Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Dead Mountaineer's Inn

By: Arkady Strugatsky, Boris Strugatsky
Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.09

Buy for $15.09

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

From the Russian masters of sci-fi comes The Dead Mountaineer's Inn, a hilarious spoof on the classic country-house murder mystery.

When Inspector Peter Glebsky arrives at a remote ski chalet on vacation, the last thing he intends to do is get involved in any police work. He's there to ski, drink brandy, and loaf around in blissful solitude. But he hadn't counted on the other vacationers, an eccentric bunch, including a famous hypnotist, a physicist with a penchant for gymnastic feats, a sulky teenager of indeterminate gender, and the mysterious Mr. and Mrs. Moses. And as the chalet fills up, strange things start happening - things that seem to indicate the presence of another, unseen guest. Is there a ghost on the premises? A prankster? Something more sinister?

When an avalanche blocks the mountain pass and traps everyone in the chalet, the corpse is finally discovered. Glebsky's vacation is over, and he's embarked on the most unusual investigation he's ever been involved with. In fact the further he looks into it, the more Glebsky realizes that the victim may not even be human.

In this late novel from the legendary Russian sci-fi duo - here in its first-ever English translation - the Strugatskys gleefully upend the plot of many an Hercule Poirot mystery - and the result is much funnier and much stranger than anything Agatha Christie ever wrote.

©1970 Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Translation © 2015 by Josh Billings. Introduction © 2015 by Jeff VanderMeer (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about The Dead Mountaineer's Inn

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    328
  • 4 Stars
    364
  • 3 Stars
    272
  • 2 Stars
    87
  • 1 Stars
    50
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    541
  • 4 Stars
    269
  • 3 Stars
    130
  • 2 Stars
    35
  • 1 Stars
    21
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    271
  • 4 Stars
    297
  • 3 Stars
    268
  • 2 Stars
    107
  • 1 Stars
    49

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

deus ex machina SF

come on a mystery that turns into a science fiction story at the end just to solve the mystery that's deus ex machina and a totally unsatisfactory ending to an interesting book all the way to that point

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Confusing

This book is very confusing and most difficult to follow. I gave up near the end and still didn’t understand the plot or characters.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Out of this world mystery

I enjoy mystery books and this was a good one with quite a twist. Characters are fully exposed - at least by the end. Although I didn't necessarily like the main character it was his stubbornness that helped develop the plot. Narration was very good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazingly well written.

I'm not really into mysteries, but from the earlier descriptions it was considered a humorous take on the detective genre. The humor is really applied nicely, it doesn't get whacky, which is a problem I've encountered when humor is applied into generally non humorous genres. Honestly I couldn't stop listening. It made driving for my job so much more fun.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

fantastic narrator

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes, interesting.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

no, but was engaging.

What does Keith Szarabajka bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

excellent character interpretation.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no

Any additional comments?

it would have been a flop if narration was not excellent.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Pretty fun read.

I think that the introduction overplays the "abstract" nature of the story. It is strange, but doesn't dwell on its own strangeness very long. It's interesting how two Cold War Russian writers imagined aliens and detective novels.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

wonderful well written story

once again the Strugatsky's have amazed me with their incredible emersive story telling. A recommendation for any lover of literature.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Guess It's OK

Not really what I expected from the story, which is OK I suppose, but can't say that I really enjoyed it. Perhaps something was lost in translation.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Engaging and timeless, but ultimately unsatisfactory

Great characters and plot for the first two thirds. If only the ending bought it all home Worth a listen for sure.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Worth a Listen

A decent story. It’s well paced and leaves you with a lot of clues about the conclusion. The odd fascination each character has about figuring out Brun’s gender is, creepy. I did not like the conclusion, it felt like a leap from where the story had been going.
The narration was great.
Would recommend to people who like detective novels or mystery novels.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!