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The Bat (Hardcover)

by Mary Roberts Rinehart (Author), Avery Hopwood (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

List Price: $32.95
Price: $32.95 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Rinehart's 1920 mystery features a remote country house filled with suspects, a forbidden romance, a cache of hidden money and a mysterious killer known only as The Bat. But sadly, this novel does not adapt well to audio. Long, descriptive passages and repetitive conversations (particularly between wealthy spinster Cornelia Van Gorder, who insists there's no danger, and nervous maid Lizzie, who insists there is) can be skimmed over by the reading eye, but on audio they seem interminable, draining all suspense. Frasier is a competent but unremarkable narrator. She differentiates between male and female characters, but does not create distinctive voices. Her Irish accent for Lizzie is passable; her Japanese accent for butler Billy is laughable. This tale would probably work better as a radio play or audio theater, with a troupe of actors playing the parts. In that medium, a shrilling phone or a sudden scream would indeed startle the listener, and spooky music would create a more suspenseful atmosphere.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
THE BAT A remote country house filled with suspects, a forbidden romance, a cache of hidden money and a mysterious killer known only as The Bat. . . . "You've got to get him, boys -- get him or bust!" said a tired police chief, pounding a heavy fist on a table. The detectives he bellowed the words at looked at the floor. They had done their best and failed. Failure meant "resignation" for the police chief, return to the hated work of pounding the pavements for them -- they knew it, and, knowing it, could summon no gesture of bravado to answer their chief's. Gunmen, thugs, hijackers, loft-robbers, murderers, they could get them all in time -- but they could not get the man he wanted. "Get him -- to hell with expense -- I'll give you carte blanche -- but get him!" said a haggard millionaire in the sedate inner offices of the best private detective firm in the country. The man on the other side of the desk, man hunter extraordinary, old servant of Government and State, sleuthhound without a peer, threw up his hands in a gesture of odd hopelessness. "It isn't the money, Mr. De Courcy -- I'd give every cent I've made to get the man you want -- but I can't promise you results -- for the first time in my life."

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 252 pages
  • Publisher: Wildside Press (August 1, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1592245501
  • ISBN-13: 978-1592245505
  • Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,749,070 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great imagery, characters, plot - high moments of wonder, July 23, 1998
By A Customer
I always enjoy reading her books due to the imagery and variety of different character types and personalities she incorporates into her story lines. The Bat was my favorite...it had the "old" mystery feel. The characters were very well described and therefore, easy to imagine. I began feeling what the characters felt and encountered in that dark, old estate. It is hard for me to get through a book without getting bored and starting on another. However, The Bat traveled with me to work, the gym and house each day, just so I could finish it. I couldn't seem to put it down. Great piece of literature...one I would highly recommend for those who love a good mystery!
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent example of the genre, March 30, 1998
_a fine blend of the gothic and mystery ...makes this novel an excellent example of the "had I but known" school of detective fiction . This fast pace novel will keep noir fans captivated.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A mystery/suspense classic., November 3, 2000
By D. R. Schryer (Poquoson, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
The Bat is probably the most popular of all of the novels of America's great female mystery writer, Mary Roberts Rinehart, and it is quite simply one of the finest mystery/suspense novels ever written. The plot is outstanding, the atmosphere is unremittingly tense and apprehensive, and the conclusion is totally surprising without being contrived. If you like good mysteries you will probably love The Bat.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Generally speaking, don't read "The Bat" -- here's why...
"The Bat" was originally written by Mary Roberts Rinehart as a play in 1926 -- it ultimately emerged as a silent film, additional remakes, etceteras. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Patrick W. Crabtree

4.0 out of 5 stars the Bat is old fashioned, yet well written
Good old fashioned mystery thriller, a little corny since it was written 100 years ago, but nice relaxing reading that has some mystery to it.
Published 21 months ago by Pandora

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