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  • Five Red Herrings

  • Lord Peter Wimsey, Book 7
  • By: Dorothy L. Sayers
  • Narrated by: Jane McDowell
  • Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
  • 3.7 out of 5 stars (94 ratings)
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Five Red Herrings cover art

Five Red Herrings

By: Dorothy L. Sayers
Narrated by: Jane McDowell
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Summary

The best of the golden age crime writers, praised by all the top modern writers in the field including P. D. James and Ruth Rendell, Dorothy L. Sayers created the immortal Lord Peter Wimsey. His eighth appearance takes him to an artists' colony (based on a real one) in Scotland during the 1920s.

Lord Peter Wimsey could imagine the artist stepping back, the stagger, the fall down to where the pointed rocks grinned like teeth.

But was it an accident or murder? Six members of the close-knit Galloway artists' colony do not regret Campbell's death.

Five of them are red herrings.

©1931 Trustees of Anthony Fleming (deceased) (P)2015 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"She combined literary prose with powerful suspense, and it takes a rare talent to achieve that. A truly great storyteller." (Minette Walters)

What listeners say about Five Red Herrings

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story shame about the accents!

Lots of twists and much tabulation of timetables required! I've read the book and knew who the murderer was but even so I couldn't work out how Lord Peter came to the conclusion until the grand reveal. Jane McDowell rather strangles the Scots accents, but it (mostly) doesn't detract from the pleasure of listening. I'm getting used to her unusual reading style by now, and she at least pronounces Kirkcudbright properly!

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good story spoiled by pseudo scots accent.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed it as a story but will not listen to the poor accent again.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Five Red Herrings?

Coincidence of the maths tutor.

What didn’t you like about Jane McDowell’s performance?

she could not even pronounce the word loch meaning lake properly. Also I would have thought the pronunciation of actual place names could have been researched.

Could you see Five Red Herrings being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

No

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3 people found this helpful

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

Terrible accents!

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

I hate to give a bad review but this book was completely ruined by the narrators inability to do Scottish accents! At first I thought it was quite funny, reminded me of a goons skit at points, but after a while I began to actually be quite offended by it!
I understand that many great narrators may have an accent that they just can't do but why would you allow someone to attempt a 12 hour audiobook, with a majority of Scottish characters, when they just can't do it - just get someone who can or don't bother with putting on accents at all. I would have much preferred no accent attempt being made and then I might actually have been able to concentrate on the story. I'm really sorry to give a bad review - I'm sure the narrator must be very good in other instances!

How could the performance have been better?

Different narrator

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2 people found this helpful

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

Get the place names right!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It's a good tale, as one would expect from Dorothy L.Sayers and is generally well read, but the reader is clearly not a Scot. While her Scots accents for various characters are not too bad, she gets the pronunciation of the town "Girvan" completely wrong, putting the emphasis on the second syllable when it should be on the first. It sounds rather exotic every time it's said!

Have you listened to any of Jane McDowell’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No. It was entertaining, though.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Book. Excellent narration

ignore tiresome diatribes about bad narration. almost put me off buying. would've been my loss

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

woeful

I cannot recommend anything about this recording. The worst aspect is the narration. her accents are execrable and she completely fails to make credible male voices- and virtually every significant character who speaks is male. The story is not Sayers at her best. She relies on complicated details of railway timetables, local geography and multiple implausible alibis.
I strongly suggest you avoid this.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Please don't do Scottish accents!

I love Peter Wimsey and I usually love this narrator. However I could not manage this due to the horrific attempts at accents which made this difficult to listen to (really awful when the book is set in Scotland!).

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

AWFUL

the narrator has the worst Scottish accent I have ever heard. she made the book beyond listening why on earth is she trying accents it's a talking book NOT a dramatisation I want my money back

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of my favourite sayers

Very good. I love the story construction. was worried if reader would be as good as Ian carmichael. different but just as enjoyable.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Such a shame

Great story but awful attempt at a Scottish accent, made me cringe.

I usually like the narrator but wish the direction had been to just read it. The most unlikely accent I’ve ever heard.

Gave up listening and ordered the book as the story itself is fabulous.

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