The Family Vault

By: Charlotte MacLeod

Narrated by: Andi Arndt

Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's Summary

A Crime Club selection, this intrguing tale has been reviewed as "...the very best whodunnit in many a day...Not to be missed." It starts with plans to bury deceased Great-uncle Frederick in the family vault on Beacon Hill. When the vault is opened, there's someone already there that no one could ever expect-the skeleton of a burlesque queen who disappeared thirty years ago! It's up to young Sarah Kelling to hold the shocked family together, and try to find out what happened. What she unravels is a complex murder plot that not only stretches into the past, but also has Sarah marked as a victim!

• The third in a series of definitive edition of mysteries by America's Agatha Christie!
• Second title in ibooks' Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn reissue program.
• Over 1,000,000 Charlotte MacLeod novels have been sold worldwide.
• Charlotte MacLeod is the American Mystery and Nero Wolfe Award-winning of the Sarah Kelling & Max Bittersohn and Professor Peter Shandy series of mysteries.

©1979 Charlotte McLeod (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

A delightful start to the series

Sarah's family is opening up their historical cemetary vault, where no one else was ever supposed to be buried. To the surprise of all present, much has changed since its official closing. The main change is the addition of an exotic skeleton with rubies set into her teeth. This is the start of a kaleidoscopic adjustment of Sarah's view of her compressed little world. Charlotte MacLeod's brilliant plot is sympathetically humanized. When I listened to my old favorite THE FAMILY VAULT, it started a whole reading and listening sequence of Charlotte MacLeod books.

young wife, older husband, deadly family secrets

Sarah kelling has always adored her generation older Cousin Alexander Kelling, so when her father dies when she's 19 and leaves Alex as her guardian, she happily marries him. But they are living with his tragically blind and deaf mother, using Sarah's income from her trust that expires when she's 27, whose funds go to Alexander if she dies, and though the house is one of Boston's distinguished old homes, they are living in shabby genteel poverty, recycling old clothes and doing their own DIY - or are they merely being thrifty aristocratic Boston Brahmins?.

But when a cantankerous older family member insists on being buried in the original historic family vault (instead of the modern cemetery on the outskirts of Boston next to his pre-deceased and despised wife), they find an unexpected resident - a notorious stripper Ruby Red -- and the Kelling secrets are about to come out.

Sarah is a bright, well-mannered young woman, happy to serve, but growing tired of the social demands of her heritage, the autocratic demands of her mother-in-law, and the financial demands of poverty when she's supposed to be part of a rich family. And when this shock starts to crack the family solidarity, she begins to search for the truth of how Ruby intersects with the family, but also the pattern of premature death. And trying to make her marriage a more equal one.

Well - written, with multiple humorous eccentric characters in the in-bred Kelling clan, and a complicated plot with a totally unexpected solution.

Give me Peter Shandy!!

I enjoyed the Peter Shandy series by this author, so I thought I'd try this series. I listened to one hour. I found the story line to be trite. The characters uninteresting - even to the point of being "corny". I am not sure which turned me off more...the story or the narrator. I agree with the reviewer that commented about being unsure at some points as to what character was speaking. Personally, I felt that at some points she was reading too fast, and at other points she droned on & on. I lost interest and found myself zoning out on the book totally. I encourage anyone who is considering this book to listen to the audio sample first, and ask yourself, "do I want to listen to 7.5 hours of this voice"?

I just discovered this series!

Which character – as performed by Andi Arndt – was your favorite?

Sarah Kelling's character was my favorite. The narrator did a good job, however sometimes I was unsure as to which character was speaking in a dialogue of two or more characters because her voice didn't change as much as it should have to distinguish between characters.

Witty Mysteries, Light Listening

Any additional comments?

Sarah Kelling Kelling is introduced to us as a girl learning to be a woman. Finding her independence in a world of stolid traditions and old relatives, young Sarah comes into her own in this first of the series. Usually light, funny mysteries, this first book is still witty but slightly more somber in nature. The mysteries are just convoluted enough to keep you guessing until the final chapters. The true magic of these stories are the characters themselves. Colourful, outrageous, silly, farcical -- these are entertainment on the order of Miss Marple crossed with a bit of Arsenic and Old Lace.

Poorly written predictable story

Not only was this book poorly written with cliche after cliche - a predictable unfolding of the story, but the performance was lacking as well. The only reason I finished it is to see if there were any redeeming factors. Sadly - none.

Excellently crafted!

historical-fiction, art-fraud, murder, cozy-mystery, situational-humor, verbal-humor

Written in 1982, the details rank as historical. The publisher's blurb is somewhat off, but don't let that stop you from enjoying this delightful cozy! The long suffering Sarah and her beloved older husband Alexander have been victimized and swindled for years and didn't even know it. Then things get even worse, but there is plenty of humor to lighten it up. If you've never read this book or others in the series, do yourself a favor and read now!
My current copy is audio performed by Andi Arndt who is excellent in character (they all are!) differentiation and conveying attitudes.

It was OK

It was an alright read but not an author I think I will follow. I realize it was setting the scene for a series but, and I'm sad to say this, I don't much like female narrators (with one or two exceptions, which this was not) and the story definitely required a female narrator. It just didn't grab me unfortunately.

Great fun

Fun, witty sleuthing. An entertaining listen - I enjoyed puzzling out the family relationships and the bizarre world of Charlotte McLeod. Read with gusto by Andi Arndt.

A joy of entertainment

I every a book series hit the ground running it is this one. There is none of that development period, these people have lived the lives they share with you and more that you can only guess at. You will sit on the edge of your seat with each twist of the plot and laugh over the details afterwards.

Engaging story, well read

Delighted to have stumbled across Charlotte MacLeod in a short story collection. This is the first full length novel of hers that I've read, and I can see myself working my way through the whole series. Great characters who really pull you in, and a gripping plot. A thumping good story.