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  • The Perfect Murder

  • By: Peter James
  • Narrated by: Paul Panting
  • Length: 2 hrs and 12 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (167 ratings)

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The Perfect Murder

By: Peter James
Narrated by: Paul Panting
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Summary

The Perfect Murder is a suspenseful and gripping novella from Peter James, the bestselling author of the phenomenally successful Roy Grace series.

How do you commit the perfect murder?

Victor Smiley and his wife Joan have been married for nearly twenty years. Victor secretly loathes Joan more and more each day. Joan is bored by Victor, and his snoring drives her mad. Their marriage has reached a crisis point.

Victor decides there is only one way to get Joan out of his life for ever, but he's about to get a nasty surprise. As it turns out, Victor's not the only one with murder in mind . . .

*****

23 million books sold.

Don't miss the Grace series from Peter James - Roy Grace is Her Majesty Queen Camilla’s favourite fictional detective, and the series is now a major ITV show starring John Simm.

'Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business' – Karin Slaughter, author of the Will Trent series

'Peter James is one of the best British crime writers and therefore one of the best in the world' – Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series

'One of the world’s most popular detective series' –
The Guardian

©2017 Peter James (P)2017 Macmillan Digital Audio
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What listeners say about The Perfect Murder

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

Novelty Value is Not Enough

I'm a big fan of Peter James otherwise I wouldn't have bothered with this very short book in the first place. It's a decent short story even if the final twist is something I think a lot of listeners will see coming from a mile off. Peter Panting breathes life into it and does a fair enough job of the narration so James completists will of course want to get this.

For me though next month I will be getting 45 hours of Brandon Sanderson epic fantasy for the same single credit and I can also get any of the full length novels by Peter James including the excellent Roy Grace series. It's a problem with the credit-based system of course but to me if you're going to release something this short it really should be something that's genuinely a bit special or also available for a much cheaper cash price than the fiver it's currently available for.

So, this has novelty value but not enough for me personally.

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16 people found this helpful

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

Brilliant - Both Author & Narrator

I lay the blame for my addiction to Audio Books firmly at Peter James' door.
I now have quite high expections for audio readings having listened consistently - approx 3 to 4 books a week for the past year. This was one of my first audios.
I've discovered some wonderful authors and favourite books that I return to and listen to again for entertainment. This is one of them.
Peter James can definitely suck you in to a story and do it very well. I think other authors have used him as an inspiration for their own brilliant books, but Peter has something special. Something that sets him apart from the rest. In that respect I'd call him a story telling genius of our time. A professional narrator also helps greatly. The sign of a good audio book is if you are seeing the book as if a live play in front of your eyes or at least in your head. And this is a wonderful blend of author and narrator complimenting each other.

When you start the Detective Grace novels, wow are you in for a rollercoaster treat!

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

perfect short story

A run down fed up with one another couple , think of the best way to enjoy the rest of there lives without the other . Who will come out on top ?

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

Amateurish simple story

Quite funny in places in how amateurish it's written and the dialogues were so simplistic. Some good bits here and there and it's good that it doesn't drag on....Nice for 1 decent car journey.

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

A brilliant short story!

This story felt much more substantial than the short story it is. There is so much going on with this couple who wanted to kill each other. A great offering from a master of the craft.

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

Good but rather short

This kept my interest but I guessed the ending and it was rather short.

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

Disappointing

Unfortunately, not the standard I was expecting from one of my favourite writers I'm afraid.


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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

fab!!

Great from start to finish! Great ending! Would definitely recommend this short story book! Well done!

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

Quite entertaining, but .......

Interesting twist on a murder story. Unfortunately, guess the ending pretty quick. The story leading up to the solution was a bit long winded when you're already guessed the end.

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

Rather a 'Tale of the Unexpected' and enjoyable!

All a bit silly, but I enjoyed it nevertheless! Well thought out and well executed.

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