X-Book

Once Upon a Crime

Roger LeCarre (Book 1)

Click Buy to Log in and see personalised pricing.

Send as a gift Get in the xigxag app

Listen to a sample

What to expect

THE ABSURD CRIME FICTION PARODY BY FICTIONAL AUTHOR 'MARTIN FISHBACK' - AS SEEN ON BBC TWO

'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

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 10km 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.

Critics Review

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
Fergus Craig is one of the funniest people I know and this book proves it. I can't wait for you to get involved in his VERY silly thriller. We all need more laughs like this
Aisling Bea
Laugh out loud funny. Detective Roger Le Carre is a crime-solving comedy GOD
Mark Billingham
Tea-spittingly hilarious. Shades of Spike Milligan, Douglas Adams and Alan Partridge
Chris Brookmyre
Funny and gripping
Dara Ó Briain
A book so funny it makes you wish you were the subject of a murder investigation in Exeter
Al Murray
Exceptionally funny... crime writing (in the Exeter area) will never be the same
Marcus Brigstocke
Author Fergus Craig
Narrator Fergus Craig
Series Roger LeCarre
Duration 5 hours and 59 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781405550703
Format Audiobook
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Genre Comic (humorous) crime and mystery
Availability AU, GB, IE, US

About xigxag

xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK’s only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.

There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at £8.99. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from £3.99. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.

Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.

Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.