You Could Call It Murder

By: Lawrence Block

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

A missing person case brings private eye Roy Markham to the remote winter-bound college town of Cliff's End, New Hampshire. But what began as a routine investigation quickly becomes dark and dangerous. Six pornographic photos and a tidy little blackmail scheme result in a brutal and baffling murder, and no one is safe - especially Markham himself.

©1961 Lawrence Block. All rights reserved. (P)2011 AudioGO

pretty good mystery

not that his enunciation was bad but the narrators voice was a little bit high and tinny not the type of voice you would need for the tough guy they'd hired.

Boring.

Would you try another book from Lawrence Block and/or Peter Berkrot?

It was like listening to an oldtime "film noir". No emotion, very predictable.

Decent early novel that shows Block's potential

This is a very early Lawrence Block novel. He attempted a series of 3 detective stories featuring English(?) private detective Ray Markham. This was the first (I think) where Markham is in new York, asked to investigate the case of a missing college girl from a rich family. She ends up dead in the New York river, looking like suicide. Markham investigates and finds links to a porno blackmail situation. There are two solid twists at the end that Markham uncovers. They are good but the stakes of the story still don’t seem that great. This is early block when he does not yet quite as clever, entertaining or witty a writer as he became. Interesting to see that element, but other than the twists at the end, it’s not that great a book. Also, is Markham supposed to be English? Really not obvious from the narration or the dialog.

Not the L. Block I know

I have read most of the Matt Scudder and the Hitman series but this is before Block learned how to write.