What I've been listening to...

If you're a long-time follower of this blog, you will know I like crime books featuring the British Royal Family.

I've just finished listening to Murder Most Royal, the third in the 'Her Majesty the Queen Investigates' series by S J Bennett.

These books are narrated by Samantha Bond who does a wonderful job and this entry is set at Sandringham and its environs, an area I know reasonably well, which added to my enjoyment.

These first three books are set in the mid to late 2010s whereas the fourth book, which I'm in the queue for, A Death in Diamonds, goes back to 1957.

I've just spotted that a fifth book, The Queen Who Came in from the Cold, is out next February, and is set in 1961.

Free audiobook - The Avengers

Big Finish are currently offering a free audiobook every Monday. They are probably best known for their Doctor Who range but they cover a lot of cult classics. This week's free download features The Avengers.

Download your copy here.  

Adaptations of the comic strip adventures of Steed and Mrs Peel which appeared in Diana magazine in 1966 and 1967.

1.4 The Norse Code by John Dorney

Steed has the horns of a dilemma, Emma milks her moment.

An agent has gone missing whilst holidaying in the Norfolk Broads. With an American nuclear bomb being stored in the region, Steed and Peel can't take any risks.

But the last thing they expect to find on their boating trip is a Norse longboat. What are Vikings doing in East Anglia?

This is one of the episodes from Series 1. 

Audio Book News: Mistress of the Just Land

For fans of the Inspector McLevy radio series, there is now a (currently) two-book series featuring Mistress Jean Brash: Mistress of the Just Land (2016) and The Lost Daughter (2017) written by David Ashton.

Mistress of the Just Land, is currently 99p on kindle but the bonus is that the add-on Audible narration is only £2.99 and is narrated by "Jean Brash" herself, Siobhan Redmond.

Jean Brash, who first appeared in BBC Radio 4's Inspector McLevy mysteries, is a formidable woman in her prime. Once a child of the streets, she is now Mistress of the Just Land, the best bawdy-hoose in Edinburgh and her pride and joy. But a murder in her establishment could wreck everything.

New Year's Day - and through the misty streets of Victorian Edinburgh an elegant, female figure walks the cobblestones - with a certain vengeful purpose. Jean Brash, the Mistress of the Just Land, brings her cool intelligence to solving a murder, a murder that took place in her own bawdy-hoose.

A prominent judge, strangled and left dangling, could bring her whole life to ruin and she didn't haul herself off the streets, up through low dirty houses of pleasure and violent vicious men - to let that come to pass. The search for the killers will take Jean back into her own dark past as she uncovers a web of political and sexual corruption in the high reaches of the Edinburgh establishment.

A young boy's death long ago is demanding justice but, as the body count increases, she has little time before a certain Inspector James McLevy comes sniffing round like a wolf on the prowl.

Jean may be on the side of natural justice but is she on the side of the law? Or will the law bring her down?

Dorothy L Sayers - Audiobooks

I've recently received a press release from Hodder and Stoughton announcing new audiobook recording for all of Dorothy L Sayers books, starting with the release of Whose Body? tomorrow:

Hodder & Stoughton will publish the complete crime backlist of Dorothy L. Sayers as digital audiobooks. World rights excluding the USA were acquired from Georgia Glover of David Higham Associates.

Editor Dominic Gribben said: "Dorothy L. Sayers is one of the great authors of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction and a cornerstone of Hodder’s crime fiction publishing. We’re recording new editions – brilliantly read by Jane McDowell – to offer listeners a fresh, consistent way to experience these stories.”

Hodder will publish 16 titles over the course of the next year beginning with the first Lord Peter Wimsey novel, Whose Body?, on September 18th 2014. Hodder will publish one title a month with the final title being published in December 2015.

Review: The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith (audiobook)

The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith, read by Adjoa Andoh (ISIS Audio Books, 2012, MP3, ISBN: 978-1-4450-2069-3)

THE LIMPOPO ACADEMY OF PRIVATE DETECTION is the thirteenth in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series set in Botswana. The detective agency's proprietor is Mma Ramotswe who is ably helped by assistant detective Grace Mma Makutsi.

The previous book, dealt with Mma Makutsi's marriage to the wealthy Phuti Radiphuti and now the happy couple have to find a home. When Phuti sells a builder, Mr Putumelo, two sofas from his Double Comfort Furniture Store, he thinks he has found just the man to build their new house. However, when Mma Makutsi meets Mr Putumelo she is less than happy with his attitude to her and this is a sign of things to come...

Back at Speedy Motors, Fanwell, the second apprentice at Mr J L B Matekoni's (husband to Mma Ramotse) garage, gets himself into to trouble with the law by helping a friend and it's up to his employer and friends to see justice done.

And over at the Orphan Farm, the redoubtable Mma Potakwani, has been fired for disagreeing with a new proposal to build a shared dining room using the funds from a sizeable donation. She asks Mma Ramotswe to investigate one of the board members, Mr Ditso, who has pushed the board to accept the proposal.

Into all this comes a stranger from America, though he is well known to Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi as he is none other than Clovis Anderson, author of their touchstone guidebook, The Principles of Private Detection. Mr Anderson lends his advice and moral support to Mma Ramotswe's investigation of Mr Ditso and she in turn learns about Mr Anderson.

I was slightly disappointed with the previous book, THE SATURDAY BIG TENT WEDDING PARTY, due to the unsatisfactory resolution to Mma Ramotswe's case however there is no such problem here. And even though Mma Ramotse should not have needed Clovis Anderson's intervention, as the answer is obvious early on, it does not matter, as it is the act of being transported to Mma Ramotswe's Botswana and its gentle way of life which is the reason for reading these. The "crime element" is not as important as catching up with the characters' lives.

I actively seek out these audio books read by Adjoa Andoh. They are an absolute treat to listen to and beautifully done. I've finally tracked down an audiobook of the next book in the series, THE MINOR ADJUSTMENT BEAUTY SALON – a place which appears in LIMPOPO and which provides useful intel – and I can't wait to listen to it.

August 2014

Review: Into the Valley of Death by H R F Keating (as Evelyn Hervey) (audio book)

Into the Valley of Death by H R F Keating writing as Evelyn Hervey read by Sheila Mitchell, AudioGO, December 2012, 6 CDs

INTO THE VALLEY OF DEATH is the third and final book featuring governess Harriet Unwin written by H R F Keating as “Evelyn Hervey”.

Set in the latter part of the nineteenth century, Miss Unwin is called to Chipping Compton by Vilkins an old friend from their orphanage days. Vilkins is working as a maid but is currently helping out at the pub as the landlord is due to be hanged in a few days time for murder unless Miss Unwin can use her detective skills and find the true killer.

Jack Steadman, the landlord, was found unconscious in the woods next to the dead body of Alfie Goode. He is an ex-soldier and well-respected and yet the evidence is pointing to him. Miss Unwin, assisted by Mr Heavitree, a retired Scotland Yard inspector, must dig around and go undercover to save the poor man's life. Will she make it in time?

Miss Unwin is a resourceful, brave investigator who doesn't yield to threats and puts the doubting men in their places. She has managed to elevate herself in society from a humble start and is sometimes reluctant to go back down but she does it, as well as some other unladylike behaviour, in her quest to save Jack Steadman.

INTO THE VALLEY OF DEATH is an enjoyable historical crime novel, splendidly narrated by Sheila Mitchell, which tells an interesting story in a mere six cds. The first two books, THE GOVERNESS and THE MAN OF GOLD are also available on audio book.

I found the references to the Crimean War fascinating – not a period I did at school - several of the characters were involved in the Crimean War and took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade and the local area is named 'The Valley of Death' as featured Tennyson's famous poem.

Review: The Ellie Hardwick Mysteries by Barbara Cleverly (audio book)

The Ellie Hardwick Mysteries by Barbara Cleverly read by Suzi Aitchison, AudioGO, September 2012, 4 CDs

Barbara Cleverly is probably best known for her historical Joe Sandilands series set for the first few books in India. The Ellie Hardwick Mysteries is a collection of five short stories, starring mid-twenties, Suffolk-based architect Ellie Hardwick, first published between 2003 and 2006 in crime and women's magazines.

Love-Lies Bleeding is set in a Norfolk stately home run by a charity. The repair of a staircase leads to a discovery which requires Ellie to solve a paternity question from several hundred years ago and to do a sort of exorcism.

Here Lies is the first of two stories set in a Suffolk church. Ellie discovers the dead body of a woman lying on one of the church's tombs. Her identify is swiftly established; she was about to marry into a local, ancient family. Someone didn't want her to it seems. Ellie does a bit of sleuthing and Inspector Jennings is introduced.

A Threatened Species again has Ellie visiting a Suffolk church where she discovers a dead body in the belfry. She calls Inspector Jennings out and again does a bit of investigating. (This story has also appeared in The Best British Mysteries IV edited by Maxim Jakubowski.)

A Black Tie Affair has Ellie invited to a swanky evening do at a manor hall she's been working on, owned by a property-developer. Inspector Jennings is her date and they stumble on a body whilst looking round the house... This time round it's Jennings who puts the pieces together.

Die Like a Maharajah, tales Ellie to India on a tour. One of the group is an insufferable woman who upsets everyone, so it's no surprise when she dies. Murder or accident though? Only Ellie has the answer.

This is an enjoyable collection of short whodunnits, which range from 30 to 60 minutes long. Ellie is a traditional amateur sleuth with occasional back-up from the capable Inspector Jennings. My favourite of the five stories was A Threatened Species which has Ellie and Jennings working together to solve the mystery. I would like to read more about Ellie though I haven't been able to track down any newer stories. Suzy Aitchison narrates well, giving Ellie a fitting, perky, indomitable voice.

Review: Two For Sorrow by Nicola Upson (audio book)

Two For Sorrow by Nicola Upson read by Sandra Duncan, Whole Story Audiobooks, September 2010, 13 CDs, ISBN: 9781407459271

TWO FOR SORROW is the third book from Nicola Upson to feature real-life crime writer Josephine Tey. Josephine doesn't do any detecting, rather she leaves that to (the fictional) Archie Penrose from Scotland Yard.

We're back in London, after Cornwall in ANGEL WITH TWO FACES, and Josephine is staying at the women's-only Cowdray Club, run by her old teacher, Celia Bannerman. Josephine is writing a fictional account of the Sach and Walters case (two women who were hanged for “baby farming” ie baby murdering) thirty years before and Celia was one of the warders at the time and knew Amelia Sach.

There is to be a gala ball at the Club and Josephine's friends, the Motley sisters, are creating the gowns. However tragedy strikes when one of their seamstresses, a former prisoner, is sadistically murdered in the Motleys' shop and the woman's father is also found dead, just outside. Archie is called in to investigate.

As Archie digs, his investigation increasingly overlaps with the subject of Josephine's writing until he is forced to keep secrets from her for her own safety...

As well as being on the periphery of the investigation, Josephine's emotions are in turmoil with the reappearance of an old friend who wants more than perhaps Josephine is willing to give.

TWO FOR SORROW is quite long but always interesting. As well as a crime novel it's a fascinating look at the role of women in the 1930s and highlights how things were so much worse for women than men in prison. “Baby farming” is a term I'd only come across recently in a teenage fiction book (VELVET by Mary Hooper) but in this there is a lot of shocking and upsetting detail and Archie goes to some grim places in pursuit of his enquiries.

I do love the showbizzy glamour of the books set in London (see also AN EXPERT IN MURDER) with real-life actors and thinly disguised actors flitting in and out and I have one eye on Google to see who and what is real and who and what's fictional. So little is known of Tey's life that this series is like reading a biography of her, fleshing out the few known facts that there are.

Sandra Duncan gives an outstanding performance with a warm Scottish accented Josephine and clipped, attractive upper-class accent for Archie plus many more different vocalisations for the supporting cast.

Mini Review: The Holy Thief by William Ryan (audio book)

I've just had the pleasure of listening to an ISIS audio book of William Ryan's The Holy Thief read by Sean Barrett.

Sean Barrett is excellent as I knew he would be as I've listened to him read Henning Mankell's booksl. (He's also got the Jo Nesbo gig.)

I really enjoyed The Holy Thief and felt I learned a lot about Russia in the 1930s. Be aware that there are a couple of torture scenes and unpleasant descriptions of the aftermath, in this fine police procedural which introduces Captain Korolev of the CID of the Moscow Militia. he is a good man, struggling with loyalty to the state and his own religious beliefs.

For a full assessment please read Rich's excellent review, with which I agree completely, here.

The Holy Thief was shortlisted for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year 2011 and the CWA New Blood (John Creasey) Dagger 2010


The second in the series, The Bloody Meadow, is available now and a third book should be out in 2013.

William Ryan's website
William Ryan on Twitter

Audiobooks are Forever...

Just look at the stellar readers assembled to read the James Bond novels for AudioGO. I'll be looking out for these in the library later this year.

From AudioGO's Facebook page:

Three years in the making, the project has seen distinguished director Enyd Williams and Lucy Fleming for Ian Fleming Publications, working closely with twelve British acting icons to create an exciting, modern ‘007 reloaded’ take on the new, unabridged recordings of these remarkable books.

Casino Royale read by Dan Stevens

Live and Let Die read by Rory Kinnear

Moonraker read by Bill Nighy

Diamonds Are Forever read by Damian Lewis

From Russia With Love read by Toby Stephens

Dr No read by Hugh Quarshie

Goldfinger read by Hugh Bonneville

Thunderball read by Jason Isaacs

The Spy Who Loved Me read by Rosamund Pike

On Her Majesty's Secret Service read by David Tennant

You Only Live Twice read by Martin Jarvis

The Man With the Golden Gun read by Kenneth Branagh

Each fantastic new Bond title will be available to pre-order on 1st August, and download or purchase on CD from 6th September

Review: Bryant & May Off the Rails by Christopher Fowler (audio book)

Bryant & May Off the Rails by Christopher Fowler read by Tim Goodman, Whole Story Audiobooks, April 2011, 9 CDs, ISBN: 9781407472713

Bryant & May Off the Rails is the eighth in this series which features London's Peculier Crime's Unit (the PCU) headed up by London's two most ancient detectives Arthur Bryant and John May. Fast friends but with completely different ways of working.

Off the Rails pretty much follows on directly from the tragic end to On the Loose. The PCU have one week to find the elusive killer, Mr Fox, a chameleon who is drawn to King's Cross Station. If they don't solve the case then they'll be shut down.

A second case is presented to them when a young woman is pushed down a flight of stairs in King's Cross Station and a sticker is left on her back. This sticker leads the team to the Karma bar and on to a house in Bloomsbury full of students. When one of the students impossibly disappears off a late-night underground train then pressure is increased on the remaining students as Arthur becomes convinced one of them is behind the disappearance.

The fascinating history of the London Underground is imparted to the listener via Mr Bryant and the security team at King's Cross. All sorts of legends and rumours as well as hard facts are presented and of course there's a field trip down there by Bryant and May. After much surveilling of suspects and attempts at magic tricks by Arthur, all routes finally lead to King's Cross in a dramatic ending where murder is thwarted by a most unlikely source.

This is another good entry in this innovative and informative series which mixes history with laughs. There is a late scene with "Acting Temporary Head of the PCU" Raymond Land which made me snort loudly on the train, delivered in such a dead-pan way by the always excellent Tim Goodman. Land also makes some attempt to clear up how old the two senior detectives are as he reckons that Arthur has moved the first case, Full Dark House, back by 15 years. Arthur disputes this so we are none the wiser.

Christopher Fowler is possibly the UK's answer to Fred Vargas, both take events which appear to be supernatural and provide rational explanations and both Bryant and Vargas's Adamsberg have very unorthodox ways of getting to the truth.

Read another Euro Crime review of Bryant & May Off the Rails.

More reviews of Christopher Fowler's books can be found on the Euro Crime website.

Review: The Drowning by Camilla Lackberg (audio book)

The Drowning by Camilla Lackberg tr. Tiina Nunnally, read by Eamonn Riley, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, March 2012, 12 CDs, ISBN: 978-0-00-744374-1)

The Drowning is the sixth in the Erica Falck-Patrik Hedstrom series set in Fjallbacka and takes place a few months after the events in The Hidden Child.

Christian Thydell, one of Fjallbacka's librarians has finally had his novel The Mermaid (which he was working on in the previous book) published to great critical acclaim however all is not well with Christian as he's been receiving threatening letters which have put him in a dreadful mental state. Erica, a true-crime writer, has been mentoring Christian and when she discovers the existence of the letters steals one to show her police detective husband Patrik and inadvertently advertises their existence to the hungry press, increasing the pressure on Christian.

Meanwhile, back at the station Patrik is dealing with weekly visits by Cia Kjellner whose husband Magnus has been missing for three months. They all presume he is dead but no body has appeared.

As the story progresses it's discovered that Christian and Magnus knew each other. Is there a connection between the anonymous letters and Magnus's disappearance. And what about Magnus's two other friends from childhood, Kenneth and Erik, are they in danger too?

Alongside Patrik's official investigations and Erica's unofficial ones into Christian's background there are chapters told from the point of view of an unnamed boy who has been adopted and who tells of his terrible upbringing at the hands of a cruel mother and indifferent father.

The Drowning is not heavy on plot but there are plenty of characters to meet as well as much local intrigue. As well as the usual Falck family matters (romance, children, pregnancy, general domestic life), the listener gets to know amongst others: Sanna, Christian’s unloved wife; Lizbet, Kenneth's dying wife; Louise, Erik's cheated-on wife and Cecilia, Erik's current girlfriend. Lackberg's novels are a mix of domestic drama and detective novel and in The Drowning it sways perilously close to too much of the former at the expense of the latter. Nonetheless if you have followed the series from The Ice Princess then you will probably enjoy catching up with old friends, however if you are new to the series then this probably isn't the best place to start. The never very bright police team are stymied this time by the refusal of the three friends, Christian, Kenneth and Erik, to reveal what they know about who is behind the letters, which is rather frustrating and it takes an age for the police to do the background check on Christian.

The most interesting books, for me, have been the ones where Erica has had a personal connection: her friend in The Ice Princess and her mother in The Hidden Child.

The beautiful coastal town of Fjallbacka continues to throw up nasty people and nasty crimes which are in stark contrast to the domestic bliss (mostly) enjoyed by the two leads. The trademark cliff-hanger (two in this case) at the end of the book will have fans on the edge of their seats until The Lost Boy/The Lighthouse (title seems to vary) is published...

As usual, Eamonn Riley gives a superb interpretation and should win any audio-book sceptics over.

Read another review of The Drowning.

More reviews of Camilla Lackberg's books can be found on the Euro Crime website.

Getting Access to Audiobooks

As well as my print reading, I nearly always have an audiobook on the go. I have a longish commute to work and sometimes it's too busy/noisy or I'm too tired to read with my eyes. Plus I walk a lot and love to listen as I exercise. I often try authors that I might not get round to reading conventionally. I often stick to audiobooks for a series if the narrator is exceptional and I am in a dilemma regarding the latest Stella Rimington, Rip Tide, which is not narrated by Maggie Mash, unlike the previous five. What to do? Try the new narrator or switch to reading the book and "hear" Maggie Mash's narration as I read?

I love audiobooks and so if you want to try them for yourselves, here's how to get one...

The cheapest way is to join your local library. I'll use my local libraries as examples - I work for Birmingham Libraries (B) but live in Worcestershire (W) so I have two cards.

Did you know that you can join any library in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for free without being a local resident? Back in 2009, the policy changed:

The Society of Chief Librarians (SCL) said members of the public simply need to show their existing library card or proof of address to join or use a library they are visiting.

The scheme applies to public libraries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Scotland is not part of the UK Society of Chief Librarians, although some Scottish authorities are considering joining the scheme.

According to the society, customers will be able to borrow books from any library and, in some cases, use other services such as DVD rental and online resources.

You can normally apply online for a library card (as well as at the library itself) but depending on the library service, you may have to either collect it or pop in to activate it. Birmingham posts the card to the address given by the online joiner.

Having got your library card, you then have access to the libraries audiobook collection. To hire an audiobook, there's usually a fee (90p B, £1 W). If you want a specific title, then if it's available in that library service, then there will usually be a reservation fee (free B, 60p W). If the item can't be sourced locally then you have the option of an Inter Library Loan which is £3, plus the hire charge.

As well as the physical audiobook collection, many libraries are supplying an e-audiobook option. This means you can download audiobooks for free from home. Birmingham has 700 titles available. Worcestershire doesn't offer this service yet.

However be aware that if you are not a local resident, there may be restrictions on what you can do with your card eg, this from Surrey County Council's website:

Do I have to live in Surrey to sign up for this service?
Overdrive, the US based company who supplies our eBook and eAudio service, has requested that access is limited to Surrey residents only. This decision has been made as a result of UK and US publishers concerns surrounding rights and access issues. However, there are several other UK library authorities offering eBooks access, so if you live outside Surrey we suggest you check with your local council to see if they offer this service.

If you cannot access a library, prefer a more permanent copy of the book or cannot get the books you want easily then audible.co.uk (or equivalent), is probably the next cheapest option. You buy the download, and packages start from £3.99 a month. I haven't used them myself and there may be alternative companies that I don't know about, equally good/bad.

Lastly, audiobooks can be bought from retailers such as Amazon and often these are not too expensive - comparable with a hardback price eg Camilla Lackberg's The Hidden Child is rrp £19.99. Audiobooks can also be bought direct from the providers, including AudioGo and Whole Story Audiobooks usually as a box of cds, though AudioGo offer MP3 downloads as well.

There are free audiobooks available, in my limited experience, these are usually read by non-professional narrators, of older books and the mp3 quality is not as good as it could be.

If you've not tried an audiobook before then I urge you to do so. My favourite combinations include Christopher Fowler's Bryant and May series narrated by Tim Goodman and Alexander McCall Smith's No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Adjoa Andoh.

Review: Tim Frazer Again by Francis Durbridge (audio book)

Tim Frazer Again by Francis Durbridge read by Anthony Head (AudioGO, September 2011, ISBN: 9781408469682, 2 CDs (2hr 20 mins))

I've previously reviewed an audio book featuring Francis Durbridge's famous creation Paul Temple: Paul Temple and the Madison Mystery in which a writer turns sleuth in the upper end of society. Tim Frazer's isn't quite so high-brow.

Frazer is an engineer who has recently begun working for a secret police/Government department. In this, his second case, he is sent to Amsterdam to shadow Barbara Day. Barbara Day recently ran over and killed a British agent, Leo Salinger, on one of her regular trips to Amsterdam. Was it an accident of something more sinister?

Frazer carries out his assignment and makes an impression. So much so, that when he is back in London he gets embroiled in Barbara's personal and professional life, and when he finds a dead body in her living room, things become quite tricky for him. Even when Frazer has completed his task of finding out whether Salinger was involved in shady dealings or not, he can't let the mystery rest and carries on to the bitter end risking his heart and his life...

This is a complicated story with many twists and turns which kept me hooked. It's action-packed with fights, dangerous men, and a hidden baddie who instils mortal fear in his underlings. Written in the 1960s we see the quaint use of telephone boxes rather than disposable mobile phones. I really enjoyed Tim Frazer Again and Buffy and Merlin's Anthony Head narrates very well with a variety of convincing accents and a low breathy voice for Barbara Day. He also plays Tim Frazer in 2010's The World of Tim Frazer and I'll be looking out for his Paul Temple audio books too.

Review: The Capture of Cerberus & The Incident of the Dog's Ball by Agatha Christie read by David Suchet

Hercule Poirot in The Capture of Cerberus & The Incident of the Dog's Ball by Agatha Christie read by David Suchet (AudioGo, September 2011, ISBN: 9781408468593, 2 CDs (1hr 25 mins))

Some background information taken from the back cover:
In 2004, a remarkable archive was unearthed at Agatha Christie’s family home, Greenway – 73 of her private notebooks, filled with pencilled jottings and ideas. Hidden within this literary treasure trove were two rare, never-before-published short stories, discovered by archivist John Curran and published in his book ‘Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks: Fifty Years of Mysteries in the Making’.

‘The Capture of Cerberus’ was intended to be the twelfth in her collection of Poirot stories, ‘The Labours of Hercules’, but she eventually rewrote it, keeping only the title.

‘The Incident of the Dog’s Ball’, probably written in 1933, was reworked as the novel ‘Dumb Witness’ (1937) with a different murderer and motive.

Review: In The Capture of Cerberus, Hercule Poirot is in Geneva. The Second World War is looming and he wishes that people would be passionate about peace rather than fighting. A meeting with the fascinating Countess Vera Rossakoff leads him to investigate a case for a German man who cannot believe that his son assassinated an important leader. Poirot must find the truth for him.

In The Incident of the Dog's Ball Poirot appears in a more typical investigation, when he receives a very delayed letter in the post from an elderly lady who is troubled. When Poirot and Captain Hastings go to visit her, they are too late - she has died. The companion inherits, cutting out the two heirs. Was the death natural causes, or murder?

A fabulous coup for AudioGO, getting the actor who is Poirot to narrate these two rediscovered stories. David Suchet has a compelling natural voice and of course can perform the necessary accents and voices well (with the exception of the oddly Welsh sounding Russian one given to Vera Rossakoff). In The Capture of Cerberus gives a glimpse into life as tension grew in Europe and is a rather different tale than you might expect from the author associated with vicarages and stately homes. In this one Poirot plays more of a central control figure, getting others to do the leg-work, rather than getting out himself. The Incident of the Dog's Ball, which is a few minutes longer than the other story, is a cut down version of a typical Poirot investigation - you may be able to solve the case before Poirot, just.

With the number of new Suchet/Poirot/Christie episodes on the tv running low, as most have been filmed now, I'm very grateful for these additional two stories which I enjoyed listening to.

Torchwood: The Lost Files

Torchwood: The Lost Files are three forty-five minute radio plays, set before Miracle Day featuring Captain Jack Harness (John Barrowman), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd). They were broadcast on Radio 4 a few weeks ago, but if like me you missed them, they can be downloaded from AudioGO for a very reasonable fee.

The Devil and Miss Carew by Rupert Laight

This is a typical Torchwood tv episode, which also features Rhys (Kai Owen) and the voice talents of Martin Jarvis and Juliet Mills.

Some old people are not dying: Miss Carew is 80+, on the brink of death, and is now out jogging. Plus there are power outages, followed by spikes which even affect The Hub.

Are the two things connected? Ianto and Jack track down what or who is behind the power drain whilst Gwen goes after Miss Carew.

This is a solid adventure, with Rhys getting involved and joking about being one of the Torchwood team!


Submission by Ryan Scott

When the Torchwood SUV goes into the River Severn after a car chase they all hear a horrific cry. Back at The Hub, they are able to determine that it's a cry for help and that it's emanating from "the bottom of the world", the Mariana Trench the deepest part of the ocean.

Calling in an old friend (flame) of Ianto's they mange to acquire a submarine which takes the four of them face to face with the source of the distress call.

As well as the adventure, Submission also explores Jack's immortality, and his inability to be absolved or forgiven and his relationships with Gwen and Ianto.


The House of the Dead by James Goss

Jack and Ianto are attending the last night of opening of Wales's most haunted pub, The House of the Dead, where a seance is taking place. Jack says it must be stopped at all costs, else everyone will die.

He meets resistance from the medium, Mrs Wintergreen and the pub landlord, especially when ghosts start appearing...

This is a Jack and Ianto episode, Gwen being stuck in traffic. All I'll say is, prepared to have your heart broken. I wasn't expecting to be snivelling as I walked home.

An unexpected but moving conclusion to this series and one which merits a second listen.

I really enjoy these full cast radio plays and this is a very good trio and it's lovely to hear Ianto again.

My reviews of Everyone Says Hello and Hidden and Border Princes.

Review: Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess by Simon Brett

Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess written and narrated by Simon Brett (March 2011, ISIS Audio Books (mp3), ISBN: 978-1-4450-0778-6)

Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess is the second outing for aristocratic siblings Blotto and Twinks and the sequel to Blotto, Twinks and the Ex-King's Daughter. They are spending a long weekend at the Dowager Duchess of Melmont's stately home, Snitterings; Blotto is not enjoying it all as the daughter of the household, known unflatteringly as the Snittering's Ironing-board has set her cap at Blotto and he, being short of brains, is struggling to avoid the inevitable.

Among the party staying at Snitterings is a "know-it-all polymathic amateur sleuth" who finds himself in action when the body of the Dowager Duchess of Melmont is found in the kitchen gardens. However the conclusion he comes to, incorrectly points the finger at Blotto's chauffeur, Corky Froggett. Twinks has already deduced who the real killer is - and he has escaped - and so the duo set out to find him and prevent this miscarriage of justice.

Their investigations however lead them to uncovering the dastardly League of the Crimson Hand, a group dedicated to removing the aristocracy - by death. Their pursuit of the truth takes them to both the west and far north of the UK before a dramatic confrontation in the skies over London.

As with book one, this was a funny

"So sharp was the intake of breath from every customer that The Three Feathers only just avoided becoming a vaccum."

and engaging listening experience. I do so enjoy Simon Brett's narration. The plot in this one is probably a bit sillier than the previous one and doesn't take itself too seriously. At one point Blotto defeats 20 men with rifles with just his bare hands - all off the page! The pair are slightly less likeable than before with their over-reference to the "oikish" classes and the snobbery is a tad painful though of course this is a spoof so perhaps I shouldn't let it annoy me!

If you don't fancy the audio book then both Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess and Blotto, Twinks and the Ex-King's Daughter, published by Robinson, are available in paperback and very cheaply at the moment on Kindle (99p). The next book, Blotto, Twinks and the Rodents of the Riviera has just been published in hardback and Kindle, and I eagerly await the audio book.

Review: The Gallows Bird by Camilla Lackberg (audio book)

The Gallows Bird by Camilla Lackberg tr. Steven T Murray, read by Eamonn Riley (Oakhill Publishing, March 2011, 11 CDs, ISBN: 978-0-85735-180-7)

Over the course of the three previous books, childhood friends Patrik (police officer) and Erica (novelist) have reconnected, had a baby and are now preparing for their wedding.

Patrik is distracted from this happy event by first the death of a local shopkeeper in a car accident. She was apparently stonkingly drunk and yet she was a known teetotaller. The team, including new member, Hanna Kruse, make some enquiries but are diverted when a definite murder occurs: a member of a reality show being filmed in town is found dead in a rubbish bin. This high profile case takes precedence for a while until a nudge from the dead woman's partner puts them back on track.

As more information is unearthed the crime aspects of the story covers an increasingly wide temporal and geographical area. Patrik almost feels out of his depth but he is reluctant to call in the National Crime Police. Threaded amongst the investigation are scenes from the reality show of the cast bickering and working; Erica and her sister's Anna attempts to organise the wedding (including a hilarious scene with Patrik's mum); Patrik's boss Mellberg's new romance and some odd snippets from the point of view of two children isolated in a cottage in a forest.

There's so much going on you cannot get bored. As I was listening to this, I realised why I prefer to listen than read this series - though the advantage of hearing correct pronunciations is a plus point as well - but to me these books are like a soap opera especially as the author finishes the books on cliff-hangers leaving you eager to find out more. I like my crime, and if I had to read about all the non-crime related domestic stuff that's in these books I probably wouldn't find it that interesting and would find it a bit frustrating, and yet it's quite enjoyable to be told it when you're travelling or washing-up.

The crime set-up in The Gallows Bird is interesting and puzzling but the way the solution was discovered was rather disappointing. The Gallows Bird was first published in 2006 and though that's a few years ago, were small police stations not on the Internet (due to security reasons apparently) and was data transferred between pcs on a disk? No filing system for pre-computer days crimes either, just the memories of long-serving staff? A few quick Googles and the case would have been solved pretty promptly. It's apparent that the police team are not the brightest but the coup-de-grace is when Patrik goes to a library and asks the librarian to put some pages of a story in order for him, which the librarian does, and helpfully points out that a page is missing as the page numbers don't follow on!

Nonetheless, despite the holes in the plot and the quantity of non-crime related minutes, I was engrossed, as I have been with the earlier two audio books. They are entertaining, and I do so enjoy Eamonn Riley's narration. I'm looking forward to the library acquiring the next one, The Hidden Child.

More reviews of Camilla Lackberg's books can be found on the Euro Crime website.

Review: The Russia House by John le Carre (audio book)

The Russia House by John le Carre, BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Audio Dramatisation (AudioGo, July 2011, ISBN: 9781408410622, 4 CDs)

The play opens at the Moscow Audio (Cassette) Fair where Katya is trying to secretly get a manuscript to Barley Blair for publication. Barley has skipped the show so the manuscript travels to London with a friend of Barley's who, when he is unable to track down Barley, takes the manuscript to the authorities. It is then subsequently taken to the "Russia House" where the manuscript is found to be political dynamite. The author claims that a lot of things in Russia don't work properly and that scientific evidence has been fabricated.

To ensure that the manuscript is not a fake, the authorities (intelligence services) have to track down Barley and persuade him to go back to Russia to find the author. Will Barley agree and will he be able to do it successfully?

Set at a time when Russia was opening up, The Russia House is a tale of betrayal, sacrifice and love, both for country and for individuals. I found it fascinating and gripping and it's still quite complicated despite its running time of only just over 3 hours - compared to the 400 page book. There are a few familiar voices in the cast, the main one being Tom Baker as the likeable cad Barley. No-one says Harry quite like he does! The public-school tones of Pip Torrens are equally recognisable as Clive, a bureaucrat who excels in protecting himself.

The Russia House was published in 1989 and this radio adaptation was broadcast in 1994 and, as well as the different state of the world back then, it shows its age a little in terms of cassettes and the fact that spies have tape recorders rather than wireless eavesdropping equipment, but it does give an intriguing insight into how things were politically, not so long ago.

Though I have enjoyed books by relative newcomers to the spy writing genre such as Stella Rimington and Jon Stock, I've never read any le Carre - I've been convinced I wouldn't understand them - but this has given me a chance at least to sample the great man's writing.

In conclusion, another entertaining listen from Radio 4/AudioGO.

Review: The Inspector McLevy Mysteries (Audio Book)

The Inspector McLevy Mysteries: Servant of the Crown & The Picture of Innocence by David Ashton, BBC Radio Four Full-Cast Audio Dramatisation (AudioGo, May 2011, ISBN: 1408468476, 2 CDs)

The Inspector McLevy series is currently seven series long with an eighth to follow later this year. Victorian Edinburgh Inspector McLevy is played by Brian Cox and his sort-of love-interest, Brothel manager Jean Brash is played by Siobhan Redmond.

Servant of the Crown is the fourth and last episode of the third series (2003) and The Picture of Innocence is from the seventh (2009) which rather explains why they don't follow on. They are both very good episodes so whether they have been cherry-picked or maybe it's because they have the theme of justice. Justice is achieved in one but not the other.

Servant of the Crown has Queen Victoria visiting Edinburgh but there are rumours of an assassination attempt. There are many ex-soldiers discontented after the Crimean War. McLevy and his sidekick, Mulholland are assigned to track the assassin down as he is thought to be in Leith, a district McLevy knows well. The story also follows Tom Lambert, a former soldier now working for the Government and the two threads overlap and then form one.

The Picture of Innocence tells the story of Judith Pearson whose husband, a judge, suddenly dies. When she asks for an autopsy he is found to be full of arsenic and she falls under suspicion of murder. Judith writes to McLevy protesting her innocence and asks him to help her. He takes pleasure in undermining the detective in charge of the case and his investigations reveal a surprising conclusion. The other thread is that of a street salesman selling a potion to quieten fractious children which has almost resulted in an overdose of two young twins. Again, one story-line weaves into the other and leads to vital information.

I enjoyed these two mysteries very much. There's something alive about them. A bustling world is recreated and the cast is excellent. There's a smattering of Scottish words to keep you on their toes, and the tone is a bit bawdier than in the Father Paolo Baldi mysteries! Servant of the Crown does contain a gurgling death scene which was actually quite moving and The Picture of Innocence is a good puzzle. I plan to seek out more of this series.

The McLevy mysteries are based on the memoirs of a real-life policeman and David Ashton has also written three books featuring McLevy: Shadow of the Serpent, Fall from Grace and Trick of the Light (which incidentally are very cheap for the Kindle.)