MY AUDIOBOOK LIBRARY

It’s the early days of the French Republic, and Robespierre’s revolutionaries find their wicked schemes repeatedly thwarted by the cunning and heroic Pimpernel--in reality, Sir Percival Blakeney. Now, Monsieur Chauvelin devises a dastardly plot to annihilate both Sir Percy and his beautiful wife Marguerite once and for all. Lured to France, where the entire town of Boulogne is being held hostage on their behalf, they seem to be hopelessly trapped.

Set during the Reign of Terror, the rousing Pimpernel stories are precursors to such classic tales as Zorro--yet another hero in disguise. Expect more swashbuckling adventures in this thrilling sequel to The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Originally published in 1908

It has been ten years since Juliette de Marny’s father asked her to swear revenge upon Déroulède for the death of her brother in a duel. At last she finds herself in Déroulède’s house with an easy opportunity to betray him to the citizens of France for conspiring against the people. But Juliette realizes, too late, that she is in love with Déroulède. Can the Scarlet Pimpernel rescue Déroulède from certain death by guillotine? Will Déroulède forgive Juliette for her betrayal of him? Romance and intrigue abound in this delightful swashbuckler.

The Oblong Box is a horror short story by Edgar Allan Poe that first appeared in the May 1844 edition of Godey's Lady's Book about a sea voyage and a mysterious box. About the Author: Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 - October 7, 1849), born in Boston, Mass., was an American writer, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career. About the Narrator: Patrick Girard Lawlor, a classically trained stage actor, has performed on-stage throughout the United States and Europe. He has appeared in several feature films, as well as on the television series, “L.A. Heat.” His extensive work as an audiobook narrator has garnered numerous awards, including the Audie Award nomination.

First published in the November 1846 issue of Godey's Lady's Book, the story is set in 19th century Italy and concerns the deadly revenge taken by the insane narrator on a friend who he claims has insulted him. Like several of Poe's stories, and in keeping with the 19th century fascination with the subject, the narrative revolves around a person being buried alive. About the Author: Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 - October 7, 1849), born in Boston, Mass., was an American writer, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career. About the Narrator: Grover Gardner, a Washington, D.C.-based actor, director and audiobook narrator, has been a member of the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, as well as Resident Director at Everyman Theatre in Baltimore. Recently, he has been active in educational theater, directing student productions for local universities, and teaching graduate-level courses in acting and voice-over work. He was named one of Audiofile Magazine’s Golden Voices of 1999 and has received 5 Helen Hayes Award nominations of his work. He has recorded over 450 audiobooks and was named by AudioFile Magazine as one of "Best Voices of the Century."

A sacristan is found murdered in the sacristy and the safe robbed of valuable jewels. All clues seem to point to the priest as the murderer. But is the priest the guilty party - or is it the communist - the nazi - the Senator's wife - or someone else? This mystery novel, set in World War II Chicago, was written by Daniel A Lord, S.J., who was a priest and popular American Catholic writer. The subjects of the works in his bibliography range from religion, humor, plays, songs, mysteries and even politics. His most influential work was possibly in drafting the 1930 Production Code for motion pictures. (Introduction by Maria Therese)

The Scarlet Archer of Agincourt is claimed by the Erkenwold’s as their family ghost. Tradition held that the death of an important Erkenwold was always heralded by the apparition of the Scarlet Archer. Now in the early years of WWII, the archer has made an appearance on the family estate on the US coast. Is it a ghost or something more sinister, and what does he or she want? This mystery novel was written by Daniel A Lord, S.J., who was a popular American Catholic writer. The subjects of the works in his bibliography range from religion, humor, plays, songs, mysteries and even politics. His most influential work was possibly in drafting the 1930 Production Code for motion pictures. (Introduction by Maria Therese and Wikipedia)

This crime novel was possibly the first to involve a ‘locked room mystery’, in which an attempted murder takes place, but with no obvious way for the perpetrator to have escaped. The author, Gaston Leroux, is better known as the author of The Phantom of the Opera: prepare to feel the hairs standing up on the back of your neck… (Summary by Stuart Bell)

A contemporary of Arthur Conan Doyle, Maurice Leblanc (1864-1941) was the creator of the character of gentleman thief Arsène Lupin who, in France, has enjoyed a popularity as long-lasting and considerable as Sherlock Holmes in the English-speaking world. This is the delightful first of twenty volumes in the Arsène Lupin series written by Leblanc himself. In an unprecedented act of literary pastiche and cross-over, Sherlock Holmes and Lupin actually meet, briefly in this first volume, and more substantially in the next. But after legal objections from Conan Doyle, the name was changed to “Herlock Sholmes.” (Summary adapted from Wikipedia by a.r.dobbs)

A collection of nine stories - or confessions - of the celebrated gentleman thief Arsene Lupin (Summary by Cathy Barratt)

As usual, gentleman thief Arsene Lupin finds himself wrongfully accused of murder, and must find the real killer to clear his coloured name. (Summary by Cathy Barratt)

During a burglary at the home of Deputy Daubrecq a crime is committed, and two accomplices of Arsène Lupin are arrested by the police. One is guilty of the crime, the other innocent, but both will be sentenced to death. Lupin seeks to deliver the victim of a miscarriage of justice, but struggles against Deputy Daubrecq's ruthless blackmailer, who has an incriminating document hidden in a crystal stopper. (Summary by Wikipedia)

Arsène Lupin returns in a wonderful story of disguises, love, and of course treasure. Once again, Lupin crosses paths with the famous Holmlock Shears. But this time Arsène matches wits with Isidore Beautrelet, Sixth-form Schoolboy. Every step that Lupin takes has Beautrelet right on his heels. Has Lupin finally met his match? Will Beautrelet discover the secret of the Hollow Needle? And has the gentleman burglar met another match as well, one who will lead him away from his life of crime forever? (Summary by Alex Patterson)

Maurice Leblanc delivers another Arsene Lupin adventure set in World War I. (Summary by Cathy Barratt)

In “The Blonde Lady, being a record of the duel of wits between Arsène Lupin and the English detective” – original title “Arsène Lupin contre Herlock Sholmes” – the gentleman-burglar once more meets his enemy, the English detective Herlock Sholmes. If in the last story of “Arsène Lupin, gentleman-burglar” Sherlock Holmes arrives too late (the name was at a later date changed to Herlock Sholmes in reply to complaints and threats by Conan Doyle regarding copyrights), in the two stories that compose “The Blonde Lady” these two great intellects are bound in opposite directions. Where one chooses to abide to the law, the other uses his power and wits to crime – and who is going to win? These two stories appeared in chapters and as separate pieces in the magazine Je Sais Tout, during the years of 1906 and 1907, and were published together as a book first in 1908, being the second of the books where Arsène Lupin, the kind-hearted and humorous thief, is the main character. (Summary by Leni)

The Eight Strokes of the Clock is a collection of eight short stories by Maurice Leblanc. The stories have his most famous creation, Arsène Lupin, gentleman-thief, as main character. The eight stories, even though independent, have a leading thread: Lupin, under the name of Serge Rénine, trying to conquer the heart of a young lady, travels with her, solving eight mysteries on the way. (Summary by Leni)

To get away from city life periodically, New Yorker Roger Locke purchases an abandoned farm house in rural Connecticut, and with the assistance of his cousin Phillida and her beau Ethan Vere, he sets about fixing up the place. Immediately however, an unseen mysterious woman begins giving him warnings during nocturnal visits to leave the house at once. Soon he begins hearing strange ominous sounds emanating from the tiny lake at the back of the house coupled with a permeation of sickly odors. An evil presence then begins to visit him during the witching hours of the late night, challenging him to a battle of wits from which there can be only one victor. Is his mysterious female visitor there to help and encourage him to flee from the house, or is she working in tandem with The Thing From the Lake? A gripping, occasionally frightening tale, Ms. Ingram wastes no time in grabbing the reader into the story and manages to weave a tale that will leave the reader guessing at every turn of events. (Summary by Roger Melin)

“The following report appeared in the Argus newspaper of Saturday, the 28th July, 18– “Truth is said to be stranger than fiction, and certainly the extraordinary murder which took place in Melbourne on Thursday night, or rather Friday morning, goes a long way towards verifying this saying. A crime has been committed by an unknown assassin, within a short distance of the principal streets of this great city, and is surrounded by an impenetrable mystery. … “On the twenty-seventh day of July, at the hour of twenty minutes to two o’clock in the morning, a hansom cab drove up to the police station in Grey Street, St. Kilda, and the driver made the startling statement that his cab contained the body of a man who he had reason to believe had been murdered…” (Excerpt from the first chapter.) NOTE: The preface of this work mentions the culprit of the “whodunit” – which may spoil the project for some listeners. Be advised to skip the preface or listen to it at the end if you’d like to be surprised by the outcome of the story.

Ernest William Hornung (June 7, 1866 - March 22, 1921) was an English author. Hornung was the third son of John Peter Hornung, a Hungarian, and was born in Middlesbrough. He was educated at Uppingham during some of the later years of its great headmaster, Edward Thring. He spent most of his life in England and France, but in 1884 left for Australia and stayed for two years where he working as a tutor at Mossgiel station. Although his Australian experience had been so short, it coloured most of his literary work from A Bride from the Bush published in 1899, to Old Offenders and a few Old Scores, which appeared after his death. After he returned from Australia in 1886, he married Constance Doyle, the sister of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1893. (Wikipedia)

“I’d tasted blood, and it was all over with me. Why should I work when I could steal? Why settle down to some humdrum uncongenial billet, when excitement, romance, danger and a decent living were all going begging together” – A. J. Raffles, The Ides of March. The Amateur Cracksman is the first collection of stories about A. J. Raffles, gentleman, cricketer, and thief. After stopping his old school friend, Bunny Manders, from a desperate attempt at suicide, Raffles introduces the unsuspecting Bunny to a new way of earning a living, burglary. Though frequently horrified by Raffles’s actions, the conscience-stricken Bunny stands by him through all their adventures, firm to his promise, “When you want me, I’m your man!” (Summary by Kristin Hughes)

Gentleman thief A.J. Raffles burgles his way through a series of homes in late Victorian England. A Thief in the Night is a short story collection and Hornung's third book in the Raffles series. (Summary by Cathy Barratt)