Under the Hammer cover art

Under the Hammer

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Under the Hammer

By: John Mortimer
Narrated by: Bill Wallis
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About this listen

Maggie Perowne is head of Old Masters at Klinsky's auction house in London. Ben Glazier is an art expert. Ben, not as young as he was, is inescapably in love with Maggie, but she has an unfortunate taste for such dubious men as the Hooray Henry in the wine department. Together Ben and Maggie form a crack team that blends integrity and professionalism with a keen eye for uncovering the mysterious circumstances surrounding priceless works of art.

Take for example the matter of the underpriced Raphael, or the questionable Bronzino, or even the Cellini salt cellar. Maggie and Ben may be able to detect the fakes at one hundred paces, but spotting the forger may cause trickier problems....

In the great tradition of Rumpole, John Mortimer has created an unforgettable cast of characters and struck a rich vein of humour.

©1994 AdvanPress Ltd (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Anthologies & Short Stories Mystery

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All stars
Most relevant  
Similar irreverence that Rumpole books have for the upper echelons of society. An interesting look at how art is captured, owned and traded by the wealthy. With the ‘hero’ Ben, a Scot from humble origins is the only one who truly appreciates the artistry and endeavour that went into its production and hence its true value. But he is hemmed in by the greedy and corrupt who in inflating the monetary value and their own egos manage to devalue their commodities. Nice touch that the rich and immoral Chair of the auction house is from the food retail business!, Entertaining and educational!

Not Rumpole of the Bailey!

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Liked the reader, who made the stories come to life. Who knew such intrigue lurked in the art world?😂

Interesting story lines

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This is another gem from the pen of the creator of Rumpole and utterly entrancing !

Delightful Mortimer

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True Mortimer. Not great literature, but not intended to be. Episodic structure makes it great for cheering bite-sized pieces every night on retiring.

What a Romp!

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Any additional comments?

eight out of the ten chapters deals with paintings whilst two are a silver object and a manuscript.
this would probably have been a lot better if performed by a different person.
there was a little bit of humour in it. I thought it would have been really good but it was just mediocre.

a crime in each chapter.

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A typical Mortimer yarn, well crafted but a little expected at the end! Will try another one!

Not a bad yarn

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The story is average, for now. As the narrator mumbles along, I’m quickly loosing interest. May take up listening in shortish stints over a couple of weeks or more. Hard to stand for long listens.

Rumpole quality it isn’t. I loved BBC’s production of Rumpole stories by John Mortimer delivered by the one and only Leo McKern and played on Cassette Tape of all things.

Oh, joy. Still is. That was something else. Completely different league. Quality not even touched here, in my opinion.

Not Rumpole!

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