Clara’s Verdict
Simon Brett’s Charles Paris mysteries occupy a very specific niche in British crime fiction: gently satirical, set in the professional undergrowth of the entertainment industry, and anchored by a protagonist whose charm is inseparable from his chronic unreliability. An Amateur Corpse, the fourth entry in the Charles Paris Mysteries series, is Brett at something close to his sharpest — the amateur dramatics world provides the perfect comic backdrop, and the murder itself has a genuine twist. The BBC dramatisation, with Bill Nighy leading a stellar cast that includes Geraldine McEwan and Suzanne Burden, is a particular pleasure. At one hour and fifty-two minutes, it’s a beautifully contained listen.
About the Audiobook
Charles Paris is, once again, between engagements — which is to say, unemployed, with his mother visiting and no obvious means of escape. When old friend Hugo offers him some voiceover work, Charles accepts gratefully. But Hugo’s marriage is in visible trouble: his younger wife Ellie has thrown herself into the local Amateur Dramatic Society, and Hugo has thrown himself into the whisky. When Ellie is found drowned in the swimming pool, the police move quickly toward Hugo as their suspect. Charles, loyal to his friend and professionally idle enough to investigate, sets about proving otherwise.
Brett’s real subject, as always, is the English class system’s peculiar regional variations, and the amateur dramatics world — that combination of suburban aspiration, genuine passion, and interpersonal warfare — is brilliantly observed. The mystery itself is neatly plotted, the red herrings are plausible, and the final revelation has the quality of seeming inevitable in retrospect. Jeremy Front’s dramatisation for BBC Audio preserves the novel’s irony while giving the cast room to inhabit their characters with genuine relish.
The Narration
Bill Nighy as Charles Paris is one of those casting decisions that makes you wonder why anyone else was ever considered. Nighy captures the character’s particular brand of world-weary amusement — a man who has failed so often that failure has become a kind of aesthetic position — with effortless precision. Geraldine McEwan brings her customary intelligence to her role, and the full cast production has the feel of a Radio 4 Saturday Play at its best. The brevity of the runtime actually works in its favour: there is no padding, no filler, just beautifully performed storytelling.
What Readers Say
Carrying a 4.0 rating from 295 listeners, An Amateur Corpse prompts divided responses — though notably divided on format rather than content. Rigsby, a devoted series reader, calls it « one of the best in the series » but takes particular issue with the typographical errors in the Kindle edition, describing the proofreading as « a shotgun fired at the manuscript from a distance. » Steve Zodiac awards four stars with the memorable line: « The writing, as ever, is brilliant, but the constant punctuation errors are criminal. » Mrs L. Dunn, by contrast, focuses entirely on Charles’s detecting skills and awards five stars without reservation. The audiobook, it should be noted, is not subject to these print-edition complaints.
Who Should Listen?
For anyone with an affection for classic British crime fiction in the Agatha Christie tradition, updated to the 1970s entertainment industry. The series works well for listeners who enjoy cosy mysteries with an acidic undertow — Brett is warmer than he seems on the surface, but his satire of professional and domestic aspiration has real edge. Start at the beginning if you can, but An Amateur Corpse works perfectly well as a standalone introduction to Charles and his particular brand of reluctant sleuthing.
Listen to Charles Paris: An Amateur Corpse on Audible UK — find it via this link. Also available on Kobo, Scribd, and Storytel.
