The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow
Anna Katharine Green
Read by Richard Kilmer (1942-2022)
It is the noon hour at a museum in New York City. The date: May 23, 1913. The weekday, attendance is light; the attendees are scattered between two floors. Suddenly a cry rings out from the second floor. Scrambling to Section II, the museum director discovers a teenage girl dead with an arrow through her heart. An older woman hovers over her whispering incoherent phrases in the girl's ear and offering incomprehensible answers to the director's questions. She is the only witness to the crime, or accident, as the case may be. How will the feeble, 83 year-old Mr. Gryce unravel this mystery when this witness is apparently insane?
Anna Katharine Green was noted for her scientific approach to the murder mystery. In The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow she breaks more ground with her in-depth study of the psychological interplay between the murderer, the victim and the witnesses. Although more quietly paced, this mystery presents many elements of a current psychological thriller: blind ambition, narcissism, obsession and betrayal. Green adds a peculiar twist with the fact that two heartbroken relatives of the victim sacrifice virtually everything to protect the murderer.(Summary girlbooks/blog.com ) (10 hr 49 min)
Chapters
Reviews
in defense of Richard Kilmer
Karebil
I'm sick of reading how people feel so free to criticize Mr. Killer's reading. It's true he does not use the inflections, or dialects/accents that many other readers use. However, his tone is not monotone. His voice is pleasant and soothing. There are many other readers who could take a lesson from him! However, I'll not criticize them publicly as long as such s rich store of literature is available to listen to for free or until i, myself, am willing and able to be a volunteer reader myself.
Great Story & Reader
Lori K
At the beginning you're hit with 3 mysteries only to later get even more plus a surprise! To start off you'll wonder who killed the girl, why is her mom acting strange, & did the husband of the witness die as she envisioned? A great mystery story even though it did drag a bit at one point & if I think that even a best friend wouldn't go to such an extreme end. The latter seemed ridiculous which is why I can't give 5 stars. It is still a worthwhile listen for sure. The reader is so NOT monotonous but his voice is beautifully soothing so just don't listen when sleepy. I wish most volunteers had such a voice!
Sad but well-constructed story
glttrgrl8
Detective Gryce and Sweetwater investigate the murder of a young girl killed by an arrow in museum. The mystery that unfolds is unexpected, has its usual twists and turns, but the end is still a surprise. It's a story of love and devotion, friendship and hate, as well as sadness and the lowest nature of humankind. The plot is tight and well written. Any AKG fan will enjoy this book. Richard Kilmer does an outstanding job reading this story. I highly recommend "The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow."
Ana
Loved it. A compelling story, well written and very well read (except for the afore mentioned mispronunciation of the word 'escape'). At first I thought it began too slowly and was about to move on to another read, but the story does unfold in ever so many
Intriguing story read by the perfect person
Linda in PNW
The story takes us through an involved and sometimes overly detailed event. Detective Gyrce is now in his mid eighties and still possesses his ability to solve complicated cases but I kept secretly wishing that he could retire and leave the work to his protege Sweetwater. Although I listened to all of this book, I did feel that parts of it were rather slow and perhaps told from the perspective of an elderly detective. Once the plot began to move again, it surprised me with unexpected moments. I advise listeners to be assured that it will move forward and listen to the entire story. Mr. Kilmore has a very soothing voice, he doesn't use accents or inflections to liven up the story, he is perfect for this tale. The ending was somewhat unexpected and left me feeling saddened for most of the characters. Not all stories can have a happy ending.
Tissue needed.
Ms. Elizabeth
Grab your tissue. Women can be so stupid. Been there. Had we followed our first instict, none of that unhappiness would have happened. oh welld Richard did a great job. I didn't even hear that thing that characteristic to his reading. I found it very soothing this time. I still listen to his other recordings, but... and to the complainers, not offering constructive criticism, how about you PAY for the audio of this book, then you can B & M or read it free if you can do better. Sure haven't seen any other versions out there......
Sad but well-constructed story
glttrgrl8
Detective Gryce and Sweetwater investigate the mystery of a young girl killed by an arrow in museum. The mystery that unfolds is unexpected, has its usual twists and turns, but the end is still a surprise. It's a story of love and devotion, friendship and hate, as well as sadness and the lowest nature of humankind. The plot is tight and well written. Any AKG fan will enjoy this book. Richard Kilmer does an outstanding job reading this story. I highly recommend "The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow."
Loved this AKG story & it's reading
Katie Foster
I really enjoyed this book. Lots of twists and connections to unravel, and it is a sad one. This reader is excellent and adds much to the atmosphere surrounding this mystery. A must read for any AKG or Detective Gryce fan. :)