Jumping Jenny

By: Anthony Berkeley

Narrated by: Seán Barrett

At a costume party with the dubious theme of 'famous murderers and their victims', the know-it-all amateur criminologist Roger Sheringham is settled in for an evening of beer, small talk and analysing his companions.

One guest in particular has caught his attention for her theatrics, and his theory that she might have several enemies among the partygoers proves true when she is found hanging from the 'decorative' gallows on the roof terrace. Noticing a key detail which could implicate a friend in the crime, Sheringham decides to meddle with the scene and unwittingly casts himself into jeopardy as the uncommonly thorough police investigation circles closer and closer to the truth.

Tightly paced and cleverly defying the conventions of the classic detective story, this 1933 novel remains a milestone of the inverted mystery subgenre.

©1933, 2022 The Estate of Anthony Berkeley Cox, Introduction Martin Edwards (P)2022 Soundings

Suspenseful

Kept me glued to the story and couldn’t stop listening. Don’t want to spoil the ending. A must read/listeni

Brilliant

Audible suggested this author to me, based on my extensive collection of the two most famous British mystery writers, Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle. I had never heard of him but learned from Wikipedia that he was a contemporary of Christie and a co-founder of her writing group. This story was absolutely spectacular, full of twists and novel plot points; if you are really familiar with the Poirot canon, there is an interesting faint echo of The Veiled Lady! And of course, since this was written contemporaneously, the culture, language, and customs of the interwar period in Britain is captured beautifully. It rings with an authenticity that modern attempts to set stories in this time frame very often lack. Overall just an absolute gem, and I hope more of his work will be brought back into print and audiobook.

Please more Anthony Berkeley books!

The characters were fascinating. The plot twists were completely unexpected. The narrator was excellent and brought the characters to life!

Well….wow

This was actually brilliant. It managed to surprise me completely. It puts me in mind of The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino, and I expect was actually at least some of the inspiration for that novel. You think you know, and you try to make it make sense, and you go through all sorts of mental calisthenics, only to find out that the solution both is and isn’t exactly what seems to be. This type of mystery is exactly why I love the Golden Age.

A Twisted Tale of Upside-down Murder

I was under the impression that nobody could even come close to Ngaio Marsh but, dash it, I was wrong! Here ABerkley gives us a well constructed tale (with very few mistakes) which is enclosed top to bottom in Ronald Stratton's cottage and which is sprinkled with a heavy dose of British humour. Read and enjoy. The Narrator is an acquired taste - but I think he does a very good job, and shines especially in the more theatrical scenes of the story.

superb! and such a surprise ending!

The digs at amateur detectives and detective fiction are so enjoyed! This book written by a true and favorite master of the genre.

Unusual classic with a twist ending

Started out with a long houseparty that did become a bit chatty. Then went on with the detective trying to manipulate the inquiery in amusing but unlikely ways. But towards the end I could not stop reading until the twist ending. Turned out I liked the book better than I thought during the first half of the story, although it may not be this authors best effort.

Quite brilliant story

Good characters very fine writing engrossing mystery and all in all quite a brilliant story with a fine twist.

A great performance of my favorite Berkeley mystery

A real treat for any fan of golden age mystery, darkly funny with the bitter and cynical edge Anthony Berkeley is known for. The narrator is perfect and creates just the right atmosphere for the story— I actually prefer this to reading it in print, which is rare for me. This is an excellent jumping-off point for anyone who wants to explore Berkeley’s work.

Great plot and twist at end

Written by a master storyteller. it is filled with twists and turns. there is always an element of sophistication and good dialogue. the narrator is excellent and brings story to life. this book is unique and an enjoyable experience.