Trent's Last Case

By: E C. Bentley

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Considered by many to be the first modern mystery novel, Trent's Last Case introduces the gentleman sleuth Philip Trent, a freelance reporter and investigator.

Trent becomes involved in the case of the murder of millionaire American financier Sigsbee Manderson, slain while on holiday in England. During the course of his investigation, Trent falls in love with one of the primary suspects. And while he collects evidence and becomes convinced that he has cracked the case, he turns out to be well off the mark when the real murderer tells Trent just how wrong his conclusions were. An inspiration to writers like Agatha Christie and G.K. Chesterton, Trent's Last Case is a classic of the mystery genre.

(P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The prototype of the modern detective novel." (The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature)

Sayers and Christie weren’t wrong

This 1913 book was said to be Dorothy L. Sayers' favorite mystery; indeed, she wrote the foreword to this edition and calls it "a tale of unusual brilliance and charm." Agatha Christie called it "one of the best detective stories ever written." Supposedly written following a bet with Bentley's friend G.K. Chesterton, the story is a subtle send-up of the "infallible sleuth" of the day.

It features Philip Trent, an all-too-human detective who not only falls in love with the chief suspect but reaches a brilliant conclusion that is totally wrong. Some may say that they saw the final twist coming, but I would not believe them.

The story is great fun, and Simon Vance's narration is perfect. Highly recommended.

This is 4* minus

I guess if you're interested in the chronology of mystery stories, this book might have additional appeal. Aside from that, it's pretty good but a little on the slow side. Simon Vance as good as always.

Very interesting book but boring.

The book was just too wordy. I would find myself loosing interest. I had a difficult time finishing. The narration of the last hour and a half saved the whole thing.

A real find!

As a fan of "The Golden Age of British Mysteries," I had read frequent allusions to this book as one of the founding works of the genre, but had never come across a copy. So I was thrilled to find this version read by Simon Vance, whom I think is one of the most reliably good readers in the business.

And the book lived up to the hype--it contains foreshadowings of everyone from Sayers to Tey, and is a very satisfying and well-written tale in its own right.

A classic but that much of a classic

I would venture to guess that most people haven't heard of this book, though I think it has an interesting place in history of detective fiction. The blatant racism of the day does appear in the story, which I always find a bit disappointing and unnerving. I can get past that, as one has to do to enjoy golden era detective fiction, but I just wasn't as engaged in the story as with other mysteries that I've read. That said, here is what I like and appreciate about it: 1. I had no idea what was going on. I didn't know the solution to this whodunnit. 2. Neither did the detective, but not because he was a dummy, but rather because the author wanted to make a point. Bentley was tired of all the brilliant literary detectives neatly wrapping up cases, when in reality, people are fallible. In this way, this book is both an early golden age mystery and a send-up of one, which is pretty brilliant. Still, I just wasn't wowed by the writing, though I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could!

If this has been my first book….

Admittedly, this is a great book.. kept me guessing all the way to its many “ends”. Had I never read another book in this genre prior to this one, I would totally have agreed with Miss Sayers and Miss Christie. But it’s kind of like the old saying, “the new had worn off.” This is in NO way to say that it is not a superbly written, thoroughly entertaining book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But I recommend that you take the introductions and words of praise by Miss Sayers and Miss Christie with a “bit of salt”. Then you will enjoy it more for what it is: a great but not earth shaking bit of writing. And I need not really comment on Simon Vance. Having listened to many books narrated by Mr. Vance, including two of Charles Todd’s “Ian Rutledge” books, he is one of the best.

Good story as long as you don't mind delays

I was unsure what to expect with this, and was pleasantly surprised. My only complaint about this was that the plot too so many detours that I kept losing interest. If I had been reading this book I would have either skipped chapters or not finished it. Due to the delightful narration I kept listening with only mild annoyance. I will be looking for more works by this author and especially more works by the narrator.

Loved this Classic Mystery !

I loved this so much I listened to it Twice! And knowing the ending made it even more clever on the 2nd go around, lol. Hope you enjoy this as well ;)

Sublime

As Dorothy Sayers’ favorite mystery, this is indeed a great story with surprise ending. Well done performance and writing.

Bought for Simon Vance narration

Is there anything you would change about this book?

No. It is rather forgettable as it is.

Would you recommend Trent's Last Case to your friends? Why or why not?

Maybe.

Which scene was your favorite?

Can't remember a single one! However, I do remember lots of scenes from The Watch That Ends The Night: Voices from the Titanic.

Did Trent's Last Case inspire you to do anything?

To be more selective in my ordering, perhaps paying more for some of my Audiobooks than in the past.

Any additional comments?

When this book was finished I remember thinking, well that was okay. Apparently it takes more than loving to hear Simon Vance's narration for something to stick in my memory.