The Sword-Edged Blonde cover art

The Sword-Edged Blonde

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The Sword-Edged Blonde

By: Alex Bledsoe
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
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About this listen

 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. Action & Adventure Classics Dark Fantasy Detective Fantasy Fiction Mystery Private Investigators Royalty Paranormal

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

Positive surprise

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Its a very strange mix of fantasy and gumshoe, it has loads of references which should sound stupid but actually don't. Its a well thought out plot with good characters. The weirdness needed a great narrator to pull it off and Rudnicki gives a masterclass. Lots of fun .....

Weird but good!

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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.

Two genres for the price of one.

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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.

Enjoyable, very listenable, good start to a series

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Classic noir PI with big heart saves damsels instead of dames. Enjoyable tale told by the right narrator.

Historical Fantasy meets Marlowe

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