The Angel of Terror
Edgar Wallace
Read by Lee Elliott
When this was written, literary traditions still decreed beauty to be the outward sign of inner saintliness, whereas evil characters tended to be “ugly as sin.” Jean Briggerland defies these expectations by being every bit as angelically beautiful as she is sociopathic. So lovely that all around her are blinded to her guilt no matter how blatant her crimes, only Jack Glover, best friend and lawyer of her most recent victim, is aware of her true nature. Can he stop her crime spree and bring her to justice before she murders her way to wealth and happiness? He really, really shouldn’t count on it. Despite the book’s outrageously implausible plot, it nevertheless manages to keep one in suspense from first page to last. Advisory: Antiquated attitudes and occasional profanity will add unintentional humor to the charms of the story for some listeners but might offend others. (Summary by Lee Elliot) (6 hr 42 min)
Chapters
Chapter 01 | 8:33 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 02 | 13:16 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 03 | 14:10 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 04 | 8:42 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 05 | 10:01 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 06 | 6:43 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 07 | 13:03 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 08 | 9:41 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 09 | 9:58 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 10 | 10:43 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 11 | 7:22 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 12 | 11:58 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 13 | 12:23 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 14 | 8:24 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 15 | 8:07 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 16 | 7:26 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 17 | 11:06 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 18 | 6:13 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 19 | 8:53 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 20 | 10:52 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 21 | 5:24 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 22 | 8:05 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 23 | 8:26 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 24 | 7:48 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 25 | 7:34 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 26 | 4:06 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 27 | 12:11 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 28 | 14:57 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 29 | 14:57 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 30 | 10:39 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 31 | 11:57 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 32 | 9:26 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 33 | 10:16 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 34 | 10:08 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 35 | 8:54 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 36 | 5:58 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 37 | 10:55 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 38 | 13:05 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 39 | 10:16 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 40 | 7:05 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Chapter 41 | 13:03 | Read by Lee Elliott |
Reviews
Why the heavy southern accent
prose
It's hard to understand why this reader chose to use a heavy southern accent for the character dialogues. It's disconcerting to hear text that is so obviously written with an English setting in mind but is read in a heavy American southern accent. A portion of the text is read without the southern accent so it appears that the accent is a deliberate choice. I just don't understand why this choice was made. The narrator speaks clearly and with feeling which is very nice and makes it a pleasure to hear her. The accent choice is very distracting in my opinion. Something similar is going on with the other recording of the same text as well. Perhaps I'm missing something.
Good story
A LibriVox Listener
the plot was ok but I'm afraid the reader put on an affected voice which at times grated on the ears. I appreciate the time taken to record this but I wish people would just read in a normal voice it makes listening a much better experience
Mixed Reviews
Lizzie
This story relies on the main character being a Dumb Dora throughout. The gimmick gets old quickly, but the narration makes the listening worthwhile. Suspend logic, though- the narrator uses American South dialect for a British setting. Still, a quirkily positive experience,
Fun little adventure story
Bronte Dallas
I liked the fact that the reader used accents more familiar to her own cultural sphere to denote the different characters, regardless of the fact that the story is set in England; for non-American speakers of English, there is nothing worse than to listen to an American tongue mangling English dialects...! She wisely chose to avoid this, for which I for one am greatly appreciative, as the result is far more palatable to my Australian ears than some other readers' renditions I have had cause to wince through...!!! The reader was greatly expressive, and had obviously taken great care to read through and understand the characters' individual voices to be able to use such nuanced inflection as she does; I thought the effect she carried off was comparable to that of a professional dramatic reading. But, I guess some folks simply must find something to complain about...!
Good story
A LibriVox Listener
This is a well written story that takes place in England. As such, it was a little hard to hear it read as if it was taking place in the south. She did a good job reading, but the accent would have better suited a novel along the lines of To Kill a Mockingbird. If you haven't read this book before, it will be enjoyable, and I certainly appreciate the effort involved in reading a thing through. The story told is unusual given the time period, but it is historically accurate within that period of England. The book itself Isn't a classic, but it is an enjoyable read and/or listen.
Brilliantly, Amusingly Charming
Angels Walk
This, my 2nd Edgar Wallace Novel, was so delightfully wicked, that I avoided my typical errands, to lounge about listening! I imagined just whom, of the current crop in Hollywood, I would cast in the lead roles, where I'd film, who'd compose the music for my production sequences, my editor, director, production designer, costumers, , ,oh, , ,sorry, , ,back to the review, , ,Eht- hmm,, Not a bad little story if you have some spare time on your hands... (wink , ,roll credits)
Very suspenseful!
Ancient Aunt
Is the beautiful young woman dastardly? With hundreds of thousands of pounds at stack, she just might be. And what about the innocent young illustrator, tirelessly working to pay her father's debts after he's died? Will she ever get out from under his crushing debt? Will she ever find true love? Will she even live through the next chapter? This is one good tale!
Dastardly villain and terrific reading
Dennis Murray
Very fine read. Wallace has created an excellent villain-ness and an engaging plot. But my oh my Lydia is quite daffy and probably deserved to be done in by the deliciously devious Jean Briggerland. Fabulous narration by Lee Elliott and her old Jags and evil Jean were splendid.