The Man in the Brown Suit

Smart, plucky Anne Beddingfeld sees a man die strangely in a London tube station and decides to investigate the mystery herself. When the case points toward South Africa, the orphaned Anne uses her life savings to buy a ticket on an African-bound liner and heads off toward much adventure and intrigue in this delightful 1924 novel. Emilia Fox infuses Anne's voice with a level-headed bravery and uses a mix of British accents and intonations to inform listeners of the social class and personalities of the rest of the large class. An excellent job, marred only by her tendency to make all men speak in a husky whisper. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

While this mystery was first published in 1924, narrators Gabrielle de Cuir and John Lee enliven the characters through their fresh, well-paced, pitch-perfect performances. Anne Beddingfield pursues her dream of becoming an adventurer and travels by ship to South Africa to unravel a mystery. De Cuir's portrayal of Beddingfield projects a feisty character whom listeners will cheer for. John Lee masterfully delivers extracts from the diary of the imperious Sir Eustace Pedlar, MP. This book introduces the mysterious Colonel Race, who appears in subsequent Christie mysteries. Note: Colonialism, racism, and sexism appear in the context of the early 1920s. De Cuir and Lee expertly shepherd listeners through Christie's magic with perfectly timed twists and turns. E.Q. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine