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Even the Butler Was Poor: A Ben Spanner & H. J. Mavity Mystery
- Narrated by: Clifton Satterfield
- Length: 4 hrs and 9 mins
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Even the Butler Was Poor: A Ben Spanner & H. J. Mavity Mystery
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Summary
H. J. Mavity, painter of paperback romance covers, has a perplexing riddle to solve when her ex-boyfriend, Rick Dell, collapses at her feet after telling her that the words "ninety-nine clop clop" hold the clue to a lot of money. Although Dell has clearly been murdered, H. J.'s avarice gets the better of her and she determines to risk the ire of whoever has killed Dell to go after the money. First, however, she must understand the riddle and who better to help her than her ex-husband, Ben Spanner, a gifted mimic whose voice is known to millions through TV and radio commercials. Ben knows just about every show business joke around and will surely be familiar with the routine of a hack stand-up comic like Dell. Ben is some¬what aggrieved to see H. J. again for he knows better than anyone else that she spells trouble. He comes through with the riddle to which "ninety-nine clop clop" is the solution but H. J.'s lingering attraction for him overcomes his common sense and he, too,is soon in pursuit of the stash Dell's clue points to-though more to protect H. J. than to feather his own nest.
Little does Ben suspect that H. J. has plans that don't include him. When a new job takes him to New York City to play the voice of an English muffin, H. J. takes the opportunity to slip away from his Connecticut home with the contents of Dell's hideaway. Ben, who thought he had convinced H. J. that their and should be turned over to the police, must now use all his ingenuity to save her from a desperate killer.
What listeners say about Even the Butler Was Poor: A Ben Spanner & H. J. Mavity Mystery
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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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
- Norma Miles
- 28-05-20
99 clop clop.
When H.J.'s date is late coming to the mall to return her money, she's surprised to see him, bloody and tortured, stagger and fall dead at her feet. But not before the erstwhile comic utters the immortal words, 99 clop clop. It seems to be a clue to the way to get her money back but nothing she could understand. Time to enlist the help of her two (or three) years divorced husband, a voice over artist who has his own store of jokes. Old grievances grow whilst romances reignite, as the unlikly, greedy sleuthing couple needle and squabble their way to the solution of the mystery, the ex husband constantly drawing on his repertoire of assorted voices in their cross conversations. Great fun and an interesting little mystery, too.
This was an interesting book for a narrator who not only had to read the story and give voice to the characters but also had to fulfill the multi accented voice artist's habit of using his talent throughout his conversations, mimicking known actors. In this, Clifton Satterfield was superb and all came together smoothly, fast paced and comedic. His reading was a delight, a fine performance which truly enhanced the indulgent pleasure of this book.
It's not the plot but the characters, and Clifton Satterfield's rendition of them, who make this story so enjoyable. I downloaded a complimentary copy of Even the Butler Was Poor (a delicious title I couldn't resist) freely and without any conditions or obligations, from FABC. My thanks to the rights holder for making it available at the press of a few buttons. This is a short, fun read and definitely recommended.
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