The 12.30 from Croydon cover art

The 12.30 from Croydon

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The 12.30 from Croydon

By: Freeman Wills Crofts
Narrated by: Gordon Griffin
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About this listen

We begin with a body.

Andrew Crowther, a wealthy retired manufacturer, is found dead in his seat on the 12.30 flight from Croydon to Paris. Rather less orthodox is the ensuing flashback in which we live with the killer at every stage, from the first thoughts of murder to the strains and stresses of living with its execution. Seen from the criminal's perspective, a mild-mannered Inspector by the name of French is simply another character who needs to be dealt with. This is an unconventional yet gripping story of intrigue, betrayal, obsession, justification and self-delusion. And will the killer get away with it?

©2016 Estate of Freeman Wills Crofts (P)2016 Soundings Crime Fiction Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Crime Detective

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All stars
Most relevant  
Written in a time gone bye, old fashioned phrase but easy listening.
Overall story ok and well worked

Dated but easy listening

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The first part of the story was brilliant, it was a great example of another book “Mistakes were made” where you and me justify our actions, and how we slip down from our ideals, one very small step at a time. Not to give anything away the remaining part of the story seems to be very wordy but rushed in the construction and believability. To much guess work by French and bending his findings to suit his conclusions.

First part of story excellent Second part disappointing

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This was well performed and I listened to the end
Think I prefer a classic whodunnit though.

It's a good story

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I found this very enjoyable and well done would recommend it very unusual way to tell story

excellent

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This was a really gripping murder mystery write from two points of view. I didn't want it to end.

Excellent

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Written from the killer's point of view with very little French actually in the book. And it's not an exciting story, even by the rather slow and meticulous normal standard of Inspector French books

Not really an Inspector French book

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Golden Age fiction . the names that survive and are read generally are Christie , Allingham, Marsh and Patricia Wentworth. the reason being that they all entertain. this book by FWC is at the opposite end of the spectrum. written mainly from the point of view of the murderer it is a thought by thought day by day diary of a bore. FWC can be dry as an author but this must be his driest. no subplots and no amusing social interaction, which you would have with the authors mentioned above. ( you may think Sayers should be included in the entertaining group but she had a tendency to transcribe chapters from legal tomes so is a half dry ) GG has a very good voice, but unfortunately that is also slightly dry. the effect of having a dry book read by a dry voice was rather like having plain biscuits crumbled in my ears. if you can listen to this all the way through, rather than just having it on as background, I commend you.

exhaustive and exhausting

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I waded through until about 1.5 hrs from the end, at which point, beginning to give up hope that the book would take a sudden interesting twist, I Googled the ending, and found that, no, it does not. I gave up. I don’t mind inverted mysteries, where you know from the start who did it, and how, and why, as long as I don’t know all of those! Otherwise, where’s the hook? It was just a dull dull plod.

Life is waaaaaay too short

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I’d listened to several other audiobooks by this author, which I had really enjoyed. Paul Fox was the narrator and very good he was too. I hadn’t realised that this book had not only a change of style in writing - as in Inspector French was kept in the background until the end - but also had a different narrator, whose work did not compare as favourably as Paul Fox. Consequently I found the whole thing to be unnecessarily long-winded and poorly presented. I stuck with it until the end because I was hopeful that it might improve. I was wrong.

Great disappointment

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