The Stately Home Murder, Catherine Aird
The Stately Home Murder, Catherine Aird
3 Rating(s)
List: $24.95 | Sale: $17.47
Club: $12.47

The Stately Home Murder

Author: Catherine Aird

Narrator: Robin Bailey

Unabridged: 4 hr 49 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/01/2000

Synopsis

There's been a murder at the Manor!At this stately home, now open for public tours, visitors revel in the lush atmosphere created by its three hundred rooms, its exceptional display of fine china, its chilling dungeon with historic suits of armor on display, evoking the spirits of knights from a forgotten age. Young Michael's sister, a visitor to the mansion with their mum, presses her for an explanation of "what's a chastity belt?" while Michael fools around with one of the suits of armor. He lifts the visor and stares inside, only to find a face staring back at him! A dead human body has been stashed inside the armor after having been done in by a savage blow to the back of the head. Detective Inspector C.D. Sloan and his wisecracking sidekick Crosby are called in to figure out whodunit and why.Mystery fans will relish this delightful entry in Catherine Aird's highly esteemed classic series starring Sloan, of the Berebury Criminal Investigations Dept. in Calleshire, England, and his amiable but not very able assistant, Crosby. The two are introduced in The Religious Body, the first of 18 C.D. Sloan mysteries. Aird's work is among the very best of the British police procedural genre, particularly noteworthy for the delightful sense of humor woven throughout.The Stately Home Murder was originally published as The Complete Steel.

About Catherine Aird

Catherine Aird is the author of more than twenty crime fiction novels and several collections of short stories, most of which feature Detective Chief Inspector C. D. Sloan. She holds an honorary MA degree from the University of Kent and was made a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. She has been awarded the CWA Golden Handcuffs award for lifetime achievement and the Diamond Dagger for an outstanding lifetime’s contribution to the genre in 2015.

About Robin Bailey

Robin Bailey (1919–1999) was an English actor, perhaps most fondly remembered for his portrayal of Uncle Mort in I Didn’t Know You Cared. Bailey recorded hundreds of audiobooks to critical acclaim.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Bev on September 06, 2019

From when I first logged the book: First Aird book I read. I now own it...that is the true sign of a good book for me--if I read it from the library (or wherever) and then just have to buy it when I have the opportunity." Review from first reading of the owned book (2/16/18): “There’ll have been a rea......more

Goodreads review by Jan C on July 19, 2022

I was mystified but I suppose it made sense, in the end. She definitely should have had better covers. I turned my nose up at Aird for years because of the flowery covers I saw on her books. Had no idea what was inside. This is my third and I enjoyed it immensely. As I did the previous two. An earl (I......more

Goodreads review by Yibbie on June 02, 2017

I think this might be a first, an Amazon suggestion was actually spot on, and I have found a new author that I really enjoy. Have any of you read Catherine Aird’s mysteries? I just read my first one, and it was really fun. A dastardly crime is committed. Summon Detective Sloan and slightly bumbling......more

Goodreads review by Sid on September 26, 2022

Catherine Aird’s Sloan and Crosby mysteries have been a joyous discovery for me. They are clever, witty and a pleasure to read. This, the third in the series from 1970, is set in a Stately Home, where Aird produces an enjoyable version of the Golden Age Country House Mystery, while also mildly but wi......more

Goodreads review by Kathy on April 03, 2021

This book delivers a very satisfying murder mystery set in a country estate. Aird uses subtle wit throughout keeping things light and lively. A dead body concealed in a suit of armor is discovered by a young rambunctious boy on a tour of the mansion with his mother. That lucky discovery allows Inspe......more

Quotes

“A mystery as solid as any Inspector Sloan has ever encountered. A well-plotted resolution and a solid tale.” Chicago Sun-Times, praise for A Going Concern

“Written with Catherine Aird’s characteristic brisk wit...the knotty plot is sufficiently tangled that it’s a pleasure watching Sloan unravel it.” Orlando Sentinel, praise for Stiff News

“Aird’s delicious concoctions are never less than elegant and mischievously sharp.” The Times (London)

“Both writer and reader are having fun with this one.” AudioFile

“Trust Aird to add to her own special twists and lots of biting wit to murder...the settings are classic, the characters delightfully quirky, and the words of wisdom many.” Boston Herald

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