Into the Thinnest of Air

An Ishmael Jones Mystery

By: Simon R. Green

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

Dinner at an ancient Cornish inn leads to one baffling disappearance after another in the fifth intriguing Ishmael Jones mystery.

“It’s just a nice weekend, in a nice country inn. Nothing bad is going to happen....”

Ishmael Jones and his partner Penny are attending the re-opening of Tyrone’s Castle, an ancient Cornish inn originally built by smugglers. Over dinner that night, the guests entertain one another with ghost stories inspired by local legends and superstitions. But it would appear that the curse of Tyrone’s Castle has struck for real when one of their number disappears into thin air. And then another....

Is the inn really subject to an ancient curse? Sceptical of ghost stories, Ishmael believes the key to the mystery lies in the present rather than the past. But with no bodies, no evidence, and no clues to go on, how can he prove it?

©2017 Simon R. Green (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing

Brilliant!

Some of the best narration I have ever heard. Brilliant story. So happy to have found this series.

love the dry humor

interesting story, maybe not an entirely surprising ending, but gripping listening during most of it.

Decent Listen

Nice twist and a bit of a departure from the usual villains. Not as graphically violent as previous books, although people do die. Plot was a bit weak though - I figured out the how by the time the second guest went missing. Shame on Ishmael - he took things at face value and for granted that normally he would have checked out in detail. Jackson does his usual awesome job as narrator.

Long and boring

The narrator was monotone throughout the book.

I was tempted to skip ahead hoping that it would get better but it didn’t.

There are good twists in the story

The host of characters is a fun group and your learn their quirks quickly. The overall premise is similar to other stories in this genre. Think the game Clue

Another winner by Simon R. Green

Was a bit cautious when I discovered this title having never heard of it before. But I am so very glad I did. A mystery in the best style of the great mystery writers. But with a special twist that is all his own. From the first “pages” it draws you in and keeps you guessing “who done it” all the way through. Really hope there are more for this series.

One Ishnael story is enough

Sorry, the first Simon Green's Ishmael audiobook was mildly entertaining but the second one was saved only by Gildart Jackson's narration. These stories would probably play well as shows with visual humor. One and done

Scooby Doo

The first book was okay, but every subsequent book has been exactly the same. They're all painfully formulaic, just like clockwork -- from the style, position, cadence, and structure of exposition dumps, all the way down to the quippy insults, jokes, and turns of phrase. The whole series is episodic and boring and one-dimensional. I keep listening, waiting to see if there will ever be something different, but I guess that makes me a bit crazy.

Don't think too hard. Enjoy the ride.

Don't start the series here. Just don't.

If you enjoyed the previous books, this one is a good continuation of the series. I agree with the reviewers that the plot is unusually thin, and I kept waiting for some sort of plot twist that would make the otherwise fairly obvious conclusion turn on its ear in some sort of exciting way. Never happened.

There's a certain type of mystery story (also applies to some heist stories and so on), where everything is carefully crafted and actually works, but which rely so heavily on all of the other characters being exactly where they had to be at exactly the right moments, not pay attention to things that seriously, at least one person should have noticed, and frankly, acting like idiots in the face of obvious danger. So much so that there's no way the villain could possibly plan what happens or make it happen on cue at the necessary times to make things work out. Looking BACK, sure, it all works. But from any point in the middle of the story looking forward, it's flatly impossible.

Sometimes the author can get away with it, especially if the characters have no reason to behave otherwise (though, really, please.) But when your main character has superhuman senses and an established level of paranoia about everything, which is the joy of Ishmael Jones, it really strains credulity to the breaking point. The first mysterious disappearance might come as a surprise. The rest? What was he, napping?

So, it you're engaging these books - especially this one - with the idea of experiencing an intricately plotted believable mystery, you're likely to throw something against the wall when it's over. Of all of the books so far in the series (including the ones that come after this one), this is probably last in the list.

But oh, the ride. If you enjoyed the previous books for the characters, and if you enjoy the "mystery" of trying to figure out whether there's a supernatural element in this particular story or not - one of the things I love about the series, since THAT is always up for grabs and always DOES have those twists and turns and clues in both directions - then this one is a pretty serviceable entry in the series.

I enjoyed it. I recommend it. But it won't hurt the continuity of the rest of the series if you skip it, either.

Not up to usual standards

I usually love the Ishmael Jones stories but a 5 yr old could have figured this one out.