The Middle of Things, J. S. Fletcher
The Middle of Things, J. S. Fletcher
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

The Middle of Things

Author: J. S. Fletcher

Narrator: John Rayburn

Unabridged: 8 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/27/2023


Synopsis

The Middle of Things by J. S. Fletcher will certainly come up to expectations if you’re in the mood for a cracking good classic murder mystery. Fletcher’s novels were essentially puzzles and were not meant to be realistic portrayals of crime and criminals. This fine example has to do with Richard Viner, basically an average young man on the street who, more or less accidentally, finds a dead body in a dimly lit alley while he’s taking his usual nightly stroll. He calls police and when they arrive they figure it’s likely a robbery gone wrong because the dead man’s valuables are missing. However, a prime suspect is arrested trying to pawn some jewelry belonging to the victim. He happens to be an old schoolmate of Viner. Viner discovers the old chum is down and out and needs the money, so he decides to investigate and try get his pal vindicated. He gets some help from his elderly aunt; a delightful Bethia Penkridge. She has a sort of fluffy exterior but also some brilliant powers of deduction. The combination provides a quick and entertaining tale for young and old alike, and you’re unlikely to realize the book was published a century ago.

About J. S. Fletcher

Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863–1935) was a British journalist and author. He wrote more than 230 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and nonfiction. He was one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the Victorian golden age of the short story.

About John Rayburn

John Rayburn (1927–2024) was a veteran of over sixty years in broadcasting. He served as a news/sports anchor and show host, and his TV newscast achieved the largest share of audience figures of any major-market TV newscast in the nation. John was a member of the Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame. He was well suited to bring fascinating stories to life concerning the people, places, and things that combine to present lively observations of our day-to-day lives.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Samantha on July 28, 2014

A wealthy man named Ashton is found murdered in an alley, apparently robbed for his jewelry and pocketbook. The police believe they have the killer, a young man who the next morning tries to pawn one of the stolen rings. Viner, however, the man who discovered the body and who is friends with the acc......more

Goodreads review by John on December 28, 2015

The plot is well reviewed here by others so I will just say that I thoroughly enjoyed this story of JS Fletcher's as I have enjoyed pretty well all of his that I have read so far. The man had a very fertile imagination and played fair with the reader supplying plenty of clues which enabled me, at le......more