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  • Once upon a Crime

  • By: Fergus Craig
  • Narrated by: Fergus Craig
  • Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (303 ratings)

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Once upon a Crime

By: Fergus Craig
Narrated by: Fergus Craig
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Summary

The absurd crime fiction parody by fictional author 'Martin Fishback' - as seen on BBC Two.

Exeter: a city in decline, East Devon's capital of crime.

Detective Roger LeCarre: a man on a quest to rid the world of crime (starting with Devon and Cornwall and then working outwards) so he can concentrate on his watercolours.

LeCarre runs 10 km a day but probably burns more calories shaking his head at what has become of his city. Now Exeter is set to become the UK Capital of Culture and the ambitious lord mayor wants to turn things around. But when a young man's (dead) body is found in the centre of town, things get murky.

Detective Roger LeCarre is a character never seen before in modern fiction - a tough but troubled detective with a drink problem and a marriage in trouble. Can he find out who killed the young man, save the city and change his energy provider before the new more expensive tariff kicks in?

Filled with drama, eroticism and very specific Wikipedia-sourced information on Devon, Once upon a Crime is a thriller that takes itself very seriously and that should not, on any account, actually be taken seriously.

©2021 Fergus Craig (P)2021 Hachette Audio UK
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Critic reviews

"What's better than a good crime novel? I'll tell you - a spoof crime novel, by the absurdly funny and clever Fergus Craig." (Miranda Hart)

"We all need more laughs like this." (Aisling Bea)

What listeners say about Once upon a Crime

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Do not listen to it in public

Having read this a lot whilst running, you get some strange looks as you start laughing apparently for no reason.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Hilarious

Loved every word. So, so funny. Don't listen in public. Too embarrassing when laughing out loud, often.

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

Hilarious send up of crime fiction

Genuinely laugh-out-loud; and considerably enhanced by Fergus’ hilarious narration, if you love crime novels…or maybe even kinda hate crime novels… this book is brilliant.

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

High literature indeed!

This is a book which will be studied by literature students for years to come. A rare example of what can be achieved when a work transcends its genre and becomes deeply profound, questioning the very nature of what it is to be human.
Written by a wordsmith with such a delicate sensibility you cannot fail to be moved to tears.
Buy it.
Immediately.
Don’t even waste time listening to the preview.
Bravo Martin and bring on book 2!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Hilarious & gripping

funny from the start to the very close. loved it and the reading of it. was exactly what I hoped it would be,just wanted more le carre

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

Great CRIME spoof

In the words of Chan, “yes…yes”. Very funny and the audiobook is the best version. Check out his videos on Twitter.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Hilariously brilliant.

If you’re a fan of Fergus, you’ll love this. Once upon a Crime is a laugh a minute, unless you listen on double speed, and then it would be a laugh every 30 seconds, or two laughs a minute. It’s the same.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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not to listen to this would be a CRIME!!

Hilariously romping through pedantic and overzealous crime fighting with Detective Roger LeCarre. A flight of fanciful old fashioned coppering in Exeter with a salute to Alan Partridge-esque verbal ramblings , Inspector Clouseau incompetence, peppered with clichés, and cricketers surname characters. Brilliantly read by the author.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it

If you've followed Roger LeCarre on @FergusCraig Twitter, you will love this.
It does not disappoint, ever better it has been narrated by the author.
Loved it, thank you Fergus. Look forward to many more!

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

This book is . . .

Seriously it's not serious, funnily it's also not funny.
Seriously it's not funny, and funnily is not serious.
If I had to sum the book up in four words I would say "sarcastic cringeworthy crime drama"
If the BBC dramatized this for radio it would be on Radio 4 at 6:30 p.m.
Looking forward to the second installment.

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