanley, so clever at misleading double meanings and devious clues, decides to construct a puzzle of his own - and so give death a helping hand.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fantastic!
- By Suzanne fox on 03-09-18
-
The Veiled One
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 14
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Robin Bailey
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 102
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 69
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 71
Concealed by a shroud of dirty brown velvet was what looked like a heap of rags. In a desolate subterranean car park of a Shopping Centre, Dorothy Sanders pulled back the velvet curtain revealing the grim discovery of a woman’s body. Inspector Michael Burden, for a while conducting the investigation without the help of Wexford’s intuitive genius, blunders down a number of blind alleys before uncovering the truth.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
5/5*
- By Mark Miller on 05-29-15
-
The Keys to the Street
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Simon Russell Beale
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 77
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 61
Mary Jago had donated her own bone marrow to save the life of someone she didn’t know. And this generous act led directly to the bitter break-up of her affair with Alistair. For him, it was as though her beauty had been plundered. But the man whose life she had saved would change Mary’s life in a way she could never have imagined.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Mystery with humor and insight
- By Ida Hagman on 10-02-12
-
Vanity Dies Hard
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Eva Haddon
- Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars 22
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 13
Wealthy Alice Whittaker is known for her generosity, and when her friend Nesta vanishes Alice is determined to find her and help her. If that means money, well, Alice has plenty of it. Then the handsome Mr Fielding enters her life, ten years younger than Alice and they marry. But when Alice starts to feel sick -- a virus perhaps, something she just can't shake, her husband seems determined to keep her at home. Is he just being a doting husband who wants his wife to get better?
-
The Water's Lovely
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Siân Thomas
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 35
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 28
The man who had died was Ismay's stepfather, Guy. Nine years on, she and her sister, Heather, still live in the same house in Clapham. But it has been divided into two self-contained flats. Their mother lives upstairs with her sister, Pamela. And the bathroom, where Guy drowned, has disappeared. Ismay works in public relations, and Heather in catering. They get on well. They always have. They never discuss the changes to the house, still less what happened that August day.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Not my favorite RR
- By wobbly on 05-08-14
-
Bodies from the Library 2
- Forgotten Stories of Mystery and Suspense by the Queens of Crime and Other Masters of Golden Age Detection
- By: Tony Medawar
- Narrated by: Philip Bretherton
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 55
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 47
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 46
This anthology of rare stories of crime and suspense brings together 13 tales from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction for the first time in book form, including a newly discovered Gervase Fen novella by Edmund Crispin that has never previously been published. With the Golden Age of detective fiction shining ever more brightly thanks to the recent reappearance of many forgotten crime novels, Bodies from the Library offers a rare opportunity to read lost stories from the first half of the twentieth century by some of the genre’s most accomplished writers.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
After Volume One, Something of a Disappointment
- By John on 07-19-19
-
The Girl Next Door
- A Novel
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Ric Jerrom
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 162
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 142
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 143
In the waning months of the second World War, a group of children discover an earthen tunnel in their neighborhood outside London. Throughout the summer of 1944 - until one father forbids it - the subterranean space becomes their "secret garden," where the friends play games and tell stories. Six decades later, beneath a house on the same land, construction workers uncover a tin box containing two skeletal hands, one male and one female.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Kept unfolding more twists and turns
- By Happy Helena on 02-08-15
-
A Demon in My View
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Julian Glover
- Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 45
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 34
In a gloomy cellar, the figure of a beautiful, pale woman makes no move when the man advances on her from the shadows, puts his hands around her neck and strangles her. Arthur Johnson is a mild-mannered, shy man who has never known how to talk to women. His resulting loneliness has twisted his yearning for love and respect into a carefully constructed predilection for violence and control.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Totally a Ruth Rendell read
- By Dottie B. on 08-08-12
-
The Rottweiler
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Nigel Anthony
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 135
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 118
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 119
The first girl had a bite mark on her neck, but they traced the DNA to her boyfriend. But the tabloids got hold of the story and called the killer 'The Rottweiler' and the name stuck. The latest murder takes place very near Inez Ferry's antique shop in Marylebone. When the Rottweiler’s trinkets start showing up in the shop, suddenly, everyone Inez knows is a suspect, and the killer feels all too close.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Lots of atmosphere, and a Freudian mystery.
- By Sparkly on 11-03-12
-
Piranha to Scurfy
- And Other Stories
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6
The best-selling author of Harm Done and A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell has written dozens of gripping works under her own name and as Barbara Vine. She has received three Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America and four Dagger Awards from England’s Crime Writers Association. How frightening can a book be? Ambrose Ribbon, self-appointed editor and grammar police, is about to find out.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
An uneven collection
- By Alis Aquilæ on 02-06-13
-
Classic Crime Short Stories
- By: Ruth Rendell, Graham Greene, G.K. Chesterton, and others
- Narrated by: Jack Shepherd, Patrick Malahide
- Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 74
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 49
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 48
Discover a world of heroes and villains, suspense and intrigue. This riveting and comprehensive collection brings together some of the best crime writing of all time. Ruth Rendell and Frances Hegarty spearhead the modern genre, moving through the popular and rarely recorded Graham Greene, to Edgar Wallace and G.K. Chesterton and his master detective Father Brown. And that's not all.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Good colection
- By Linda on 11-26-13
-
Wolf to the Slaughter
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 3
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Robin Bailey
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 138
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 108
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 106
Anita Margolis had vanished. There was no body, no crime, nothing more concrete than an anonymous letter and a name. A pattern soon emerged to the investigation. Not only had Anita been wealthy and flighty, she had been thoroughly immortal, too.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Throroughly Enjoyable Mystery!
- By Sarah on 05-11-15
-
Shake Hands For Ever
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 9
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Nigel Anthony
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 80
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 53
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 54
This case is proving a difficult one for Chief Inspector Wexford. All he has to go on is his own intuitive suspicions. Was he becoming cynical and untrusting or was this one of the most ingenious crimes he had ever tackled?
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Ruth Rendell Does Not Fail You For A Good Read
- By Electic Chef on 07-09-12
-
Kissing the Gunner’s Daughter
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 49
Wexford is horrified by the carnage he encounters at Tancred Manor, home of a famous anthropologist, but he is determined to do all that he can for 17-year-old Daisy, the only survivor of the mass murders that obliterated her family.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Entertaining but predictable with rushed ending
- By Customer on 08-17-12
-
Murder Cuts the Mustard
- A Beryl and Edwina Mystery, Book 3
- By: Jessica Ellicott
- Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 455
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 419
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 419
The latest occurrence to disturb the peace in the quaint English village of Walmsley Parva hits rather too close to home - in fact, the prime suspect has taken up residence in Edwina's potting shed. Her elderly gardener Simpkins has been secretly sleeping there after a row with his disreputable brother-in-law and housemate, Hector Lomax. When Hector is found murdered, Constable Gibbs comes looking for Simpkins, last seen arguing with Hector the night before. Based on the sad state of her garden, Edwina has grave doubts that shiftless Simpkins could muster the effort to murder anyone.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Content is great.....and the flaw is Fixed!!
- By DR on 10-31-19
Publisher's Summary
With deceptive economy in these nine short stories, Ruth Rendell indicates hidden depths in ordinary events and creates a sense of profound unease. The stories are: 'A Pair of Yellow Lilies', 'Paperwork', 'Mother’s Hel'p, 'Long Live the Queen', 'Dying Happy', 'The Copper Peacock', 'Weeds', 'The Fish-Sitter', and 'An Unwanted Woman'.
More from the same
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars7
-
4 Stars3
-
3 Stars4
-
2 Stars2
-
1 Stars1
Performance
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars8
-
4 Stars4
-
3 Stars1
-
2 Stars1
-
1 Stars0
Story
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars7
-
4 Stars2
-
3 Stars3
-
2 Stars2
-
1 Stars1
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alis Aquilæ
- 02-02-13
Nine tales of the unexpected
The underlying theme of these nine stories seems to be what happens in the face of selfishness. The self-absorption that keeps one from seeing what one does not wish to see, or what does not affect one personally, is of central importance.
In "A Pair of Yellow Lilies," the victim of a theft comes into unexpected contact with an irresistible young man in possession of an equally irresistible article of clothing.
A woman looks back on her strange upbringing in the care of her grandmother who is obsessed with scissors, paste, and her "Paperwork."
A dangerous husband with a vulpine smile is the antagonist of "Mother's Help."
"Long Live the Queen" is about a cat lady and her distress at the loss of a prized pet.
"Dying Happy" has an old man in his last days regretting getting what he wished for.
"Weeds" finds us in an English country garden in which a gathering of guests finds something darker and more dangerous going on than the cultivation of herbacious borders.
"The Copper Peacock" introduces us to a self-absorbed author with elitist preconceptions who fancies the daily help.
"The Fish Sitter" is a bizarre story about, not surprisingly, an aquarium.
The final story, "An Unwanted Woman," is an Inspector Wexford mini-mystery centering upon a teenage girl.
For me, there wasn't a disappointment in the lot, and Penelope Keith's narration was a delectable treat.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- The Whole Truth
- 09-18-17
More please !
What did you love best about The Copper Peacock and Other Stories?
These just suit my taste...interesting, engrossing without taxing one. The narrator is perfect as far as I am concerned in terms of expression, clarity, timing etc.
Any additional comments?
if only there were more ....
1 person found this helpful