‘The Bad Quarto’ by Jill Paton Walsh
Published by Soundings Audio Books.
ISBN 978-1-4079-0153-4 (6 Cassettes/7 CD's)
Read by Nicolette McKenzie

The Bad Quarto is the fourth and most recent of the Imogen Quy series which is set in the fictional Cambridge College of St Agatha's where Imogen is the college nurse. The book opens with a bang, as it where, with the death of John Talentire who has fallen to his death attempting the jump between buildings known as Harding's Folly. A verdict of accidental death is recorded and nothing more is thought of it until the intervention of the 'prat Mottle'. Martin Mottle has offered to bail out the amateur dramatic club who are hugely in debt but only if they stage Hamlet and allow him to play the lead role.

The club agrees but chooses the shortest version of the play that they can get away: the Bad Quarto. On opening night it soon becomes clear what Mottle is up to. During the 'dumb show' which normally points the finger of murder at Hamlet's uncle, an accusation is made against one of the college professors, implicating them in the death of John Talentire.

Interesting though this is for Imogen she has her own mystery to solve. A scholarship student, Susan Inchman, has gone missing and though students disappearing happens a lot in college towns, Imogen is worried enough to spend some of her limited resources to try and track her down and eventually, Imogen's quest, coincides with Mottle's attempt to prove that his friend was murdered.

The Bad Quarto is an enjoyable story which kept me interested and I always love spending time in Cambridge. As well as the Hamlet theme, the author also explores the  role of expert witnesses in court, in particular in relation to 'cot deaths' and 'shaken baby syndrome'.  Imogen also buys The Night Climbers of Cambridge by Whipplesnaith which I was intrigued to find does exist for real. Night climbing seems to be a Cambridge peculiarity – climbing the ancient buildings at night, without ropes, using drainpipes and such like. The Bad Quarto is a classic English mystery, no blood and gore or sex, characters with names out of Wodehouse, a solid puzzle,  and a likeable, strong-willed heroine. I hope there are more Imogen Quy books on the horizon.

Nicolette McKenzie provides a pleasing narration with a large range of voices and accents.

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Karen Meek