AmySea

I only became aware of Librivox a few months ago, and can't say that I've enjoyed the narration of the books that much. In the case of The Leavenworth Case, however, I thought it was very well narrated by Kirsten Ferreri. Ferreri's diction and expression were of a very good quality, and this is, so far, the best narration that I've heard from a Librivox recording.

The book itself was good, too. I particularly enjoyed the first half of the book, but I felt that the story sort of lost steam and got twisted up in itself in the middle. I have to admit that the denouement did catch me off guard, but it also didn't surprise me. Mystery stories, this one included, love to make the villain the most obscure person in the story, and that technique is so done to death that really, for the reader, "whodunit" is not really much of a mystery. It's the how and why that leave one searching for clues.

Although The Leavenworth Case was written 1878, it feels like an early to mid 20th century mystery. It was well written, and the characters were compelling, and I'm sure that for its time it could be called a standout work. In a time, though, when there is a surfeit of mystery stories, The Leavenworth Case, while good, doesn't really stand out from the crowd.