The Franchise Affair
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Narrated by:
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Carole Boyd
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By:
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Josephine Tey
About this listen
Marion Sharpe and her mother seem an unlikely duo to be found on the wrong side of the law. Quiet and ordinary, they have led a peaceful and unremarkable life at their country home, The Franchise. Unremarkable that is, until the police turn up with a demure young woman on their doorstep.
Not only does Betty Kane accuse them of kidnap and abuse, she can back up her claim with a detailed description of the attic room in which she was kept, right down to the crack in its round window. But there’s something about Betty Kane’s story that doesn’t quite add up.
Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard is stumped. It takes Robert Blair, solicitor turned amateur detective, to solve the mystery...
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Chief Inspector Macdonald has been invited to a treasure hunt party at the house of the Graham Coombe, the celebrated publisher of Murder by Mesmerism. The clues of the hunt have been devised by Coombe's thriller-writer friends, disguised on the night under literary pseudonyms. The fun comes to an abrupt end, however, when 'Samuel Pepys' is found murdered in the telephone room in bizarre circumstances.
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Fun story.
- By peter on 03-12-22
By: E. C.R. Lorac
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The Christmas Card Crime
- And Other Stories
- By: Martin Edwards
- Narrated by: Gordon Griffin, Anne Dover
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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A Christmas party is punctuated by a gunshot under a policeman’s watchful eye. A jewel heist is planned amidst the glitz and glamour of Oxford Street’s Christmas shopping. And lost in a snowstorm, a man finds a motive for murder.... This collection of mysteries explores the darker side of the festive season, from unexplained disturbances in the fresh snow to the darkness that lurks beneath the sparkling decorations.
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Aahhh... Just The Right Blend Of Mystery, Murder And Christmas.!!
- By John on 12-04-18
By: Martin Edwards
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Something New
- By: P. G. Wodehouse
- Narrated by: B.J. Harrison
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Here, we have a glorious ensemble of Woodhousian characters knocking elbows to foreheads in the elegant and grand Blandings Castle. Meet Freddy Threepwood, the vagrant son of doddering old Lord Emsworth of Blandings Castle. Freddy has recently become engaged to Aline Peters, the American heiress of an irascible father. The snag is that Freddy seems to have at one point become enamored of a struggling actress, Joan Valentine, and written some impetuous and imprudent letters to her.
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Same book as Something Fresh
- By customer on 03-07-15
By: P. G. Wodehouse
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The Case of the Demented Spiv
- The Inspector Littlejohn Mysteries, Book 2
- By: George Bellairs
- Narrated by: Antony Ferguson
- Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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It's a rainy, uneventful evening in the Oddfellows' Arms until a man bursts into the pub, clearly unstable, and ranting about a body in Fennings' Mill. The police investigate and stumble upon a body-the face smeared with theatrical make-up and a false mustache pasted neatly over the lip. Once the national news descends, Inspector Faddiman calls in Inspector Littlejohn to help him uncover the dark, hidden secrets in this quiet, provincial town. Soon it becomes clear that a lot of people can't, and won't tell the truth.
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Delightful
- By Ms Peach on 06-02-19
By: George Bellairs
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William - The Pirate
- By: Richmal Crompton
- Narrated by: Martin Jarvis
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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William Brown, the loveable rogue created by Richmal Crompton in the 1930s, is as well-received and enjoyed today as he was almost 80 years ago. Martin Jarvis has long been the voice of William, and brings a youthful sense of joy and a childlike excitement to the reading.
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Best William Book
- By RNS on 12-24-13
By: Richmal Crompton
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The Cornish Coast Murder
- By: John Bude
- Narrated by: Ben Allen
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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The reverend Dodd, vicar of the quiet Cornish village of Boscawen, spends his evenings reading detective stories by the fireside - but heaven forbid that the shadow of any real crime should ever fall across his seaside parish. But the vicar's peace is shattered one stormy night when Julius Tregarthan, an ill-tempered magistrate, is found at his house in Boscawen with a bullet through his head. The local police inspector is baffled by the lack of clues.
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A Good Old Fashioned Who Done It
- By C. Rosser on 05-12-16
By: John Bude
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Death Makes a Prophet
- By: John Bude
- Narrated by: Gordon Griffin
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Welworth Garden City in the 1940s is a forward-thinking town where free spirits find a home - vegetarians, socialists, and an array of exotic religious groups. Chief among these are the Children of Osiris, led by the eccentric High Prophet, Eustace K. Mildmann. The cult is a seething hotbed of petty resentment, jealousy and dark secrets - which eventually lead to murder. The stage is set for one of Inspector Meredith's most bizarre and exacting cases.
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Fine story good writing
- By peter on 06-28-22
By: John Bude
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Nobody's Sweetheart Now
- By: Maggie Robinson
- Narrated by: Gemma Dawson
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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England, 1924. Lady Adelaide Compton has recently (and satisfactorily) interred her husband, Major Rupert Charles Cressleigh Compton, hero of the Somme, in the family vault in the village churchyard. Rupert died by smashing his Hispano-Suiza on a Cotswold country road while carrying a French mademoiselle in the passenger seat. With the house now Addie's, needed improvements in hand, and a weekend house party underway, how inconvenient of Rupert to turn up - not in the flesh, but as a spirit! Rupert has to perform a few good deeds before becoming welcomed to heaven.
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Fresh New Voice For Me..Very Good
- By John on 08-06-20
By: Maggie Robinson
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Father
- By: Elizabeth Von Arnim
- Narrated by: Penelope Freeman
- Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Since her mother's death, Jennifer has devoted years of her life to her father, managing the family home. After the sudden announcement that he has taken a new wife, Jennifer, at 33, seizes the opportunity to lead an independent life. Quickly she secures the lease of Rose Cottage and turns her attention to her own interests. While Jennifer is desperate to experience life on her own terms within her reduced financial means, her neighbour, Alice, is pre-occupied with ensuring her position as head of her brother's household is never challenged.
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Worse Audio Book I Have Ever Heard
- By Phyllis Woodford on 11-05-21
What listeners say about The Franchise Affair
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Harpy
- 03-20-18
Fun, old fashioned story
Josephine Tay is one of those great old “English” (actually from New Zealand) writers of mysteries from the Early to Mid 20th Century. This one shows its age somewhat, since it is pretty sexist, but nonetheless has a great sense of mood and is very well delivered by the reader. Certainly a good pay to pass the time: not exactly a “who done it,” more a “what will happen next” story.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Mary
- 04-24-12
Josephine Tey is always enjoyable
Would you consider the audio edition of The Franchise Affair to be better than the print version?
Both excellent for different situations
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Franchise Affair?
The moment when the evidence finally all came together.
Which character – as performed by Carole Boyd – was your favorite?
All equally good
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The last scene on the plane.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jessica Weesner
- 03-13-17
Hope more will be on Audible from this author
I really enjoyed this book. Her other book on Audible "Brat Ferrar" is excellent also. The author's literary style is to be envied by anyone wanting to write a novel.
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- EducatorRM
- 08-06-18
The Narration is Fabulous
This is an absorbing listen, as is every book by Josephine Tey. And the narrator makes this good book even better. I'd never heard of Carole Boyd, but am so glad I know her work now. She is EVERYTHING a listener wants in a reader. Dear Audible: More books read by Carole Boyd, please!
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- Drwo
- 02-25-17
A Great Novel from A Master
The narrator, Carol Boyd, is fantastic. Josephine Tey is one of the great classic British mystery of manners writers.
In this original and charming story, an eccentric woman and her daughter are accused of kidnapping and abusing a girl they picked up at a bus stop. She arrives home full of bruises and with the clothes on her back.
The girl's story is compelling and, of course, the women swear they've never seen her much less held her prisoner. The plot has some holes as large as the Chunnel but it's still a fun listen made better by a terrific narrator
If she wasn't held captive in the women's attic, where had she been for the month she went missing?
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5 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 02-10-18
What a pleasure, Carole Boyd and Josephine Tey
I read an audible review recently from someone who had listened to Tey’s Brat Farrar, a book I’d read years ago and forgotten. So I listened to Carole Boyd narrate Brat Farrrar and was entranced. I looked for more Carole Boyd’s narrations and saw another Tey that I didn’t know. Although I probably liked the novel Brat Farrar a bit more, both works made me wonder how what was obviously a crime could be proved so. The Franchise Affair relies more on coincidence than Brat Farrar, a reason for the latter’s superiority. But what was excellent in both was Boyd’s narration as she seems to be able to enter into the voice and nuances of all characters.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Lorinda Hudson
- 11-16-18
The Franchise Affair
An enjoyable mystery by Josephine Tey, one I will listen to again and again. When this book was written the usage of graphic descriptions to provide the reader with gut wrenching imaginings was not yet in vogue. This is my type of preferred reading, a mystery, a court case, without the need for overly debasing the victims or glorifying the horrific acts of the perpetrators. And the narration by Carole Boyd was perfect. With a lovely timbre to her voice she was able to keep my attention from chapter to chapter. Changing her rhythm, tone, and accents she delightfully enchanted my ears. If only Carole Boyd narrated all of Tey's books.
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- JTG
- 04-01-24
Love this Tey story
One of my favorite Josephine Tey stories. Watched the BBC movie, but wanted to listen to the original. Very much enjoyed the story and narration.
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- Chris
- 05-24-16
Great narration, great story.
Where does The Franchise Affair rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This is just stellar, great British mystery and fabulous narrator. I usually prefer male narration but this was the best of all I have enjoyed. There was no character she was not able to bring to life.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Franchise Affair?
How contemporary a 1940's embedded context was to our own times.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Spartan 6
- 10-29-18
Great fun! English prose at its best!
Good fun! Tey at her best. Wonderful prose! Great character studies as well. very much indeed worth the time.
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