I mean the title kind of gives it away: Mrs. McGinty's Dead. Dead as a door nail. She was a rather boring woman who lead a boring life in a seemingly I mean the title kind of gives it away: Mrs. McGinty's Dead. Dead as a door nail. She was a rather boring woman who lead a boring life in a seemingly boring town. There was literally nothing that made her special, she was just a with no close family and few friends. And yet her murder just didn't seem to add up to Superindendent Spence who, finding his old friend Hercule Poirot otherwise unengaged, enlists his help to figure out just what happened and why. and the stakes are high, her boarder has already been convicted and is slated for hanging. Can Poirot get to the bottom of this seemingly mundane murder?
Yes. I mean, this is Hercule Poirot and his famous grey cells we are talking about here, of course he figures everything out, it is what he does.
But the charm of this story isn't in Poirot's inevitable success, but all the characters Christie populates the story with, from Robin Upward, a deliciously annoying playwright to Christie stand in Mrs. Oliver (who has to put up with Upward's constant changing of her famous Finnish detective for the purposes of a play he is writing) to Summerhayes's who seem incapable of running anything resembling an organized house and many more. Some are what they appear to be while others harbor dark pasts that may or may not be related to the murder of Mrs. McGinty.
I think what I liked most about this story (apart from the indomitable Hugh Fraser doing the voices) was the mystery Christie weaves for this particular story. It is one that stretches back decades and has enmeshed several of the story's characters. The final reveal, which I woefully missed, made sense and all the clues were there if one just applied their little grey cells properly. All in all a very enjoyable listening experience!...more
As far as Christie mysteries go somewhat forgettable. Heck, I don't even remember when I started this. It was only due to an unexpected road trip and As far as Christie mysteries go somewhat forgettable. Heck, I don't even remember when I started this. It was only due to an unexpected road trip and many hours in a car that resulted in this book getting completed. It has all the hallmarks of a classic Christie mystery: colorful characters, mysterious murders, secret pasts, and so on and so forth. But no aspect of it really stood out, especially compared to all of Christie's other, better mysteries. It may be because Superintendent Brattle just isn't as interesting as Poirot or Marple and no one character really stole the story. It was a perfectly serviceable story but not one of Christie's highlights.
Oh, and if you can get a version of this story (or really any Christie mystery) voiced by Hugh Fraser do it. The man does a fantastic job with all the different British accents and voices, makes even a middling book enjoyable to listen to....more
In his last case Poirot returns to where it all began for the reader, Styles. Here an old and physically ailing Poirot tries to track down his greatesIn his last case Poirot returns to where it all began for the reader, Styles. Here an old and physically ailing Poirot tries to track down his greatest challenge adversary: a murder who appears completely unconnected with a string of murders. A villain so devious his very existence is unknown to all but Poirot's little grey cells. As with The Mysterious Affair at Styles Poirot enlists the help of Hastings in tracking down the villain and it is from Hastings point of view we get the story.
As per usual Christie does a marvelous job both constructing the mystery and giving the characters in her story wonderful depth. Instead of merely being pieces to the mystery puzzle they all came off as independent, self-realized characters with their own agendas, hopes, and aspirations. The only part of the book that felt off to me was just how amazing the villain was at carrying out his/her craft. It was a bit too far fetched in my opinion how deft a manipulator they were, but that is really the only bad mark against this book. It was yet another top notch Christie mystery and would be enjoyed by any mystery fan.
And Hugh Fraser is, once again, stellar as the narrator....more
Christie's books seem to translate very well into audio books, especially with the dulcet vocals of Hugh Fraser (he narrated the version I listened toChristie's books seem to translate very well into audio books, especially with the dulcet vocals of Hugh Fraser (he narrated the version I listened to, which was paired with another Christie mystery, but I did not listen to that one). As always with Christie she does a marvelous job giving real depth to the characters, constructing an intricate mystery, and keeping me guessing until the reveal (turns out my little grey cells pale in comparison to Poirot's/Christie's). This was a delightful listen and great for road trips....more
This was a nice, diverse set of short stories that show Christie's range of writing. The stories range from the more traditional mysteries Christie isThis was a nice, diverse set of short stories that show Christie's range of writing. The stories range from the more traditional mysteries Christie is known for to straight up psychological stories to what I might even describe as a Lovecraftian tale. I was also introduced to one of Christie's less well known characters, Harley Quin, who I found delightful. All in all it was a very good listen with some very good stories and some that just fell a bit flat for me. I would say my favorites were 'The Lonely God' and the eponymous 'The Harlequin Tea Set'. The voices were pleasant and did not distract from the stories at all. This is a nice audiobook to while away a car trip with....more
So let's say you are an elderly Scottish woman. While you are returning from a day of christmas shopping in the city you happen to glance out the traiSo let's say you are an elderly Scottish woman. While you are returning from a day of christmas shopping in the city you happen to glance out the train window and see something quite unsettling in a neighboring train: A MURDER
[image]
No one else is around and when you report this terrible, unsettling crime you are met with severe skepticism. What is one to do? You've just seen a woman killed, you have no idea what the murderer looks like, and you are afraid you one will believe the rambling of a silly old Scottish woman.
Well, if you are Mrs. McGillicuddy (which I think we can all agree is an AMAZING name) you confide your fears to your good friend Miss Jane "I have caught so many more murderers than you" Marple. This dame knows how to get things done.
Witness never saw the murderer? Not a problem.
No body was ever found? Hardly an inconvenience.
No idea which train it was that the murder took place on? She has people for that
Too old to actually go sleuthing about? She'll just use her inherent awesomeness to convince an equally awesome woman to go undercover and prove my brilliant theory was right. she'll just chill on the background and let the youngfolks run about while carefully processing all the clues and catch YET ANOTHER murderer because she is that awesome (certainly more awesome than any of us will ever be. I haven't even caught one murderer).
But in all seriousness Christie constructed both a very neat murder mystery and some pretty fascinating characters to go along with it. She weaves a story of an overbearing patriarch, ungrateful and rather wretched children (well not all, most the majority of them), some mysterious letters, and a body whose origins are unknown. Like most of her mysteries I had no idea who the killer was and the solution to the murder was elegant and followed logically from all the information the reader has been exposed to.
Interestingly there was actually very little Miss Marple in this story. She shows up in the beginning, but, recognizing how old and frail she has become, enlists the aid of one Lucy Eyelesbarrow to do the footwork of tracking down Miss Marple's hunches. The chapters tell the story from different characters' perspectives and provides a wide view of the mystery for the reader. The plot is brisk but well paced and Christie does a wonderful job giving all of the characters depth and purpose. All in all a smashing mystery that was engaging and rewarding.
It should be noted I consumed this book in audio form. The narrator, , did a stupendous job with the voices. It was very clear from her tone, pacing, and accent what character was speaking at a given time and her voice in no way distracted from the story she was narrating. I would definitely listen to another Christie audio book if she was the one doing the narration....more
This was a really fun, quick listen (since it is an audio book), pretty much what I have come to expect from Scalzi but with the added bonus of Spock This was a really fun, quick listen (since it is an audio book), pretty much what I have come to expect from Scalzi but with the added bonus of Spock (Zacharay Quinto) reading it to me.
This book very much reminded me of Legion by Brandon Sanderson. Both novellas drop the reader into a world that is very much like ours, but with one difference. In Legion it is a man who can conjure (but not dismiss) hallucinations that are extremely knowledgeable in a given subject area. In this one people, save for a small percentage, cannot be murdered. They simply reappear in their homes, naked, after they are killed. The reader is not there at the beginning of these happenings, but several years after they have started, after the world has somewhat gotten used to them. The narrators of both are outsiders due to their circumstances and provide a unique perspective on the problem at hand. They are by no means perfect, but are interesting characters in their own way.
What I have always liked best about science fiction (though this could arguably be fantasy however the impact is the same) was how good authors can take one or two changes to society and extrapolate its affects on society down to the banal such as insurance, operating room politics, and mob hits. This book is no exception and I delighted in the creative ways Scalzi tweaked our modern society to adjust for the change in his world. It was really neat and I we can get more stories in their universe going forward. It is marked by Scalzi's trademarked sarcastic wit, but was a bit lighter on the humor than most of his other works, not that it detracted from the story at all.
The mystery itself was both neat and tragic. I will say it isn't too intricate of a mystery, since I was able to guess it well ahead of the reveal, but it was well constructed and populated with lots of interesting characters. I especially liked the "mob family trying to got legit" characters and the cop that drags the protagonist into the mystery. If you have a few hours to kill this is a great option for temporal assassination....more
Before I get to the spoilery review let say Jon Lindstrom did a really great job as the audio narrator. It was easy to differentiate the voices of difBefore I get to the spoilery review let say Jon Lindstrom did a really great job as the audio narrator. It was easy to differentiate the voices of different characters and he did an excellent job conveying the main character's emotional anguish.
The nickle tour (no spoilers) is this: well thought out sci-fi thriller with a few unexpected twists and turns that was engaging and satisfying to listen to. A bit of a slow down in the thrust of the story in the middle and some questionable decisions by the protagonist during that same time but other than that a really good experience.
So now the spoiler filled review:
(view spoiler)[I decided to put this review in the spoiler tag because it is pretty difficult to effectively review this book without talking about the early twist: Jason Dessen, the protagonist, getting kidnapped by alternative universe Jason Dessen and replaced by his double. While I did figure that out during the course of his abduction (thank you ) I didn't want to ruin that reveal for other folks who have not yet read the book.
The first thing this book reminded of was the delightful and (sometimes) goofy show, . OK, basically anytime I come across alternative universes I think of that that show because it pretty much set the standard for my generation of how we look at universe hopping. While the method wasn't as cool as in Sliders:
[image]
It did serve the story quite well.
But universe hopping styles aside I thought Crouch's theory of universe hopping was pretty interesting (combination of total observational isolation with an injection that altered brain chemistry). It served as a reasonably science-y explanation and kept the characters from ranging too far away from Chicago in the course of their travels as well as setting a limit to how many times they could hop.
I liked the idea of a person replacing an alternative dimension of themselves because of past regrets. Within the multiverse (the collection of all possible universes) there exists all outcomes. Hitler winning WWII, President McKinley getting killed by a wild boar, you choosing not to fix an auto-correct from a text three years ago. They can be profound and banal and wacky, but they all exist. So, with proper control of the universe hopping device, a traveler could go to literally any universe possible.
In this case Jason2 wanted to go to a universe where he chose to stay with his girlfriend and raised a family instead of dedicating his entire existence to a universe hopping device, replacing the native Jason and sending him back to Jason2's world. He justifies this action by believing that the Jason he is replacing wanted to be a successful scientist, which Jason2 was in his world. So begins Jason's journey back home, which is about as tough as you'd expect. He and someone who rescues his from his circumstances in Jason2's world, Amanda, strike out across the multiverse to return Jason to his home.
There are, of course, problems with this. Namely the Multiverse is big. I will leave it up to Doug Adams (paraphrased) to explain it: "[The Multiverse] is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to [the multiverse]". So, given that Amanda and Jason don't even know how to drive the universe hopping device, things don't exactly go smoothly.
Also Jason just starts to act super irrationally. Yes, I get that he is suffering from an emotional breakdown of having his family literally stolen by himself. But his irrational actions also endanger Amanda (who, at this point, I liked a lot more than Emo-Jason). That did not engender him to me. In fact, at this point in the story, I sort of wanted to see what happened to Amanda when she abandoned Jason since she was probably off to explore the multiverse instead of trying to hone to one particular universe.
Which of course raises a slight problem with Jason's plan: his universe doesn't exist anymore because in every instant it is splitting off into a near infinite number of universes. Every decision, from human down to the electron, causes a cleavage in universes. So by the time Jason gets back to "his" universe there are in fact already an infinite amount of other universes. More humorously (at least from my perspective) there are also an infinite amount of Jason's running around the multiverse also trying to "get home". When they all become aware of each other hilarious (and murderous) shenanigans ensue. This story, for the most part, moves along very briskly, with Jason on the run in one form or another. I think the information reveal by Crouch was well timed and the reader learned along with Jason heightening the sense of the unknown and uncertain.
All in all this was an enjoyable listen. I am glad Crouch took into account that . Instead of the conclusion being Jason vs. Jason2, it was a literal army of Jason's against themselves. It was both a reasonable outcome and a highly entertaining one as well. My only knock on this book was the middle dragged a bit when Jason was going through his emotional breakdown and after Amanda left. But apart from that it was a well thought out, well written story that pulled out a few nice twists throughout its course and kept me interested in the fates of the characters. (hide spoiler)]...more
Nice set of short mysteries by the Mistress of Mysteries, Agatha Christie. The narration was great, especially the ones done by the indomitable ChristNice set of short mysteries by the Mistress of Mysteries, Agatha Christie. The narration was great, especially the ones done by the indomitable Christopher Lee (yes, that ). For the most part I was not able to solve the crimes (though, in my defense, I was driving while listening so my mind was a bit divided).
The stories were long enough to develop the characters and set up interesting mysteries or twists but no so long as to make me lose the thread of the story. They were one and all unique stories with a wide range of crimes, motives, and types of characters. It was also pretty interesting to get a peak into the lifestyle and culture of the early to mid-20th century (they really liked mediums and spiritualists it seemed).
If you are looking for a good set of mysteries for a road trip or commute you could do worse than this collection but I am not sure you could do much better....more
Legal disclaimer: I have never listened to an audio book before. I have never read a John Grisham book before. I have never read a courtroom/legal booLegal disclaimer: I have never listened to an audio book before. I have never read a John Grisham book before. I have never read a courtroom/legal book before. I am not a lawyer. I do have some good lawyer jokes though.
With all that out of the way let me say I enjoyed the heck out of this audio book and it served me well on long car trips.
Right off the bat Dennis Boutsikaris does a very nice job with the audio portion of this audio book. He has a nice cadence, great inflections, and does a wonderful job giving each character their own voice. I could tell who was speaking in a long conversation just by the speech patterns he was using. I think his Chicago accent would occasionally stray into a Bostonian accent but it wasn't very distracting. Boutsikaris was a great voice for this and I was pleased by the quality of his contribution.
As for the book portion of the audio book, Grisham presents the reader/listener with a very colorful cast. From the grumpy Oscar Finley, to the hustling Wallace "Wally" Figg, to the earnest David Zinc, to all the many supporting characters we come across there is more than enough personality to go around. Grisham does a great job having the characters play off against each other and giving relationships a deep sense of history. I really liked how Grisham crafted the characters and relationships, making them all feel very natural and real.
The story was also a lot of fun. Instead of just focusing on the courtroom drama of a major litigation, the vast majority of the book detailed all the out of court maneuvering by the mass tort bar, the tiny firm of Finley and Figg, and the pharmaceutical company that manufactured the questionable drug. It was fascinating to see how these sorts of things play out, how opportunistic the lawyers in question were, and strategy the corporation used to defend themselves.
But beyond the legal drama, this was a book about people. We learned and sympathized with Oscar's marital troubles, we got to know Wally and his challenge to stay sober, and we got to root for David as he cast off the golden shackles of a giant legal firm for the uncertainty of street law. More importantly, we got to see some of the other law they practiced and what drove them as people. I greatly enjoyed how the characters and story lines interwove themselves and was left with a very satisfied feeling as all the loose ends were (logically and reasonably) tied up by the end.
All in all this was a great first audiobook for me. I was constantly engaged, laughed out loud many times, and found the story lots of fun. The audio was great, the book was great, it was all great!...more
Loading...
