Jolly good show!

I only read this because it was referenced in another book (Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson) and I was pleased to discover it was included free. Who knew that the celebrated author of Winnie the Pooh wrote a detective novel- and a highly entertaining one at that. At times it reads almost like a parody of contemporary detective fiction and the various amateur sleuths that inhabit such works but the puzzle it sets is really quite absorbing.

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agatha christie could not have done better

What did you like most about The Red House Mystery?

I love agatha christie for as much as her characters as stories, however, this is a distinctly male voice and the main protagonist is entertaining, young and non judgemental

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Red House Mystery?

when the protagonists sidekick had to pretend to go to bed

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1 person found this helpful

Slightly lengthy, but really enjoyable

I enjoyed this. It’s a low-key ‘Miss Marple or Miss Silver’, you don’t realise that at first. It’s a “locked room” tale and diligently told. Anthony is very convincing and Bill is more Wooster than Watson, having said that, I think that a little more animation in the narration would have enlivened the story somewhat. You ‘hear’ the missed opportunities.

Perhaps for that reason, the tale seemed rather long. I’m sure that, if I’d read it rather than listened to it, it would not have seemed pedantic.

I wonder if he wrote anymore mystery novels, because this was a great first. I shall look out for more!

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amusing and different

a bit slow but definitely worth a listen as it is so different from the usual detective stories - dated obviously but then it was written in 1920

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V subtle reading of clever Golden Age whodunnit

William Sutherland's rendition is awfully good; with minute modulations of his voice he brings out subtleties in the text that a less intelligent reading would miss completely. His bluff Received Pronunciation is perfectly suited to the upper-class milieu.

I've heard other audiobooks of A A Milne's classic but this is the first one that really held my attention due to the fine perceptions Sutherland has noted. I didn't find it boring at all. If you like Golden Age texts, try this one.
I have to admit that ther transference created by writer and reader left me wishing that Milne had written at least one more book with the 'Holmes' (Tony) and 'Watson' relationship. Unlike most of e.g. Sayers, Marsh or Allingham this book swings.

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A A Milne Interest Only

The style is early PG Wodehouse, the plot thin and quite obvious and the narrator poor. Of interest only because of the author.

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A sweet book but just a bit boring

As the introduction explains, AA Milne wrote this book to amuse his father ? and it reads like a bit like a charade. It does have a slightly Pooh-ish quality to it, but lacks the essential humour of Pooh. It should probably be seen as a literary curiosity. However, the reading by William Sutherland is definitely on the poor side. Were this book to be read by somebody who really camped it up or even sent it up, this could be a very amusing listen. One can?t help thinking Milne intended the book to be transformed into a stage play with people in flannels coming in through French windows, and the reading needs something of that atmosphere to make it swing. Not worth going for if you pay for your books by the unit, but perhaps worth trying if you have a monthly subscription and are interested in the early history of murder stories.

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11 people found this helpful

Poor narration.

The prose feels very akin to the style of Winnie the Pooh, which isn't necessarily appropriate to a murder mystery, that said there's not much of a mystery on the who did it, more the missing person, so the movitation to keep listening was weak.
What really spoilt it though was the narration, as there was absolutely no differentiation between characters and it became a bit of a slog to listen to. Glad I've ticked it off the 'must listen to' list, but won't be listening to again in the future.

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A neat and nicely plotted mystery

I get so tired of bumbling detectives who stumble on the solution despite their own best efforts to fail. And I find the modern fashion for detectives battling inner demons tiring, so this is a refreshing change. Milne's amateur sleuth is neither bumbling nor psychologically damaged. He's a well-balanced, likeable young man with a keen intelligence who solves the case by deductive reasoning.

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Nice story, not so nice narration

The story is quite nice, and I believe there's humor there that just doesn't shine through the narration. The narrator sounds like a very old school proper type. It's good for the story teller parts but the characters die at his lips.

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