The Shooting Party

Chekhov is best known for plays such as The Cherry Orchard so his early mystery novel might be a surprise. This frame story begins when a Russian editor is offered a manuscript containing the account of an investigation into the murder of a woman named Olga. The story is related by the local magistrate who is responsible for overseeing the remote area where the murder took place. Mystery readers will recognize the structure as rather innovative, and Chekhov fans will appreciate seeing early evidence of his skills in characterization, dialogue, setting, and pacing. Nicholas Boulton reads in a deep, resonant voice and gives the characters a variety of accents. His pacing is smooth, managing the unfolding story deftly. However, the world in which the murder takes place must be balanced against these pleasures. It is one of sexism and other biases that are revealed in offhand remarks and the novel’s use of slurs. Some listeners will be able to focus on the mystery—which largely plays out in the last quarter of the work and concludes in a tight, seething encounter that evokes the ending of a well-plotted short story—but others might find the novel’s world hard to visit.