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The Great Mistake

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The Great Mistake

Written by: Mary Roberts Rinehart
Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
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About this listen

In an elaborate house known as the Cloisters, Maud Wainwright rules supreme. The queen of society in the small town of Beverly, she has a table long enough to seat 100, and she keeps an iron grip on the guest list. Her right-hand woman is Pat Abbott, a local girl who is beautiful, innocent, and kind. Pat has no idea how cutthroat high society can be, but she's about to get a deadly first lesson.

Pat has fallen head over heels in love with Maud's son, Tony, a clever young rake with a single flaw: his vicious, gold-digging wife. At the same time that she is dangerously infatuated with a married man, Pat's world is turned upside down by a series of attacks on the estate - and a truly shocking murder. To save Tony and Maud, Pat must find the killer. But the list of suspects is as long as one of Maud's guest lists: When a woman has room at her table for 100 friends, she'll have more than her share of enemies.

"Anyone who aspires to become a writer," said the New York Times, "could not do better than to study carefully the methods of Mary Roberts Rinehart." The Great Mistake is a classic example of the golden age murder mystery at its best.

©1940 Mary Roberts Rinehart; copyright 1968 by Alan G. Rinehart, Stanley M. Rinehart, Jr., and Frederick R. Rinehart (P)2021 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books Amateur Sleuth Crime Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Detective Murder
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The Great Mistake by Mary Roberts Rinehart had its moments, but unfortunately, they were few and far between. As a fan of mystery novels, I was eager to dive into this renowned author's work. However, what I encountered was a narrative that seemed to plod along at a snail's pace, leaving me disengaged and disinterested.

One of the most glaring issues with The Great Mistake was its disjointed storyline. Instead of seamlessly weaving together clues and suspense, the plot felt haphazardly thrown together, making it difficult to follow along. Characters appeared and disappeared without much explanation, leaving me scratching my head in confusion.

Furthermore, the lack of excitement throughout the novel was palpable. I found myself yawning more often than not, as the story failed to evoke any sense of urgency or anticipation. Rather than leaving me on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning pages, The Great Mistake left me struggling to stay awake.

In conclusion, while The Great Mistake may hold appeal for die-hard fans of Mary Roberts Rinehart, it fell short of delivering an engaging and thrilling mystery experience. Its slow pace, disjointed storyline, and overall lack of excitement left me feeling underwhelmed and sleepy, rather than eager for more.

Mediocre Mystery with a Lethargic Pace

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