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The Sword-Edged Blonde

By: Alex Bledsoe
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
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Summary

It should have been a case like any other: a missing princess, a king willing to pay in gold for her return. But before he realizes it, private investigator Eddie LaCrosse, a slightly shopworn sword jockey with a talent for discretion and detection, is swept up in a web of mystery and deceit involving a brutally murdered royal heir, a queen accused of an unspeakable crime, and the tragic past he thought he'd left behind.
©2007 Alex Bledsoe (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
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Critic reviews

"Stylish and self-assured: Raymond Chandler meets Raymond E. Feist." (Publishers Weekly)
"Fans of Glen Cook's Garrett novels or hard-boiled detective fiction will appreciate this well-crafted gem of a tale." (Library Journal)

What listeners say about The Sword-Edged Blonde

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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Truly enjoyable

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the next books in the series. Perfectly balanced with no stupid exaggerations, well designed characters, a real pleasure and fun to listen to and a captivating (and a bit creepy!) mistery. Definitely recommend!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Weird story, a cross between Neil Gaiman and a medieval whodunnit

I wasn’t keen on the narration because the narrator had a really deep and very American accent and I was visualising something medieval so it took a bit of adjusting to. All in all an odd listen but enjoyable.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

nice and enjoyable

a bit more light hearted and down to earth than what I expected despite the fantasy setting.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great ending, surprisingly good

Great detective story, better than the description lead me to think it would be. Only found it because it was in my ‘recommended for you’ list. Thank you

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very enjoyable

Any additional comments?

i came across this series after listening to and very much enjoying The Tufa Novels. I am half way through the Eddie LaCrosse Series now and am enjoying them just as much. Something a bit different, well described characters and enough twists to make it interesting without being so clever that you lose the plot! I definitely recommend this series and indeed the author - try the Tufa Novels too!

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Positive surprise

I didn’t know what to expect but I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more from this author.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable, very listenable, good start to a series

I enjoyed this, looking forward to my regular hour at the gym, which is when I get to listen to my books, and have already taken a look at the next in the series - so all good! The story snags the interest straight off, and didn't really wane - I wanted to know what had happened, and how matters were going to be resolved for everyone. There's a supernatural element to the story that I, along with our hero, had problems believing - which I suppose demonstrates the quality of the writing - you're not offered a supernatural story and left to just accept it. Eddy, the hero certainly didn't, so it made my scepticism reasonable. That said, the bulk of the book is Eddie understanding and then dealing with the mystery, which he does by ordinary mundane methods, with no woo-woo involved! There's some flashback chapters to his past. but they are of relevance to the present day, so sit well in the flow of the story. The setting is classic mediaeval, horses, swords, tankards of ale sort of thing.

This is read by Stefan Rudnicki, who has the most wonderful, rich, deep dark voice, yet manages to read the various women characters equally well as he does the men.

I listened to Alex Bledsoe's Tufa books, also narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, which I've enjoyed, so am pleased to find more books to explore.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good series and story

Good series of books, book 3 more sad. Book 4 good ending but book 5 seems OK. Was good when part of audible membership but 8hrs a bit short for £7.99 or 1 credit, though there are 4-5 hours books here.
Complex characters and reasonable fleshed out. Interesting old style cop and action and adventure

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Weird

I’m still not sure how much I enjoyed this! However it was free to read, so don’t look a gift horse in the mouth …….. by the way have already downloaded book 2. I must admit I’m not too keen on the narrator, he sounds similar to the guy who reads the latest Bosch books - Titus Welliver - but without much intonation.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Two genres for the price of one.

If you could sum up The Sword-Edged Blonde in three words, what would they be?

Gumshoe with sword.

What did you like best about this story?

I like crime stories and I like fantasy so this was a great fit for me. The fact that the main character in the book is basically from a thirties pulp detective novel gives a great deal of levity to the whole book. But it's not a comedy, there are moments of poignancy and wonder and even horror.

Which character – as performed by Stefan Rudnicki – was your favourite?

His voice and delivery was perfect for the narrator, but he was good at all the characters irrespective of gender or class.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A favour for a friend beings back old memories ... and horses.

Any additional comments?

Stefan Rudnicki is the best reader for this story. Sometimes I find an American accent a little incongruous for a fantasy book (that usually passes after a few minutes), but he was the perfect fit for this story, and I will almost certainly get more in this series because of Stefan's reading.

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1 person found this helpful