The Bughouse Affair

A Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery, Book 1

By: Bill Pronzini, Marcia Muller

Narrated by: Nick Sullivan, Meredith Mitchell

In The Bughouse Affair, this first of a new series of lighthearted historical mysteries set in 1890s San Francisco, former Pinkerton operative Sabina Carpenter and her detective partner, ex-Secret Service agent John Quincannon, undertake what initially appear to be two unrelated investigations. Sabina's case involves the hunt for a ruthless lady "dip" who uses fiendish means to relieve her victims of their valuables at Chutes Amusement Park and other crowded places.

Quincannon, meanwhile, is after a slippery housebreaker who targets the homes of wealthy residents, following a trail that leads him from the infamous Barbary Coast to an oyster pirate's lair to a Tenderloin parlor house known as the Fiddle Dee Dee. The two cases eventually connect in surprising fashion, but not before two murders and assorted other felonies complicate matters even further. And not before the two sleuths are hindered, assisted, and exasperated by the bughouse Sherlock Holmes.

©2013 Pronzini Family Trust (P)2013 AudioGO, Ltd.

okay but not mesmerizing

I like their other series better but this might grow on me as my expectations adjust. this reminds me a bit of Rhys Bowen's Murphy series. light monents.

THE BUG HOUSE AFFAIR

This is an western mystery style of book back in the 1800s. Quickcannon and Sabrina joins together to be a detective agency. They have different ideas but work good together. I liked how the story was told. A good mystery. I listened to this book twice. Once a few years ago and again now. I'll save this in my library and listen to it again later. It's just a simple easy to listen to western mystery. Nick Sullivan and Meredith Mitchell does a good job narrating this book. If my review is any help will you please click the helpful link below. Thank you.

So glad it’s over.

Not the worst book I’ve ever listened to, but certainly not a good one. A predictable and easy to solve mystery, one dimensional characters, and poor narration made the end of this book a welcomed event. Ii will not continue the series and do not recommend this book.

Why can't readers look words up?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, I would have been better off reading it. Once again I found myself listening to readers who didn't know, and didn't bother to learn, how to pronounce words. What gives?

Would you be willing to try another book from Bill Pronzini and Marcia Muller ? Why or why not?

Possibly, although I wasn't thrilled with the Sherlock Holmes character. It seemed completely extraneous and also annoying. Sherlock Holmes, as written by A. C. Doyle, wasn't nearly so smarmy.

How could the performance have been better?

Look the words up!!! I'm so tired of paying for audio books read by people who don't know how to say the words on the page.

Was The Bughouse Affair worth the listening time?

No.

Any additional comments?

Audible needs to check these books before making them available for a fee. If the companies that produce them don't do a decent job, don't buy them and turn around and sell them to us. I don't think it's too much to ask that the performers know what they're doing and that the producers correct the performers when necessary. If not, what exactly are we paying for?

Great story, but confusing narration

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

There were two narrators, but each did all the parts in the section they read. I would have preferred that the lead characters - the two main detectives - Carpenter and Quincannon - were read with the same voice.