The Mad Courtesan cover art

The Mad Courtesan

Nicholas Bracewell, Book 5

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The Mad Courtesan

By: Edward Marston
Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
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About this listen

A vicious rivalry threatens to cause chaos for Lord Westfield’s Men when the onstage duels between Owen Elias and Sebastian Carrick become ever more realistic. However, it is an axe that splits open Sebastian's head one night in a Clerkenwell alley.

Company book holder Nicholas Bracewell, accustomed to damage control, begins to investigate the victim's death and learns that in life, he was prone to make enemies from his weakness for women and his unwillingness to settle his debts. A web of deception has in fact been spun that stretches from lowly to high ranking courtesans, all the way to the Virgin Queen.

©2014 Edward Marston (P)2014 Soundings Amateur Sleuths Crime Fiction Fiction Historical Mystery Detective Crime

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Critic reviews

"Edward Marston is a master of his craft." (Daily Mail)
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This was a little confusing because there were so many storylines going on at once and at times it seemed that the story didn’t know what it wanted to be.
The voice characterizations were good except for the one of the main character Nicholas Bracewell. He sounds at times like a drunk and at other times like a timid, halting twerp. Very disappointing compared to other narrators.
On the whole, it was entertaining, but the poor choice of voice for Bracewell really detracted.

A convoluted but entertaining story

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