Tag Archives: mystery

Death of an Airman

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deathairman
(first published 1934)

Christopher St John Sprigg (1907 – 1937)
Language: English

The scene of this classic ‘whodunit’ story from the ‘Golden Age of detective fiction’ is a 1930’s Aero Club, filled with small open-cockpit aircraft and a host of eccentric characters. Experienced flight instructor George Furnace dies in a plane crash near the airfield, in full view of witnesses. The verdict at the inquest is ‘death by misadventure’. But an Australian bishop, who had signed up for flying lessons just before the incident, starts to question this. Could it have been murder? Or suicide? It takes some persistent work by police detectives Creighton and Bray, that takes them all over the UK and to France, to unravel the whole story.
Author Christopher St John Sprigg, also known under his pseudonym Christopher Caudwell (1907-1937) had a passion for aviation; he had previously published two beginners textbooks on the art of flying, so presumably he got his details right. Famous crime fiction novelist Dorothy L. Sayers wrote a glowing review for this novel at the time. (Summary by Anna Simon)

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Shall We Join The Ladies?

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(first published 1928)
by J.M. Barrie (1860-1937)
Language: English

For the past week the hospitable Sam Smith has been entertaining a country house party, and we choose to raise the curtain on them towards the end of dinner.
Legamus presents: ‘Shall We Join the Ladies?’ a truly unique mystery play in one act, set around a mysterious dinner party.
(Summary by Charlotte Duckett)

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Papilio Mariposa

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papiliomariposa(first published 1935)

Oswald Levett (1884 – 1942)
Language: German

Der Ich-Erzähler und Rechtsanwalt rettet einen jungen, missgestalteten Mann vor dem Todesurteil eines Militärgerichts. Jahre später trifft er den Dankbaren unter dem neuen Namen Papilio Mariposa wieder. Es entspannt sich eine ungleiche Freundschaft, in deren Verlauf der genial begabte Mariposa sich immer mehr seinen Forschungen über Schmetterlinge hingibt. Als Mariposa spurlos zu verschwinden scheint und sich die Meldungen über menschengrosse Insekten, ja angebliche Vampirangriffe häufen, kommt dem Freund ein furchtbarer Verdacht …
Eine Mischung aus Frankensteins Forscherwahn und den Qualen seines Monsters, sowie Kafkas “Metamorphosen” Skurrilität von dem weithin unbekannten und unterschätzten Autor Oswald Levett. … (Zusammenfassung von crowwings)

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Die Typhusmarie von H.H. Ewers

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typhusmarie(first published 1922)

Hanns Heinz Ewers (1871 – 1943)
Language: GERMAN

Sieben Männer finden sich heimlich zusammen, um Gericht über eine angesehene Dame der
Gesellschaft zu halten, von der sie überzeugt sind, dass sich in ihr eine große Gefahr für die gesamte Menschheit manifestiert hat.
Als die Dame eintrifft, beginnt ein Tribunal auf Leben und Tod. … (Zusammenfassung von Ramona Deininger-Schnabel)

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Horror Kurzgeschichten I

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Horror_kurzgeschichten1

von Verschiedenen (1797 – 1940), übersetzt von Ramona Deininger-Schnabel
Language: German

Diese Sammlung enthält verschiedene Kurzgeschichten aus den Sparten: Horror, Mystery, … von Mary Shellies Unsterblichen, der sein Schicksal beklagt, von Vampiren auf Opferjagd, von einem etwas anderen Blick auf Jack The Ripper und von einem Ritter auf der Suche nach seiner verstorbenen Geliebten … u.v.m.
Skurriles aus der bisher nicht auf deutsch erschienenen Australischen Projekt Gutenberg Sammlung …in Selbstübersetzung. … (Zusammenfassung von crowwings)

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Bobbie oder die Liebe eines Knaben

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Cover-Bild

(first published 1921)

Hugo Bettauer (1872 – 1925)
Language: German

Bobbie (13) und Gertie (11) haben völlig unterschiedliche soziale Hintergründe und sind dennoch die besten Freunde. Und wenn es nach ihnen geht, werden sie irgendwann auch heiraten. Als Gertie eines Tages plötzlich spurlos veschwindet, werden alle Hebel in Bewegung gesetzt um sie zu finden. Doch die Polizei scheint ratlos und man nimmt das Schlimmste an, denn »Wenn man ruhig über den Fall nachdenkt, so kann man kaum noch Hoffnung haben. Das Mädchen ist jetzt seit vierundzwanzig oder mehr Stunden in der Gewalt eines Menschen. Entweder sie weilt nicht mehr unter den Lebenden oder – aber das ist nicht auszudenken! Vielleicht ist es besser, wenn sie tot ist, als wenn sie noch lebt! Denn das ist doch klar, zum Zeitvertrieb wurde sie nicht geraubt. Schreckliches muß dem armen Kinde widerfahren sein!«

Doch Bobbie ist davon überzeugt, dass er – und nur er – seine Gertie finden kann und begibt sich auf die Suche. Doch wo ist Gertie? Wer hat sie entführt? Und wird Bobbie sie rechtzeitig finden?
(Zusammenfassung von Julia Niedermaier)

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The Benson Murder Case

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(first published 1926)

S.S. Van Dine (1888-1939)
Language: English

The original text of this recording is in the Public Domain in countries where copyright expires 70 years or less after the author’s death, but is still protected by copyright in the USA and some other countries. Please check the copyright law of your country before downloading.
The recording is released under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-SA

New York dilettante Philo Vance decides to assist the police in investigating the death of another man-about-town because he finds the psychological aspects of the crime of interest and feels that they would be beyond the capacities of the police, even those of his friend District Attorney Markham. Vance investigates the circumstances under which the body was found and reconstructs the crime sufficiently to determine that the murderer is five feet, ten and a half inches in height. Together, Vance and Markham investigate Benson’s business associates and romantic interests until Vance manages to pierce the murderer’s alibi for the time of the murder and force a confession. (Summary by Wikipedia)

Total running time: 7:57:16 – Read in English by Cathy Barratt

01 – Philo Vance at Home – 24:09
02 – At the Scene of the Crime – 22:03
03 – A Lady’s Handbag – 18:36
04 – The Housekeeper’s Story – 18:58
05 – Gathering Information – 17:15
06 – Vance Offers an Opinion – 19:27
07 – Reports and an Interview – 24:20
08 – Vance Accepts a Challenge – 21:42
09 – The Height of the Murderer – 18:06
10 – Eliminating a Suspect – 17:20
11 – A Motive and a Threat – 19:25
12 – The Owner of a Colt .45 – 14:18
13 – The Gray Cadillac – 15:47
14 – Links in the Chain – 13:14
15 – Pfyfe–Personal – 19:32
16 – Admissions and Suppressions – 21:18
17 – The Forged Check – 17:57
18 – A Confession – 15:54
19 – Vance Cross-Examines – 20:55
20 – A Lady Explains – 16:29
21 – Sartorial Revelations – 18:12
22 – Vance Outlines a Theory – 23:03
23 – Checking an Alibi – 21:01
24 – The Arrest – 21:48
25 – Vance Explains His Methods – 18:15

In addition to the reader, this audio book was produced by:
Dedicated Proof-Listener: Nadine Eckert-Boulet, Meta-Coordinator/Cataloging: Hokuspokus

Catalogued 16. May 2012

The House Without a Key

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(first published 1925)

by Earl Derr Biggers (1884 – 1933)
Language: English

The original text of this recording is in the Public Domain in countries where copyright expires 70 years or less after the author’s death, but is still protected by copyright in the USA and some other countries. Please check the copyright law of your country before downloading.
The recording is released under the Creative Commons license CC0.

The novel deals with the murder of a former member of Boston society who has lived in Hawaiʻi for a number of years. The main character is the victim’s nephew, a straitlaced young Bostonian bond trader, who came to the islands to try to convince his aunt Minerva, whose vacation has extended many months, to return to Boston. The nephew, John Quincy Winterslip, soon falls under the spell of the islands himself, meets an attractive young woman, breaks his engagement to his straitlaced Bostonian fiancee Agatha, and decides after the murder is solved to move to San Francisco. In the interval, he is introduced to many levels of Hawaiian society and is of some assistance to Detective Charlie Chan in solving the mystery. (Summary by Wikipedia)

Total running time: 8:55:35 – Read in English by ashleighjane

01 – Kona Weather – 0:29:00
02 – The High Hat – 0:11:30
03 – Midnight on Russian Hill – 0:26:51
04 – A Friend of Tim’s – 0:19:48
05 – The Blood of the Winterslip’s – 0:17:13
06 – Beyond the Bamboo Curtain – 0:13:05
07 – Enter Charlie Chan – 0:24:57
08 – Steamer Day – 0:22:27
09 – At the Reef and Palm – 0:24:08
10 – A Newspaper Ripper in Anger – 0:26:14
11 – The Tree of Jewels – 0:33:17
12 – Tom Brade the Blackbirder – 0:22:55
13 – The Luggage in Room Nineteen – 0:22:03
14 – What Kaohla Carried – 0:24:19
15 – The Man From India – 0:30:49
16 – The Return of Captain Cope – 0:24:25
17 – Nightlife in Honolulu – 0:18:00
18 – A Cable From the Mainland – 0:23:43
19 – “Good-by, Pete!” – 0:32:26
20 – The Story of Lau Ho – 0:22:04
21 – The Stone Wall Crumbles – 0:25:57
22 – The Light Streams Through – 0:29:46
23 – Moonlight at the Crossroads – 0:10:38

In addition to the reader, this audio book was produced by:
Dedicated Proof-Listener: Rapunzelina
Meta-Coordinator/Cataloging: Nadine Eckert-Boulet

Catalogued May 24, 2012

Widziadła

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(first published 1936)

by Bolesław Prus (1847-1912)

Language: Polski

The text of this recording is in the Public Domain in Europe and all countries where copyright expires 70 years after the author’s death. Please verify the copyright status of this text in your own country before downloading, otherwise you may be violating copyright laws.
The recording is released under the Creative Commons license CC0.

Trzech mężczyzn odwiedza kawiarnię w pobliżu warszawskiego Starego Rynku, gdzie są świadkami niezwykłego pokazu.
Three men stop by a cafè by Warsaw’s Old Market where they witness a strange spectacle. (Summary by Piotr Nater)

Total running time: 0:13:47
Read in Polish by Piotr Nater

  1. Widziadła

In addition to the reader, this audio book was produced by:

Meta-Coordinator/Cataloging: Hokuspokus

Catalogued 02. December 2011