Venom House cover art

Venom House

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Venom House

By: Arthur W. Upfield
Narrated by: Peter Hosking
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About this listen

The Answerth family's mansion seems to deserve its nickname of 'Venom House'. Perhaps that's because of its forbidding setting, an island in the centre of a man-made lake, the treacherous waters studded by the skeletons of long-dead trees. Perhaps it's because of the unquiet ghosts of the Aborigines slaughtered by Answerth ancestors. Or perhaps it's just because the Answerth household is such a strange one.

©1952 Bonaparte Holdings Ltd (P)2009 Bolinda Publishing Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction

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Editor reviews

A double murder in the quaint, idyllic coastal town of Edison in Southeastern Queensland leads the wily and always-in-control Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, or Bony as he is better known, to the abode of the Answerths, a peculiar family whose titular home lies on the lake where the corpses were found and whose ancestors may be responsible for the brutal slaughter of thousands of Aboriginals years ago.

Peter Hosking’s compelling performance and rich Australian twang turns this murder mystery rife with twists and turns into an addictive listen that will surely please fans of the genre.

Critic reviews

"Detective-Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte's crime-solving reputation is undisputed. He always gets his 'man'. But when Bonaparte finds himself at the Answerth's remote and foreboding family manor in the Australian outback, his search for a murderer becomes an ominous mission. Australian narrator Peter Hosking is a remarkably stalwart and capable reader; he has an indulgent interpretation of these peculiar characters – a stranger bunch you've yet to meet. The Answerth sisters, one prim and diabolical, the other fierce-tempered and aggressive, are vividly depicted as possible murder suspects. However, the idiot brother, kept under lock and key, displays glimpses of potential for the deed, as well. Hosking, as the detective-inspector, brilliantly guides the listener through a web of deceit, bizarre behaviours, and a side of Australia you may never have known." (AudioFile Magazine)
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Most relevant  
I love the Napoleon Bonaparte stories, and Peter Hoskingcs narrative. However, this has obviously been taken from another source, and NOT checked before being placed in the catalogue. Having already acquired a complete library of these stories (including the two missing in Audible), it's VERY obvious!

The chapters will stop abruptly, and the continuity in the story is wrong. Perfect example - chapter 22 jumps to 23, missing the approach to Blaze's cot, him giving Bony supplies, taking him across the causeway in the boat, and finding his sleeping place under the wood saw.

Sort it out please, Audible!

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