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  • The Cryptic Lines

  • By: Richard Storry
  • Narrated by: Jake Urry
  • Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (22 ratings)

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The Cryptic Lines cover art

The Cryptic Lines

By: Richard Storry
Narrated by: Jake Urry
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Summary

Set in a sprawling Gothic mansion in a remote coastal location, somewhere in the British Isles, the elderly recluse Lord Alfred Willoughby is deciding what is to become of his vast fortune after his death.

Whilst his head is telling him to leave nothing at all to his wastrel son, Matthew, his heart is speaking differently.

After much deliberation, in a last-ditch attempt to try and show to his son the importance of applying himself to a task and staying with it to the end, he devises a series of enigmatic puzzles cunningly concealed within the lines of a poem - the cryptic lines.

If he completes the task successfully and solves the puzzles, he will inherit the entire estate, but if he fails, he will receive nothing.

However, from Lord Alfred's will, it emerges that Matthew is not the only interested party. The mysterious old house holds many secrets, and nothing is as it first appears....

The audio version, read by Jake Urry, has now been re-recorded at an even higher quality, bringing this atmospheric tale to vivid life like never before!

©2007 Richard Alan Storry (P)2019 Richard Storry

What listeners say about The Cryptic Lines

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

An enjoyable treasure hunt in a gothic house.

This was a good listen, with well written characters, clever treasure hunt clues, atmospheric setting and engaging narration. A cosy mystery. and although short there's plenty of incidents and puzzles to work out and it all trots along at a comfortable pace.
The narrator did a good job, and will be someone I look out for again.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
Listener received this title free

Enjoyed the twists & turns throughout this book

To start with, I thought the narrator was a bit slow in getting going but as the book progresses with it's eerieness, he makes it more interesting & makes you want to listen more. Was a good read and was free with a code from Richard. Thankyou.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Mysterious treasure hunt.

Lord Alfred Willoughby is dying! He has written multiple wills but with the way his son Matthew is, he decides to write on last one. In it he stipulates that he will leave his faithful Butler 5 million, and the rest of his sizable fortune would be left to either of two contenders. But, nothing is ever easy and Lord Alfred sets a treasure hunt in place. The first to solve the clues and find a certain object, will inherit everything. All they have to do is solve The Cryptic Lines!

I absolutely flew through this suspenseful mystery! The authors descriptive writing really brought the scenery and atmosphere to life. You could just imagine the big sprawling manor house that they are searching, as well as the amazing land it's on! I also loved the whole treasure hunt and mysterious clues thing. It was awesome figuring things out along with the characters and trying to see was I right! You think you know what's going to happen but the author throws in twist after twist and the ending was brilliant!!

Character wise, their are only a few, but all were extremely well written and developed. James, the butler, was a typical English butler you see on the TV. The attorney was another awesome character. Such a nice person. Matthew is a money hungry man, who only wants his fathers vast fortune and will stop at nothing to get it. All of these, as well as the other characters, added up to a really enjoyable and thoroughly entertaining listen!

In all, this was a quick, fast paced, entertaining and suspenseful read.

Jake Urry was the perfect choice for this. He had an array of tones and cadences that really suited the feel of this story. He portrayed James and Lord Alfred perfectly with a really posh English voice and even did a perfect Matthew! He really brought this book to life and made it 10 times more enjoyable! Brilliant narrator.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
Listener received this title free

The Cryptic Lines

Was unsure about this book, but it was well read and due to this it become very engaging and well worth listening to.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Just what the doctor ordered!

Being currently down and out with a chest infection and struggling to concentrate on reading or lengthy story development this was just the ticket.
It was a fast paced, fun, scavenger hunt-mystery with a restricted group of well-developed characters. The whole thing was elevated to an outstanding and captivating listening experience by Jake Urry’s fabulous narration, bringing the characters to life and perfectly setting the atmosphere. Just what the doctor ordered!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
Listener received this title free

Intriguing

An intriguing story with a satisfying ending. The audio book has wonderful narration from Jake Urry.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Entertaining Treasure Hunt

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started listening to this, but what I got was an excellent cosy mystery set in a slightly spooky old manor house somewhere in England. It was different in that there were no murders and dead bodies. Instead it was a scavenger/treasure hunt and I tried to play along at guessing what the clues meant.

The story itself is beautifully written with a cast of great colourful characters - I really liked the butler and old Meg. Although the audio book was only just over 4 hours long there was so much packed into it.

The book is read by one of my favourite narrators, Jake Urry, who's voice is absolutely perfect for this kind of book. He brought all the characters to life and made it even more enjoyable.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Cryptic lines review by Joseph W

This book was a pleasure to listen to. Richard storry's plot, combined with the voice of Jake Urry made this book a truly worthwhile experience. While I have read a lot of mystery books over the years I have to say that the Cryptic Lines came out as one of the best I've read/listened to for a while. This book hit right up my alley containing all I hoped it would and more: mystery, intriguing characters and twists and turns that kept me hooked till the very end. I would highly recommend this book to readers of all ages above 12 and I am looking forward to reading more books by Richard.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Listener received this title free

what a twist

it's my first audible book and I was sceptical of audio book in the beginning, but as soon as I was well into chapter two the plot of this book got me hooked up and I just kept on listening and wanted to know what's going to happen next.The voice of the actor is perfect for the thriller background as well.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Good All Round Job ⭐⭐

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book, it was a great story and in a great setting. Well written with lots of twists 
Jake Urry's narration was great he had the perfect voice for the story, really added to the atmosphere. AA++👍

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