The Cryptic Lines (Unabridged‪)‬

4.5 stars
*This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review at my request.

Two weeks to do as Alfred wishes in order to decide who inherits his fortune. Or they lose it all, being donated to community programs. His attorney or his son. They both must solve the clues to find one gem to win his large fortune. Who will it be?

This is a first for me with listening to Jake Urry. He has a relaxed yet formal sound to his voice that fits for Charles and the story being told. There is, however, a small sound of his voice as if there is something passing in front of him as he spoke, giving a small sound difference as though he's behind something. Jake performs some great personalities present with Charles, Alfred, James, and even Matthew, who lives up to what his father and butler voiced of him. This gives the characters a feel of having their own personalities in their voices. None of the words feel rushed, on the contrary they feel methodical and well thought out as Jake speaks them.

The prologue is a short poem by Rudyard Kipling. I'm guessing this is to set the feel of the book and possibly what the story is derived from, based on the synopsis.

The story starts with the description of the home to give it a creepy feel. The description feels to fit the cover rather well. Great selection for the cover.

Charles has arrived at Heston Grange on this stormy night to meet with Lord Alfred Willoughby per the Lords request in order to amend his Last Will and Testament, yet once again. The man adjusts his will to fit who is in standing with him at any given time. Alfred is elderly in age but mentally sharp as a whip and still physically traversing with ease.

By the time we get to the reading, or viewing, of the will I was curious as to what was said. And how Lord Alfred Willoughby's son would take the details of the will. Then, when I get to hear it.... oh the game begins!

Is Matthew as bad of a person as Alfred, his father, and James, the butler, think he is? A scoundrel. Or is the person that Charles sees the true Matthew? I'm curious as to which way this will go. We are meeting Matthew for the first time with Charles and he seems like a good person... But there's James telling Charles to beware. I'm baited. lol. Then there are small glimpses we get of Matthew. Oh to see how he turns out.

If Richard were to be the creator of a mystery night or party to search for clues, I would TOTALLY be there! I was taken by the crafty design of the hidden clues for Charles and Matthew to follow. I really had no idea where the clues would take us and what Charles and Matthew would have to do to get to the next clue. It was neat how this place was built and how Alfred planned it all. Crafty in design and kept me curious.

In the end, I had a feeling how things would work out. Though, there were additional details I had not expected here shared in a heartfelt letter. This letter touched my heart with how well written and vocalized it was done.

This was not scary in any means, but suspenseful in not knowing what would lead to the next, and all fitting together to get to the next clue. Even the characters felt to hold true to their character and reveal in the end.

I felt this was excellently written and performed.

Wealthy Lord Alfred Willoughby is worried about what will happen to his estate when he dies. Strictly speaking, his son Matthew should inherit the fortune. But the boy has become a reckless squanderer. Quite cunningly, Lord Alfred decides to teach Matthew the value of gaining something through effort and perseverance. He devises a kind of treasure hunt and to make it even more enticing he involves another totally unassuming competitor in the pursuit of the fortune.Set in an expansive, traditional manor house in Britain, Richard Storry skillfully created the fitting atmosphere and provided vivid descriptions for this charming cozy mystery. The plot becomes far more complex than you would initially expect, and there were some great twists and turns with some revelations at the end that were totally unexpected. The premise is a bit different from the usual murder mysteries and was a lovely change. With its subtle humor and well-written prose, it was an immensely enjoyable and engaging listen.

Set in an expansive, traditional manor house in Britain, Richard Storry skillfully created the fitting atmosphere and provided vivid descriptions for this charming cozy mystery. The plot becomes far more complex than you would initially expect, and there were some great twists and turns with some revelations at the end that were totally unexpected. The premise is a bit different from the usual murder mysteries and was a lovely change. With its subtle humor and well-written prose, it was an immensely enjoyable and engaging listen.

Jake Urry proved to be exactly the right narrator for this story. His rhythm and pacing followed the plot appropriately, switching to a wonderfully ominous tone in the right places. James, the butler, was my favorite character in this story and Jake portrayed him brilliantly, exactly as you would imagine a traditional British butler. He also managed to perform the voices of two elderly female characters with a believable, fitting pitch. There were no issues with the quality of the production at all.

This was an all-around solid, enjoyable audiobook that I would highly recommend to anybody who likes cozy mysteries, British mysteries, mysteries without the standard hunt for murderers. Great entertainment!

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.

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