The Brenda and Effie Mysteries

The Woman in a Black Beehive

By: Paul Magrs

Narrated by: Anne Reid

Length: 1 hr and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Welcome to the mysterious town of Whitby, where all the monsters and demons of old come to retire and live out the remainder of their spooky days and nights and eat fish and chips on the seafront. There's a strange new landlady in town, opening a B&B by the harbour; a lady with a tall black beehive, nasty scars about her person and a very chequered past.

Soon she's teamed up with part-time witch Effie and together they investigate the mystery of the ghostly singing cat on the rooftops of the old town, and the savage maulings of old ladies in lonely alleyways. Also - there's something very peculiar about the awful painting that Effie drags home from an auction. Can it really be coming to ghastly life?

Superannuated supernatural sleuths Brenda and Effie are veterans of six cult novels by Paul Magrs (Doctor Who). Now Anne Reid (Last Tango in Halifax, Dinnerladies) brings Magrs's macabre creations to life in their very first adventure, written especially for audio. Here we are at the very start: about to hear the truth of what happened when Brenda met Effie for the very first time!

©2014 Bafflegab Productions (P)2014 Bafflegab Productions

Critic reviews

"A rich vein of dry humour that sparkles... a strong start for a series that shows every sign of becoming a fan favourite." ( STARBURST Magazine)

"'The Woman in a Black Beehive' is a fantastic, deftly-written and performed opening chapter to what promises to be a truly splendid series. Absolutely, and thoroughly, recommended." ( Mass Movement Magazine)

"I was drwan in immediately... A very, very different sort of supernatural investigation." ( SCI-FI Bulletin)

A spooky mystery, but it's all for laughs

This was a fun short listen about the spooky goings on at an English seaside town. Don't worry if you can't handle scary stuff, be case the spooks are strictly the Scooby-Doo kind. The reader did an excellent job with the various voices. The music added a lot to the mood. However, the reader does use a very strong, thick regional British accent which took some getting used to. I recommend listening to a sample before buying.

Great story expertly read!

Really enjoyed this audio book. The plot is great, very British tongue in cheek gothic horror. Annie Reid does such a fantastic job of reading it in her strong Lancashire accent she just feels perfect for a story set in Whitby. All in all it's like being read a good ghost story by your favorite grandmother, Full of heart and very well written. I can't wait to listen to the rest of the series!

Will be listening to more in this series!

Loved the narrators and sound effects. I found it to be
an extremely enjoyable listening experience.

Perfect stormy day listening

Narrator was an excellent choice for this hilarious spooky tale. I listened to it on a storm filled autumn day close to Halloween. This will be one that I'll listen to often when those winter blues make an appearance. I highly recommend listening to this story.

Clever beyond my less wilder dreams

I must admit it's more than i thought it would be, and glad there are more of the Brenda novellas. My considerable commute is less annoying by this Mrs Doutefire and mystic sprit friends is a well needed dalliance, a restoritive cuppa for my soul.

Interesting series

This was my first exposure to Brenda and Effie. Just today my copy of "Never the Bride" arrived in the mail. I really enjoyed The Woman in the Black Beehive. An interesting tale and we get to see how they met and Brenda is just opening her B&B. I am looking forward to reading the books and listening to the other audio adventures as well.