The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (Version 2 Dramatic Reading)


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(4.3 stars; 9 reviews)

Who killed the man in the hansom cab? -- Who is Sal Rawlins? -- What will happen to Madge and Brian? -- Murder and family secrets create the intrigue in this excellent Australian mystery. Fergus Hume's novel, originally published in 1886, rapidly became a best-seller. It was very soon published in England and the United States, and over a hundred years later, Geoffrey Haines credited "The Mystery of a Hansom Cab" as doing "more than any book to give the outside world a picture of Melbourne of the late 1880's" (in "A History of Victoria," 2006). This is one of those old-time gems that continues to entertain, both in print form and on the air and screens. (Summary by Lynette Caulkins)

NOTE: The preface of this work mentions the culprit of the "whodunit" - which may spoil the project for some listeners. Be advised to skip the preface or listen to it at the end if you'd like to be surprised by the outcome of the story.

Cast List
Narrator: Peter Dann
Man in a Light Coat and Mr. Roger Moreland: Andrew Latheron
Oliver White, Crown Prosecutor, and Valpy: Jim Hedrick
Malcolm Royston: Todd
Due Coroner and Mrs. Grundy: Tally Tiger
Dr. Robert Chinston: Tad Davis
Clement Rankin: Derek Benison
Mr. Gorby, Sebastian Brown, and Peterson: Greg Giordano
Mrs. Rubina Hableton: WendyKatzHiller
Barber of Midas: Scott Caulkins
Duncan Calton: Adrian Stephens
Felix Rolleston and Demetrius: Joanna Michal Hoyt
Madge Frettlby: Michele Eaton
Brian Fitzgerald: Caveat
Mark Frettlby: Andrew Kennedy
Dora Featherweight: Eliza
Julia Featherweight: Sonia
Cabman, Other, Gaoler, Jury Foreperson, Doctor, and Legal Clerk: David Purdy
Mrs. Sampson: Susan Essary
Herald Newsperson, Traveler, Talleyrand, Sancho Panza, and Writer: Jake Malizia
Mr. Kilsip: Algy Pug
Newspaper Woman, Old Woman, Court Crier, and Scotch Nurse: D Geier
Lizer: Mira williams
Mother Guttersnipe and Albert Dendy: TriciaG
Sick Woman: Margaret Lange
Sal Rawlins: Lynette Caulkins
Colonist, Moore, Footman, and Cynic: Therese Lindhom
Isaac Disraeli and Shakespeare: Elijah Fisher
French Proverb: Belinda Loveday

Book Coordinators: Lynette Caulkins and Annie Mars (9 hr 48 min)

Chapters

Dramatis Personae and Preface 11:13 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 1 - What the Argus Said 10:44 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 2 - The Evidence at the Inquest 14:09 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 3 - One Hundred Pounds Reward 1:30 Read by Peter Dann
Chapter 4 – Mr. Gorby Makes a Start 10:56 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 5 – Mrs Hableton Unbosoms Herself 18:02 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 6 – Mr. Gorby Makes Further Discoveries 18:25 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 7 – The Wool King 18:52 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 8 – Brian Takes a Walk and a Drive 21:15 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 9 – Mr. Gorby is Satisfied at Last 28:03 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 10 – In the Queens Name 18:07 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 11 – Counsel for the Prisoner 20:13 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 12 – She Was a True Woman 19:38 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 13 – Madge Makes a Discovery 24:15 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 14 - Another Richmond in the Field 16:33 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 15 – A Woman of the People 20:38 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 16 – Missing 13:18 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 17 – The Trial 22:53 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 18 – Sal Rawlins Tells all She Knows 15:59 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 19 – The Verdict of the Jury 20:13 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 20 – The Argus Gives its Opinion 9:53 Read by DOLZ
Chapter 21 – Three Months Afterwards 17:20 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 22 – A Daughter of Eve 12:31 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 23 – Across the Walnuts and the Wine 16:44 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 24 – Brian Receives a Letter 18:16 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 25 – What Dr. Chinston Said 19:16 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 26 – Kilsip Has a Theory of His Own 11:32 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 27 – Mother Guttersnipe Joins the Majority 17:52 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 28 – Mark Frettlby has a Visitor 19:21 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 29 – Mr. Calton’s Curiosity is Satisfied 14:54 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 30 - Nemesis 16:54 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 31 – Hush-Money 14:04 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 32 – De Mortuis Nil Nisi Bonum 11:23 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 33 – The Confession 20:34 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 34 – The Hands of Justice 15:24 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Chapter 35 – The Love that Lives 7:11 Read by LibriVox Volunteers