Unsolved Murder Mysteries

By: Charles E. Pearce

Narrated by: Cathy Dobson

First published in 1924, Charles E. Pearce’s account of some of the most gruesome and intriguing unsolved murders of the 19th century continues to captivate amateur sleuths to this day. Pearce guides us through a fascinating world of wicked assassinations, missed clues, ingenious stratagems, and cunning deceits in one last attempt to track down historical villains who evaded justice. It is impossible to establish the truth beyond reasonable doubt in any of the cases at this distance, but the light which Pearce sheds on the investigations and contemporary testimony, encourages us to evaluate the evidence anew and using our own Holmesian powers, to come up with new theories.

• "A Secret of St. James’s Palace"
• "Who Killed Benjamin Nathan?"
• "Motiveless Murders"
• "The Dark Enigma of Dr. Burdell"
• "Romantic Tragedies"
• "Shop Murders"
• "Self-Convicted Poisoners"
• "The Mistakes of Murderers"
• "The Last Resource"

©2012 Red Door Audiobooks (P)2012 Red Door Audiobooks

Good book if you can tolerate narrator

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It's a very good book and includes unsolved mysteries I was unfamiliar with. I enjoyed the book itself. I probably would have liked it better had I just read it instead of listening to it, as I found the narrator distracting.

Would you be willing to try another one of Cathy Dobson’s performances?

Not unless it was a book I just couldn't find elsewhere in any other format. The narration is very clear, but very offputting. Her voice and intonation sounded almost exactly like Liza Doolittle in the "My Fair Lady" scene where she describes ( in a very stilted posh voice) the supposed murder of her relative and theft of a bonnet. Very distracting from the story.

Was Unsolved Murder Mysteries worth the listening time?

Yes, because the book was enjoyable - other than narration.