I normally only listen to audio books when going on long journeys. But since I have not been doing much of that lately, I listened to Dying on Principle on my way into work instead.
Sophie Rivers appears to have fallen on her feet when she obtains a temporary research post, which takes her to George Muntz College, which is not very far from her home. The facilities that come with her new job are generous and she has enough state-of-the-art equipment to keep her happy. However, all is not as it seems and if Sophie had just taken the time to listen to Melina a computer technician then she would have been made aware of what was going on. When Melina is found dead Sophie comes to realise that all is not perfect at this Birmingham College. Soon others are keen to hear what she has to say to the extent that both her home and office are bugged. With so many suspects and the fact that the College does not in fact have any students, Sophie feels bound to get involved to see what is going wrong.
Not having read many of the Sophie Rivers series I admit to being quite pleased
with this. Diana Bishop was very good in the way in which she read this story.
She managed to get the nuances just right and at times you felt that you were
in the story yourself. It was read with just the right amount of pace and did
not drag. In fact it made me realise that I should listen to more audio books,
especially if they are not abridged! My only bug with this reading is the fact
that I would have preferred to hear a male voice reading the male characters
lines. But saying that Diana Bishop read the male characters very well indeed.
For one who reluctantly listens to abridged audio books, these are a godsend.
Personally for me they can never replace the books themselves but they certainly
come a close second when you don’t always have time to sit down and pick up
a book.
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Ayo Onatade