The Murder Pit

By: Mick Finlay

Narrated by: Malk Williams

Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Where evil lies buried.

It's 1896: Sherlock Holmes has once again hit the headlines, solving mysteries for the cream of aristocracy. But among the workhouses and pudding shops of South London, Private Detective William Arrowood is presented with far grittier, more violent, and considerably less well-paid cases. Arrowood has no doubt who is the better detective, and when Mr. and Mrs. Barclay engage him to find their estranged daughter, Birdie, he’s sure it won’t be long before he and his assistant, Barnett, have tracked her down.

But this seemingly simple missing-person case soon turns into a murder investigation. Far from the comfort of Baker Street, Arrowood’s London is a city of unrelenting cruelty, where evil is waiting to be uncovered....

©2019 Mick Finley (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers, Limited

Great narrator & story

Rich historical detail & well-developed interesting characters. Poor narration can really ruin an audiobook but this one is one of the best.

I would have enjoyed this more if...

...Arrowwood wasn't such a slob, drug addict, bad-tempered, and just disgusting. The saving graces were the other characters and the heartbreaking story. The poverty and lack of social conscience in the Victorian era are well known and this story captures that very well. Will I read on? I don't think so.

Tedious, boring and improbable

Is the main character supposed to be so ridiculous and ignorant? Is this a ‘gritty’ parody? I got halfway through and just couldn’t take the silly incompetence of Arowood a minute more. I tried, but no.
Narration was very good though. That’s the only reason I stuck with it as long as I did.

Engrossing Mystery with Terrific Narration

What a thoroughly entertaining book - I love the characters, dialogue and story. Through his writing, the author immerses us into the Victorian world, but not the one featuring lords and ladies with a butler-did-it story. No, this is gritty London with characters who are so vividly described that you can almost smell them, not surprising since most of them are the great unwashed. This is by no means a cozy, so expect some pretty dark themes and unsavory deeds.

Malk Williams does a masterful job in portraying all of the characters' voices. He really brings them to life and this type of superb voice performance is the reason why I love audiobooks.

This book can be read as a stand-alone. While it is not necessary to read them in order, I would recommend getting the first Arrowood because it will certainly add to a better understanding of the main characters' relationship and because it's an enjoyable book too. This book is well worth a credit because of both the gripping mystery and the spot-on narration. So for a change of pace, step out of those elegant Victorian drawing rooms and into a darker, Dickensian London with it's earthy characters and seamy atmosphere, along with a dash of that wonderful British humor.

Great story and narration

I enjoyed this story from start to finish. A good mix of intrigue and humor. Mark Williams did an excellent job narrating.