The Man in Lower Ten

By: Mary Roberts Rinehart

Narrated by: Rebecca Burns

Mary Roberts Rinehart has often been called the mistress of mystery. In fact, the phrase "The butler did it" originated in one of her books. In 1905 Rinehart entered a field exclusive to men: detective fiction. Now, nearly a century after she began her ground-breaking career, her celebrated thrillers still remain un-put-down-able masterpieces.

Rinehart's The Man in Lower Ten, the first American detective novel to make the best seller list, follows the investigation of the murder of a man in a sleeping car on a train. In this fast-paced thriller, the investigating detective builds up a network of clues that absolutely incriminate three entirely different people---only one of whom can be guilty.

Public Domain (P)2008 Tantor

Narrator Ruined The Book

I believe if the book had a male narrator, and one much better than Rebecca Burns who reads in an almost monotone voice, it would have been a much more interesting story. As it was, I left with almost two hours to the story and really didn't care who done it! I couldn't listen to Ms Burns any longer.

Additionally, if you don't follow every single word, you end up wondering what the heck happened and why the characters end up in a field or a deserted mansion. Strange book and I do like MRR.

Love the Author, Not my Favorite

I love the author and I love the train setting for this book.But somehow I felt it moved excessively slowly and had a really anticlimactic ending.