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The Circle

Written by: Peter Lovesey
Narrated by: Simon Prebble
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Publisher's Summary

Widowed van driver Bob Naylor is prodded into joining the Chichester Writers' Circle by his teenage daughter. Bob writes limericks and jingles, and fears he will be out of his class amongst the literati. But the members of the circle come from all walks of life and practice many forms of writing, from fantasy to household hints. There seems to be nothing about any of them to incite a serial killer. However, there is an arsonist in their midst, burning his victims to death, and Bob becomes a suspect. To clear himself, he must cooperate with formidable Detective Chief Inspector Henrietta Mallin.

©2005 by Peter Lovesey. All rights reserved. (P)2010 BBC Audio
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What listeners say about The Circle

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Worthwhile

I missed Peter Diamond in this but Hen is a good substitute. I'll be looking for more books with Hen in them.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Charming Lighthearted Whodunit

Given the subject matter (a serial arsonist murdering members of a Writer's Circle in Chichester, Sussex), this mystery should be darker. Peter Lovesey sets aside "modern" Police Procedural conventions (visceral description, truly evil criminals, psychological suspense).. rather concentrating on an eccentric cast of legitimate "characters" as suspects to yield a diverting mystery (that frankly isn't that challenging). Lovesey's cigar-smoking DCI Henrietta Mallin is consummately professional but doesn't even make an appearance in the story until ½ of the way in, and even then brings in an old-school interview-centered approach to solving the case that oddly made me think of a forensics-naïve female Hercule Poirot. The result is a noticeably laid-back, nostalgic-feeling, family-friendly puzzler. 'The Circle' is a fun read.. but until the final few chapters I confess that it didn't really grab me.

Fortunately, the outstanding narration by Simon Prebble elevates this book markedly. Backed up by commendable support from Blackstone Audio, Prebble reads with exemplary diction, timbre, cadence, and tone.. and shows off one of the best repertoires of character accents in the voice-acting business.

This book is likely worthy of 5½ stars, but I rate this recording 7.5 stars out of 10. You should absolutely give it a try if you're headed on a long trip to Grandma's house with the kids (particularly if you can get it as a 'Plus' option). This tale is a little bit too "Cozy" for my personal tastes, but provided a couple of pleasant afternoons of entertainment. I could easily envision new Lovesey fans being born based on this audiobook.

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a great read

Had me guessing til the end. Well written who done it. Excellent narrator. Will definitely read more by Peter Lovesey.

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Spellbinding

This is just AWESOME , great mystery, I usually know who the culprits are before the end but this was a shock. The narrator is great, I finished in 2 days and
You will not be disappointed. Just great.

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