Amusing and Entertaining

Before I say anything, I think the plaudits for this audiobook largely have to go to the narrator, David Thorpe, who can elicit a snort of laughter from the most mundane of plots. His performances, characterised by their liveliness and excellent accents, are just sublime and this is no exception.

I should say that by no means is the plot of this story pedestrian so the narrator's job is made easier - it is quite a romping tale and the action and characterisation is nicely balanced. Peter Lovesey has chosen an unusual aspect of Victorian life and crime to focus on and the majority of the characters are sympathetically if rather stereotypically wrought.

There are some parts of the story that don't hang together very well: I don't really understand the significance of and therefore the inclusion of Mrs Vibart's penchant for Indian dress and home decor. Also, her sadistic streak is only obliquely explained. It seems that the writer didn't feel that being a frustrated boxing entrepreneur was enough to make her character unusual. Surely, as a woman in Victorian times, that would have been considered perverse enough without proposing that women must have a more unhinged reason for enjoying a 'masculine' sport?

These are only minor gripes, though, and I really did enjoy this story.

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