Look, I've been waiting to cover Poe on the podcast for ages. The man invented detective fiction. Literally invented it. Shirley Jackson walked so modern horror could run, but Poe? Poe built the entire road.
If you want more Poe after this, Six Creepy Stories by Edgar Allan Poe is the obvious next stop.
So when I finally sat down with this audiobook version of "Murders in the Rue Morgue," I had expectations. And here's the thing - Phil Chenevert delivers something interesting, even if it's not quite what I was hoping for.
The Voice That Grows on You
I'm just going to address it upfront: Chenevert has a nasally quality to his voice. Some listeners find it grating. I get it. But here's my take - after about fifteen minutes, my brain adjusted. It's like when you walk into a room with a weird smell and eventually stop noticing. Except less gross. (Okay, that metaphor got away from me.)
What Chenevert does well is character differentiation. When Dupin speaks versus the narrator versus the various witnesses, you can actually tell them apart. His accent work is solid - not showy, just functional. And for a story that relies heavily on the mystery of what language a suspect was speaking, that matters. A lot.
The pacing starts rough, I won't lie. Poe's original opening is dense - all that philosophical musing about analysis versus calculation before we even meet Dupin. Chenevert reads it faithfully, but faithful isn't always engaging. I found myself checking how much time was left during the first twenty minutes. (Don't judge me. We've all done it.)
Where the Narrative Shifts
Once the actual murder investigation kicks in? Different story entirely. Poe's genius is in the reveal - presenting the impossible crime, letting Dupin observe what everyone else misses, then walking you backward through the logic. Chenevert understands this structure. His delivery tightens. The suspense builds.
And that hair. That non-human hair. Even knowing the twist (because honestly, who doesn't at this point?), there's something delicious about hearing it unfold. This is the story that gave us the template for every locked-room mystery, every brilliant detective with a less-brilliant companion narrator, every dramatic revelation followed by meticulous explanation. Sherlock Holmes literally wouldn't exist without C. Auguste Dupin.
Chenevert treats the material with respect. Maybe too much respect, actually. Chenevert also narrates Seven H.P. Lovecraft Stories, and I'm curious if he brings more darkness to that material. I wanted a little more... menace? The murders are brutal - we're talking about women killed in their own home, one stuffed up a chimney. That's horror territory. Poe understood that horror and mystery are cousins. The narration here plays it straight, almost academic. Which is fine. Just not what I personally crave.
The Verdict
At an hour and forty-one minutes, this is a perfect commute listen. Two trips, maybe three, and you're done. The audio quality is clean - no weird background noise or volume jumps. LibriVox can be hit or miss on production, but this one's solid.
Who needs this: Anyone who's read Doyle or Christie but never gone back to the source. Students (hi, fellow librarians) who need to actually absorb the text instead of skimming it at midnight. Podcast listeners who want to understand why I keep calling Poe the grandfather of the genre.
Who should skip: If you need dynamic, theatrical narration to stay engaged, this might not hold you. If nasally voices genuinely bother you - like, physically bother you - sample first. And if you're already deeply familiar with the story and want a fresh interpretation, this is more faithful than inventive.
I listened to this shelving returns at the library. (Yes, I'm that person with earbuds in while organizing the mystery section. The irony isn't lost on me.) It held my attention through the slow parts, genuinely engaged me through the investigation, and reminded me why I fell in love with detective fiction in the first place.
Poe created the blueprint. Chenevert reads it clearly, if not thrillingly. Sometimes that's exactly what you need.
Shirley (my cat) was unimpressed. But she's unimpressed by everything except 3 AM zoomies, so I'm not taking it personally.
