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  • The Automobile Assassination: A 1940s Mystery

  • The Erdington Mysteries, Book 2
  • By: MJ Porter
  • Narrated by: Matt Coles
  • Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (6 ratings)

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The Automobile Assassination: A 1940s Mystery

By: MJ Porter
Narrated by: Matt Coles
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Summary

Erdington, September 1944

As events in Europe begin to turn in favor of the Allies, Chief Inspector Mason of Erdington Police Station is once more prevailed upon to solve a seemingly impossible case.

Called to the local mortuary where a man’s body lies, shockingly bent double and lacking any form of identification, Mason and O’Rourke find themselves at the Castle Bromwich aerodrome, seeking answers that seem out of reach to them. The men and women of the Royal Air Force stationed there are their prime suspects. Or are they? Was the man a spy, killed on the orders of some higher authority, or is the place his body was found irrelevant? And why do none of the men and women at the aerodrome recognize the dead man?

Mason, fearing a repeat of the cold case that dogged his career for two decades and that he’s only just solved, is determined to do all he can to uncover the identity of the dead man and to find out why he was killed and abandoned in such a bizarre way, even as Smythe demands he spend his time solving the counterfeiting case that is leaving local shopkeepers out of pocket.

Join Mason and O’Rourke as they once more attempt to solve the impossible in 1940s Erdington.

©2021 M J Porter (P)2023 M J Porter
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What listeners say about The Automobile Assassination: A 1940s Mystery

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

Who killed the AA man and why?

During WWII the AA boxes were less used due to less traffic on roads thanks to rationing. When a body is discovered the hunt for the killer begins and at the same time counterfeit ration coupons are causing problems. Are these linked?

Really enjoyed listening to this book in one sitting while making curtains. Very entertaining and so well narrated. Hope you enjoy too.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Great story idea, poorly executed

I have listened to both of the Erdington mysteries published so far, There is something attractive about them - a detective inspector, set in his ways, with a very limited track record and serving in an out-of-the-way police station in the Birmingham suburbs, but who comes across the traces of major crimes which others have missed. In a plodding way, assisted by a more intelligent woman police officer (who gets promoted to sergeant as a consequence of her efforts in relation to the solving the Custard Corpses cases) he follows up these traces and is able to solve the crimes, using the very limited resources available to him. These could be good stories, but are let down by a rather leaden style of writing and poor plot development. Add to that some poor research - in the second book the inspector talks about the height of the AA boxes in metres and tins of food with use by dates, very unlikely in England in the 1940s. And then, to cap it all, a very weird style of narration and some very poor attempts at regional accents. I listened to the second story in the hope that the writing would improve as the author developed his style, but there was no sign of development and I shan't be downloading any more titles in this series.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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The Automobile Assassination

I loved this book! It was not as good as the Custard Corpses,but almost.Narration by Matt Coles was very good. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Oh dear. Those accents…

Somewhere in here is a good story. The plot is great with a lovely intricate mystery spinning out with a red herring or two on the way. It’s just that I find the writing leaden. I don’t know any more about the characters than at the end of the first book and the full mention of The Automobile Association every other sentence made me wonder if this wasn’t originally a short story for a corporate newsletter. I won’t even bother to complain about the reading…

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