Once Upon a Crime
The Brothers Grimm Mysteries, Book 2
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Narrated by:
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Kate Reading
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By:
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P. J. Brackston
About this listen
From New York Times best-selling author P. J. Brackston comes the prequel to Gretel and the Case of the Missing Frog Prints.
Gretel - yes, that Gretel - is now 35, very large, still living with her brother, Hans, and working as a private investigator.
The small, sleepy town of Gesternstadt is shaken to its pretty foundations when the workshop of the local cart maker is burned to the ground, and a body is discovered in the ashes. It is Gretel who notices that the cadaver is missing a finger. At first she does not see this as significant, as her mind is fully focused on a new case. Not that she doesn't want to investigate an intriguing murder, but her client is willing to pay over the odds, so she must content herself with trying to trace three missing cats. It is not until she is further into her investigations that she realizes the two events are inextricably and dangerously connected, and that the mystery of the missing cats will lead her into perilous situations and frightening company.
Gretel soon finds herself accused of kidnapping Princess Charlotte, locked up in the cells at the Summer Schloss, repelling the advances of an amorous troll, strapped to a rack in Herr Schmerz's torture chamber, and fleeing a murder charge. With dubious help from her brother (whose scant wits are habitually addled by drink), she must prove her innocence, solve the puzzle of the unidentified corpse, and find the stolen cats before they meet a grisly end.
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By: Mercedes Lackey
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Wicked
- The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
- By: Gregory Maguire
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 19 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Heralded as an instant classic of fantasy literature, Maguire has written a wonderfully imaginative retelling of The Wizard of Oz told from the Wicked Witch's point of view. More than just a fairy tale for adults, Wicked is a meditation on the nature of good and evil.
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It's not easy being green
- By PangaeaReads on 07-30-08
By: Gregory Maguire
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Shaman's Crossing, Book One of the Soldier Son Trilogy
- By: Robin Hobb
- Narrated by: John Keating
- Length: 24 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Hugo and Nebula Award finalist Robin Hobb crafts intricate fantasy tales featuring larger-than-life characters and exotic landscapes. Nevare Burvelle survives the King’s Cavalla Academy—where nepotism and corruption reign—to become a soldier in the Gernian king’s army. As he and his fellow soldiers are thrust onto the front lines of the king’s brutal territorial expansion campaign, they struggle against the Plainspeople—forest-dwellers who possess a powerful magic long dismissed by the Gernians.
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Sometimes Magic Isn't A Good Thing
- By Therese M. Woolley on 10-18-13
By: Robin Hobb
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Lamp Black, Wolf Grey
- A Novel
- By: Paula Brackston
- Narrated by: Marisa Calin
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Artist Laura Matthews finds her new home in the Welsh mountains to be a place so charged with tales and legends that she is able to reach through the gossamer-fine veil that separates her own world from that of myth and fable. She and her husband, Dan, have given up their city life and moved to Blaencwm, an ancient longhouse high in the hills. Here, she hopes that the wild beauty will inspire her to produce her best art and will give her the baby they have longed for.
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Just plain silly
- By Jennifer S Lewis on 08-10-18
By: Paula Brackston
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House of Furies
- By: Madeleine Roux
- Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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After escaping a harsh school where punishment was the lesson of the day, 17-year-old Louisa Ditton is thrilled to find employment as a maid at a boardinghouse. But soon after her arrival at Coldthistle House, Louisa begins to realize that the house's mysterious owner, Mr. Morningside, is providing much more than lodging for his guests. Far from a place of rest, the house is a place of judgment, and Mr. Morningside and his unusual staff are meant to execute their own justice on those who are past being saved.
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One of the characters is Satan..lots of the occult
- By Angela Briggs on 07-25-19
By: Madeleine Roux
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The Fairy Godmother
- Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Book 1
- By: Mercedes Lackey
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Elena Klovis was supposed to be her kingdom's Cinderella - until an accident of fate left her with a completely inappropriate prince! Determined not to remain with her stepfamily, Elena set out to get a new job - and ended up becoming the Fairy Godmother for the land. But "Breaking with Tradition" was no easy matter. True, she didn't have to sleep in the chimney, but she had to deal with arrogant, stuffed-shirt princes who kept trying to rise above their place in the tale.
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An excellent start to a new series
- By Captain Skurvy on 01-16-13
By: Mercedes Lackey
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Instruments of Darkness
- A Novel
- By: Imogen Robertson
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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In the year 1780, Harriet Westerman, the willful mistress of a country manor in Sussex, finds a dead man on her grounds with a ring bearing the crest of Thornleigh Hall in his pocket. Not one to be bound by convention or to shy away from adventure, she recruits a reclusive local anatomist named Gabriel Crowther to help her find the murderer, and historical suspense's newest investigative duo is born.
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Not The Best, But Not Too Bad...
- By MJ on 01-13-13
By: Imogen Robertson
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The Innocent Mage
- By: Karen Miller
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 20 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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"The Innocent Mage is come, and we stand at the beginning of the end of everything." Being a fisherman like his father isn't a bad life, but it's not the one that Asher wants. Despite his humble roots, Asher has grand dreams. And they call him to Dorana, home of princes, beggars, and the warrior mages who have protected the kingdom for generations. Little does Asher know, however, that his arrival in the city is being closely watched by members of the Circle, people dedicated to preserving an ancient magic.
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Heroic Fantasy well written
- By Bruce on 03-29-12
By: Karen Miller
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I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire
- Ravenloft: Strahd, Book 1
- By: P. N. Elrod
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Some of the parchment pages were the color of cream, thick and substantial, made to last many, many lifetimes. Other pages were thin and desiccated, positively yellow from age, and crackled alarmingly as Van Richten turned them over. There were no ornate illuminations, no fussy borders, only lines of plain text in hard black ink. The flowing handwriting was a bit difficult to follow at first; the writer's style of calligraphy had not been in common use for 300 years. No table of contents, but from the dates it looked to be some kind of history.
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Love it...just one complaint....
- By Ryan Conrad on 03-15-14
By: P. N. Elrod
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The Monstrumologist
- By: Rick Yancey
- Narrated by: Steven Boyer
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Dr. Warthrop is a scientist who tracks and studies real-life monsters. Assisted by his 12-year-old apprentice, Will Henry, Dr. Warthrop discovers a pod of Anthropophagi and launches a hunt to destroy the foul beasts.
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Reader Be Warned
- By Eddie on 01-25-15
By: Rick Yancey
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Lens of the World
- Lens of the World, Book 1
- By: R. A. MacAvoy
- Narrated by: Jeremy Arthur
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Lens of the World is the story of a prodigious life. It recounts the coming of age of Nazhuret, an outcast and orphan who rises from his lowly estate as a ward of the Sordaling military school to become a mighty warrior, philosopher, and confidant of the King of Vestinglon. As he grows, the young man receives outlandish knowledge and is prepared for an entirely exceptional destiny far beyond the narrow confines of his kingdom.
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Beautifully told coming of age story
- By KH on 12-13-12
By: R. A. MacAvoy
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The Lawrence Browne Affair
- By: Cat Sebastian
- Narrated by: Gary Furlong
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Lawrence Browne, the Earl of Radnor, is mad. At least that's what he and most of the village believes. A brilliant scientist, he hides himself away in his family's crumbling estate, unwilling to venture into the outside world. When an annoyingly handsome man arrives at Penkellis, claiming to be Lawrence's new secretary, his carefully planned world is turned upside down.
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Historical romance without the stupid stuff
- By April on 09-28-20
By: Cat Sebastian
What listeners say about Once Upon a Crime
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Melanie
- 04-21-21
Enjoyable, different and interesting characters
First Kate Reading is a great narrator. this book will definitely put her in my top 3 of female narrators. she did a great job on the men, differentiating all of the characters, the accents, but most importantly giving life to the story. I feel as if too many authors are trying to cut corners (save money) by getting crappy narrator. I said I FEEL. But this was really narrated well.
P.J. Brackston wrote a grown up fairy tale. If you like mysteries, with lots of twists and turns and don't try to figure it out just read it for the fun and relaxation of it. this is for you. These are interesting characters that I want to get to know better. They may be fairy tale characters, but they are so relatable.
I am moving right on to the next book!
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- Chris
- 04-16-21
Witty and thoroughly entertaining.
Really enjoyed this book. Did not read 1 in the series but didn't make any difference. PJ brackston puts those skills to good use allowing her humor and wit to shine through in these imaginative , wildly amusing, wonderfully clever faerie tales. A good helping of Pratchet, a dollop of Butcher, Hearne and Holmes. With a side of Bratwurst. I like this series not only for its whimsy, storybook elements, and enjoyable mix of characters, but also because it has a smart, funny female protagonist, Gretel, who happens to be a private detective, a premise that lends itself well to a fun adventures in future books.
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- hxxmichelle
- 10-06-21
Clever twist on classic fairytale characters, Gretel and Hansel!
Entertaining, clever read! Recommended by a new Audible user/veteran audio book listener! Took me a minute to get used to the descriptive language in the beginning; but, I either got used to it or it evened out as the story went on. The narrator has lovely tone and was very comfortable to listen to. I listened at 1.3x speed.
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- Angela
- 04-01-16
Enjoyable but should be book one in the series
I very much enjoyed both books so far in this series, but it's quite obvious that they were written and meant to be read Once Upon a Crime first and then Gretel and the Case of the Missing Frog Prints second. I don't know why they were published out of order with OUC being described as a "prequel," because this book ends chronologically exactly where GCMFP begins. There's a lot of exposition and universe building in OUC that would have been helpful when reading the first book in the series, GCMFP. I'm sure this unusual publication order had more to do with marketing (perhaps because Gretel's name is in the title of GCMFP?) or production schedules and not the author's intention.
Although both books are enjoyable and understandable in the current series order, I would recommend reading the second book (GCMFP) first and the first book (OUC) second! I like this series not only for its whimsy, storybook elements, and enjoyable mix of characters, but also because it has a smart, funny female protagonist, Gretel, who happens to be a private detective, a premise that lends itself well to myriad fun adventures in future books.
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13 people found this helpful
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- Courtney
- 06-25-23
Just lovely!
Another excellent story with Detective Gretel. Charming, a nicely paced storyline, and very well told.
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- Charisma
- 08-15-18
A deliciously flawed, fun and fierce female protagonist
Putting it plainly, I haven’t read the first in this series. But this sequel is so good that I hope the author writes another. Gretel of this imagination and world is brave and funny and smart. I’ve recently started to explore fantasy fiction, and find that such easy-going, likeable, clever heroines or even other female characters of this type in the genre, are not exactly abundant. I am delighted to find a female lead carry a story so brilliantly on her “big” beautiful shoulders. You’ll see what I mean. The mystery element is alive and vibrant. Other characters are tangible too. Ms. Reading reads wonderfully as only she can.
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2 people found this helpful
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- BuzzWiggs
- 03-08-21
Misnumbered
This is obviously the first book in the series and not the second as it's ending is where the nominally first book (Gretel and the Missing Frog Prints) begins. Despite being in the wrong sequence, I've enjoyed both stories immensely and Kate Reading ( is that her real name? ) is one of the best voices in the business. I am eager to begin the next book!
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- An avid reader
- 10-06-22
Answers what became of Hansel and Gretel.
Loved the story! Dry sense of humor with many laughs. No story spoilers from me.
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- AngelBill K. Wasserman
- 01-27-21
Delightful
A good helping of Pratchet, a dollop of Butcher, Hearne and Holmes. With a side of Bratwurst.
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3 people found this helpful
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- judy wyatt scott
- 05-31-22
great story
great entertainment and narrated excellently, lots of laughs throughout, will definitely get the whole series
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