Scan barcode
A review by librarybelle
The Widening Stain by W. Bolingbroke Johnson, Nicolas A. Basbanes
4.0
**I received an advanced listening copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
Johnson's mystery set in an academic library has layers of humor and intrigue, which makes this an overall enjoyable book. Gilda's character was delightful - parts stereotypical librarian but yet parts struggling to break away from the confines of 1940s mores - and I would have loved to read further books featuring Gilda as the amateur sleuth. The quirks of the professors and other library staff were amusing, and the mystery itself held my interest. A great example of a classic mystery novel, and I can see why Penzler Publishers selected this as part of the American Mystery Classics series.
As for the voice narration, it took me some time to adapt to the various voices and characterizations. Admittedly, it is not often I listen to a male reader - it just seems the books I listen to tend to be voiced by a female - so it takes me some time to adapt to the narration. However, once I did, I thought it was well done.
Johnson's mystery set in an academic library has layers of humor and intrigue, which makes this an overall enjoyable book. Gilda's character was delightful - parts stereotypical librarian but yet parts struggling to break away from the confines of 1940s mores - and I would have loved to read further books featuring Gilda as the amateur sleuth. The quirks of the professors and other library staff were amusing, and the mystery itself held my interest. A great example of a classic mystery novel, and I can see why Penzler Publishers selected this as part of the American Mystery Classics series.
As for the voice narration, it took me some time to adapt to the various voices and characterizations. Admittedly, it is not often I listen to a male reader - it just seems the books I listen to tend to be voiced by a female - so it takes me some time to adapt to the narration. However, once I did, I thought it was well done.