In the Beginning, There Was a Murder
An Amateur Female Sleuth Historical Cozy Mystery (Miss Riddell Cozy Mysteries, Book 1)
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Lillian Rachel
-
By:
-
P. C. James
About this listen
A secret liaison. A baffling murder. Can one woman solve the crime without joining the body count?
Northern England, 1953.
Pauline Riddell has grand ambitions for her future at the armament factory. So, when her closest workmate reveals a salacious affair with a married man, Pauline refuses to risk her career by listening to the scandal. But, she’s shaken to her core when the police arrive with news of her best friend’s homicide.
Desperate for justice, Pauline’s insistent poking into the investigation only makes her the prime suspect. And now, to clear her name, she must unravel a web of deadly clues entangling her in a sinister plot. Can Pauline catch the killer before they strike again?
In the Beginning, There Was a Murder is a riveting mystery novel. If you like whip-smart heroines, intriguing twists and turns, and nail-biting danger, then you’ll love P. C. James’s sensational story.
Get In the Beginning, There Was a Murder to crack the case today!
©2020 P. C. James (P)2021 P. C. JamesListeners also enjoyed...
-
Murder at the Dolphin Hotel: A Gripping Cozy Historical Mystery
- A Miss Underhay Mystery, Book 1
- By: Helena Dixon
- Narrated by: Alex Tregear
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
June 1933. Independent, young Kitty Underhay has been left in charge of her family’s hotel, The Dolphin, on the tranquil English coast. But when several rooms are broken into and searched, including Kitty’s own, she quickly realizes that something out of the ordinary is afoot at the hotel. Soon, rumors are flying in the cozy town that someone is on the hunt for a stolen ruby. A ruby that Kitty’s mother may well have possessed when she herself went missing during the Great War.
-
-
Very Good Start
- By Dylan on 04-06-20
By: Helena Dixon
-
A Very English Murder
- A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery, Book 1
- By: Verity Bright
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1920. Eleanor Swift has spent the last few years travelling the world: taking tea in China, tasting alligators in Peru, escaping bandits in Persia and she has just arrived in England after a chaotic 45-day flight from South Africa. Chipstone is about the sleepiest town you could have the misfortune to meet. But then, from the edge of a quarry, through the driving rain, Eleanor is shocked to see a man shot and killed in the distance. Before she can climb down to the spot, the villain is gone and the body has vanished.
-
-
I wanted to like this so much.
- By BossyFatBabe on 06-23-20
By: Verity Bright
-
The Bookshop Murder
- An Absolutely Gripping Cozy Mystery (A Flora Steele Mystery, Book 1)
- By: Merryn Allingham
- Narrated by: Charlie Norfolk
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The young man with the shock of white-blond hair lay spread-eagled on the floor, surrounded by fallen books. His hand reached out to the scattered pages, as though he was trying to tell her something. But who is he? How did he come to be killed in Flora’s ordinary little bookshop? Flora finds out he was staying at the Priory Hotel, and when the gardener suddenly dies in its beautiful grounds only a few days later, she is certain that something untoward is happening in her quiet village by the sea.
-
-
Good start to a cozy series
- By twoseagreeneyes on 01-17-22
By: Merryn Allingham
-
Murder at Little Minton
- By: Karen Baugh Menuhin, Zoe Markham
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miss Busby helped Major Heathcliff Lennox solve a series of murders at Bloxford in the Cotswolds. Now, she finds herself drawn into a new murder, but this time, it's just her, and she must rely on her sharp mind and sharper wits to catch a Cotswolds killer, along with a handsome police inspector and a reporter who's keen to make her mark.
-
-
I Really Tried
- By Stephanie Lannan on 09-21-23
By: Karen Baugh Menuhin, and others
-
Death Among the Diamonds
- A Cressida Fawcett Mystery, Book 1
- By: Fliss Chester
- Narrated by: Daphne Kouma
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cressida Fawcett is heading to the English countryside for a weekend of cocktails and partying at her friend’s glamorous mansion, the location of a recent diamond heist. But just hours after her arrival, Cressida is woken by an almighty scream. Rushing to the landing, she looks down into the great hall to find a trembling maid standing next to the body of Harry, the friendly young chandelier cleaner. Everyone believes Harry’s death was an accident. But as Cressida examines the opulent hall and the beautiful grounds, she thinks something darker is afoot.
-
-
Best Cozy Mystery I've Heard in a While
- By Denise Vilim on 09-25-22
By: Fliss Chester
-
An English Garden Murder
- Julia Bird Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Katie Gayle
- Narrated by: Lucy Scott
- Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Recently divorced and reluctantly retired, Julia Bird has fled London to enjoy idyllic rural life in the Cotswolds. Determined to have the perfect English garden, her first job is to tear down the old shed, where she unearths much more than she’d bargained for: a body, apparently buried for decades. But who could it be, and who killed them? The police draw a blank, and even the gossip-fest that is the local book club can’t remember anyone going missing in the village.
-
-
5 stars
- By Beatrice on 05-07-22
By: Katie Gayle
-
Murder at the Dolphin Hotel: A Gripping Cozy Historical Mystery
- A Miss Underhay Mystery, Book 1
- By: Helena Dixon
- Narrated by: Alex Tregear
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
June 1933. Independent, young Kitty Underhay has been left in charge of her family’s hotel, The Dolphin, on the tranquil English coast. But when several rooms are broken into and searched, including Kitty’s own, she quickly realizes that something out of the ordinary is afoot at the hotel. Soon, rumors are flying in the cozy town that someone is on the hunt for a stolen ruby. A ruby that Kitty’s mother may well have possessed when she herself went missing during the Great War.
-
-
Very Good Start
- By Dylan on 04-06-20
By: Helena Dixon
-
A Very English Murder
- A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery, Book 1
- By: Verity Bright
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1920. Eleanor Swift has spent the last few years travelling the world: taking tea in China, tasting alligators in Peru, escaping bandits in Persia and she has just arrived in England after a chaotic 45-day flight from South Africa. Chipstone is about the sleepiest town you could have the misfortune to meet. But then, from the edge of a quarry, through the driving rain, Eleanor is shocked to see a man shot and killed in the distance. Before she can climb down to the spot, the villain is gone and the body has vanished.
-
-
I wanted to like this so much.
- By BossyFatBabe on 06-23-20
By: Verity Bright
-
The Bookshop Murder
- An Absolutely Gripping Cozy Mystery (A Flora Steele Mystery, Book 1)
- By: Merryn Allingham
- Narrated by: Charlie Norfolk
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The young man with the shock of white-blond hair lay spread-eagled on the floor, surrounded by fallen books. His hand reached out to the scattered pages, as though he was trying to tell her something. But who is he? How did he come to be killed in Flora’s ordinary little bookshop? Flora finds out he was staying at the Priory Hotel, and when the gardener suddenly dies in its beautiful grounds only a few days later, she is certain that something untoward is happening in her quiet village by the sea.
-
-
Good start to a cozy series
- By twoseagreeneyes on 01-17-22
By: Merryn Allingham
-
Murder at Little Minton
- By: Karen Baugh Menuhin, Zoe Markham
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miss Busby helped Major Heathcliff Lennox solve a series of murders at Bloxford in the Cotswolds. Now, she finds herself drawn into a new murder, but this time, it's just her, and she must rely on her sharp mind and sharper wits to catch a Cotswolds killer, along with a handsome police inspector and a reporter who's keen to make her mark.
-
-
I Really Tried
- By Stephanie Lannan on 09-21-23
By: Karen Baugh Menuhin, and others
-
Death Among the Diamonds
- A Cressida Fawcett Mystery, Book 1
- By: Fliss Chester
- Narrated by: Daphne Kouma
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cressida Fawcett is heading to the English countryside for a weekend of cocktails and partying at her friend’s glamorous mansion, the location of a recent diamond heist. But just hours after her arrival, Cressida is woken by an almighty scream. Rushing to the landing, she looks down into the great hall to find a trembling maid standing next to the body of Harry, the friendly young chandelier cleaner. Everyone believes Harry’s death was an accident. But as Cressida examines the opulent hall and the beautiful grounds, she thinks something darker is afoot.
-
-
Best Cozy Mystery I've Heard in a While
- By Denise Vilim on 09-25-22
By: Fliss Chester
-
An English Garden Murder
- Julia Bird Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Katie Gayle
- Narrated by: Lucy Scott
- Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Recently divorced and reluctantly retired, Julia Bird has fled London to enjoy idyllic rural life in the Cotswolds. Determined to have the perfect English garden, her first job is to tear down the old shed, where she unearths much more than she’d bargained for: a body, apparently buried for decades. But who could it be, and who killed them? The police draw a blank, and even the gossip-fest that is the local book club can’t remember anyone going missing in the village.
-
-
5 stars
- By Beatrice on 05-07-22
By: Katie Gayle
-
Masked Ball at Broxley Manor
- A Royal Spyness Novella
- By: Rhys Bowen
- Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren
- Length: 1 hr and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the end of her first unsuccessful season out in society, Lady Georgiana has all but given up on attracting a suitable man - until she receives an invitation to a masked Halloween ball at Broxley Manor. Georgie is uncertain why she was invited, until she learns that the royal family intends to marry her off to a foreign prince, one reputed to be mad.
-
-
Fun, light prequel
- By CMMV on 01-01-15
By: Rhys Bowen
-
Murder at Everham Hall
- A Marius Quin Mystery, Book 1
- By: Benedict Brown
- Narrated by: George Blagden
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
December 1927. Mystery-writer Marius Quin has one previous bestseller, endless looming mortgage payments, and no idea how to write his next book. When his childhood friend Lady Isabella Montague invites him to an intimate New Year’s Eve party hosted by a narcissistic actor, Marius seizes upon the distraction. With his perpetually glum Basset hound along for the ride, he navigates the snowy lanes to the opulent estate of Everham Hall. As the celebrations begin, fireworks light up the sky, champagne corks pop, and then the host is murdered…
-
-
Great new series!
- By Sallyk575 on 07-02-24
By: Benedict Brown
-
Murder on the Golden Arrow
- Kitty Worthington Mysteries Series, Book 1
- By: Magda Alexander
- Narrated by: Kim Bretton
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England. 1923. After a year away at finishing school where she learned etiquette, deportment, and the difference between a fish fork and a salad one, Kitty Worthington is eager to return home. But minutes after she and her brother Ned board the Golden Arrow, the unthinkable happens. A woman with a mysterious connection to her brother is poisoned, and the murderer can only be someone aboard the train. When Scotland Yard hones on Ned as the main suspect, Kitty sets out to investigate.
-
-
Cozy mystery
- By Patricia V. on 06-26-23
By: Magda Alexander
-
The Marlow Murder Club
- Marlow Murder Club, Book 1
- By: Robert Thorogood
- Narrated by: Nicolette McKenzie
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Judith Potts is 77 years old and blissfully happy. She lives on her own in a faded mansion just outside Marlow, there’s no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink, and to keep herself busy she sets crosswords for The Times newspaper. One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. The local police don’t believe her story, so she decides to investigate for herself and is soon joined in her quest by Suzie, a salt-of-the-earth dog-walker, and Becks, the prim and proper wife of the local vicar.
-
-
An awful lot like Thursday Murder Club!
- By Margaret on 06-11-22
By: Robert Thorogood
-
Cleopatra Fox Mysteries Boxed Set, Books 1-3
- By: C.J. Archer
- Narrated by: Marian Hussey
- Length: 23 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
December 1899. After the death of her beloved grandmother, Cleopatra Fox moves into the luxury hotel owned by her estranged uncle in the hopes of putting hardship and loneliness behind her. But the poisoning of a guest on Christmas eve throws her new life, and the hotel, into chaos. Cleo quickly realizes no one can be trusted, not Scotland Yard and especially not the hotel’s charming assistant manager.
-
-
Very Enjoyable / Great Listen
- By Mary on 03-07-24
By: C.J. Archer
-
The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency
- By: Lydia Travers
- Narrated by: Helen McAlpine
- Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Edinburgh, 1911: When Maud McIntyre and her lady’s maid, Daisy, form a detective agency, they never dream their first case will take place at a glamorous house in the Scottish Highlands. But when the duchess of Duddingston, concerned that a notorious jewelry thief will target her lavish weekend party, employs Maud to go undercover as a guest to find the culprit, the agency has its first case to solve....
-
-
Many mysteries in one!
- By Kathy W. on 07-12-23
By: Lydia Travers
-
Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection
- By: Arthur Conan Doyle, Stephen Fry - introductions
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 71 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since he made his first appearance in A Study In Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes has enthralled and delighted millions of fans throughout the world. Now Audible is proud to present Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, read by Stephen Fry. A lifelong fan of Doyle's detective fiction, Fry has narrated the definitive collection of Sherlock Holmes - four novels and four collections of short stories. And, exclusively for Audible, Stephen has written and narrated eight insightful introductions, one for each title.
-
-
Chapter Guide!
- By Katya Rice on 05-25-18
By: Arthur Conan Doyle, and others
-
A Quiet Life in the Country
- A Lady Hardcastle Mystery, Book 1
- By: T E Kinsey
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lady Emily Hardcastle is an eccentric widow with a secret past. Florence Armstrong, her maid and confidante, is an expert in martial arts. The year is 1908 and they've just moved from London to the country, hoping for a quiet life. But it is not long before Lady Hardcastle is forced out of her self-imposed retirement. There's a dead body in the woods, and the police are on the wrong scent. Lady Hardcastle makes some enquiries of her own, and it seems she knows a surprising amount about crime investigation...
-
-
excellent!
- By J.L. on 02-27-17
By: T E Kinsey
-
A Most Efficient Murder
- The Mr. Quayle Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Anthony Slayton
- Narrated by: Rafe Beckley
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1925. When a strange young woman is found murdered on the grounds of Unsworth Castle, the duke and his family are astounded at first, but quickly become enraged when the police begin asking all sorts of impertinent questions. And when suspicions dare to fall on one of their own, it is up to Mr. Quayle, Lord Unsworth's exceedingly efficient secretary, to find the true culprit and save the House of Unsworth from scandal and ruin.
-
-
so bad
- By SB on 12-16-22
By: Anthony Slayton
-
Murder Offstage
- A Posie Parker Mystery Series, Book 1
- By: L.B. Hathaway
- Narrated by: Clare Wille
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Like your mysteries cozy and set during the Golden Age of Crime? This is the first audiobook in the Posie Parker mysteries, although this novel can be enjoyed as a stand-alone story in its own right. Set in London in 1921, Murder Offstage is full of intrigue and red herrings. When Posie Parker’s childhood friend is robbed of a priceless jewel and becomes a suspect in a cold-blooded murder case, budding detective Posie vows she will clear his name.
-
-
Okay story. No idea about the era.
- By John Roulston-Bates on 02-29-20
By: L.B. Hathaway
-
Heathcliff Lennox - France 1918
- By: Karen Baugh Menuhin
- Narrated by: Sam Dewhurst -Phillips
- Length: 1 hr
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spring, 1918. The Great War is at a crucial stage, the Germans are making one last push into France, and the Allies are struggling to hold them back. Battle lines are shifting, and men, and their machines, are being sent up and down the front to shore up defenses. Major Heathcliff Lennox, and his batman Greggs, are told to report to their new HQ. They set off on a sunlit day to fly the distance, but the enemy is never far away, and disaster strikes. They're sent crashing to the ground behind enemy lines, where life, death, and love await.
-
-
Another great Heathcliff Lennox
- By Katydid65 on 06-04-21
-
The Word Is Murder
- A Novel
- By: Anthony Horowitz
- Narrated by: Rory Kinnear
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The New York Times best-selling author of Magpie Murders and Moriarty brilliantly reinvents the classic crime novel once again with this clever and inventive mystery starring a fictional version of the author himself as the Watson to a modern-day Holmes, investigating a case involving buried secrets, murder, and a trail of bloody clues.
-
-
Something New
- By Alice on 06-26-18
By: Anthony Horowitz
Related to this topic
-
River of Darkness
- By: Rennie Airth
- Narrated by: Christopher Kay
- Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1921, the bloodied bodies of Colonel Fletcher, his wife and two staff are found in a manor house in Surrey. The police have put the murders down to a violent robbery, but Detective Inspector Madden from Scotland Yard has his own suspicions. In the meantime the killer is plotting his second strike.
-
-
New Mystery Written in 1920's Style-What A Thrill!
- By Nancy J on 06-27-12
By: Rennie Airth
-
Jar City
- By: Arnaldur Indridason
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gold Dagger Award winner Arnaldur Indridason’s novels featuring Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson became international sensations on their way to selling millions of copies worldwide. The debut of morose detective Sveinsson finds the inspector and his team delving into the murder of a retiree with horrifying secrets.
-
-
Cerebral Police Procedural
- By Aaron on 09-14-13
-
The Circle
- By: Peter Lovesey
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Widowed van driver Bob Naylor is prodded into joining the Chichester Writers' Circle by his teenage daughter. Bob writes limericks and jingles, and fears he will be out of his class amongst the literati. But the members of the circle come from all walks of life and practice many forms of writing, from fantasy to household hints. There seems to be nothing about any of them to incite a serial killer. However, there is an arsonist in their midst, burning his victims to death, and Bob becomes a suspect.
-
-
Clever and very amusing.
- By Megan on 05-07-14
By: Peter Lovesey
-
The Shadow District
- By: Arnaldur Indridason
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A 90-year-old man is found dead in his bed, smothered with his own pillow. On his desk, the police find newspaper cuttings about a murder case dating from the Second World War, when a young woman was found strangled behind Reykjavik's National Theatre. Konrad, a former detective, is bored with retirement and remembers the crime. He grew up in "the shadow district", a rough neighborhood bordered by the National Theatre. Why would someone be interested in that crime now?
-
-
A slow burn!
- By Rosemary Wells on 12-12-17
-
No Name Lane
- By: Howard Linskey
- Narrated by: David Leon
- Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The hunt for a serial killer unearths an unsolved cold case from over 60 years ago. Young girls are being abducted and murdered in the Northeast. Out of favour detective constable Ian Bradshaw struggles to find any leads - and fears that the only thing this investigation will unravel is himself. Journalist Tom Carney is suspended by his London tabloid and returns to his home village in County Durham. Helen Norton is the reporter who replaced Tom on the local newspaper. Together they are drawn into a case that will change their lives forever.
-
-
A Lot to Like, but Weak Narration
- By Carole T. on 07-18-16
By: Howard Linskey
-
Babylon Berlin
- Gereon Rath, Book 1
- By: Volker Kutscher
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 18 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Berlin, 1929. Detective Inspector Rath was a successful career officer in the Cologne Homicide Division before a shooting incident in which he inadvertently killed a man. He has been transferred to the vice squad in Berlin, a job he detests even though he finds a new friend in his boss, Chief Inspector Wolter. There is seething unrest in the city, and the Commissioner of Police has ordered the vice squad to ruthlessly enforce the ban on May Day demonstrations.
-
-
It's no Bernie Gunther Mystery ...
- By Brian English on 01-28-18
By: Volker Kutscher
-
River of Darkness
- By: Rennie Airth
- Narrated by: Christopher Kay
- Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1921, the bloodied bodies of Colonel Fletcher, his wife and two staff are found in a manor house in Surrey. The police have put the murders down to a violent robbery, but Detective Inspector Madden from Scotland Yard has his own suspicions. In the meantime the killer is plotting his second strike.
-
-
New Mystery Written in 1920's Style-What A Thrill!
- By Nancy J on 06-27-12
By: Rennie Airth
-
Jar City
- By: Arnaldur Indridason
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gold Dagger Award winner Arnaldur Indridason’s novels featuring Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson became international sensations on their way to selling millions of copies worldwide. The debut of morose detective Sveinsson finds the inspector and his team delving into the murder of a retiree with horrifying secrets.
-
-
Cerebral Police Procedural
- By Aaron on 09-14-13
-
The Circle
- By: Peter Lovesey
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Widowed van driver Bob Naylor is prodded into joining the Chichester Writers' Circle by his teenage daughter. Bob writes limericks and jingles, and fears he will be out of his class amongst the literati. But the members of the circle come from all walks of life and practice many forms of writing, from fantasy to household hints. There seems to be nothing about any of them to incite a serial killer. However, there is an arsonist in their midst, burning his victims to death, and Bob becomes a suspect.
-
-
Clever and very amusing.
- By Megan on 05-07-14
By: Peter Lovesey
-
The Shadow District
- By: Arnaldur Indridason
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A 90-year-old man is found dead in his bed, smothered with his own pillow. On his desk, the police find newspaper cuttings about a murder case dating from the Second World War, when a young woman was found strangled behind Reykjavik's National Theatre. Konrad, a former detective, is bored with retirement and remembers the crime. He grew up in "the shadow district", a rough neighborhood bordered by the National Theatre. Why would someone be interested in that crime now?
-
-
A slow burn!
- By Rosemary Wells on 12-12-17
-
No Name Lane
- By: Howard Linskey
- Narrated by: David Leon
- Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The hunt for a serial killer unearths an unsolved cold case from over 60 years ago. Young girls are being abducted and murdered in the Northeast. Out of favour detective constable Ian Bradshaw struggles to find any leads - and fears that the only thing this investigation will unravel is himself. Journalist Tom Carney is suspended by his London tabloid and returns to his home village in County Durham. Helen Norton is the reporter who replaced Tom on the local newspaper. Together they are drawn into a case that will change their lives forever.
-
-
A Lot to Like, but Weak Narration
- By Carole T. on 07-18-16
By: Howard Linskey
-
Babylon Berlin
- Gereon Rath, Book 1
- By: Volker Kutscher
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 18 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Berlin, 1929. Detective Inspector Rath was a successful career officer in the Cologne Homicide Division before a shooting incident in which he inadvertently killed a man. He has been transferred to the vice squad in Berlin, a job he detests even though he finds a new friend in his boss, Chief Inspector Wolter. There is seething unrest in the city, and the Commissioner of Police has ordered the vice squad to ruthlessly enforce the ban on May Day demonstrations.
-
-
It's no Bernie Gunther Mystery ...
- By Brian English on 01-28-18
By: Volker Kutscher
-
Zoo Station
- John Russell WWII Spy, Book 1
- By: David Downing
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By 1939, Anglo-American journalist John Russell has spent over a decade in Berlin, where his son lives with his mother. He writes human-interest pieces for British and American papers, avoiding the investigative journalism that could get him deported. But as World War II approaches, he faces having to leave his son as well as his girlfriend of several years, a beautiful German starlet. When an acquaintance from his old communist days approaches him to do some work for the Soviets, Russell is reluctant, but he is unable to resist the offer.
-
-
Overall great listen!
- By Patricia on 02-28-24
By: David Downing
-
The Best of Our Spies
- Spy Masters, Book 1
- By: Alex Gerlis
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
France, July 1944: a month after the Allied landings in Normandy, and the liberation of Europe is under way. In the Pas-de-Calais, Nathalie Mercier, a young British Special Operations executive secret agent working with the French Resistance, disappears. In London, her husband, Owen Quinn, an officer with Royal Navy Intelligence, discovers the truth about her role in the Allies' sophisticated deception at the heart of D-Day.
-
-
The Best Kind of Spy Story
- By Linda Hanson on 01-11-16
By: Alex Gerlis
-
Evans Above
- By: Rhys Bowen
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Evan Evans is a young police constable who has traded in the violence of city life for idyllic Llanfair, a Welsh village tucked far away from trouble. Nestled among the Snowdonia mountain range, Llanfair looks to Constable Evans like a town forgotten by time, but he quickly learns that even the bucolic countryside has its share of eccentric - and deadly - characters.
-
-
Interesting....
- By brian on 01-22-17
By: Rhys Bowen
-
Snowblind
- By: Ragnar Jónasson, Quentin Bates - translator
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a young woman is found lying half-naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed, elderly writer falls to his death in the local theater, Ari is dragged straight into the heart of a community where he can trust no one and secrets and lies are a way of life. Past plays tag with the present and the claustrophobic tension mounts as Ari is thrust ever deeper into his own darkness - blinded by snow and with a killer on the loose.
-
-
Unexpected and different
- By green ice cream garden on 10-12-17
By: Ragnar Jónasson, and others
-
Goodnight, Irene
- An Irene Kelly Novel
- By: Jan Burke
- Narrated by: Eliza Foss
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The morning after Irene says goodnight to her old journalist friend O'Connor, he is killed suddenly upon opening a letter bomb. As the smoke clears, a devastated Irene determines to find the mail-bomber by tracing threads of an unsolved crime from 1955 - the same cold case O'Connor had been obsessed with.
-
-
Welcome Irene
- By Anonymous User on 04-29-08
By: Jan Burke
-
Murphy's Law
- By: Rhys Bowen
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Molly Murphy always knew she'd end up in trouble, just as her mother predicted. So, when she commits murder in self-defense, she flees her cherished Ireland, under cover of a false identity, for the anonymous shores of late 19th-century America. When she arrives in New York and sees the welcoming promise of freedom in the Statue of Liberty, Molly begins to breathe easier. But when a man is murdered on Ellis Island, a man Molly was seen arguing with, she becomes a prime suspect in the crime.
-
-
Cream Puff Read
- By Jan on 12-19-13
By: Rhys Bowen
-
Red Ribbons
- Dr. Kate Pearson, Book 1
- By: Louise Phillips
- Narrated by: Caroline Morahan
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A missing schoolgirl is found buried in the Dublin Mountains, hands clasped together in prayer, two red ribbons in her hair. Twenty-four hours later, a second schoolgirl is found in a shallow grave - her body identically arranged. The hunt for the killer is on. The police call in criminal psychologist Kate Pearson to get inside the mind of the murderer before he strikes again. But the more Kate discovers about the killings, the more it all feels terrifyingly familiar.
-
-
A true psychological thriller
- By BARBARA WAGONER on 12-24-16
By: Louise Phillips
-
A Fatal Obsession
- Ryder and Loveday, Book 1
- By: Faith Martin
- Narrated by: Stephanie Racine
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Oxford, 1960. There's a murderer on the loose, and two unlikely heroes are poised to solve the case. Meet Probationary WPC Trudy Loveday - smart, enthusiastic and always underestimated. In the hope of getting her out of the way, Trudy’s senior officer assigns her to help coroner Clement Ryder as he re-opens the case of a young woman's death. She can't believe her luck – she is actually going to be working on a real murder case.
-
-
Just didn't buy it
- By Marie on 12-04-19
By: Faith Martin
-
Dick Francis's Gamble
- By: Felix Francis
- Narrated by: John Keating
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nicholas “Foxy” Foxton, a former jockey who suffered a career-ending injury, is out for a day at the Grand National races when his friend and coworker Herb Kovak is murdered, execution style, right in front of him—and 60,000 other potential witnesses. Foxton and Kovak were both independent financial advisers at Lyall Black, a firm specializing in extreme-risk investments.
-
-
Frustration
- By Anonymous User on 08-24-11
By: Felix Francis
-
A Test of Wills
- By: Charles Todd
- Narrated by: Samuel Giles
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ian Rutledge returns to his career at Scotland Yard after years fighting in the First World War. Unknown to his colleagues he is still suffering from shell shock, and is burdened with the guilt of having had executed a young soldier on the battlefield for refusing to fight. A jealous colleague has learned of his secret and has managed to have Rutledge assigned to a difficult case which could spell disaster for Rutledge whatever the outcome. A retired officer has been murdered, and Rutledge goes to investigate.
-
-
Difficult to follow the narrator
- By Carol on 01-02-13
By: Charles Todd
-
The Best Man to Die
- An Inspector Wexford Mystery
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Who could have suspected that the exciting stag party for the groom would be the prelude to the murder of his close friend Charlie Hatton? And Charlie's death was only the first in a string of puzzling murders involving small-time gangsters, cheating husbands, and loose women. Now Chief Inspector Wexford and his assistant join forces with the groom to track down a killer....
-
-
Classic who-dunnit
- By Kathi on 02-24-13
By: Ruth Rendell
-
A Carrion Death
- Introducing Detective Kubu
- By: Michael Stanley
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Smashed skull, snapped ribs, and a cloying smell of carrion. Leave the body for the hyenas to devour - no body, no case. But when Kalahari game rangers stumble on a human corpse midmeal, it turns out the murder wasn't perfect after all. Enough evidence is left to suggest foul play. Detective David "Kubu" Bengu of the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department is assigned to the case.
-
-
Hot and Arid
- By Robert on 11-06-08
By: Michael Stanley
What listeners say about In the Beginning, There Was a Murder
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Laura
- 02-10-22
A New Amateur Sleuth In Town
This was my first experience with P. C. James' work, and I enjoyed it a lot. In this story, the author created a character named Pauline Riddell, who reflected the true nature of being an amateur sleuth in that she made a lot of mistakes and jumped to several conclusions without considering or accumulating all the facts. I was very entertained by her antics. The tale was both historical and a cozy. I am looking forward to acquiring more audiobooks in this series. I recommend this novel to others who enjoy this genre. Lillian Rachel's narration was skillful, and I liked the British accent. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily posted this review.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- The reader 199
- 07-12-22
Outstanding narration and storyline!
Really excellent story line and the narration was done really well and authentic like! I was really looking forward to the next one in the series but I cannot find an audio version of it anywhere, I would really appreciate one. Really love Miss Riddels character, what a courages woman!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- David H
- 03-13-22
A wonderfully cozy mystery for Miss Marple fans
The narrator's pitch perfect performance really brings this gem of a cozy mystery to life.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- DA1234
- 05-23-24
Cozy indeed!
The description of the title as a ‘cozy mystery’ is what got my attention while scrolling for my next book, and this was perfect in that regard.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Gotta love it 🤩
- 12-22-21
Great first in series
I've enjoyed all of the Miss Riddell books by P.C. James. I'm glad to see the audio version available. The narrator was pleasant to listen to.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 08-12-22
Likable Characters
So nice to find a cozy that’s not about baking or books. Good narration too.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Chuzpah
- 02-11-22
Great for fans of the genre
I usually stick to science fiction and fantasy, But, I also like reading mysteries. Overall I thought the book was a great mystery. We have all of the standard story elements, a dead body, suspicious characters, and an overzealous police force. This book is a quick read but has a satisfying story arc. The only thing I didn't like was the lack of explanation on some terminology like "paymaster," but that is a minor thing. An amateur sleuth's idea has always fascinated me since I read Agatha Christy's Evil under the Sun and Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes back in the day. This book has a different style, but it's written in the same vein. Other than the British slang that I had to look up and the absence of explanations of particular terms, I found the narration good and having a British female voice helped make this audiobook production an excellent experience.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carol James
- 12-24-21
Loved this audiobook
I’ve already read the book and loved it. The narrator captured the time and spirit of the book perfectly. Highly recommended.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- m melville
- 10-05-22
Mistake
I enjoy the cozy mystery genre but this one just too boring. The reader didn’t help it any
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- M. Oliver
- 08-11-22
Went On Forever with Little Payoff
First there is so much repetitive dialog that you will literally yell ‘come on already’ . The book could have been much shorter with the same impact. The ending is thrown together so there is no real payoff. The heroine of the story for on my nerves and the usual cops not knowing what to do theme continues here. I wouldn’t recommend if you’re a true fan of mystery novels.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful