Alexander Steele Mystery Trilogy

By: Lawrence Johnson Sr.

Narrated by: Alistair Dryburgh

The author presents three short stories of fictional private detective Alexander Steele. The predominant setting for most of these stories is the city of Philadelphia and the surrounding area.

"Legacy of Death"

On a hot, muggy night in Philly a couple was brutally murdered on an isolated rooftop. According to rumors the couple stashed a small fortune in gold that was never recovered. Twenty years later after new clues and another body surfaces Alexander Steele is hired to solve this cold case.

©2015 Lawrence Johnson Sr. (P)2017 Lawrence Johnson Sr

Three enjoyable quick detective stories

Clocking in at just under three hours, and containing three independent detective stories The Alexander Steele Mystery Trilogy is an enjoyable, quick, and fast paced collection.

I'm not sure if there are stories set before these ones or if we are just dropped into the middle of the story. The opening story has Steele already set up as a famous detective, with him just having defeated his "nemesis" (which to me sounded a little too Sherlock vs Moriarty. I don't think all detectives have nemeses.) and then being called on by The Vatican to find a missing relic. There is nothing in the three stories that really explains why The Vatican would go to Steele over another detective, it's just taken as fact that they have come to him.

The next two stories deal with some drug dealers and a drug war, and a small business being pressured by some thugs.

All are enjoyable stories to following along with, although they aren't the sort that you could solve yourself by working out all the clues (if that's what you are looking for).

The narrator is promising, although let down by some of the production work. He is well paced and easy to listen to. Certainly able to keep my attention. There is the occasional ambient noise, such as chair movements and squeaking, page changes or the occasional mouth noise. A little more care in removing these would have lifted the work a notch.

fun story, easy listen

The story is well written, good pace. The narration is smooth, easy to listen to.

Fun, short mysteries

Would you try another book from Lawrence Johnson, Sr. and/or Alistair Dryburgh?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I just want to clarify that the 3 star review I gave this book is not a bad thing. Most people on Audible seem way too eager to give everything 5 stars so it gets hard to actually judge if a book is worthwhile or not. 5 stars should be reserved for your absolute favourite books, 4 stars for great books, and 3 for good books. This is a good book. I enjoyed the short mysteries and would recommend this book to mystery/Sherlock Holmes fans.

Retired Philly Detective does PI work

What made the experience of listening to Alexander Steele Mystery Trilogy the most enjoyable?

My favorite part of this book was the characters, who were all very distinct and well written. Also this was a collection of short stories, it was a good way to get a feel for the writing without delving into a large novel.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

These stories seemed to me to have come after some previous ones which I had not read, so sometimes the reasons for certain actions had no basis for me.

Which scene was your favorite?

The one where Steele grabs the spoon because it's essentially the answer to the whole mystery.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I read it in short hour long bursts - but I generally prefer to read books rather than listen to them.

Any additional comments?

I probably will go find the first of the Lawrence Steele books now to see if I like them better read than listened.

Steele Msystery Trilogy review

What did you like best about Alexander Steele Mystery Trilogy? What did you like least?

I liked the relationship between Steele and his girlfriend and the fact that he solved the mysteries so fast. The stories were so short that there really wasn't much time for me to follow the clues and try to solve the crime myself.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The endings of each storey certainly weren't predictable.

Have you listened to any of Alistair Dryburgh’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I never heard him perform before. Although he had a great voice for this book, I thought he could have slowed down a tad bit.

Do you think Alexander Steele Mystery Trilogy needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I think he should do a follow-up book with longer stories. Longer stories will give the reader a chance to try to solve the crime before Steele does.