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The Cask
Detective Club Crime Classics (Related to this series)
- Author
- Freeman Wills Crofts
- Narrator
- Gordon Griffin
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 2 May 2019
- Run Time
- 12 hours 36 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
- Rating
- 4.5 (2 reviews)
What to expect
From the Collins Crime Club archive, the seminal first novel by Freeman Wills Crofts, once dubbed ‘The King of Detective Story Writers’ and recognised as one of the ‘big four’ Golden Age crime authors.
The unloading of a consignment of French wine from the steamship Bullfinch is interrupted by a gruesome discovery in a broken cask leaking sawdust and gold sovereigns. But when the shipping clerk returns with the police, the cask and its macabre contents have gone. Following the clues to Paris, Inspector Burnley of Scotland Yard enlists the help of the genial French detective M. Lefarge to check motives and alibis in their hunt for evidence of a particularly fiendish murder.
This Detective Story Club classic is introduced by Freeman Wills Crofts himself in a unique preface from 1946 about The Cask’s origins.
Critics Review
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‘The soundest builder of them all.’ Raymond Chandler
'Deservedly a first favourite with all who want a real puzzle.’ Times Literary Supplement
‘Probably unsurpassed in ingenuity.’ The Queen
User Reviews
Book 4.5
Narration 5.0
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4.0 5.0
As a devotee of the Golden Age of crime fiction, especially the classic whodunits, l was aware of Freeman Wills Crofts but l had never read any of his books, even though he was a fellow Irish man. When l cancelled my Audible account, having investigated potential replacements, the clear best being xigxag, l was thrilled to discover that many of Crofts' books were available. Where better to start than with his first novel, The Cask. The book didn't disappoint, not least because the narrator, Gordon Griffin, is absolutely excellent. He possesses a beautiful voice with great feeling and dramatic inflection, lending itself to a broad array of different characterisations. While The Cask swims in the minutiae of timings and places, the superb x-book format allows you to follow the words on the page thereby making all of the facts easier to follow. The story is thrilling and an eye-opening introduction to an unfortunately mostly forgotten great of the Golden Age. I have to say that xigxag is a tremendous revelation. I am so happy to have switched. It may not yet have the breadth, depth or volume of books available on Audible but xigxag's values align with my own which makes the foregoing of some novels and authors more than acceptable. I am happy to state that xigxag is for me especially considering its brilliant pricing strategy. I have already purchased enough books to discover that every new purchase costs only £3.99 per book! Thank you, xigxag.
Thomas Reilly 2025-08-30
Details
- Author
- Freeman Wills Crofts
- Narrator
- Gordon Griffin
- Duration
- 12 hours 36 minutes
- Release Date
- 2 May 2019
- ISBN
- 9780008342449
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Classic fiction: general and literary, Crime & mystery fiction
- Rating
- 4.5(2 reviews)
- Narration
- 5.0(2 reviews)
Synopsis
From the Collins Crime Club archive, the seminal first novel by Freeman Wills Crofts, once dubbed ‘The King of Detective Story Writers’ and recognised as one of the ‘big four’ Golden Age crime authors.The unloading of a consignment of French wine from the steamship Bullfinch is interrupted by a gruesome discovery in a broken cask leaking sawdust and gold sovereigns. But when the shipping clerk returns with the police, the cask and its macabre contents have gone. Following the clues to Paris, Inspector Burnley of Scotland Yard enlists the help of the genial French detective M. Lefarge to check motives and alibis in their hunt for evidence of a particularly fiendish murder.This Detective Story Club classic is introduced by Freeman Wills Crofts himself in a unique preface from 1946 about The Cask’s origins.
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