Category: Arthur B Reeve

Books read or listened to during December

2/4/2016

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This is the list of books that I read or listened to as part of my target of 52 books in a year during the month of December.

The Poisoned Pen – Arthur B Reeve.
Railway To the Grave by Edward Marston
Time Machine by H G Wells
Whose Body by Dorothy Sayers
The Exploits of Elaine by Arthur B. Reeve
Crusade by Robyn Young
Preaching Matters by Jonathan Lamb
Extraordinary People by Peter May
Requem by Robin Young
Brothers in Blood by Simon Scarrow

This takes us to the end of week eleven with the following stats fiction 18 (audio books 4) non fiction 5

The Poisoned Pen by Arthur B Reeve

6/2/2015

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This is my review of the book The Poisoned Pen by Arthur B Reeve, which I listened to recently as a librivox recording. The book is a series of twelve short stories involving Professor Craig Kennedy and how he uses the latest science of the day to solve them. The fact that the stories are around 100 years old makes them very interesting. In some cases the science has now been developed and become an everyday normality, in other cases it has not progressed and faded into obscurity. The title story features the use of special inks. One which disappears in sunlight and one which appears in sunlight, so that the text on a note found in possession of a murder victim changes completely, making it almost impossible for Kennedy to track down the killer.

Each story is like an early Twentieth Century version of CSI. They make really good listening to when driving around as engaging but also not too long before a result is had. Just right for playing the game guess the killer.. I think I must also mention the reader Elliot Miller, who manages to bring the characters to life so well with the different voices he uses.

I will record this as book 38 week 31 fiction 35 (audio books 6) non fiction 3

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The Silent Bullet by Arthur B Reeve

4/29/2015

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Friends

This this is my review of the book The Silent Bullet by Arthur B Reeve, which I listened to recently as a Librivox recording https://librivox.org/the-silent-bullet-by-arthur-b-reeve/

Arthur Reeve is a new author to me and he has created the character Professor Craig Kennedy who solves crimes using scientific methods, along with his friend the reporter Walter Jameson. The stories are very like the CSI series of the present day, except they a set roughly 100 years ago.

This book contains twelve of Professor Kennedy's adventures, so it was great to listen to in the car when driving around as each story had a fairly quick ending. In a couple of cases it did mean though driving along rather slowly near the end of the trip so as not to get to the destination before the mystery was solved.

The interesting thing about these stories is Kennedy uses newly discovered science from his time period, which we take for granted today. The first story, The Silent Bullet, has everyone wondering how a bullet could kill someone with no noise. Today, silencers on guns are commonplace and this would not be a mystery. The stories in this collection also include the use of x-rays to harm patients in the Deadly Tube chapter. The Terror in the Air is recognisably all about the new invention of the gyroscope. Each story is not only a mystery, that leaves one in most cases guessing to the end how it was done but also a detailed and fascinating insight into life around 100 years ago.

As there are several books in the series I will definitely be listening to more of them, and in fact the next one is already downloaded onto my mp3 player to listen to.

I will record this as book 33 week 26 fiction 31 (audio books 5) non fiction 2

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Books read or listened to during December

The Poisoned Pen by Arthur B Reeve

The Silent Bullet by Arthur B Reeve

Tim Fuller

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