The Motive

By: Ronald Knox

Narrated by: Gordon Griffin

A short story from British Library Crime Classic The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories.

'It’s not a scientific mind you need in the legal profession,' he insisted; 'it’s a kind of artistic gift. You’ve got to be imaginative.'

As Sir Leonard Huntercombe tells the elaborate story of one of his clients, listeners will love piecing together this strange locked-room mystery set on a sleeper train to Aberdeen.

©1937 Estate of Ronald Knox (P)2018 Soundings

Another Nugget from the Golden Age

On the strength of Tony Medawar's Bodies from the Library, I pre-ordered this story unaware that it, and a whole lot of other stories like it, appear in an anthology entitled The Christmas Card Crime. But this one is so good I may have to spring for the whole collection anyway.

What makes the Golden Age of crime fiction so golden is (at least for me), the wit of the writing, the playful banter between characters, and the general sense of serious fun. What makes this particular story so good is that it is a puzzle within a puzzle. And Gordon Griffin’s performance makes it even better. Took one star away for an annoying sibilance in the recording that makes it harder to enjoy on public transportation.

Short Mystery With A Twist Ending

This is a short mystery from the classic period of British Detective Periodicals. No the greatest story, but interesting. The narration by Gordon Griffin was first rate. I knew Ronald Knox as a convert to Catholicism and his theological writings. I did not know he was a fan of detective/mystery fiction. I enjoyed this Audible presentation.