The Maxwell Mystery
Carolyn Wells
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
An early murder mystery by the prolific American author Carolyn Wells, and the first one to feature her famous detective, Fleming Stone.
A group of people, including an English earl, have been invited to a house party at Maxwell Chimneys, where spoilt society heir Philip Maxwell lives with his uncle and aunt.
Everyone expects a few days of entertainment and flirtation, but on the first evening, Philip is found dead in the library, alongside an unconscious woman who has the murder weapon in her hand. A local detective is consulted to help one of the guests (the narrator) find the murderer. After prolonged efforts, and at their wits’ end, the two bring in Fleming Stone, who rapidly and easily clears up the mystery. (Summary by Winnifred Assmann) (6 hr 14 min)
Chapters
| Concerning Opportunities | 12:52 | Read by Jennifer Fournier |
| "Maxwell Chimneys" | 20:19 | Read by Jennifer Fournier |
| The Belted Earl | 10:35 | Read by Inkell |
| Saucy Mildred | 17:23 | Read by tshoes76 |
| The Tragedy | 14:17 | Read by Yoganandh T |
| "He Shot Me!" | 14:15 | Read by CaptainWedlly |
| A Search For Clues | 14:20 | Read by Yoganandh T |
| The Inquest | 13:05 | Read by Yoganandh T |
| Further Testimony | 10:15 | Read by Inkell |
| Mildred's Strange Story | 17:38 | Read by Gila Labinger Freeberg |
| The Black Spangles | 20:49 | Read by Rohit Gokhale |
| An Interview With Milly | 21:26 | Read by Gila Labinger Freeberg |
| The Mysterious Missiles | 16:23 | Read by Rohit Gokhale |
| In Pursuit of the Earl | 16:51 | Read by ShrimpPhish |
| The Earl's Story | 20:25 | Read by ShrimpPhish |
| The Gray Motorcar | 20:27 | Read by Rohit Gokhale |
| Big Jack Judson | 21:24 | Read by Gila Labinger Freeberg |
| A Pistol Shot | 22:41 | Read by Gila Labinger Freeberg |
| Red Ink Spots | 8:41 | Read by Douglas Wood |
| Irene Tells The Truth | 16:51 | Read by GidNewell |
| Circumstantial Evidence | 15:57 | Read by GidNewell |
| Fleming Stone's Discoveries | 11:52 | Read by Inkell |
| The Confession | 15:34 | Read by Cbteddy |
Reviews
Enjoyable Mystery
Wendy Mathieu
I enjoy a mystery by Carolyn Wells. I had a hunch who the murderer was going to be towards the end of the book but couldn't figure out the motive. I don't usually choose a book with more than one reader, but all readers were clear. Thanks so much for giving your time to read books for us to enjoy.
Mango
One of my favourite Stone mysteries. The amateur detective wasn’t unduly blinded by love or too quick to be suspicious. Although the ending was unexpected, it wasn’t unreasonable. Quite enjoyable.
Linda in PNW
Perhaps a bit drawn out but a good story. Most of the variety of readers did a fine job. Somewhat surprising end.
Ms SV
All the readers were great. Thanks for another good mystery.