The Man in Lower Ten

By: Mary Roberts Rinehart

Narrated by: Jim Killavey

The Man in Lower Ten was the first American detective novel to make the best seller list. It was Mary Roberts Rinehart's second mystery in the "had-I-but-known" school, which she pioneered. It followed closely upon the enormous success of The Circular Staircase and proved to be just a popular.

Lawrence Blakely, attorney-at-law, sets off by train to deliver valuable documents in a criminal case. Along the way he encounters romance, treachery, a murder in which he is implicated, and, finally, a train wreck.

Public Domain (P)1986 Jimcin Recordings

Entertaining

The story is a good old fashion murder mystery with some love thrown into the equation. What make this hard to get through was the narrator. It was a pain to listen to his reading.

One of my "Go To" Books

Only the fact that the hero - a decent, polite, self-centered, and introspective young attorney - may well sound like the way Jim Killavey portrays him, makes it possible to tolerate the narrator.

Having said that, the book is a wonderful period piece, with an good mystery and a lot of very amusing goings on, and I find it a good antidote when I have been listening to more difficult books.

Although she is not in Edith Wharton's class for fine literature, Mary Roberts Rinehart gives a similar, but much gentler portrayal of the upper middle class life in her time, of which The Man in the Lower Ten is a great example. .

Worth the price

I mostly enjoyed this book though it went on a bit too long. It was an old fashioned story of love and murder.

OK Listen

This story was quite slow in developing. When it did it was not satisfing to this 'reader'.

Don't waste your time.

I was expecting a good tight mystery taking place on a train, like John Dickson Carr or Agatha Christie. This book is a jumbled up mess that bounces constantly from location to location and seemingly an endless number of characters. It's hard to understand how a first person book can be so hard to follow. I did listen to it on audio and it might make sense if I read it, but no way that I am going to find out.