The Circular Staircase Audiobook By Mary Roberts Rinehart cover art

The Circular Staircase

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Circular Staircase

By: Mary Roberts Rinehart
Narrated by: Cindy Hardin
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.95

Buy for $19.95

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

"This is the story of how a middle-aged spinster lost her mind, deserted her domestic gods in the city, took a furnished house for the summer out of town, and found herself involved in one of those mysterious crimes that keep our newspapers and detective agencies happy and prosperous." So begins The Circular Staircase, a book which has been hailed as the best novel by the most important American woman mystery writer. Rachel Innes is relieved when Gertrude and Halsey arrive to keep their dear old aunt company and allow her the courtesy of a decent night's sleep. Unfortunately, the explosive sound of a revolver shot the next night shatters Rachel's hopes. And the body at the foot of the circular staircase insures many sleepless nights to follow.©1986 Jimcin Recordings (P)2004 Brian J. Killavey Classics Detective Mystery Suspense Traditional Detectives Fiction
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Editorial reviews

When Rachel Innes retires one summer to a rental home in the countryside, she expects nothing more than to spend a peaceful few months with her grown niece and nephew. Instead, a series of strange and even deadly circumstances compel her to don a detective's cap and launch an investigation...no matter how dire the cost!

The Circular Staircase was Mary Roberts Rinehart's second book, and launched her career as a renowned early 19th-century mystery writer. Actor Cindy Hardin's performance as narrator Rachel emphasizes the ever-rising tension in this compelling and complex mystery, her slightly rough voice a strong fit for this audiobook's resilient protagonist.

What listeners say about The Circular Staircase

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Monotone reading with weird background noise

Besides the monotone narration, this audio book also has some barely audible (by me) unintelligible babbling noise in the background. Listening to it was like the old days of bad land line telephone calls that picked up noise from other conversations, radio stations, or even running sewing machines or wood working machinery. Very nostalgic but it detracted from the listening experience.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Narration is Awful

I hesitate to condemn the entire book based solely on the narrator's (lack) of performance. But, it was that bad. For me, that's saying something. Usually, I can get wrapped up in a book and overlook less than stellar narration. In this case, however, the reader's monotone killed the whole experience for me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Bad audio, boring story

This story is so boring. The narrator tries to make the best of it, but with this poor quality audio it´s an impossible task...from time to time it sounds as if she is reading over the phone, or worse. Not recommended

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful