Haunted by the Past

Ishmael Jones, Book 11

By: Simon R. Green

Narrated by: Matthew Brenher

Lucas Carr went to Glenbury Hall, an old country manor house turned hotel. He signed in at reception, took his key, and went upstairs to his room. But he never got there. Somehow he vanished along the way, with not a single clue to suggest what might have happened to him.

Lucas belonged to the same mysterious organization that employs Ishmael and Penny, so they are sent in to solve the mystery. But when they arrive at grim and isolated Glenbury Hall, they discover it has a reputation as one of the most haunted old houses in England. None of the usual headless monks or walled-up nuns—just stories of lost souls that dance with the statues in the grounds; doors that won’t stay shut, and rooms that aren’t always there; and something that prowls the house in the early hours, endlessly searching. They say . . . it crawls.

Does Lucas’ disappearance have something to do with the organization or the Hall’s haunted past?

©2020 Simon R. Green (P)2023 Blackstone Publishing

Nice Narration Even with New Narrator

I have listed to the entire Ishmael Jones series and it has been narrated by one of my favorite all time narrators, Gildart Jackson. This selection had a new narrator, Matthew Brehner, and I was impressed with his interpretation of the characters.

The stories of this series have been kind of similar. Locked room mysteries in a haunted or eerie setting. This one was no exception. Haven't heard if there will be more novels in this series, but I am looking forward to more.

Narrator change

The story was great as usual. Unfortunately, they changed the narrator after 10 books. Why!! The performance was ok but hard to get used to.

Can’t do another without Gildart

It was fine! I won’t do another without Gildart Jackson. He brings the text to life in a way that cannot be duplicated. Too bad. Story is fun but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Poor Performance

The story was wonderful, as per usual, but the narration is awful. It has the feel and cadence of an A.I. voice. You can hear this clearly when the narrator has to pronounce topiary.

Didn't guess the culprit at the halfway point!

I've enjoyed these books, but this is the first time I've been able to get through this last one because of the change in narrator.
And yes, topiary should never be pronounced as "tope-EERie". It made me twitch every time he said it, and he said it a lot. The change in the character's "voices" I have come to know was very disconcerting. It was like having a beloved show character replaced by a subpar actor to finish the series. Very off-putting.