THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE

Because they have entered the public domain, many more vintage mysteries have been appearing in the audiobook format. There are numerous productions of this Mary Roberts Rinehart classic about a wealthy, urbane spinster who rents a remote country estate. Rinehart has been labeled the Agatha Christie of America, but her female detective is unlike Miss Marple. Patrician Rachel Innes, as portrayed by narrator Aimee Lilly, has both an understandable hauteur and a generosity of spirit that makes the listener forgive her condescension. Lilly conveys the mood of the story's time period and nails the characters' various socioeconomic classes. Additionally, she delivers an exciting puzzle featuring secret rooms, cryptic notes, ghostly images, odd noises, and, of course, dead bodies. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2022]