Death and the Burlesque Maiden

By: Imogen Church

Narrated by: Imogen Church

Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

When one of Nora Bunstruggle’s friends is murdered in cold blood, it sends the Coochie Hole burlesque club on Megalopolis into shock.

It soon becomes clear that the police have zero interest in the death of a burlesque dancer. But what if the twisted killer strikes their troupe again? And who is going to exact justice for the victim’s now motherless child?

Nora and the gang from the Coochie Hole realise that if they want to get to catch their faceless murderous foe, they are going to have to roll their sleeves up and kick some backsides themselves.

They must use all their collective skills if they are going to catch the killer and avenge Sue’s death. But what they discover one night in a dark dank basement will shock them to the core....

©2021 Imogen Church (P)2021 Audible, Ltd

Fun read by a great narrator!

It is no surprise that the greatest narrator wrote such a good book. I could listen to anything Imogen narrates but this was so much fun knowing it was her own book. I loved the characters! I wanted to know them in real life. The story was easy to fall in synch with and I could have finished it so quick but I made it last a few car rides to work. Fun murder mystery and characters you want to protect.

One of the BEST books I’ve ever listened too.

The humor, the banter, the descriptions of damn near everything. I could just eat this up!! Absolutely magnificent piece of work from start to finish. Bonus: Imogen is the best narrator in the biz!!

A brilliantly crafted marriage of humor and suspense, coated in rhinestones and nipple glue

Death and the Burlesque Maiden: A brilliantly crafted marriage of humor and suspense, coated in rhinestones and nipple glue!

As a previous reviewer stated, once you’ve listened to something Imogen Church has narrated, you can never go back. She is that good. You will find yourself typing her name in the search bar and adding every title that appears to your library, regardless of author or genre. Yeah. That’s the sort of power she wields. She could narrate an entire series on the joy of colonoscopy and you know what? We’d all listen to it, gladly, bottle of mag citrate in hand, smile on our faces, concerned look on our spouses and therapists…..

Anyway,

I typically read more serious mystery/thriller/suspense and struggle with novels that contain too many elements of humor as I feel it majorly subtracts from the experience. The comedy feels out of place and makes the murder aspect appear fake, cheap, secondary. I still crave both, though. More than…
I want to be drawn to a mystery, thrilled by suspense and murder, haunted by darkness and grit, delighted and tickled by laugh-out loud comedy, and warmed with feel good family moments. That sounds impossible, right? And like, way too much to ask?? Well, what I found with Death and the Burlesque Maiden was that it satisfied, nay, surpassed all of those desires simultaneously, and incredibly well at that! I felt equally drawn into the mystery and murder elements as I did the fun, zany ones. Neither outshined or detracted from the other. The combination was so perfectly, exquisitely done that I feel this book should be used as a teaching guide for new authors of the genre. Speaking of…

Death and the Burlesque Maiden is not only narrated by Imogen, but it’s written by her as well. This, as it turns out, is quite a treat. Imogen writes beautifully, and her characters are diverse, well rounded, uniquely bizarre, and yet somehow still genuinely human and relatable. The universe she has crafted within this novel is equal parts strange and familiar, assembled so brilliantly that even the completely out-of-this-world silly parts feel so intrinsically real you could touch them. Taste them, even. Like the tomatoes. Sweet, sweet death tomatoes… where was I now? Oh yes..

Whilst obviously stylized and coated in rich fantasy elements (many for comedic purposes), the burlesque depiction was really quite accurate. I have a personal background in entertainment and striptease, and I found the character dynamics and experiences to be very true to that world. Interestingly, I learned that this is because Imogen herself is a former burlesque artist. I have tried, and failed, to enjoy other books with burlesque themes simply due to the terrible inaccuracies and stereotypes that plague them. It was refreshing to read an accurate take on it, most particularly the off-stage antics and chosen family element that really is at the beating core of performer life. That, and all the rhinestones and farting. Totally accurate.

This book is also very LGBTQIA+ friendly and inclusive. Queer characters exist here. If you’re confused by the simplicity of that sentence, let me explain; I mean, they simply exist. They aren’t tokenized, they aren’t overly explained, they aren’t applauded or ostracized or martyred, they just exist. It’s honestly really refreshing. There’s even a gender-fluid character with he/she pronouns, and this isn’t made into a whole ordeal.

There’s also a beautiful and hopeful family aspect interwoven throughout that brings a splash of optimism and warmth that perfectly balances the dark and gritty tones.

Finally, the conclusion is one I would never have anticipated in a million years. It left me equal parts shocked and satisfied. I had about a million guesses as to who the killer really was or how it all connected and absolutely none of them were right, which is precisely how I like it. My expectations were exceeded. Outstanding. The delivery of this twist was even more satisfying. Imogen is not merely a narrator, but an artist. The way she uses her voice to both express the very essence of a character and elicit certain emotions of the reader (listener) completely transcends acting and falls into a category of sorcery.

I give this book 379 out of 5 stars. A must read.

Imogen Church is Amazing!

I listen to everything she reads! I recommend listening to this book it was very entertaining. She’s so funny!❤️

Delicious! Depraved! The best book of 2021

Ladies and gentlemen—and everyone of indeterminate feelings and genitalia—please put your grubby mitts together, for our very own delicate glass unicorn; the picture of literary perfection, hilarity, and grace; the eternally exquisite:

DEATH AND THE BURLESQUE MAIDEN!

I’ve spent the last week of my life falling madly in love with… laughing hysterically at… unable to get any work done thanks to… this phenomenal book. If I were to erect (pun enthusiastically intended) my own cabal of formidable Harpies, my BOO would include:

Clem, alias Miss Twinkle Buns. Skills: fighting; dancing; farting on demand; looking like she can’t and never would do two of those things; great with mechanicals. Clem is a fighter. A survivor. She's got the legs AND the jaw for the part.

Nora, alias Mutiny Belle. Poet-cum-revolutionary. Previous experience includes inciting a rebellion, masterminding a mass escape from an asylum followed by political pressure-pointing until said asylum was closed down, etc. Big, bold, beautiful. A reminder that public servants can sometimes have the most ferocious hearts beating beneath the tweed.

Lil, alias Slutty Nutcracker. Skills: Trumpet; accents; acting; conning people for ultimately good reasons; Academy-Award-worthy performances of Chastity Rockbottom, Bernice Bones, et al. A total badass who loves sex and won't apologize for it.

And last but CERTAINLY not least: Imogen, alias Not-That-Kind-of-Church Lady. Skills: 5-star audiobook narration; feminist genius; razor-sharp wit; unsung hero of macabre theme songs; looks great in sparkles; debut author of the never-before-seen hybrid of thriller, noir, mystery, comedy, and parody (they call it burlesque for a reason, folks). In sum: she wrote the best book of 2021.

Meanwhile, some narration.

DatBM has something for everyone. Fierce, feminist, queer female leads who have brains, beauty, AND crystal nipple tassels? Holy Eleanor Roosevelt, yes! A heart-pounding mystery with a sinister villain who is the evil, ulcer-oozing embodiment of the twisted patriarchy? Thank Wollstonecraft! Utterly hilarious burlesque routines punctuated by trumpeting farts that will make you laugh out loud when listening with earbuds at 1am, thereby awaking your poor innocent partner sleeping beside you? ABSO-VAGINA-TRUMPET-LUTELY.

And at its warm and gentle heart: a chosen family whose love is so strong, so powerful, it restored my hope in humanity. One moment I’d be laughing; the next, tears were welling up from some deep place inside me. This is a story about sisterhood; about how even when the whole world is pitted against you, if you join forces with your sisters you can fight evil, fight misogyny, fight racism, ableism, murderism. Add to all this a light sprinkling of gore (pinkie sized), some truly unforgettable side characters (if I die, please don’t ring Reginald Spam), and a naughtily cheeky unreliable narrator (I call her Nookie von Sweet Mics), and you'll begin to see the charm. Gather round, punters: the Coochie Hole doth provideth!

I am so grateful that this story, these characters, this spellbinding narrative exists. I felt kinder after reading it, more open, more in love with the world. What a tremendous gift. Imogen Church, who has lent her voice to so many of our favorite stories, has now done us one better: lent us her voice AND her endless imagination, dazzling mind, and wise and witty soul to spin the best yarn yet.

For the love of Amelia Earhart, head on over to 12 Rumpus Street and let your greedy ears slurp up this delicious, depraved, delectable book.

Imogen Church is just fantastic!

Her narration has always been amazing but listening to her in her own book was such good fun. I recommend this "read" to anyone who enjoys her performances. It took me a short time to get into the swing of the story but once there, I couldn't stop listening. She is simply a delight. Can't wait for her next book!

Imogen is the best

I’m suspicious to talk about her book because I love her, love her work as a narrator and now as writer! The book was great, I love the story.

What a perfect book.

I became an instant fan of Imogen Church the moment I listened to a book she had narrated, many years ago. I don’t think there’s a story out there that I would want someone else to narrate, I wish she narrated every single one of them. I also love when a book is narrated (well) by the author, so I was super excited to read this. Even with all that enthusiasm, it exceeded my expectations and surprised me in the best way. She creates a whole world that is so unique and timeless, but also somehow very current. A perfect feminist story for 2021, and we deserve it. Go read it right now.

Burlesque Masterpiece!

The critically acclaimed narrator Imogen Church tries her hand at authorship to a resounding success! Set in the world of burlesque, an atmosphere Ms. Church is intimately familiar with, Death and the Burlesque Maiden is a smart, humorous and well written mystery, filled with twists, turns and snarky comments from the brilliant narrator, Ms. Church herself! She leaves the door open for the next book and I’m here for it!!

LOVED IT!

I first loved Imogen Church for her narration. She can transition between different characters like no one else. So I was intrigued to listen to her own work that she also narrated. I was NOT disappointed. It was entertaining from beginning to end. Can’t wait for more from her!