
The Best Crime Stories Ever Told
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Narrated by:
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Robin Bloodworth
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Suehyla El Attar
About this listen
When acclaimed mystery writer Dorothy L. Sayers first began compiling anthologies of the best crime stories in the 1920s and ’30s, the genre was in the flush of its first golden age. While it is hard to imagine today - after every possible mystery plot has been told, retold, subverted, and played straight again by hundreds of writers over nearly a century - in Sayers’s day there were still twists that had never been seen, and machinations of crime that would shock even jaded Jazz Age fans.
Now today’s fans of mystery and crime can experience a handpicked collection of over thirty of the most outstanding stories from this era, originally chosen by Sayers and newly introduced by Otto Penzler, a leading expert and connoisseur in the field of mystery literature. As a prolific writer of the genre, Sayers understood the difficulty of putting together a mystery that was not only sufficiently challenging (so that the solution was not immediately obvious to the listener), but also solvable without forcing the writer to cheat. That balance between opacity and solvability remains the greatest challenge of writing great crime stories - and these are some of the greatest.
Authors appearing in this collection include:
- Edgar Allen Poe
- Herman Melville
- H. G. Wells
- Wilkie Collins
- Stephen Crane
- J. S. Le Fanu
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Editorial reviews
Being an acclaimed mystery writer herself, Dorothy L. Sayers knows a thing or two about what makes a story captivating. In this anthology of short fiction, Sayers compiles over 30 of the best mysteries from the early 1900s, a veritable golden age for the genre. Robin Bloodworth and Suehyla El Attar perform with a robust gusto, clearly reveling in these classic tales by such luminaries as Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville, and H. G. Wells. Listeners will be thrilled by the many treasures unearthed in The Best Crime Stories Ever Told.
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Tragedy at Law
- By: Cyril Hare
- Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Tragedy at Law follows a rather self-important High Court judge, Mr. Justice Barber, as he moves from town to town presiding over cases in the Southern England circuit. When an anonymous letter arrives for Barber, warning of imminent revenge, he dismisses it as the work of a harmless lunatic. But then a second letter appears, followed by a poisoned box of the judge's favorite chocolates, and he begins to fear for his life. Enter barrister and amateur detective Francis Pettigrew, a man who was once in love with Barber's wife and has never quite succeeded in his profession.
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BORING!
- By Amazon Customer on 06-23-19
By: Cyril Hare
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Blood Sacrifice
- By: Dorothy L. Sayers
- Narrated by: John Telfer
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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A short story from the British Library Crime Classic collection Final Acts. Detective novelist Dorothy L. Sayers presents a look at morality and motive as playwright John Scales grows angrier and more resentful towards the actor who reinvented his script, and must decide how far he will allow his hatred to take him.
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Thank You British Library Crime Classics
- By John on 12-09-24
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The Yellow Room
- By: Mary Roberts Rinehart
- Narrated by: Liza Ross
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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As far as Carol Spencer is concerned, the war has spoiled everything. She and Don had been engaged for years and were on the verge of marriage when he was shot down in the South Pacific, leaving Carol on the verge of spinsterhood at 24. She wants to take some kind of job in the war effort, but her invalid mother demands that Carol accompany her to the family's summer home in Maine. But when they arrive at the faded mansion, they find it completely locked up. The servants are gone, the lights are dark - and there is a body in the closet.
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Excellent classic mystery by one of the original Queens of Mystery.
- By Becca T. on 12-30-23
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The Lord Peter Wimsey and Detective Alan Grant Collection
- The Complete Detective Alan Grant Novels, & Books 1-5 in the Lord Peter Wimsey Series
- By: Dorothy L. Sayers, Josephine Tey
- Narrated by: Karen Cass, Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 83 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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The Lord Peter Wimsey and Detective Alan Grant Collection is a collection of 11 detective novels and stories from Dorothy L. Sayers and Josephine Tey, read by award-winning narrators Karen Cass and Jonathan Keeble.
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Josephine Tey
- By rhaze64 on 03-27-25
By: Dorothy L. Sayers, and others
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The Best Man to Die
- An Inspector Wexford Mystery
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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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....
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Classic who-dunnit
- By Kathi on 02-24-13
By: Ruth Rendell
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The Hunter and Other Stories
- By: Dashiell Hammett
- Narrated by: Ray Chase, Stephen Bowlby, Brian Holsopple, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Dashiell Hammett is best known as both pioneer and master of American hard-boiled detective fiction, but these dozen and a half stories both affirm that reputation and present him in a different light. Along with the full-length treatments On the Make and The Kiss-Off, this collection includes never before and rarely published stories that explore failed romance, courage in the face of uncertainty, hypocrisy, and crass opportunism.
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Not Just A Crime Writer
- By Joshua on 07-12-14
By: Dashiell Hammett
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Heads You Lose
- Inspector Cockrill Mysteries Series, Book 1
- By: Christianna Brand
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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As war rages in Europe, the citizens of London flee to the country. At Pigeonsford, a group of guests plays cards - but Grace Morland knows the strong emotions that lurk beneath the placid social surface. She's painfully in love with Stephen Pendock, the squire of Pigeonsford, but Pendock's smitten with young beauty Francesca Hart. One afternoon, Fran debuts a new hat, and Grace's jealousy gets the better of her. She exclaims, "I wouldn't be seen dead in a ditch in a thing like that!" She will soon be proven wrong. Grace is found dead with the hat on her head.
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Started out with promise….
- By claire b cotts on 04-30-24
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Lord Peter Wimsey: BBC Radio Drama Collection, Volume 3
- Four BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: Dorothy L. Sayers
- Narrated by: full cast, Ian Carmichael
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Original Recording
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Ian Carmichael stars as Lord Peter Wimsey in these classic BBC radio dramatisations of Dorothy L Sayers' Golden Age crime novels. Gentleman detective Lord Peter Wimsey starred in a number of novels and short stories by Dorothy L Sayers. These full-cast adaptations - first broadcast on BBC radio between 1979 and 2010 - are cherished by crime aficionados worldwide. The stories featured are Murder Must Advertise, The Nine Tailors, Gaudy Night, and Busman's Honeymoon.
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Only one negative thing to warn you about...
- By Mountain K9iner on 01-13-19
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Bibliomysteries Volume 1
- By: Jeffery Deaver, C.J. Box, Ken Bruen, and others
- Narrated by: Daniel Thomas May
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Thirteen bibliomysteries by best-selling and award-winning authors are contained in this first of volume of a must-listen collection.
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Riddle me this...
- By yenalsekim on 02-14-21
By: Jeffery Deaver, and others
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The Best Mystery Stories of the Year: 2021
- By: Lee Child - editor and introduction, Otto Penzler - series editor
- Narrated by: Matt Godfrey, Emily Sutton-Smith
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Lee Child selects the 20 best mystery short stories of the year, including tales by Stephen King, Sara Paretsky, and many more. Under the auspices of New York City's legendary mystery fiction specialty bookstore, The Mysterious Bookshop, and aided by Edgar Award-winning anthologist Otto Penzler, international best seller Lee Child has selected the 20 most suspenseful, most confounding, and most mysterious short stories from the past year, collected now in one entertaining volume.
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Very disappointing collection.
- By STEFANY C. on 11-27-21
By: Lee Child - editor and introduction, and others
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Trent's Last Case
- By: E C. Bentley
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Considered by many to be the first modern mystery novel, Trent's Last Case introduces the gentleman sleuth Philip Trent, a freelance reporter and invistigator. Trent becomes involved in the case of the murder of millionaire American financier Sigsbee Manderson, slain while on holiday in England.
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A real find!
- By Roxane on 06-17-10
By: E C. Bentley
What listeners say about The Best Crime Stories Ever Told
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Geoffrey
- 07-25-24
Excellent performance
I agree that stories focus more on the supernatural than on crime. The performance is always good and several stories were top notch; all were well written even if plot a bit unclear or unexciting.
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- Carl Palmateer
- 08-28-17
Confused
A bit confused. There are a few crime stories but most are supernatural stories. Definitely a British/Continental tilt to the story selection which helps bring out lesser known stories.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Regina
- 11-09-13
Lot of duds, some gems
If you like bobbing for apples when most are duds and the chance of getting a mouth full of mealy monster mush is guaranteed, you're ready to buy "Best Crime Stories" edited by Dorothy Sayers.
Most of these stories take place before crime writing came into its own. We get loads of gentlemen sleuths: pipe puffing know-it-alls who lack the quirky charm of Sherlock but like him steamroll over dumb cops to get the answers.
Then there are ghost stories, lots and lots. Speaking beyond the grave. Rattling the china. Scaring the horses. Edgar Allen Poe is not at his best here. He's trying out his themes of romantic loss and obsession without the crisp architecture of his best tales. The gems? Almost worth it for the Stephen Crane, the H.G. Wells and the Melville. That's about two good hours out of twenty. Is this a recommendation? Depends on how bored you're willing to be.
No complaints about the narrators.
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14 people found this helpful
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- DeeBee
- 03-20-24
Too many “ghost” stories
This is titled BEST CRIME STORIES, but there are too many “ghost” stories which didn’t fit the title.
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- Sab
- 11-24-23
Wide Diversity
Really enjoyed listening to the wide variety of different stories! Some I have heard and read before and enjoyed but many new ones I thoroughly enjoyed listening to.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Carol
- 03-31-14
Love Dorothy L Sayers
What disappointed you about The Best Crime Stories Ever Told?
What a disappointment, I love the crime books of Sayers, However, this collection degenerated into an anthology of ghost stories - not interested in Ghost stories and the write up should perhaps have been a bit more explanatory.
Has The Best Crime Stories Ever Told turned you off from other books in this genre?
No - The book is not a collection of Crime Stories.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Robin Bloodworth and Suehyla El Attar ?
Any one else would have been better as a narrator, he is particularly hard to listen to and the material did not help.
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
Not really, it was long and I felt I had to give it a chance, but half way through book 3 I gave up. I wanted crime not ghost stories or philosophizing.
Any additional comments?
Audible should perhaps give a more accurate write up. The least favourite book I have chosen so far, but I guess there are going to be books I don't love. Having said that someone who liked this genre may love the book, I just felt a little cheated - by Sayers - is that a little weird?
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13 people found this helpful
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- Texas Customer
- 06-21-13
Don't bother if you hate fake British accents.
Robin Bloodworth has almost singlehandedly ruined one of my favorite genres. The stories are intriguing, but I can't get past that voice. Fake British accent, drawling to the point of driving someone, who loves legit British accents, mad. In his regular voice he sounds OK American. I'm a diehard Sayers fan. Or at least I was.
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12 people found this helpful
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- Yolanda Lessing
- 11-22-24
The stories were very entertaining
The narrator was excellent in telling the stories. He made it so real for me and for each character.
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