The Big Bow Mystery

Adrian is the best!

(5 stars)

Evette Fiji

Adrian is the best narrator by far! I love the way he reads. its so amazing with all the different voices. the book was lovely to.

A splendid reading

(5 stars)

Philippe Horak

This is arguably the first 'locked-room' mystery novel (1892 UK; 1895 US), that is, a detective story in which the puzzle aspect is the critical element of the plot rather than being an ancillary item, as it was in Le Fanu's Uncle Silas, for example. It is also a pre-Golden-Age-of-Detection prototype in that it follows the rules of 'fair play' by providing the evidence for the solution in the form of clues imbedded in the text, supplies alternative solutions and suspects -- the classic 'red herring' approach -- and has a 'least-likely' suspect as the villain. All that it is lacking is what we would call a proper detective who out-thinks the reader. Many thanks to Adrian Praetzellis whose performance is commendable. A highly recommended reading.

Zangwill do nicely

(5 stars)

Arch Stanton

Two detectives, one locked room mystery and much sly humour can be found in Zangwill's novel, excellently read here. Zangwill was most famous for his tales of Jewish life, many still in print, but those other books of his I have read (e.g The Celibate's Club) which are of more general interest, as this one is, are also witty and well written. Discovering this for a free download was an exra pleasure for someone who thinks the writer underrated as a humourist. There's delightful portrayal of several important characters here by the reader - notably that of Crowl, the absurd anti-faddist and athiest, my favourite. If the final solution to the mystery does not *quite* convince, it's still fun and the whole is very recommendable.

Great book, great reading.

(4 stars)

B143

I had never heard of Israel Zangwill, but enjoyed this book thoroughly. Adrian Praetzellis' reading is of a very high standard and really helps to add colour to both setting and character. The book is very well written, managing to not only provide a genuinely intriguing mystery, but also to broadly examine the society of the time; often with a gentle, satirical humour. Highly recommended.

Good story

(5 stars)

mikezane

A well-loved working man's man is found murdered in a locked room. Only circumstantial evidence points to his best friend as the murderer, yet Inspector Wimp weaves it into a strong enough case to have the man convicted and sentenced to death. Former Inspector Grodman is convinced of the man's innocence. Which man is correct? Recordings and voice were excellent, thank you!

(1 stars)

Billed as a 'locked room mystery'...

...which it simply isn't! The contrived ending is a complete cop-out by a very mediocre writer. The alleged satire on Victorian society is of low quality - even the vastly over-rated Oscar Wilde is better than this. I won't be bothering with anything else by Zangwill. Surprisingly, the usually impeccable reader manages a couple of mis-pronunciations which are at the schoolboy howler level.

Mixed feelings, purely personal

(4 stars)

AJoy

Well written, stands the test of Time in some ways. I found the ending unsatisfying, that's purely my personal preferences, and cannot be explained without total spoilers. I suggest listening to it and making your own decision.

(5 stars)

Indy

Engaging tale with excellent, historically accurate, background (in re union movement, religious skepticism, etc) in the various characters. Very well narrated by the reliable Adrian Praetzellis. For mystery lovers, a great example of the golden age of mystery stories.