The Mystery of the Crooked Man

De: Tom Spencer

Narrado por: Claire Warrillow

Meet Agatha Dorn, cantankerous archivist, grammar pedant, gin afficionado and murder mystery addict. When she discovers a lost manuscript by Gladden Green, the Empress of Golden Age detective fiction, Agatha's life takes an unexpected twist. She becomes an overnight sensation, basking in the limelight of literary stardom.

But Agatha's newfound fame takes a nosedive when the 'rediscovered' novel is exposed as a hoax. And when her ex-lover turns up dead, with a scrap of the manuscript by her side, Agatha suspects foul play.

Cancelled, ostracised and severely ticked off, Agatha turns detective to uncover the sinister truth that connects the murder and the fraudulent manuscript. But can she stay sober long enough to catch the murderer, or will Agatha become a whodunnit herself?

©2024 Tom Spencer (P)2024 Bolinda Publishing

Reseñas de la Crítica

'Not your usual cosy, and that's exactly what I loved! Spencer tip-toes on that line between traditional and modern with a delicate charm and deftness of touch to create a juicy whodunnit. Simply brilliant!' (Jonathan Whitehall, author of The Bingo Hall Detectives)

'With a prickly protagonist and a plot that's twistier than a bag full of corkscrews, this one will keep you guessing until the end.' (Fiona Leitch, author of The Cornish Wedding Murder)

'This edgy mystery takes you down a dark path with unexpected turns, intriguing Golden Age breadcrumbs and a thorny denouement.' (Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, bestselling author of A Murder of Crows)

Eccentric heroine, Funny Dialogue, Interesting Plot

Enjoyed the book. I hope there will be more adventures with Agatha Dorn in the near future.

Top notch

One of the funniest, most enjoyable books I’ve stumbled across in ages. The narrator was also a dream.

What a treat!

Picked this book because of rave review in Sunday NYT and glad I did! Intricate plot, strange and slightly spooky, but all very apt. Especially nice wordplay and grammar jokes, always a treat. Yes, there was a crooked man. We knew it all along. We just didn’t know what or who it was. Worth knowing.

doesn't live up to the hype

performance was great
story was good
writing totally confusing
didn't love it
so
meh is all i want to say

The fabulous narration by Clare Warrilow

I particularly enjoyed the witty, acerbic voice of the protagonist. Although I liked the twists and turns of the plot, I am tired of female characters who are constantly drunk. Agatha is much more interesting when she is sober.

Um... maybe it was the narration?

Claire Warrillow is an excellent narrator but honestly not the voice of this book- not for me. I have 894 titles in my audible library, therefore a foundation of experience. The narration did not envelope the many characters enough, there was not enough variation in the personalities.
This book was more of a Girl on the Train drunken perspective but from an achivistists professional point of view rather than drunken sadness/desperation/jealousy. The protagonist is entirely unlikable, the mystery is convoluted and the solution was impossible to predict. But maybe it was just me. It is not an unforgettable story, though maybe because I would have preferred to read it instead of listen. I can see this one being better in film than in print.

Fun with a good twist

I loved the references to Agatha Christie, but the story had little oomph to go along. Nice, fun, I’d read another but I’m not rushing out for it.

Different...in a good way

This mystery is different. Not to keep you waiting, I ended up loving it very much, but in the beginning it was a different story because I didn't like the protagonist. Some reviews called her cantankerous or prickly, but she was more than that. I knew I needed to like her on some level for me to like the book, but I was perplexed at how the book was going to get me there because she was simply untenable. All this was set in a context of delightful writing and a beautiful performance on Audio.
Agatha (the protagonist) begins by using agonizingly wrong techniques for job promotions and is dreadfully paranoid of the actions of her colleagues and family. That didn't help me like her more. But slowly I began to sympathize with her and her intentions and then eventually root wholeheartedly for her.
In the end, as the mystery came together, one gains a great understanding of why Agatha is
Agatha. It was a fun journey to solve a mystery as well as understand a mystery of a fictionalized human being. Quite a masterpiece.