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The Ardlamont Shot | The Belgian Detective Mystery Audiobook
Published 1 month ago
Description
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Scotland, October. A grey house above the Firth of Clyde, and a shooting party that is about to go very badly wrong.
Sir Malcolm Ardmore has gathered a small company at his estate on the Cowal peninsula: his godson Cecil, who inherited money at twenty-one and spent it enthusiastically; the financial adviser who manages what little remains; a retired major who can discuss nothing but shooting; a Glasgow physician; and a young widow whose feelings for Cecil are obvious to everybody except Cecil.
Over whisky on the first evening, Cecil mentions — lightly, the way a man mentions the weather — that there is an insurance policy on his life. Seventy-five thousand pounds.
"Worth killing a man for," says the Major. Everybody laughs, except the one person who does not.
By ten the next morning Cecil is dead beside a fallen pine, his rifle a few feet from his hand. A tragic accident, everyone agrees. And the very first thing the Belgian Detective notices is that the ground beneath the rifle is completely unmarked.
A ridge that gives the wrong angle. An earlier shot nobody has accounted for. A witness at the boathouse. And a killing arranged with such care that it was never meant to look like murder at all.
The Ardlamont Shot is an original Golden Age-style mystery about money, marksmanship, and a death designed to be filed as bad luck.
ℹ️ FOR LISTENERS
This is an original mystery written by Nocturnal Tales, inspired by the spirit of the great Golden Age crime writers. The plot, characters and text are entirely our own creation; the historical epilogue draws on the real Ardlamont Mystery of 1893, which ended in one of the strangest verdicts in Scottish legal history. All characters and events in the story are fictional. No affiliation, endorsement, or official connection is implied.
💬 QUESTION FOR THE COMMENTS
Scotland allows a third verdict: not proven. Not innocent, not guilty — simply not established. Is that an honest admission of doubt, or a way of letting a jury avoid the decision it was asked to make? 🕵️
📖 GET THE EBOOK — $3.99
📌 Patreon — included with Writing Table & Archive Society, or one-time purchase
https://www.patreon.com/posts/156573383
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https://nocturnaltalespod.gumroad.com/l/ebookvol2
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🧾 CREDITS
Written by Nocturnal Tales. Narrated by Nocturnal Tales.
🔖 TAGS / KEYWORDS
Belgian detective mystery audiobook, Ardlamont Mystery inspired, Scottish country house mystery, shooting party murder, insurance policy murder, staged accident mystery, not proven verdict, Firth of Clyde mystery, Arthur narrator mystery, golden age mystery audiobook, true crime inspired mystery, classic whodunit audiobook, full-length mystery audiobook, historical mystery audiobook
https://www.patreon.com/NocturnalTales
🌐 Website — every story we've ever made, free to listen. No paywall, no account, no password.
https://nocturnaltalespodcast.com
Scotland, October. A grey house above the Firth of Clyde, and a shooting party that is about to go very badly wrong.
Sir Malcolm Ardmore has gathered a small company at his estate on the Cowal peninsula: his godson Cecil, who inherited money at twenty-one and spent it enthusiastically; the financial adviser who manages what little remains; a retired major who can discuss nothing but shooting; a Glasgow physician; and a young widow whose feelings for Cecil are obvious to everybody except Cecil.
Over whisky on the first evening, Cecil mentions — lightly, the way a man mentions the weather — that there is an insurance policy on his life. Seventy-five thousand pounds.
"Worth killing a man for," says the Major. Everybody laughs, except the one person who does not.
By ten the next morning Cecil is dead beside a fallen pine, his rifle a few feet from his hand. A tragic accident, everyone agrees. And the very first thing the Belgian Detective notices is that the ground beneath the rifle is completely unmarked.
A ridge that gives the wrong angle. An earlier shot nobody has accounted for. A witness at the boathouse. And a killing arranged with such care that it was never meant to look like murder at all.
The Ardlamont Shot is an original Golden Age-style mystery about money, marksmanship, and a death designed to be filed as bad luck.
ℹ️ FOR LISTENERS
This is an original mystery written by Nocturnal Tales, inspired by the spirit of the great Golden Age crime writers. The plot, characters and text are entirely our own creation; the historical epilogue draws on the real Ardlamont Mystery of 1893, which ended in one of the strangest verdicts in Scottish legal history. All characters and events in the story are fictional. No affiliation, endorsement, or official connection is implied.
💬 QUESTION FOR THE COMMENTS
Scotland allows a third verdict: not proven. Not innocent, not guilty — simply not established. Is that an honest admission of doubt, or a way of letting a jury avoid the decision it was asked to make? 🕵️
📖 GET THE EBOOK — $3.99
📌 Patreon — included with Writing Table & Archive Society, or one-time purchase
https://www.patreon.com/posts/156573383
🛒 Gumroad — EPUB + PDF included
https://nocturnaltalespod.gumroad.com/l/ebookvol2
❤️ SUPPORT & LISTENING OPTIONS
📌 Patreon — every new case first, ad-free and early
https://www.patreon.com/NocturnalTales
🌐 Website — every story, free, no account needed
https://nocturnaltalespodcast.com
📺 Rumble — free, supports us with ad revenue
https://rumble.com/c/c-7820714
❤️ Buy Me a Coffee — one-time support
https://buymeacoffee.com/nocturnaltales
💛 PayPal — one-time tip
https://paypal.me/nocturnaltalesprod
🎧 Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nocturnal-tales-mystery-audiobooks-and-crime-stories/id1896195848
🧾 CREDITS
Written by Nocturnal Tales. Narrated by Nocturnal Tales.
🔖 TAGS / KEYWORDS
Belgian detective mystery audiobook, Ardlamont Mystery inspired, Scottish country house mystery, shooting party murder, insurance policy murder, staged accident mystery, not proven verdict, Firth of Clyde mystery, Arthur narrator mystery, golden age mystery audiobook, true crime inspired mystery, classic whodunit audiobook, full-length mystery audiobook, historical mystery audiobook