"Thou shalt not murder"

What appears a tragic accident might be a murder and the recent death of a library staff, that looks like a fall from the rolling ladder, might just have more to it than what meets the eye.

The plot is certainly a catch with a murder occurring in the library and the story flow was that of a classic murder mystery, with a detective and a protagonist eager to solve the murder. The overall book gave me a cozy murder mystery vibe, though the 1st half of the book felt a little slow-paced for me as the book invests quite some time catching up with the plot.

The twists in the story kept the reading entertaining though I felt the stakes were low and there could be a more anticipation buildup around the danger the staff is in, This book would do well for a light mood read and the low stakes would make it a good companion for your next travel.

Thank you @netgalley @penzlerpub @highbridgeaudio for the Audiobook ARC.
Genre: #mystery #thriller
Rating: 3/5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this audio.

I really wanted to like this book. I am not someone that DNFs book I try and push thought it but I couldn’t finish this book. I’ll try picking it up again later.

A classic brought to audio. Good narrator. Taking place in 1940s, the feel of the times was here. An early cozy that is easy to listen to.

An interesting classic mystery, set in a university library in 1942. I read this in audiobook format and the narrator did a great job of making me feel like I was listening in the period in which the novel was set. The library staff and professors who make up the cast of characters are typical of this environment and create a lively backdrop for two murders that take place in the library—and the solving of these crimes in the end. Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

**I received an advanced listening copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Johnson's mystery set in an academic library has layers of humor and intrigue, which makes this an overall enjoyable book. Gilda's character was delightful - parts stereotypical librarian but yet parts struggling to break away from the confines of 1940s mores - and I would have loved to read further books featuring Gilda as the amateur sleuth. The quirks of the professors and other library staff were amusing, and the mystery itself held my interest. A great example of a classic mystery novel, and I can see why Penzler Publishers selected this as part of the American Mystery Classics series.

As for the voice narration, it took me some time to adapt to the various voices and characterizations. Admittedly, it is not often I listen to a male reader - it just seems the books I listen to tend to be voiced by a female - so it takes me some time to adapt to the narration. However, once I did, I thought it was well done.

"The Widening Stain" is one of the first cozy mysteries, written in 1942. It was very popular and is what really got the genre started. This is a new audio recording for the book, narrated effectively by Todd Menesses. It is a good murder mystery with lighthearted humor in the form of limericks in each chapter.

This book lists the author as W. Bolinbroke Johnson, which was a pseudonym for Professor Morris Bishop of Cornell University. This is his only novel. His other works are all nonfiction. The setting resembles that of the library and campus of Cornell.

There are some differences for a book set 80+ years ago versus current times. There is a big divide between men and women and their place in society. Everyone smokes cigarettes, and most people drink a lot of alcohol. The language and dialogue are a bit different, and some esoteric vocabulary was used, such as fecundate and badinage.

The main character is a female librarian, Gilda Gorham. She's a smart cookie, and she tries to figure out the murder. Others think it's just an accident. Then a precious book goes missing. Soon, another dead body is found in the library. Read the story to figure it out with Gilda.

Characters - 4/5
Writing - 4/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 5/5
Unputdownability - 3/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 5/5
Overall - 4.1/5

I enjoyed this comic mystery classic. You may like it, too!

Thank you to Netgalley and High Bridge Audio for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This comedic bibliomystery was such a fun surprise. A bit dated as it was originally published in 1942 but a lot of the misogyny is tongue in cheek and meant to be satirical. As murders begin to occur in the library of Cornell a female librarian seeks to discover who is behind the crimes. The mystery is enjoyable, the narrator is top notch, but it's the limericks you'll stay for. If you're a fan of the humor of Agatha Christie but always wanted her to be a bit more ridiculous then you'll love this.

A classic mystery that I have never read before. The audiobook version narrated by Todd Menesses who brought the characters to life in a way where they all felt easy to distinguish who was speaking because of the quality of the narration. As for the book itself, it is a story that people who enjoy reading murder mysteries are likely to enjoy and the setting of a library was not one that I have read before and it turned out to be a very interesting aspect of the story for me.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the academic setting. It was nostalgic from my years in college, and was the perfect setting for a cozy mystery. I also loved the limericks scattered throughout, and the more vintage-style writing.

My negative feelings regard two main areas. First, it was hard to keep track of all of the characters. Maybe this was because I listened to it on audiobook rather than reading a physical copy, but I frequently had to use contextual clues to match names to characters.

The second thing I didn't love was that (spoiler alert) the whole mystery (and ultimately the murder) hinged on male virginity, and the insecurity/irrationality (?) that it brings. This didn't really fit the cozy mystery vibe, and lent itself to a lot of sexual undertones throughout the book, which also didn't fit the vibe.

Overall, if you are looking for a vintage cozy mystery, I would suggest keeping with Agatha Christie.

This was a delight! It is rare in 2024 to come across a mystery from the 1940's that I've never heard of, but this one had escaped my radar until now. The odd origin story of the author being an academic writing under a pseudonym is likely what has kept it from being adapted into a movie, play, etc. - but that somehow just adds to the charm. The introduction adds little, unfortunately, but is blessedly brief, so skip it and get right into the story.

The story holds up remarkably well for being 80+ years old - to a modern reader it will fall somewhere between the classic whodunit and a cozy. And the setting of a university library with the head cataloguer as the sleuth will appeal to all who love books. It never feels like a generic story plopped into a library setting - books are central in a believable way to all of the story's threads.

There is some period-typical sexism - but it is challenged by multiple characters. And American perception of gender roles plays an unexpected role in the resolution in a way that is surprisingly (and disappointingly) timely.

This is the perfect story for curling up by the fire with a cup of tea and passing an entertaining afternoon.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

"The Widening Stain" is an interesting mystery. The story follows the entire investigative thought process, which I thought was fun. The mystery is pretty basic, and there are some problematic moments. All in all, it's a good classic mystery.

This book was an interesting read, partially because of the moment in time it captured. Originally released in 1942, this mystery shows how society has changed while still staying the same. The murder when all is revealed reminded me of news headlines that we see now and demonstrates how we feel society has evolved while so much of it hasn't changed.

This was a great little read that keeps you guessing, the language is a bit old-fashioned because of the time it was written if that's a deal breaker for you.

As someone who has a nostalgic fondness for mysteries from this era, I found this audiobook highly amusing. The faculty members were suitably snotty, the mystery was just odd enough, and the limericks were groan-worthy. The narrator seemed to be a fan too, because the voices were fun and a little over-the-top. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook

This was my first time with a Golden Age mystery and I found it an interesting listen. It moved quickly and I could see the satirical elements the author put in for his contemporaries. However, it was difficult to follow the humor at times and the characters were hard to keep separate in the beginning part of the book. I did get into the story eventually but I wouldn't necessarily recommend The Widening Stain as a beach read. This audiobook edition was well performed and enjoyable if you happen to be looking for a satirical mystery set amongst the academic elite.

This audiobook was provided to me by Highbridge Audio for review purposes.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version.
I love a good murder mystery but I don't know I just couldn't get into this book. It was very very slow and non of the characters were memorable.

A fun little cozy mystery with some interesting cultural commentary at the end. Gilda is no Miss Marple but she’s fun enough in her fussy way. The audiobook narrator reminded me of Jeffrey Wright which was very soothing, although I’ll say that in audio form it becomes a bit difficult to keep track of all the characters (seeing as 90% of them are men in academia.)

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audio book.

I really wanted to like this novel--"a comic mystery set in the library of a university" is just up my alley--but whether it was the audio narration or just the convolutedness of the opening chapters, I couldn't hang with this one.

The Widening Stain by W. Bolingbroke Johnson and narrated by Todd Menesses is a golden age mystery written originallly in 1942 and I was hooked in by the author bio read in the first chapter. Utterly intrigued, I was set and ready for a fantastic listen and I certainly was not disappointed.

If you enjoy the golden age of Hollywood, (pre WWII) and the mystery movies, you will utterly adore this audiobook. Read in an authentic style by Todd Menesses, we are transportedd to another time, to a seemingly peaceful library which is rocked by the accidental death of a women falling from the top of the stacks, then the discovery of a man seemingly strangled and surrounded by literary erotica and then, worse than these, a valuable manuscript goes missing

At times funny and others suspenseful, there is no shortage of intrigue and I absolutely devoured it!

Thank you to Netgalley, Highbridge Audio, the author W. Bolingbroke Johnson and narrator by Todd Menesses
for this intriguing ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

I have read this book as a paper book and I am thrilled to see it on audio. So fun, so wry, so mysterious. I am a huge fan. I absolutely loved the narrator’s work. More Otto Penzler audiobooks!!

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook!

The introduction describes this mystery as smart and witty, and I definitely agree. Two murders take place in a college library, and it's difficult to tell who to suspect. Was it the caretaker, the head librarian, a professor, a student? Are these two crimes even related?

I enjoyed the narration of this audiobook, and the dialogue was funny and clever. And I can't help but love a mystery set in a library!