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Murder of a Lady

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Murder of a Lady

By: Anthony Wynne
Narrated by: James Bryce
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About this listen

Duchlan Castle is a gloomy place in the Scottish Highlands. Late one night the body of Mary Gregor, sister of the laird, is found in the castle. She has been stabbed to death in her locked bedroom. The only tiny clue to the culprit is a silver fish's scale, left on the floor next to Mary's body.

Inspector Dundas is dispatched to investigate. The Gregor family and their servants are quick to explain that Mary was a kind and charitable woman, but Dundas uncovers a more complex truth.

Soon further deaths occur. Superstitious locals believe that fish creatures from the nearby waters are responsible, but luckily for Inspector Dundas, gifted amateur sleuth Eustace Hailey is on the scene.

©2015 Estate of Anthony Wynne (P)2016 Soundings Cosy Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Highlander

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All stars
Most relevant  
I have endured as much of this novel as I can. I am at chapter 31 and almost half of the household and an investigating officer have died!!! This has gone beyond an interesting and amazing locked room mystery, to a pompous farce, where, if credibility was even remotely a factor, the entire household would have been taken into custody!

I cannot and will not listen to the rest of this - I shall be seeking a refund - it would have benefited from a lot less prose and a much reduced plot. There are too many soliloquies, which do not move the plot along, and hinders more than they help. The narration is slow and on occasion you are at a loss as to who is talking. But by the middle, you no longer care.

If this were in written form, the temptation would be to go to the final chapter to find out whodunnit! But at this point, I don't really care!

In my opinion, don't believe the hype. I believe that I'm the first to write a review. So, if you do purchase this audiobook and enjoy it!!!! Please submit a review and let others know what I failed to appreciate.

Long. Tedious. Implausible and therefore, Boring.

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The solution is fine, but it isn't set up as well as it could have been. On the one hand, we don't spend nearly enough time with the suspects in the beginning, and then towards the end we spend so much time with them that their innocence becomes too obvious. So you might be able to guess whodunnit, but not because the clues have led you there, rather because there is no one else left. And the howdunnit hasn't been properly teased, and so the reveal lacks that "aha!" moment when the reader puts the clues together.

The deaths also piled up in almost comical fashion in the end.

An atmospheric read, well narrated, but uneven execution left me mostly exasperated by the end.

Not as well crafted as I would have liked

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What made the experience of listening to Murder of a Lady the most enjoyable?

I have been enjoying the release of some of the older 'classic' detective stories, and this is one in that vein. At first I thought it would be a 'mental puzzle - locked room' book, which in a sense it was; but the characters were more interesting than is normally the case in that genre. Then I thought it might tip over into post-Victorian 'blood and thunder' romanticism; but while that was a real risk, and the story is dramatic in the classic sense, with lots of stuff about 'the Highland character' somehow it managed to rise above that and remain genuinely engaging. Perhaps this was partly because it was a convincing example of the thoughts and opinions that were prevalent at the time of its writing, which gave it a kind of authenticity of its own.
At any rate, I found myself gripped both by the twists and turns of the plot and by the characters, romanticised though they were.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Murder of a Lady?

I particularly enjoyed the character of the doctor who is the leading detective. He managed to remain thoughtful, rational and kindly. Some of the plot developments were genuinely surprising; I won't go into any details as I don't want to spoil other readers' pleasure, but they will know them when they encounter them!

Have you listened to any of James Bryce’s other performances? How does this one compare?

This is the first performance I have heard by James Bryce. As soon as I finish this review I am going to so look for others by him.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This being a detective story, it operates on a cerebral rather than an emotional level. Nonetheless, the central emotional situation, which turns on the manipulative character of the lady in the book's title, is surprisingly believable despite its dramatic exaggeration.

Any additional comments?

Possibly because of my family connection to Loch Fyne, I greatly enjoyed the way the setting was used as part of the overall drama. Small details about life there at the time of the book (e.g. the way the steamboats of fish merchants would go out to meet the fleet as it returned) added colour without breaking up the narrative.
I don't often listen to books a second time, but I will do so with this one. I'm not quite able to put my finger on why I found it so absorbing, but this one really gripped my imagination.

Unexpectedly absorbing

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a completely satisfying experience and I am a picky person. Both writer and narrator were excellent

a good afternoon's entertainment

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It takes a while to get into this book, but it is worth having the patience to stick with it. The author captures the claustrophobic atmosphere of a remote Scottish country house/castle and the enclosed lives of the people who live there, very much under the thumb of a dominating matriarchal-type of person - a woman who can't truly be a matriarch because she has no children of her own, so she seeks to gain domination over the children of other members of her family. And then somebody kills her and a strange succession of detectives seek to establish who did it, but it is the reticent amateur - a doctor who is an outsider - who is able to make sense of it all. James Bryce is an excellent narrator. It is a book which is very much of its time, but it is well-written and very absorbing. Worth a bit of patience.

Very atmospheric

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Would you listen to Murder of a Lady again? Why?

Yes, probably. The story develops slowly and is definitely not fast paced but the characterisation is nicely done and it would be nice to revisit at a later date.

What did you like best about this story?

It is very much of it's time but none the worse for that. I liked the Jonathan Creek style locked room mystery which had a nice, neat solution at the end. There is much more characterisation than is often found in stories from this period and I found the pace suited the story well. The ending was a little abrupt but apart from that I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The end of these stories is always satisfying but I found the whole story a pleasant listen. The scene of the isolated and feudal Scottish Castle with it's old hidden family secrets is nicely set up and provides an evocative backdrop for the tale.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Death Strikes in the Heart of the Highlands

Any additional comments?

A slow paced gentle locked room mystery imbued with the atmosphere of the Highlands - nicely told and beautifully read - fans of the first three series of Jonathan Creek should enjoy this.

Golden Age Jonathan Creek

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Would you consider the audio edition of Murder of a Lady to be better than the print version?

This author was new to me, though I do read a lot of older detective/mystery stories. I very much enjoyed it and will certainly look out for this author in future. A good story and a well described setting. I thought it would be something in the cosy line, but there is much more depth to the story than that.

What does James Bryce bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

It was well read and I will look out for this reader in future.

Enjoyable

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I almost gave up half way through because I thought it a predicted story of mis justice but another murder then gave an unexpected twist. I am glad I stuck it out. Overall, a very good mystery story.

Unexpected end

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I don't think this book aged as well as say, Agatha Christie, or Dorothy l Sayers , the puzzle was good , and the solution was well thought out, but I just did not warm to the characters.

Long winded

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