The Mystery at Stowe cover art

The Mystery at Stowe

The Detective Club

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The Mystery at Stowe

By: Vernon Loder
Narrated by: Joseph Balderrama
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About this listen

First published by Collins in 1928, this was the first of 22 mystery novels by Vernon Loder, one of the most popular British mystery-thriller writers of his generation.

When a guest at Stowe House is found dead, killed by a lethal dart, suspicion naturally falls on the resident collector of poisoned weapons from tribes in South America. With the entire house party as potential suspects, what part did the woman explorer play in this sinister tragedy? The local police are baffled, and call on the help of an amateur, whose recent assignment working with bushmen in Africa brings new insight into an increasingly unconventional investigation . . .

Public Domain (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Amateur Sleuths Cosy Crime Fiction Detective Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Traditional Detectives Suspense

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Critic reviews

“Attractively bound in black and gold, with vivid coloured jackets, these books are bound to be immensely popular.” DAILY MIRROR

‘The name of Mr Loder must be widely known as a reliable and promising indication on the cover of a detective story.’ Times Literary Supplement

‘Successive books by Vernon Loder confirm the impression gathered by this reviewer that we have no better writer of thrill mystery in England.’ Sunday Mercury

‘…just the effortless telling of a good story and meticulous observation of the rules.’ Observer
All stars
Most relevant  
Story just an ok murder mystery, but it was made almost unbearable by the stilted and stiff nature of the narrators reading. It was slow with little inflection apart from making all the characters sound the same. For instance, everyone had the same slow laugh 'heh...heh..heh'. "She chuckled 'heh...heh...heh'". It was slow static reading not acting out parts and very dull to listen to. It was also fairly monotone and I needly zoned out a few times. Not good.

Average story made worse by narrator

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loved it. Had to keep listening until the end. Did not see the end at all

Good Listen

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What made the experience of listening to The Mystery at Stowe the most enjoyable?

Easy listening and the storyline kept moving

What other book might you compare The Mystery at Stowe to, and why?

Similar to an Agatha Christie as it is amateurs solving crimes with clues.

Which character – as performed by Joseph Balderrama – was your favourite?

The Aunt.

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

Mayhem and mystery in a fast paced who done it.

Nice light read.

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Would you try another book written by Vernon Loder or narrated by Joseph Balderrama?

Vernon Loder excellent. Joseph Balderrama awful

What other book might you compare The Mystery at Stowe to, and why?

This is a very good plot /story line comparable to Agatha Christie or similar from the golden age of crime fiction.

What didn’t you like about Joseph Balderrama’s performance?

All the characters sounded the same. Very clumsy reading. The book would have been excellent with a competent narrator.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The plot and the storyline is good. Ruined by an incompetent narrator

Any additional comments?

No

Dreadful narrator

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A good yarn although a little dated nice surprise ending
well worth the the reading

The mystery at stowe

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A story very much set in the 1920's. Be aware that some of the language could be considered offensive today. Nice twist at the end. Narrator had a good range for character.

classic 1920's

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