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Murder at Madingley Grange

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About this listen

When a failed entrepreneur is temporarily left in charge of his aunt's huge gothic home, he knows he must be able to make a profit from it somehow. Murder, he decides, is the only way to do it. For Madingley Grange is the perfect venue for a 1930s murder-mystery weekend, and Simon Hannaford – with the reluctant help of his long-suffering sister – soon hatches a plan for money-spinning mayhem.

From the conservatory to the claret cellar, the clues are carefully sprinkled. But when the guests arrive, it is obvious that the game won't be going as planned. Not one of the visitors is willing to play the victim. And when a body does appear, it hardly takes Hercule Poirot to guess it is not a volunteer. Now the game really begins...

©1990 Caroline Graham (P)2023 Bolinda Publishing Amateur Sleuths Crime Fiction Mystery Fiction Detective Crime Witty Feel-Good Game Murder

Critic reviews

"Audiobook listeners, as well as nine paying guests, are invited to a 1930s murder mystery weekend at a faux gothic country house. The talented English actor John Hopkins narrates this lively mystery, creating the glamorous atmosphere of the best vintage whodunits. His deep voice captures the posh sound of the weekend's scheming host, Simon. Hopkins also does a fabulous job presenting the character Fred, whose crassness offends so many of the stuffy guests. Hopkins's portrayal of the larcenous butler is hilarious and memorable. Many things go wrong over the weekend, and listeners will be kept intrigued. There's romance in the conservatory, as well as knives and blood.... It's fun to hear the scenes unfold." (AudioFile)

'Simply the best detective writer since Agatha Christie.' (The Sunday Times)
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Story line is weak, occasionally there’s some humour, but it’s rare. The plot was ok but the characters and story never really brought it to life. Only kept listening as it was more of a stage show than a book. Reminiscent of The Importance of Being earnest, or PG Woodhouse, without the laughs. Was difficult to work out when this was set. Characters all seemed to be anachronisms, there is evidence they were meant to be modern day, but the whole thing comes across as if they live in the late 1890s 🤔

Take away the narrator and this would be awful

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Interesting set up that meanders around in a harmless fashion. Characters are common archetypes, the plot has all the clichéd beats.
Unremarkable but perfectly tolerable.

Harmless cozy murder

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It took a few chapters to get into the humour of the book but once you do it’s excellent.

Takes a while

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I enjoyed the authors dry wit and the twist in the ending. Also well done was the narrator’s use of different voices to suit the characters.

Dry wit.

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The cleverness and superb wit of the esteemed author show through all the time but it’s a confusing listen. The first part continues in a clever and witty way (emphasis on the witty), but then goes off on a (not the first of) confusing and almost unrelated tangents. It does return to the story but it’s never the same. Sorry, wanted to love it and even did a bit, but ultimately I was relieved when it limped to a conclusion.

So good - in parts

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