Death of an Author Audiobook By E. C. R. Lorac cover art

Death of an Author

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Death of an Author

By: E. C. R. Lorac
Narrated by: Simon Mattacks
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About this listen

Vivian Lestrange - celebrated author of the popular mystery novel The Charterhouse Case and total recluse - has apparently dropped off the face of the Earth. Reported missing by his secretary Eleanor, whom Inspector Bond suspects to be the author herself looking for publicity, it appears that crime is afoot when Lestrange's housekeeper is also found to have disappeared. Bond and Warner of Scotland Yard set to work to investigate a murder with no body and a potentially fictional victim, as E. C. R. Lorac spins a twisting tale full of wry humour and red herrings, poking some fun at her contemporary reviewers who long suspected the Lorac pseudonym to belong to a man (since a woman could apparently not have written mysteries the way that she did).

©1935 The Estate of E. C. R. Lorac (P)2023 Soundings
Mystery Traditional Detectives

What listeners say about Death of an Author

Highly rated for:

Well-crafted Plot Intriguing Mystery Excellent Narrator Clever Plot Twists Complex Puzzle
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Everything You Want Out of a Mystery

A classic mystery, that is, with an emphasis on character and dialogue. The buoyant character of our chief inspector is infectious. His detective sergeant is skeptical yet surprisingly imaginative. Their chief suspect is an enigma and a treasure at the same time. And Simon Mattacks makes them even more engaging.

What's more, this is a book that, among other topics, discusses the idea of the mystery story as serious literature, something other than, as the publisher character here puts it, "here today and gone tomorrow". Certainly we should be glad this one is still here today.

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Okay at first

but by the end I just didn't care. Narration a good fit for the story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Convoluted

this was an interesting story and not formulaic. more repetitive than necessary, rehashing the evidence, but satisfying ending.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent

And thoroughly enjoyable. The mystery was interesting, the characters thoughtfully drawn, and the conclusion surprising but plausible.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Fun Listen, Well Read

This was a recommendation after I finished the Lord Wimsey books, it was fun. I’ll explore more from this author.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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My favorite so far

Lorac was skilled and clever and the performance of this book was well done. The flow and plot twists were superb, the threads were neatly tied, and characters consistent

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Surprisingly Good with Fantastic Narrator

Warning: avoid the foreword which is used as the preview. It gives too much away! If you want to get a sense of the narrator’s voice, listen to a preview from another book he reads. And rest assured—he is excellent!

Well crafted plot that kept me guessing up to the end with an excellent narrator who shifted between characters expertly. There are precious few “here we are in Lord Dilly’s antechamber” moments that it seems to me only Agatha Christie can pull off, though I enjoyed the occasional visit to the London club and such. The book’s characters really seemed to come alive. Even though the clue gathering is quite improbable, the well crafted plot allows you to suspend disbelief and enjoy the puzzlement of it all.

I loved the Scotland Yard detective on the case, the intelligent, imaginative Warner, and the nuts and bolts police officer Boyd, both of whom have endless time to mull and discuss the case—fine by me as I go about my household chores.

Bought this on sale but now that I have read it, I would have been happy and satisfied had I paid full price or used one of my credits.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Surprisingly Complex..

I was quite impressed by the author of this book..
It was complex and fully packed with red herrings

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Modern classic mystery

Intricate and surprisingly fresh. The puzzle is complex, but not ridiculous. The period details, particularly the transport is great.

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Interesting Mystery

Found this to be one of the more intriguing Lorac stories. The narrator isn't at all bad, but no one can compare to David Thorpe and his marvelous characterizations, so any narrator coming after is bound to be a bit of a letdown.

p.s. Hold the phone ... Having said that about David Thorpe, I just tried to listen to Crook O'Lune and the voice of the clergyman is bad enough that I'm skipping that one as an audiobook.

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