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Bodies from the Library 2
- Selected Lost Stories of Mystery and Suspense by Masters of the Golden Age
- Narrated by: Philip Bretherton
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
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Bodies from the Library 2
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Summary
This anthology of rare stories of crime and suspense brings together 13 tales from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction for the first time in book form, including a newly discovered Gervase Fen novella by Edmund Crispin that has never previously been published.
With the Golden Age of detective fiction shining ever more brightly thanks to the recent reappearance of many forgotten crime novels, Bodies from the Library offers a rare opportunity to read lost stories from the first half of the twentieth century by some of the genre’s most accomplished writers.
This second volume is a showcase for popular figures of the Golden Age, in stories that even their most ardent fans will not be aware of. It includes uncollected and unpublished stories by acclaimed queens and kings of crime fiction, from Helen Simpson, Ethel Lina White, E.C.R. Lorac, Christianna Brand, Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, to S.S. Van Dine, Jonathan Latimer, Clayton Rawson, Cyril Alington and Antony and Peter Shaffer (writing as Peter Antony).
This audiobook also features two full-length novellas – one from a rare magazine by Q Patrick, the other an unpublished Gervase Fen mystery by Edmund Crispin, written at the height of his career. It concludes with another remarkable discovery: ‘The Locked Room’ by Dorothy L. Sayers, a never-before-published case for Lord Peter Wimsey!
Selected and introduced by Tony Medawar, who also provides fascinating pen portraits of each author, Bodies from the Library 2 is an indispensable collection for any crime fan.
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Critic reviews
‘Ingenious, unique and perfectly curated’ Dorset Book Detective
‘This is one of the best mixed anthologies I’ve come across … If you’re already a vintage crime fan, then this is one to grab; and if you’re new to the genre, then you’ll find this a very enjoyable way to introduce yourself to some of the greats. Highly recommended!’ FictionFanBlog
‘Rather like a box of chocolates … The sheer variety of tales means there will be something for everyone.’ Cross Examining Crime
‘The prize gems of this entertaining and informative anthology must be a previously unpublished Dorothy L. Sayers (featuring Lord Peter Wimsey) and Edmund Crispin (featuring Gervase Fen). If for those alone, it is worth stepping over the bodies in the library to grab this volume off the shelf.’ Mike Ripley
‘I think I've learned more from [Tony Medawar’s] researches than from the research of any other Golden Age fan’ Martin Edwards, doyouwriteunderyourownname.blogspot.co.uk
‘A stunning array of lost stories’ Puzzle Doctor, classicmystery.wordpress.com
What listeners say about Bodies from the Library 2
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- keefy
- 28-11-23
Poor reading spoils this
Many of the stories are good but this is marred by a very unpleasant reading style.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Steph H
- 31-12-20
Fantastic 2
Another great anthology of books from the golden age of mystery writers.
There are two standout stories in this book for me, Exit Before Midnight and The Adventure of the Dorset Squire. Both are brilliant for very different reasons, suspense and tension in one and pure slapstick hilarity in the other.
Yet more authors to get to know and Philip Bretherton does a brilliant job with all the voices. His voice just takes me straight to that time period, great stuff.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tabu
- 18-07-19
Beware - This is NOT unabridged
Buyer Beware - Two of the stories from the print version (Room to Let by Margery Allingham and Sixpennyworth by John Rhode) are missing from this audio version - worth knowing before buying, sadly I will be returning it for this reason.
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17 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sarah R
- 05-09-20
Philip Bretherton is a brilliant narrator
Philip Bretherton is a fantastic narrator for a good selection of stories. I loved him.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- merrigan123
- 10-10-19
OK but could be better
Some of the stories aren't really mysteries or even murders, and the full history of each author in between each story does become annoying when some are longer than the actual story
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- elly gausden
- 21-11-19
Mostly dull
There's probably a reason a lot of these short stories haven't been published before. Most aren't that great and the reader isn't very good.
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4 people found this helpful