The Affair of the Mutilated Mink

By: James Anderson

Narrated by: Cornelius Garrett

The Earl of Burford can't believe his luck. Rex Ransom, his favourite star from the 'talkies', and his hot-shot producer, Haggermeir, want to film their next feature at Alderley, the family's seventeenth-century country estate.

Somewhat less enthusiastic is the Countess, who finds herself hosting an impromptu house party for the incoming Hollywood crowd. And before long the guest list grows to include two of their wilful daughter Lady Geraldine's dubious suitors, a long-lost cousin, a sultry femme fatale, a bespectacled librarian, an eccentric screenwriter, and a professional blackmailer.

It's almost too much for Merryweather, the family's imperturbable butler, to cope with. And that's before there's a murder in the dead of night. Inspector Wilkins must unravel the baffling mystery - and work out just what a mutilated mink coat has to do with anything.

©1981 Estate of James Anderson (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Better than the first

Liked this better than the 1st in the series. Performance was good except for the Italian woman verging on a cheesy Dracula accent.

Author hit his satirical stride

I love all the references to other detectives in this book. I enjoyed the first book but this one was even more tongue in cheek and was funny while maintaining the mystery plot line,

Thoroughly enjoyed

Compelling story and characters. Caught my attention at the beginning and held it. Excellent narration!

fun fiction

This series is a lot of fun, but you do have to appreciate fiction as fiction. There's nothing very realistic here, but there's a lot going on and it will keep you guessing. I love the references to other fictional golden age detectives!
The narration is pretty good as well.

A REALLY ENTERTAINING NOVEL

I'd never read JA before and I am glad to have found him now. This novel is very entertaining - the plotting is uniquely complex but satisfying and surprising in the various denouements. The characters are well drawn and the dialogue is excellent, there is one scene I thought was fairly clunky but when the plot had fully unfolded I saw why it had been drawn that way. He leaves many loose ends on the way through the tale and then delights in wrapping each of them up nicely. Also his reluctant detective is a refreshing break from Alleyn, Poirot, Wimsey, and Appleby - his Golden Age contemporaries. Highly recommended and I am into the next book!