Details
Rent A Murder, A Mystery, and a Marriage
Author:
Narrator: Roy Jr. Blount
Format: Unabridged-CD
Publisher: Penguin Highbridge Audio
Published: Jul 2001
Genre: Fiction - Classics
Retail Price: $22.95
Discs: 2
Synopsis
In this lost Mark Twain novel from 1876, a mysterious Frenchman turns up in Missouri and proposes marriage to a young woman named Mary Gray. On the eve of the marriage, a series of odd revelations and events changes the situation drastically. Originally, Twain wanted the Atlantic Monthly to publish a series of novels by different writers, all with basically the same plot--mysterious stranger, murder, small town--but his is the only one that was ever completed. Roy Blount's introduction speculates on why Twain concocted this project, and even dropped HUCKLEBERRY FINN to write his own contribution.
Reviews
Only 3/4 of the first CD (of the 2 CD set) actually contains the story (it is a short story). The second CD (and a bit of an introduction on the first CD) are devoted to background about the story as well as background about Mark Twain, including some quotes from his letters to fiends and family. Garrison Keillor does a great job of narrating the story, and Blount's narration of the background information is lively. Even though I was expecting just the story, I found both to be well-narrated and enjoyable.