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The Murders of Richard III Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,571 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In a remote English country mansion, modern devotees of the infamous King Richard III, immortally villainized by Shakespeare, have gathered for a grand weekend of role-playing and Ricardian scholarship. Jacqueline Kirby, an attractive American librarian attending the festivities, anticipates only one mystery to be raised: the five-hundred-year-old question of whether Richard truly killed the little princess in the Tower of London.
Jacqueline is amused at the group’s eccentricities—until history begins to repeat itself. A dangerous practical joker recreates famous fifteenth-century murder methods: beheading, poisoning, smothering, and even drowning in a butt of malmsey. As the jokes become more and more macabre, one at last proves fatal.
Racing to untangle the murderous puzzle, Jacqueline puts all her observations together for a dazzling solution that will surprise even the most attentive listener.
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"This book was a random choice from my grandmother's library when I was staying with her and I forgot to bring a book. I really loved the author's irreverant writing style. I also love the strong female characters. Great bedtime reading. Once I read this one I became addicted and have read almost all of Elizabeth Peters books."
— Leah (5 out of 5 stars)
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“Highly entertaining.”
— New York Times -
“History buffs will enjoy the author’s grasp of the details and suppositions of this medieval period.”
— Library Journal
The Murders of Richard III Listener Reviews
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pamelao, 3/3/2015
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Edith Beers, 2/2/2015
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" I think I may have read this before, though I did not remember the ending. Love Peters' writing, but like her later works a lot better. This has me inspired to do some re-reading of the Wars of the Roses, though, once I'm safely back out of the Anjevin era. "
— Shani, 2/18/2014 -
" This is a Jacqueline Kirby mystery, and I like her even if she is a too-perfect Mary Sue. The book is fun, a drawing room mystery where all the suspects are within one social group, gathered in one house. The group in question are re-enacting the history of Richard III, so the history and theories about the late king are a bonus. This is a quick, easy read. "
— Holly, 2/11/2014 -
" Not one of E. Peter's better books. "
— Laurie, 2/3/2014 -
" Pretty good story. This is the first of Peters' book I've read that's not about Amelia Peabody in Egypt. "
— Avary, 1/22/2014 -
" Fairly average, predictable and try hard 'English Country House' mystery with a quirky American librarian as the sleuth. The subject matter was not dissimilar to Tey's The Daughter of Time but I'm afraid that's where the comparison ends. However, I did enjoy that this book characterized fanatical Ricardians as complete nutters and I couldn't resist awarding it an extra star for that fact alone ;-). "
— Jemidar, 1/18/2014 -
" Interesting idea: a country-house setting with a disparate group of people dressing up as Richard III and his victims, when nasty jokes begin to take place. Jacqueline is an amusing sleuth, a woman who knows how a literary murder mystery should play out. "
— Lara, 1/12/2014 -
" Kirby seems to be Peter's least dimensional character. The plot was ok, but I prefer Bliss. "
— Jeanette, 1/3/2014 -
" If you think the real mysteries about Richard the III are interesting you will like this book. "
— Heidi, 12/31/2013 -
" Clearly one of her earlier novels. The introduction was slow, and the "who done it" explanation really dragged on. And the plot just wasn't that compelling. "
— Donna, 12/29/2013 -
" Interesting premise, but I don't really like her writing style and found the mystery alternately confusing and contrived. "
— E., 12/12/2013 -
" I enjoyed the book at the start and then it dragged, and I did not finish "
— Lance, 12/10/2013 -
" this is one of 3 jaqueline kirby mysteries in a book I got at a used bookstore. While it' is interesting as a mystery, the historical stuff doesn't really hold my interest. I really don't care whether Richard III murdered anybody in 1485. "
— Mom, 12/4/2013 -
" Agatha Christie style, suspects in country house together mystery. Not as funny as Peabody series or as romantic, but sharp and witty non-the-less. "
— Mailis, 12/4/2013 -
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Alison Oldfield, 11/9/2013
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" I'm a huge, avid fan of Barbara Michaels. I haven't read much of her Elizabeth Peters stuff yet. This one was great fun as the group is inside a castle rich with mystery, wondering about who did what, suspecting everyone and exploring every hidden corner with extra caution. "
— Erin, 6/12/2013 -
" I couldn't keep track of all the names, but Jacqueline Kirby is my new literary librarian hero. "
— Catherine, 4/15/2013 -
" One of the best that Peters has written. I loved it. The theorizing and role-playing of the ancient tradegy by the characters is a lot of fun. "
— Madeline, 11/13/2012 -
" Not too exciting of a mystery, but I enjoyed the character of Jacqueline Kirby enough to get through. She certainly stole the show from the stupid, whiny, preposterous protagonist. The rest of the characters are pretty one-dimensional but they are good enough to prop up the plot. "
— Melissa, 10/28/2012 -
" The first of Peter's non-Amelia Peabody mysteries I've read, and I plan to look for others. "
— Sallie, 9/23/2012 -
" This was only okay. It may have been the distractions I endured while reading, because I expected to thoroughly enjoy it. I couldn't get excited about the plot or the characters. "
— Deb, 9/7/2012 -
" While I loved the Richard III historical references, the plot and characters failed to really grab me in this highly anticipated read. The 3-star rating aptly describes my feelings toward The Murders of Richard III, it was OK. "
— Kathy, 6/27/2012 -
" I don't usually like story collections but I thought the title story was very clever. I also enjoyed the author explaining her inspiration for that particular tale. "
— Cathy, 1/22/2012 -
" pretty good . . . "
— Emilie[-MLE-], 10/12/2011 -
" A bit of fluff...I do love Elizabeth Peters but enjoy her character Amelia Peabody more than Ms. Kirby. "
— Ann, 9/26/2011 -
" I enjoy Jacqueline as a heroine. She's annoying sometimes, since she's always right, but given the time period (70s) it's fun seeing her always right against both subtle and not-so-sublte forms of sexism. "
— Lia, 8/28/2011 -
" I didn't like the main characters as much as I did Amelia Peabody and her gang, so I wish I could give this one a 3.5. That, and there needed to be more actual death, rather than the constant 'practical joke' teases. But otherwise highly enjoyable, Christie-esque reading. "
— Kat, 5/5/2011 -
" Pretty good story. This is the first of Peters' book I've read that's not about Amelia Peabody in Egypt. "
— Avary, 5/2/2011 -
" Even better in 2010 than the first time I read it in 1995. "
— Lauren, 4/22/2011 -
" I think I may have read this before, though I did not remember the ending. Love Peters' writing, but like her later works a lot better. This has me inspired to do some re-reading of the Wars of the Roses, though, once I'm safely back out of the Anjevin era. "
— Shani, 3/12/2011 -
" Reread this mysterious and humorous story about a middle aged librarian and friend visiting a group in England who work for King Richard's innocence in the murder of his nephews. There are numerous twists and turns and characters with exceptionally portrayed personalities. "
— Judy, 3/6/2011 -
" Interesting idea: a country-house setting with a disparate group of people dressing up as Richard III and his victims, when nasty jokes begin to take place. Jacqueline is an amusing sleuth, a woman who knows how a literary murder mystery should play out. "
— Lara, 2/22/2011 -
" If you think the real mysteries about Richard the III are interesting you will like this book. "
— Heidi, 1/13/2011 -
" Agatha Christie style, suspects in country house together mystery. Not as funny as Peabody series or as romantic, but sharp and witty non-the-less. "
— Mailis, 8/15/2010 -
" This was definitely not as good as The Daughter of Time. I think this mystery novel was dated. There was much talk of women being not in their place etc. etc. "
— Jane, 7/15/2010 -
" what fun. recommended for light pleasant reading. "
— Maggie, 7/10/2010 -
" Not one of E. Peter's better books. "
— Laurie, 6/19/2010 -
" I couldn't keep track of all the names, but Jacqueline Kirby is my new literary librarian hero. "
— Catherine, 5/31/2010 -
" this is one of 3 jaqueline kirby mysteries in a book I got at a used bookstore. While it' is interesting as a mystery, the historical stuff doesn't really hold my interest. I really don't care whether Richard III murdered anybody in 1485. "
— Mom, 12/9/2009 -
" The first of Peter's non-Amelia Peabody mysteries I've read, and I plan to look for others. "
— Sallie, 11/17/2009
About Elizabeth Peters
Elizabeth Peters (1927–2013) was a pen name of Barbara Mertz, who earned her PhD in Egyptology from the University of Chicago’s famed Oriental Institute. Over the course of her fifty-year career she wrote more than seventy mystery and suspense novels and three nonfiction books on Egypt, of which many were New York Times bestsellers. She was the recipient of numerous writing awards, including grandmaster and lifetime achievement awards from the Mystery Writers of America, Malice Domestic, and Bouchercon. In 2012 she was given the first Amelia Peabody Award, created in her honor and named after her major fictional character, at the Malice Domestic convention. She also wrote books under the names Barbara Mertz and Barbara Michaels.
About Grace Conlin
Grace Conlin (1962–1997) was the recording name of Grainne Cassidy, an award-winning actress and acclaimed narrator. She was a member of the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, DC, and won a Helen Hayes Award in 1988 for her role in Woolly Mammoth’s production of Savage in Limbo.