Ordeal by Innocence

From AudioFile
Mary Argyle seemed like a paragon; since she had no children of her own and lots of money, she persuaded her husband to adopt a varied brood. During the War years, there were many desperate mothers and homeless children. Many years later, she is murdered, and we learn that things were not as genteel as they seemed. Everyone did NOT love Mary, and the suspects are numerous. Veteran narrator Robin Bailey captures the emotions and sounds of an earlier era in this classic Christie title. Fans of nostalgia and Christie should love it. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Book Description
Mrs. Argyle, benevolent tyrant and mother of five, is murdered with a poker. Her son Jacko is convicted of the crime but dies in prison. Two years later, Dr. Arthur Calgary comes forward to clear Jacko, but the Argyle family is not pleased. If Jacko didn’t commit the crime, who did? Suspense mounts as the family realizes that exonerating Jacko means fingering one of them. This is the first audio recording made of this Agatha Christie work.


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The reopening of the case of the murder of Mrs. Argyle confronts her family with endless questions and suspicions. The unraveling of relationships as past events are scrutinized presents an excellent choice for audio. Christie�s superb plotting lends itself to the telling of the tale, and Robin Bailey�s masterful pacing makes the reader as unnerved as the family of suspects. The internal voices of each character are smoothly and subtly done, projecting very credible emotions. Bailey also enlivens the dialogue with judicious use of accents and inflection. Though the characters aren�t as colorful as some of Christie�s others, the compulsion to resolve the crime propels the characters as well as the listener. R.F.W. �AudioFile, Portland, Maine


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