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The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy  By  cover art

The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy

By: James Anderson
Narrated by: Cornelius Garrett
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Publisher's summary

Welcome to Alderley, a magnificent mansion in the heart of the West Country where a grand house party is taking place. The preparations have been made, the guests have been invited, and the staff are on hand. What could possibly go wrong? Let the entertainment begin.

The theft of the diamond necklace and the antique pistols might all be explained, but the body in the lake - that really was a puzzle. 'Don't expect me to solve anything,' Inspector Wilkens announced modestly when he arrived to sort out the unpleasantness. And at a gathering that included English aristocracy, foreign agents in disguise, a ravishing baroness, a daring jewel thief, a Texas millionaire and, of course, the imperturbable butler, it was going to take some intricate sleuthing to uncover who killed whom and why.

©1975 James Anderson (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

the title says it all

The novel follows through on its title -- a very funny, campy "manor house" murder mystery set on eve of WWII. The crazy-quilt denouement was, however, too long for my tastes although lovers of convoluted Golden Age homages may like the multiple twists. Cornelius Garret displays virtuosity, but I would have preferred more restrained voices for some of the international accents. I look forward to the subsequent "mangled mink" affair and hope that Audible unearths more from Anderson.

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33 people found this helpful

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

It had me right up to the end

Any additional comments?

I was thoroughly enjoying this story until the final wrap up, and then things got so unnecessarily convoluted that I needed a cheat sheet showing where each character was at every moment in connection with every other character. I enjoyed the writing style and the characters and the fact that there was no unnecessary violence. He came so close, I will probably give the author another try. The narrator was good, except that the female voices were a little funky.

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8 people found this helpful

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

Cornelius Garret!!!

Cornelius Garret could read the phone book and I would pay to listen. He is the reason I discovered James Anderson. I highly recommend this book. It is a mystery that you could solve IF you pay attention to the details. Really close attention. Really. Close. Attention. If you enjoy Agatha Christy type mysteries please read The Affair of the blood stained Egg Cosy. Garret brigs a myriad of quirky characters together that are so distinct it is impossible to remember that only one person is reading.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Dull after a good start.

I was expecting a comfortable cosy murder mystery, per other people's reviews. This story starts off alright, but rapidly degenerates into complete implausibility combined with too many characters and not much character development. Maybe it is better in the print version - perhaps there are maps of the murder scene or other visual aids to help the reader enjoy the story.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Cornelius Garrett let me down

I have listened to and enjoyed many books narrated by Cornelius Garrett, but this one I could not finish. The tipping point was his cartoonish attempt to do a Texas accent. I will just have to read this book. Thanks Audible for allowing me to return it.

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3 people found this helpful

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

Ingenious and delightful

It’s one of those mysteries where, if you really want to track the solution, you’ll need a spreadsheet. Pretty much everything that matters happens between 2:20 and 2:30am. Or you can just let it wash over you and revel in the delightful characters, the excellent narration, and the sparkling humor. It appears there are two other mysteries in the series, both taking place at the same country estate, and I’m looking forward to curling up with them.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Mystery Maven

Would like to return, not interesting and unable to go any further to attempt to complete.

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2 people found this helpful

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

Lengthy denouement

Starts out as a standard English country house party tale with an endless array of guests and police. The unraveling of the myriad threads if the plot takes a number of chapters. Every character hets sorted out so all mysteries are solved

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2 people found this helpful

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

Best narrator ever!

Cornelius Garrett is an amazing narrator! He gives a different voice to every single character and never slips up. His narration adds life and color to the story.

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2 people found this helpful

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

Great rated G mystery!

Clean, interesting, entertaining. I love the narrator. He also narrated "The Reluctant Widow" one of my favorite books!

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2 people found this helpful