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Coffin Underground cover art

Coffin Underground

By: Gwendoline Butler
Narrated by: Nigel Carrington
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Editor reviews

The syrupy voice of veteran performer Nigel Carrington drips out of this production of Coffin Underground, luring listeners into the haunting and suspenseful world John Coffin. From the mind of Gwendoline Butler comes another exciting chapter in the life of Scotland Yard’s Chief Superintendent. The house at No. 22 Church Row has garnered a reputation of late for being haunted, but as Coffin finds out, there is something more complex and sinister afoot than anyone could imagine. With Carrington’s eerie and compelling delivery, listeners will find it’s only a matter of minutes before they’ve become absorbed with John Coffin and his quest for the truth behind No. 22 Church Row.

Summary

It is 1978 and senior police John Coffin has been drafted back to South London to oversee the Local Detective branch. Here, he becomes involved in a game so deadly that everyone is a possible victim...

©1988 Gwendoline Butler (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Coffin Underground

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leisurely and comfortable

leisurely and comfortable may be odd words to describe a murder story but that's what this is like. This is the second book I've listened to in the series, the first one was Coffin on the Water, which, originally I thought was the very first John Coffin books written but after a bit of research I've found out it wasn't. I don't feel I missed out on not having listened to/read the volumes between that one and this one because they are good as stand alone titles, but I was glad I'd listened to the first one because it gave me a bit of background.. I started listening to them because they were in the Plus catalogue and am glad I did. The narration is excellent. Comfortable to listen to because it's not edge of your seat... it's leisurely but with an interesting murder story at it's core.

2 people found this helpful

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Abrupt ending and unconvincing story

I disliked the narrator - his voice is affected and patronising in tone.

The story started off reasonably well, but none of the characters were sympathetic and the central premise was ridiculous.

The sexualisation of a child is bizarre, unnecessary and unpleasant.

Coffin himself does very little and none of it well.

I only listened as it was included with membership. I would have been annoyed if I had paid for this dated and unpleasant nonsense.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 14-02-14

Great Narrator!

Nigel Carrington really made Coffin Underground! Now I want all 13 Coffins. I think this book is better than Coffin In Fashion, but that was my first Coffin & I opted for a second. I think Nigel Carrington is one of the best if not THE best narrator of all the many I have heard. And I thought no one could top John Lea or Simon Prebble....

13 people found this helpful

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  • Debbie
  • 03-07-21

1978 English Murder Mystery

This is my first Detective John Coffin mystery, and for a long time I was sure it was a horror story, which is outside my taste in books. But I stuck with it and sure enough, it was a murder mystery, which took a lot of twists and turns, The whole town thinks that a big house down the street is haunted, because at times there are spots of blood on the steps. Long ago a student was murdered, but the case was never resolved, nor the body recovered. John Coffin can't properly do his own laundry, so his housekeeper finds a neighbor girl to do it for him. The girl is raising all her siblings after an automobile accident killed both her parents. As John Coffin goes about doing his job, he also learns about his new neighbors, all of which have stories of their own. When a former prisoner is released and soon afterward is murdered, John begins to investigate who killed him. And the subject of the unlucky house keeps resurfacing. There is a huge build up to the end, which reveals a lot, but I was a little disappointed that it cut off some of the story by trying to lead us into the next book in the series. Very good story, but didn't appreciate the abrupt end with the tease for the next book.

5 people found this helpful

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  • Rene
  • 30-12-20

Confusing but good

This story was one you had to pay attention to. Twists and turns and keeps you guessing till the end.

4 people found this helpful

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  • Mary Reed
  • 17-09-21

Boring

It began slowly and I was ready to give up. Then the triple murder began and I interested. However I found myself tuning it out and never really got fully invested in the characters.

2 people found this helpful

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  • wbc
  • 12-04-21

Horrible

If it’s possible to overact via narration it was accomplished here. I finally gave up trying to figure out the multitude of voices used. None brought a thing to this story.

2 people found this helpful

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  • roseanna banana
  • 25-10-21

Confusing if you didn't start with the first.

very good mystery. Very good character development. Now I have to go back to the first book, try to forget what I just read in order to make sense of it all.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Almarie Rush
  • 20-10-21

Worst ending ever

Good narration good story like the twist and turns but really hated the abrupt ending.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Tuppi
  • 29-06-21

Well worth the time

During the first chapter, I found the performance touching on the blasé, almost as if mr Carrington was bored. But, if perhaps an aquired taste, I soon found his performance adding a very particular atmosphere and a singular caracter to Coffin, and not least highlighting Ms Butler’s distinctive way with words and storytelling. Part of the story is dated in its views - the gaming bit is naive - but overall the book is still interesting. And worth the time.

1 person found this helpful

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  • happyjo
  • 24-05-21

Coffin underground

This book was interesting and had. good ideas but just wasn't my cup of tea.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Sally A. Jackson
  • 10-11-22

I like this new series so far

I like gentlemen police officers. I was not sure who the "bad guy" was until the end.