Audiobook · read by volunteers
Paradise Mystery
J. S. Fletcher (1863–1935)
Read by JimmyLogan, Stephanie König, Anita Roy Dobbs, krithiga, Silver, Sam Fold, Kristin Hughes (1974-2021), Gesine, Kirsten Ferreri, Sean McGaughey · 27 chapters · 8 h 39
About the book
A quiet cathedral town in England seems peaceful enough. Its streets are full of gossips, its drawing rooms of polite people, and its clergy go about their duties. But then a body is found, and it becomes clear that some of its respectable inhabitants are not quite what they seem.
As the investigation begins, the town’s tangled relationships come to light, one respectable face after another turns out to hide something, and the murder proves far less simple than it first appears.
J. S. Fletcher was one of the most prolific writers of English detective fiction in the early twentieth century, and this novel shows his talent for atmosphere and puzzle. Twenty-seven chapters, nearly nine hours. A cosy, intriguing listen for fans of classic whodunits.
Introduction
Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863-1935) was an English journalist and author who wrote a large number of novels, histories and works of topographical writing about his native Yorkshire. In the 1910s and 1920s he turned increasingly to detective fiction, and became one of the most widely read crime writers of his time. His book The Middle Temple Murder, published in 1919, was praised by an American president, and the attention helped to bring him a large readership.
The Paradise Mystery, published in 1921, belongs to this late period. It is set in a quiet cathedral town and follows a murder investigation among the local population. The story is typical of the so-called Golden Age of detective fiction, in which a closed community, a cast of suspects and a series of clues combine to produce an intricate puzzle. Fletcher draws on his experience as a journalist to give the town and its inhabitants a convincing everyday texture.
Many of Fletcher’s books are now forgotten, but they have found new readers through reprints and through free online editions. His plots are well constructed, and his style is clear and unfussy. Readers who enjoy the novels of Agatha Christie, or the British detective novels of the 1920s more generally, will find much that is familiar.
This recording has twenty-seven chapters and lasts about eight and a half hours, read by LibriVox volunteers. It is a relaxed, enjoyable listen, well suited to long winter evenings.
Public domain
J. S. Fletcher died in 1935: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text