The Best Man to Die
An Inspector Wexford Mystery
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
The Best Man to Die
Buy for $17.19
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Davina Porter
-
By:
-
Ruth Rendell
About this listen
Who could have suspected that the exciting stag party for the groom would be the prelude to the murder of his close friend Charlie Hatton? And Charlie's death was only the first in a string of puzzling murders involving small-time gangsters, cheating husbands, and loose women. Now Chief Inspector Wexford and his assistant join forces with the groom to track down a killer....
Investigate more cases with Inspector Wexford.©1969 Kingsmarkham Enterprises Ltd. (P)1991 Recorded Books, LLCListeners also enjoyed...
-
Portobello
- A Novel
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Tim Curry
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 159
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 113
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 113
Ruth Rendell is widely considered to be crime fiction’s reigning queen. In Portobello, she delivers a captivating and intricate tale that weaves together the troubled lives of several people in the gentrified neighborhood of London’s Notting Hill. Walking to the shops one day, 50-year-old Eugene Wren discovers an envelope on the street bulging with cash. A man plagued by a shameful addiction - and his own good intentions - Wren hatches a plan to find the money’s rightful owner.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Portobello's Lovely Mean Streets
- By Lynn on 09-16-10
By: Ruth Rendell
-
The Crocodile Bird
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Jill Tanner
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 125
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 103
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 104
Liza is raised in a remote rural hamlet. One evening, Liza’s mother orders her to leave home forever. Paralyzed at having to fend for herself, Liza finds refuge with Sean, a drifter with whom she begins to share the bizarre story of her life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Spooky, fantastic, amazing.
- By Newenglander18 on 12-05-13
By: Ruth Rendell
-
The Josephine Tey Collection: 6 Alan Grant Novels; Brat Farrar; & Miss Pym Disposes
- The Man in the Queue; A Shilling for Candles; The Franchise Affair; To Love and Be Wise; The Daughter of Time; The Singing Sands; Miss Pym Disposes; Brat Farrar
- By: Josephine Tey
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 61 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 130
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 115
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 115
The Josephine Tey Collection includes unabridged recordings of Tey's 8 major novels in one audiobook, including all 6 of the novels in the Inspector Alan Grant series.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Thank you Audible - best spent credit ever
- By Lynn on 05-14-23
By: Josephine Tey
-
A Demon in My View
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Julian Glover
- Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 66
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 56
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 56
In a gloomy cellar, the figure of a beautiful, pale woman makes no move when the man advances on her from the shadows, puts his hands around her neck and strangles her. Arthur Johnson is a mild-mannered, shy man who has never known how to talk to women. His resulting loneliness has twisted his yearning for love and respect into a carefully constructed predilection for violence and control.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Totally a Ruth Rendell read
- By Dottie B. on 08-08-12
By: Ruth Rendell
-
One Across, Two Down
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Nicky Henson
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 71
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 58
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 57
There are only two things in life that interest Stanley: solving crossword puzzles, and getting his hands on his mother-in-law’s money. For 20 years, the puzzles have been his only pleasure, the money his only dream. It has never occurred to Stanley that his mother-in-law would try to outsmart him and the money would never be his. Until now. It is only now that Stanley, so clever at misleading double meanings and devious clues, decides to construct a puzzle of his own - and so give death a helping hand.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fantastic!
- By Suzanne fox on 03-09-18
By: Ruth Rendell
-
The Rottweiler
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Nigel Anthony
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 162
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 138
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 139
The first girl had a bite mark on her neck, but they traced the DNA to her boyfriend. But the tabloids got hold of the story and called the killer 'The Rottweiler' and the name stuck. The latest murder takes place very near Inez Ferry's antique shop in Marylebone. When the Rottweiler’s trinkets start showing up in the shop, suddenly, everyone Inez knows is a suspect, and the killer feels all too close.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Lots of atmosphere, and a Freudian mystery.
- By Sparkly on 11-03-12
By: Ruth Rendell
-
Portobello
- A Novel
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Tim Curry
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 159
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 113
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 113
Ruth Rendell is widely considered to be crime fiction’s reigning queen. In Portobello, she delivers a captivating and intricate tale that weaves together the troubled lives of several people in the gentrified neighborhood of London’s Notting Hill. Walking to the shops one day, 50-year-old Eugene Wren discovers an envelope on the street bulging with cash. A man plagued by a shameful addiction - and his own good intentions - Wren hatches a plan to find the money’s rightful owner.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Portobello's Lovely Mean Streets
- By Lynn on 09-16-10
By: Ruth Rendell
-
The Crocodile Bird
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Jill Tanner
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 125
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 103
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 104
Liza is raised in a remote rural hamlet. One evening, Liza’s mother orders her to leave home forever. Paralyzed at having to fend for herself, Liza finds refuge with Sean, a drifter with whom she begins to share the bizarre story of her life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Spooky, fantastic, amazing.
- By Newenglander18 on 12-05-13
By: Ruth Rendell
-
The Josephine Tey Collection: 6 Alan Grant Novels; Brat Farrar; & Miss Pym Disposes
- The Man in the Queue; A Shilling for Candles; The Franchise Affair; To Love and Be Wise; The Daughter of Time; The Singing Sands; Miss Pym Disposes; Brat Farrar
- By: Josephine Tey
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 61 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 130
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 115
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 115
The Josephine Tey Collection includes unabridged recordings of Tey's 8 major novels in one audiobook, including all 6 of the novels in the Inspector Alan Grant series.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Thank you Audible - best spent credit ever
- By Lynn on 05-14-23
By: Josephine Tey
-
A Demon in My View
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Julian Glover
- Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 66
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 56
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 56
In a gloomy cellar, the figure of a beautiful, pale woman makes no move when the man advances on her from the shadows, puts his hands around her neck and strangles her. Arthur Johnson is a mild-mannered, shy man who has never known how to talk to women. His resulting loneliness has twisted his yearning for love and respect into a carefully constructed predilection for violence and control.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Totally a Ruth Rendell read
- By Dottie B. on 08-08-12
By: Ruth Rendell
-
One Across, Two Down
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Nicky Henson
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 71
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 58
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 57
There are only two things in life that interest Stanley: solving crossword puzzles, and getting his hands on his mother-in-law’s money. For 20 years, the puzzles have been his only pleasure, the money his only dream. It has never occurred to Stanley that his mother-in-law would try to outsmart him and the money would never be his. Until now. It is only now that Stanley, so clever at misleading double meanings and devious clues, decides to construct a puzzle of his own - and so give death a helping hand.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fantastic!
- By Suzanne fox on 03-09-18
By: Ruth Rendell
-
The Rottweiler
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Nigel Anthony
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 162
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 138
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 139
The first girl had a bite mark on her neck, but they traced the DNA to her boyfriend. But the tabloids got hold of the story and called the killer 'The Rottweiler' and the name stuck. The latest murder takes place very near Inez Ferry's antique shop in Marylebone. When the Rottweiler’s trinkets start showing up in the shop, suddenly, everyone Inez knows is a suspect, and the killer feels all too close.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Lots of atmosphere, and a Freudian mystery.
- By Sparkly on 11-03-12
By: Ruth Rendell
-
The Girl Next Door
- A Novel
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Ric Jerrom
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 192
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 168
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 168
In the waning months of the second World War, a group of children discover an earthen tunnel in their neighborhood outside London. Throughout the summer of 1944 - until one father forbids it - the subterranean space becomes their "secret garden," where the friends play games and tell stories. Six decades later, beneath a house on the same land, construction workers uncover a tin box containing two skeletal hands, one male and one female.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Kept unfolding more twists and turns
- By Happy Helena on 02-08-15
By: Ruth Rendell
-
The Keys to the Street
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Simon Russell Beale
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 98
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 77
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 78
Mary Jago had donated her own bone marrow to save the life of someone she didn’t know. And this generous act led directly to the bitter break-up of her affair with Alistair. For him, it was as though her beauty had been plundered. But the man whose life she had saved would change Mary’s life in a way she could never have imagined.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Mystery with humor and insight
- By Ida Hagman on 10-02-12
By: Ruth Rendell
-
Live Flesh
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Ian Holm
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 57
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 47
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 46
All his life, for almost as far back as he could remember, Victor had had a phobia. In prison, inevitably, he reflected on the grotesque way it had begun, about the panics and violent anger. He asked himself, too, why the child of happily married, middle-class parents should have needed to make motiveless and unreasoning attacks on women. Holed up in that house with the girl, he had not meant to pull the trigger. It was panic.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Natural vengeance
- By eclectic reader on 10-24-23
By: Ruth Rendell
-
A Great Deliverance
- Inspector Lynley, Book 1
- By: Elizabeth George
- Narrated by: Donada Peters
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 830
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 743
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 736
Into Keldale's pastoral web of old houses and older secrets comes Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley, the eighth earl of Asherton. Along with the redoubtable Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, Lynley has been sent to solve a savage murder that has stunned the peaceful countryside. For fat, unlovely Roberta Teys has been found in her best dress, an ax in her lap, seated in the old stone barn beside her father's headless corpse. Her first and last words were "I did it. And I'm not sorry".
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
good debut novel
- By Stevon on 11-11-19
By: Elizabeth George
-
Detective Tom Janssen Hidden Norfolk, Books 1-3
- The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mystery Collections, Volume 1
- By: J M Dalgliesh
- Narrated by: Greg Patmore
- Length: 24 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 331
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 297
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 297
Get three absolutely gripping crime thrillers set on the UK's atmospheric north Norfolk coast from number one best-selling British author J M Dalgliesh in this great value collection.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Good story with a great performance.
- By Roxane E. on 08-22-23
By: J M Dalgliesh
-
The Killing Doll
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Ric Jerrom
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 30
No one would have described Manningtree Grove as fashionable. Few would have found it especially interesting. But it was not an unpleasant place to live: the old railway line lay in a valley, and the gardens looked onto it. It was the kind of place where nothing ever happened. Yet it was here that Peter Yearman first sold his soul to the devil....
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
sutch good fantasy story
- By Marianne on 10-03-24
By: Ruth Rendell
-
An Accidental Death
- A DC Smith Investigation Series, Book 1
- By: Peter Grainger
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,023
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,431
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6,402
The story opens with the apparently accidental drowning of a sixth form student in the Norfolk countryside. As a matter of routine, or so it seems, the case passes across the desk of Detective Sergeant Smith, recently returned to work after an internal investigation into another case that has led to tensions between officers at Kings Lake police headquarters. As an ex-DCI, Smith could have retired by now, and it is clear that some of his superiors wish that he would do so.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent British Mystery
- By Customer on 09-07-16
By: Peter Grainger
-
The Wintringham Mystery
- Cicely Disappears
- By: Anthony Berkeley, Tony Medawar
- Narrated by: Mike Grady
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 524
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 476
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 477
Stephen Munro, a demobbed army officer, reconciles himself to taking a job as a footman to make ends meet. Employed at Wintringham Hall, the delightful but decaying Sussex country residence of the elderly Lady Susan Carey, his first task entails welcoming her eccentric guests to a weekend house-party, at which her bombastic nephew—who recognises Stephen from his former life—decides that an after-dinner séance would be more entertaining than bridge. Then Cicely disappears!
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Charming Light-hearted mystery
- By Carolyn on 10-04-21
By: Anthony Berkeley, and others
-
The Long Call
- A Detective Matthew Venn Novel
- By: Ann Cleeves
- Narrated by: Ben Aldridge
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,108
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 991
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 984
In North Devon, where two rivers converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his estranged father’s funeral takes place. On the day Matthew left the strict evangelical community he grew up in, he lost his family, too. Now, as he turns and walks away again, he receives a call from one of his team. A body has been found on the beach nearby: a man with a tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death. The case calls Matthew back to the people and places of his past, as deadly secrets hidden at their hearts are revealed.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent story and narration
- By jeanne on 07-10-21
By: Ann Cleeves
-
Lane
- A Case For Willows And Lane, Book 1
- By: Peter Grainger
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,670
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,522
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,520
"So I thought I might take up paragliding. You know, buy one on eBay and just jump off the cliff one morning." Emily Willows is middle-aged, widowed, wealthy, and bored. When she makes those flippant remarks to her son over coffee one Friday, she has no inkling that within a few hours she will be facing the most terrifying situation of her life.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Good, and hopefully the series will improve
- By Jonathan Berger on 08-06-18
By: Peter Grainger
-
The Killings at Badger’s Drift
- Midsomer Murders Mystery, Book 1
- By: Caroline Graham
- Narrated by: John Hopkins
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,731
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,546
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,541
The village of Badger's Drift is the essence of tranquillity. But when resident and well-loved spinster Miss Simpson takes a stroll in the nearby woods, she stumbles across something she was never meant to see, and there's only one way to keep her quiet. Miss Simpson's death is not suspicious, say the villagers. But Miss Lucy Bellringer refuses to rest: her friend has been murdered. She is sure of it.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
I wanted to love this series but I just don't
- By Lynch on 11-09-22
By: Caroline Graham
-
A Man Lay Dead
- By: Ngaio Marsh
- Narrated by: Philip Franks
- Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 663
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 582
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 583
Wealthy Sir Hubert Handesley's original and lively weekend house parties are deservedly famous. To amuse his guests, he has devised a new form of the fashionable Murder Game, in which a guest is secretly selected to commit a 'murder' in the dark, and everyone assembles to solve the crime. But when the lights go up this time, there is a real corpse....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Classic Upper Crust Mystery
- By Laurence G. Byrne on 02-25-16
By: Ngaio Marsh
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
A Sight for Sore Eyes
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 198
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 169
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 169
Having published 45 books, Ruth Rendell is an internationally popular mystery writer. She has won four Gold Dagger and three Edgar awards. She has been presented with the Commander of the British Empire honor, and named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. In A Sight For Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell’s exceptional literary talent shines from each word. Teddy Brex is a handsome young man. Raised by parents who never loved him, he has grown to put his trust in objects.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Reader emits noises that are distracting
- By Teresa on 06-14-12
By: Ruth Rendell
-
Heartstones
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Alexandra O’Karma
- Length: 2 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 22
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 17
Few mystery writers can match Ruth Rendell’s ability to get inside the dark, tangled psyches of everyday criminals. Rendell takes a single emotion - in this case a sister’s all-consuming jealousy - and shows how even the most unsuspicious people are capable of the worst kind of horrors.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Loved the ending!
- By Maria Ivek on 02-27-25
By: Ruth Rendell
-
The Crocodile Bird
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Jill Tanner
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 125
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 103
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 104
Liza is raised in a remote rural hamlet. One evening, Liza’s mother orders her to leave home forever. Paralyzed at having to fend for herself, Liza finds refuge with Sean, a drifter with whom she begins to share the bizarre story of her life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Spooky, fantastic, amazing.
- By Newenglander18 on 12-05-13
By: Ruth Rendell
-
Trent's Last Case
- By: E C. Bentley
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 214
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 163
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 163
Considered by many to be the first modern mystery novel, Trent's Last Case introduces the gentleman sleuth Philip Trent, a freelance reporter and invistigator. Trent becomes involved in the case of the murder of millionaire American financier Sigsbee Manderson, slain while on holiday in England.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A real find!
- By Roxane on 06-17-10
By: E C. Bentley
-
The Swimming Pool
- By: Mary Roberts Rinehart
- Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 47
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 43
The Birches was one of the grand mansions of the 1920s, with a ballroom, tennis courts, and, of course, a swimming pool. But after the crash of '29, when Lois and Judith's father killed himself to escape his debts, the family turned the summer home into a fulltime retreat from the world. Decades later, Judith is the queen of New York society, a fast-living beauty whose nerves are beginning to fray, while Lois still lives in the dilapidated old mansion, writing mystery novels to pay the bills. She is about to encounter a mystery of her own.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Execellent Building of Plot and Characters
- By Cindy on 08-29-21
-
An Occupied Grave
- Brock & Poole Series, Book 1
- By: A.G. Barnett
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 5 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 416
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 371
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 371
When mourners gather in the village of Lower Gladdock, the grave is found to be already occupied. The victim is soon linked to a tragedy that tore the village apart five years ago and is handed over to the Bexford police to solve. Detective Sergeant Guy Poole is hoping to put his traumatic past behind him and settle into his new station at Bexford. Now history is threatening to raise its head again, and he has a murder case to contend with. Detective Inspector Sam Brock has a new recruit to take under his wing, and he's determined this one isn't going to die.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
I think I bought this in a two for one sale.
- By Mark on 02-14-19
By: A.G. Barnett
-
A Sight for Sore Eyes
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 198
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 169
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 169
Having published 45 books, Ruth Rendell is an internationally popular mystery writer. She has won four Gold Dagger and three Edgar awards. She has been presented with the Commander of the British Empire honor, and named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. In A Sight For Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell’s exceptional literary talent shines from each word. Teddy Brex is a handsome young man. Raised by parents who never loved him, he has grown to put his trust in objects.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Reader emits noises that are distracting
- By Teresa on 06-14-12
By: Ruth Rendell
-
Heartstones
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Alexandra O’Karma
- Length: 2 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 22
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 17
Few mystery writers can match Ruth Rendell’s ability to get inside the dark, tangled psyches of everyday criminals. Rendell takes a single emotion - in this case a sister’s all-consuming jealousy - and shows how even the most unsuspicious people are capable of the worst kind of horrors.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Loved the ending!
- By Maria Ivek on 02-27-25
By: Ruth Rendell
-
The Crocodile Bird
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Jill Tanner
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 125
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 103
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 104
Liza is raised in a remote rural hamlet. One evening, Liza’s mother orders her to leave home forever. Paralyzed at having to fend for herself, Liza finds refuge with Sean, a drifter with whom she begins to share the bizarre story of her life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Spooky, fantastic, amazing.
- By Newenglander18 on 12-05-13
By: Ruth Rendell
-
Trent's Last Case
- By: E C. Bentley
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 214
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 163
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 163
Considered by many to be the first modern mystery novel, Trent's Last Case introduces the gentleman sleuth Philip Trent, a freelance reporter and invistigator. Trent becomes involved in the case of the murder of millionaire American financier Sigsbee Manderson, slain while on holiday in England.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A real find!
- By Roxane on 06-17-10
By: E C. Bentley
-
The Swimming Pool
- By: Mary Roberts Rinehart
- Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 47
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 43
The Birches was one of the grand mansions of the 1920s, with a ballroom, tennis courts, and, of course, a swimming pool. But after the crash of '29, when Lois and Judith's father killed himself to escape his debts, the family turned the summer home into a fulltime retreat from the world. Decades later, Judith is the queen of New York society, a fast-living beauty whose nerves are beginning to fray, while Lois still lives in the dilapidated old mansion, writing mystery novels to pay the bills. She is about to encounter a mystery of her own.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Execellent Building of Plot and Characters
- By Cindy on 08-29-21
-
An Occupied Grave
- Brock & Poole Series, Book 1
- By: A.G. Barnett
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 5 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 416
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 371
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 371
When mourners gather in the village of Lower Gladdock, the grave is found to be already occupied. The victim is soon linked to a tragedy that tore the village apart five years ago and is handed over to the Bexford police to solve. Detective Sergeant Guy Poole is hoping to put his traumatic past behind him and settle into his new station at Bexford. Now history is threatening to raise its head again, and he has a murder case to contend with. Detective Inspector Sam Brock has a new recruit to take under his wing, and he's determined this one isn't going to die.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
I think I bought this in a two for one sale.
- By Mark on 02-14-19
By: A.G. Barnett
-
The Chimney Sweeper’s Boy
- By: Barbara Vine
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 111
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 101
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 98
When literary celebrity Gerald Candless suddenly dies, the beautiful façade he has carefully created begins to crumble. Behind the vision of the happy family on the English seashore lie Candless’ inexplicable cruelty toward his wife, his manic devotion to his daughters, and the mysterious sources of his fiction. To assuage her grief, his loving daughter Sarah begins a memoir project. But it soon becomes an obsessive search for identity. As Sarah digs into her father’s secret past, the startling logic of his puzzling behavior is revealed.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
One of my Top 20 books
- By lyl on 01-01-13
By: Barbara Vine
-
A Fatal Inversion
- By: Barbara Vine
- Narrated by: William Gaminara
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 97
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 84
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 85
In the long, hot summer of 1976, a group of young people is camping in Wyvis Hall. Adam, Rufus, Shiva, Vivien and Zosie hardly ask why they are there or how they are to live; they scavenge, steal and sell the family heirlooms. Ten years later, the bodies of a woman and child are discovered in the Hall’s animal cemetery. Which woman? And whose child?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Oh my!
- By Jill on 06-15-14
By: Barbara Vine
-
Heads You Lose
- Inspector Cockrill Mysteries Series, Book 1
- By: Christianna Brand
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 37
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 37
As war rages in Europe, the citizens of London flee to the country. At Pigeonsford, a group of guests plays cards - but Grace Morland knows the strong emotions that lurk beneath the placid social surface. She's painfully in love with Stephen Pendock, the squire of Pigeonsford, but Pendock's smitten with young beauty Francesca Hart. One afternoon, Fran debuts a new hat, and Grace's jealousy gets the better of her. She exclaims, "I wouldn't be seen dead in a ditch in a thing like that!" She will soon be proven wrong. Grace is found dead with the hat on her head.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Started out with promise….
- By claire b cotts on 04-30-24
-
Dead Beat
- By: Val McDermid
- Narrated by: Chloe Massey
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 98
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 84
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 82
As a favor to her rock journalist boyfriend, Thai-boxing, rock-and-roll private detective Kate Brannigan agrees to track down a missing song-writer Moira Pollock, a search that takes her into some of the seediest parts of Leeds and Bradford. But little does she realize that finding Moira is only a prelude to murder. Juggling her other cases, including a search to uncover the source of counterfeit luxury goods, Brannigan finds herself for the first time on the trail of a killer.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
dead beat
- By Hazel Campbell on 08-03-20
By: Val McDermid
-
Grasshopper
- By: Barbara Vine
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 21 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 42
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 40
Young Clodagh Brown loves to climb, especially the giant electrical pylons that form a neat row outside her parents’ home. When this obsession breeds tragedy, her shamed family sends her to London for college. As a respite from insufferable classes, she begins climbing atop the local houses with her unique band of friends. But it is a practice that lands the group in a kidnapping scandal - and leads to a terrifying climax on the rooftops. Grasshopper is a meticulously crafted novel - a sharp and textured thriller....
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Creepy - literally
- By Lynn on 04-13-24
By: Barbara Vine
-
The Snow Killer
- DI Barton, Book 1
- By: Ross Greenwood
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,521
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,085
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,052
A family is gunned down in the snow, but one of the children survives. Three years on, that child takes revenge, and the Snow Killer is born. But then, nothing - no further crimes are committed, and the case goes cold. 50 years later, has the urge to kill been reawakened? As murder follows murder, the detective team tasked with solving the crimes struggle with the lack of leads. It’s a race against time and the weather - each time it snows, another person dies.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Refreshingly different, well done
- By wisconsinclark on 01-18-20
By: Ross Greenwood
-
The Yellow Room
- By: Mary Roberts Rinehart
- Narrated by: Liza Ross
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 34
As far as Carol Spencer is concerned, the war has spoiled everything. She and Don had been engaged for years and were on the verge of marriage when he was shot down in the South Pacific, leaving Carol on the verge of spinsterhood at 24. She wants to take some kind of job in the war effort, but her invalid mother demands that Carol accompany her to the family's summer home in Maine. But when they arrive at the faded mansion, they find it completely locked up. The servants are gone, the lights are dark - and there is a body in the closet.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent classic mystery by one of the original Queens of Mystery.
- By Becca T. on 12-30-23
-
Tragedy at Law
- By: Cyril Hare
- Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 35
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 32
Tragedy at Law follows a rather self-important High Court judge, Mr. Justice Barber, as he moves from town to town presiding over cases in the Southern England circuit. When an anonymous letter arrives for Barber, warning of imminent revenge, he dismisses it as the work of a harmless lunatic. But then a second letter appears, followed by a poisoned box of the judge's favorite chocolates, and he begins to fear for his life. Enter barrister and amateur detective Francis Pettigrew, a man who was once in love with Barber's wife and has never quite succeeded in his profession.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
BORING!
- By Amazon Customer on 06-23-19
By: Cyril Hare
-
Bliss Uncovered
- DI Bliss, Book 0.5
- By: Tony J. Forder
- Narrated by: Greg Wagland
- Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 36
Fresh out of uniform, DC Jimmy Bliss finds himself at the centre of an undercover sting. Enlisted by a crew of villains to crack a safe, he fears his cover is blown when he’s seen in the wrong place at the wrong time. But on the night of the job, things run smoothly enough until the gang leader changes the location of the heist. As the job spirals out of control, Bliss has to trust his instincts and buy some time. There’s just one problem: he has no idea if his team know what has become of him.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent narration of a very good novel.
- By J-me on 09-28-23
By: Tony J. Forder
-
Portobello
- A Novel
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Tim Curry
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 159
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 113
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 113
Ruth Rendell is widely considered to be crime fiction’s reigning queen. In Portobello, she delivers a captivating and intricate tale that weaves together the troubled lives of several people in the gentrified neighborhood of London’s Notting Hill. Walking to the shops one day, 50-year-old Eugene Wren discovers an envelope on the street bulging with cash. A man plagued by a shameful addiction - and his own good intentions - Wren hatches a plan to find the money’s rightful owner.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Portobello's Lovely Mean Streets
- By Lynn on 09-16-10
By: Ruth Rendell
-
A Beautiful Blue Death
- Charles Lenox Mysteries Series #1
- By: Charles Finch
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,307
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,159
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,158
Charles Lenox, Victorian gentleman and armchair explorer, likes nothing more than to relax in his private study with a cup of tea, a roaring fire and a good book. But when his lifelong friend Lady Jane asks for his help, Lenox cannot resist the chance to unravel a mystery. Prudence Smith, one of Jane's former servants, is dead of an apparent suicide. But Lenox suspects something far more sinister: murder, by a rare and deadly poison.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I like cozy
- By Sheryl on 05-21-12
By: Charles Finch
-
Fall of Angels
- An Inspector Redfyre Mystery
- By: Barbara Cleverly
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 184
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 164
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 165
Great Britain, 1923: When Detective Inspector John Redfyre is invited to attend the annual St. Barnabas College Christmas concert in his Aunt Henrietta's stead, he is expecting a quiet evening. But he arrives to witness a minor scandal: Juno Proudfoot, the trumpeter of the headlining musical duo, is a woman, and a young one at that - practically unheard of in conservative academic circles. When she suffers a near-fatal fall after the close of the show, Redfyre must consider whether someone was trying to kill her.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I Quite Liked This Audiobook
- By John on 06-06-18
By: Barbara Cleverly
Plot swings dominate
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Wexford is back again and in fine form!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
very engaging story with excellent narration.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Good story
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What did you love best about The Best Man to Die?
Ruth Rendell writes in the classic mystery style, where the clues get revealed progressively with solid good work by the police. inspector Wexford is an old-fashioned inspector who solves the mystery through getting to understand the suspects' lives and motives. In this one, there are two cases which don't initially seem to have anything in common, though of course, they do.I would also like to say that Davina Porter was great as narrator. I've listened to a couple that I felt she didn't do as well, so was not sure if I would enjoy this one. But she was perfect! Great job bringing life and interest to the reading and also differentiating the voices. This could have been a dull book read by someone less talented. I'm really happy that I can sing her praises here. The ones I heard and didn't care for so much must (I'm delighted to say) have just been flukes.
Highly recommend both book and reader!
Classic who-dunnit
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Would you try another book from Ruth Rendell and/or Davina Porter?
NoHow would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
Make the main characters more interestingDo you think The Best Man to Die needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
No. This is a crime formula book, a modern day Hercule Poirot without the panache and flairFormulaic British Murder Mystery
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Meh...
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.