Audiobook Sample
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- Title: That Affair Next Door
- Author: Anna Katharine Green
- Narrator: Dawn Larsen
- Length: 11:11:00
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 01/01/2011
- Publisher: LibriVox
- Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Suspense
- ISBN13: SABLIBX978973
There’s something about a good mystery that feels like a journey through uncharted territory—like stepping off a dusty road in some far-flung place and into the unknown. Anna Katharine Green’s *That Affair Next Door*, narrated by Dawn Larsen in this free audiobook from LibriVox, is one such adventure. It’s a tale that unfolds like a slow drive through a city waking up at dawn, where every shadow hints at a secret and every sound carries weight. As a travel writer who’s spent years chasing stories across continents, I found myself drawn into this late 19th-century whodunit with the same curiosity that once led me through the winding streets of Oaxaca or the surreal expanse of Chile’s Atacama Desert.
It reminds me of a time when I was driving across the Atacama, the driest desert on Earth, with Gabriel García Márquez’s *One Hundred Years of Solitude* spilling through my car speakers. The narrator’s voice wove magic into the barren landscape, turning sand and sky into something alive. Listening to *That Affair Next Door*, I felt a similar pull—not the lush magical realism of Márquez, but a crisp, methodical unraveling of human nature, delivered with a quiet intensity by Dawn Larsen. Green’s story begins with a dead woman found beneath a fallen cabinet in an empty house, a puzzle that demands attention. Who was she? Why was she there? The questions lingered like the echo of footsteps in an abandoned plaza.
For me, the personal connection runs deep. Years ago, while staying with a family in Oaxaca, I’d sit each evening as their grandmother spun tales of love, betrayal, and hidden truths. Her voice was a tapestry—threads of silence and cadence woven just so. It was a masterclass in oral storytelling, one I carry with me when I listen to audiobooks today. Dawn Larsen’s narration in this mystery audiobook brought me back to those nights. She doesn’t rush; she lets the suspense simmer, much like that grandmother knew how to pause just before a revelation. You can almost hear the creak of the empty house, feel the weight of Miss Amelia Butterworth’s footsteps as she pieces together clues with a sharp eye and sharper mind.
Green’s novel, published in 1897, is a cornerstone of American detective fiction, and its themes still resonate. There’s the power of observation—Miss Butterworth’s knack for noticing the overlooked, like a traveler spotting a hidden path off a crowded trail. Then there’s the role of women in detection, a quiet rebellion against the era’s norms that feels as bold as any adventurer striking out alone. The urban setting hums with intrigue, a city full of locked doors and whispered secrets, not unlike the bustling markets or shadowed alleys I’ve wandered in my travels. Green’s use of forensic detail—early traces of what we’d now call crime scene analysis—adds a layer of realism that grounds the suspense in something tangible.
Larsen’s narration elevates this listening experience to something special. Her voice is steady, warm, and precise, with a rhythm that mirrors Miss Butterworth’s deliberate pace. You can almost taste the dust in the air of that empty house, hear the faint rustle of a curtain as a clue comes into focus. The audio quality, considering this is a free audiobook from LibriVox, is admirably clear—no distracting background noise, just the story and the voice carrying it forward. At just over 11 hours, the duration feels right for a mystery this intricate; it gives you time to settle in, to live with the characters as they peel back layers of deception.
That said, it’s not flawless. The pacing, true to its Victorian roots, can feel slow to modern ears—like a long bus ride through a landscape that doesn’t change fast enough. Some of Green’s language, too, carries the formality of its time, which might jar listeners used to the snappy dialogue of today’s thrillers. And while Larsen’s narration is engaging, there are moments where a touch more drama could have heightened the tension—like when Miss Butterworth confronts a suspect, and I longed to feel the air crackle just a bit more. Still, these are small quibbles in an otherwise immersive audiobook experience.
Compared to other detective tales, *That Affair Next Door* sits comfortably alongside Wilkie Collins’s *The Moonstone*—both revel in suspense and intricate plotting—or even Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, though Miss Butterworth trades Holmes’s eccentricity for a grounded, domestic cunning. She’s a precursor to Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, too, a woman whose intellect cuts through the noise of her world. Green’s work feels foundational, a stepping stone that helped shape the mystery, thriller, and horror genre we know today.
I’d recommend this audiobook free to anyone who loves a good suspense story—or to those who, like me, find joy in the way a tale is told as much as in the tale itself. Fans of classic mysteries will appreciate its historical heft, while newcomers to the genre might discover a new lens on deduction and human nature. It’s perfect for a long drive, a quiet evening, or anytime you want to lose yourself in a world of shadows and secrets.
Reflecting on it now, *That Affair Next Door* feels like one of those hidden histories I’ve chased in my travels—a story that doesn’t shout but whispers, drawing you closer with every word. It’s a reminder of why I love stories, whether they’re told by a grandmother under a Oaxacan sky or through the steady voice of Dawn Larsen in my earbuds. This audiobook experience isn’t just a mystery solved; it’s a journey taken, step by careful step, into the heart of what makes us tick.
Until the next road, the next story, Marcus Rivera
Marcus Rivera
