Brilliant!

Any additional comments?

This book is part of the British Library " Crime Classics" series these books were uncovered at the library and were so good they decided to republish them They are by Authors writing in the 20s and 30s who were famous at the time but have been long forgotten and out of print .So bearing in mind that this story is set in the 20s after the 1st world war and therefore some of the language and vocabulary might seem old fashioned , the story is so clever and well written and keeps you guessing. Of course it has a snow bound train, an abandoned house and a random bunch of strangers stranded together , intrigued? well I urge you to listen to this book if you enjoy Agatha Christie or Dorothy L Sayers , I hope Audible will get more of J Jefferson Fargeon's books .

29 people found this helpful

And Then There Were None In Reverse

In a story where the characters are snowed into a house, you would expect the bodies to start to pile up and the number of characters go down. The reverse is true here. The number of characters actually grows through the end of the story. It is an interesting listen, especially knowing it is one of a number of forgotten British mystery classics republished by the British Library. The story is a bit mystery, a bit thriller, a bit gothic, with locked rooms, disappearing clues, and deep snow banks. I considered giving the book five stars, for how well it fits its genre, but didn't because I felt the author failed to describe the characters and their settings sufficiently at times. When our main characters leave the stalled train for a cross country hike, we don't get a description of what they were wearing, if they were dressed for a blizzard, and if the women were wearing heels and skirts, all of which would have made a difference as they struggle across fields through blinding snow. I never felt the cold, the snow, or the trudge. This lack of description occurs at other points. But the story is fun and has lots of twists and turns. It is worth a listen if you like 20s and 30s British crime novels.

19 people found this helpful

Stupendous

Absolutely mesmerized ftom chapter one. Had to rewind in a couple of placess when the plot got ahead of me but picked it bavk up quickky. The characters were wonderful and you lived all the goid ones and hated the bad ones. I will be listening to this again

12 people found this helpful

Delightful!

I'm glad I got the Synch version. I started listening, but got confused by the characters on the train. Then I started reading on my Kindle. About chapter ten I went back to Audible. Patience captured my imagination with her acting the parts.
I was amazed that this mystery transcended so many decades! It didn't seem to be dated at all! Kudos!

9 people found this helpful

Good old time mystery

Engrossing mystery without sex, gore or much violence. Performance was well done. I will certainly read other books by this author.

5 people found this helpful

vintage 30's mystery

If the narrator had stuck to one voice it would have worked better for me but her male voices were very annoying. And we all know how important narration is with an audible book. her regular voice is great.

Not the author's best work. It is an attempt at a psychological thriller similar to a locked room mystery except everyone is snowed in. At the end I really didn't care who did or why.

5 people found this helpful

Nothing outstanding

It was ok but not as good as it sounded in the description I thought

4 people found this helpful

Lovely deductions.

If you're one who enjoys the classic English mysteries like Agatha Christy's or Dorothy Sayers' tales, you will enjoy this. It's a well told weaving together of clues and personalities. I personally prefer "gentle" murders rather than"gritty" ones. The narrator was wonderful and carried me along most agreeably.

7 people found this helpful

Had Me Right Up Until the End

It’s always hard to review a mystery. If you go much beyond “loved it”, “liked it” or “hated it”, you’re apt to start giving things away and spoiling the fun for everyone else. And it’s even harder when you're trying to put your finger on precisely where the book disappointed you.

Overall, I enjoyed the situation and the characters. Up until the end, I enjoyed the story, too. I have a bias for mysteries of a more reverend vintage (heavy on dialogue and deductions, light on car chases, gunplay and bedroom scenes) and in that respect Mystery in White does not disappoint. However, while I found myself saying “Ah-ha” many times in the course of the story, the final resolution dragged out so long that that ultimate, satisfying “AH-HA” never happened. Or, at least not for me.

Moreover, psychical research plays a role throughout, and I was more than willing to suspend disbelief for the sake of the story. Problem is, our amateur sleuth (and SPR member) uses cold logic to untangle most of this mystery, then goes all psychical at the end, using it to tie up some loose threads in what was (again, for me) an unconvincing way.

As remarked by other reviewers, Patience Tomlinson has a wonderful voice and a perfect delivery, but her male voices (and there are a lot of them in this story) tend to get a bit mixed.

1 person found this helpful

Snowed In With A Killer

Would you consider the audio edition of Mystery in White to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version, so I can't tell. But the plot is very compelling and might be better in print.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved the brother-sister duo. They were charming and sympathetic characters and the way they reacted to their situation was true-to-life and made it easy to identify with them and, therefore, get more caught up in the mystery.

Which character – as performed by Patience Tomlinson – was your favorite?

She did a good job with all the characters, but her performance as the chorus girl was a nice mix of flirty and frightened.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No, it's not really a moving book. But the mystery is really captivating. A group of strangers taking shelter in a house prepared for guests -- but completely empty. Who lit the fire? Who laid the tea? And what happened to the knife on the kitchen floor?

Any additional comments?

I was unfamiliar with this author, now I'm a fan. Highly recommended to those who like the classic mysteries of Sayers or Christie. There are some nice touches of humor and a successful build up of confusion and suspense.

1 person found this helpful