Comical (humorous) crime and mystery

Book SynopsisTHE FIRST NOVEL IN THE RECORD-BREAKING, MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES.----------''Smart, compassionate, warm, moving and so VERY funny'' Marian Keyes''So smart and funny. Deplorably good'' Ian Rankin''Thrilling, moving, laugh-out-loud funny'' Mark BillinghamIn a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case.Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it''s too late?The Times Crime Book of the MonthGuardian Best Crime and Thrillers----------''A warm, wise and witty warning never to underestimate the elderly'' Val McDermid''I completely fell in love with it'' Shari Lapena''This is properly brilliant. The pages fly and I can''t stop smiling'' Steve Cavanagh''Steeped in Agatha Christie joy'' Araminta Hall''Pure escapism'' Guardian''As gripping as it is funny'' Evening Standard''An exciting new talent in crime fiction'' Daily Mail''A witty and poignant tale'' Daily Telegraph''Funny and original'' SunRichard Osman, Sunday Times bestseller, March 2024The Bullet that Missed broke the record for the fastest-selling adult fiction hardback ever, September 2022Trade Review'A little beacon of pleasure' -- Kate Atkinson'Funny, clever and achingly British' -- Adam Kay'Compelling. Mystery fans are going to be enthralled' -- Harlan Coben 'A total pleasure . . . very, very funny' -- Abigail Dean

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Book SynopsisTrade Review'This slick sequel will leave you buzzing' * The Times *'Superbly entertaining' * Guardian *'Warm, funny and oh-so British' * I Paper *Thrilling, moving, laugh-out-loud funny and packed with characters you will want to see a LOT more of -- Mark BillinghamCompelling. Mystery fans are going to be enthralled -- Harlan CobenSmart, compassionate, warm, moving and so VERY funny. I smiled a million times. This book will make a lot of people very, very happy -- Marian KeyesA warm, wise and witty warning never to underestimate the elderly -- Val McDermidFunny, clever and achingly British - what else would you expect from a book by Richard Osman? -- Adam Kay

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Book Synopsis*Discover The Secret Hours, the gripping new thriller from Mick Herron and an unmissable read for Slough House fans**Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman*THE INSTANT #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'A pitch-perfect espionage thriller' Sunday TimesIn MI5 a scandal is brewing and there are bad actors everywhere.A key member of a Downing Street think-tank has disappeared without a trace. Claude Whelan, one-time First Desk of MI5's Regent's Park, is tasked with tracking her down. But the trail leads straight back to Regent's Park HQ itself, with its chief, Diana Taverner, as prime suspect. Meanwhile her Russian counterpart has unexpectedly shown up in London but has slipped under MI5's radar.Over at Slough House, the home for demoted and embittered spies, the slow horses are doing what they do best: adding a little bit of chaos to an already unstable situation.In a world where lying, cheating and backstabbing is the norm, bad actors are bending the rules for their own gain. If the slow horses want to change the script, they'll need to get their own act together before the final curtain.*Includes the short story Standing by the Wall: A Slough House Interlude*'The foremost living spy novelist in the English language' New Statesman'This is entertainment of the highest class' Literary Review'The man is a genius' The SpectatorTrade ReviewBad Actors took a big step into literary excellence. The dazzling, Conrad-like structure turned an entertainment into a major literary statement -- Philip Hensher * The Spectator *Bad Actors is both thriller and anti-thriller: subverting and denying the treats you expect from the genre, but then providing them in a twisted form after all * Sunday Times *Jackson Lamb is the greatest literary creation of this century . . . Herron is master of the metaphor and his extraordinarily well-plotted books are always centred on real-life events -- Nikki May * Great British Life *An ingeniously structured caper * Mail on Sunday *Satire at its best along with him being one of the best spy thriller writers around * Shots Mag *Britain's finest contemporary thriller series * Daily Express *There's no doubting Herron's intelligence. Will he prove to be our age's Anthony Trollope? . . . Few other contemporary thrillers, at any event, would have the confidence to make a plot point of the post-Brexit residency status of some of Lazio's hardcore Curva Nord football fans . . . [Bad Actors] deserves the bouquets that will come its way, and Herron is building a series with lasting resonance. We'll miss the show when some day he decides to bring the curtain down * The Times *A pitch-perfect espionage thriller and a double delight for political nerds as it thrusts the slow horses into a Russian intelligence operation in Westminster . . . What Bad Actors shows is that he has inherited le Carré's mantle for using the thriller to dissect the times in which he lives . . . Bad Actors is his most piquant political satire, dripping with tart observations about our unruly rulers -- Tim Shipman * Sunday Times Culture *Anyone who enjoys Mick Herron's masterful political satires and fantastical spy fiction must be afraid that one day his powers of invention will falter. It hasn't happened yet. Bad Actors is as good as ever . . . This novel contains some serious, hard-hitting emotions alongside the wit, neat plotting, great action scenes, beautiful descriptions and wonderful schoolboy smut (placed in the mouth of Lamb) we have come to associate with Herron's writing. This is entertainment of the highest class * Literary Review *This highly topical, beautifully written, indecently entertaining book maintains the impeccably high standards Herron has set for this essential series * Irish Times *What spurs me to keep reading each new instalment is Herron's absurdist voice, which could devolve into cheap cynicism but never does * New York Times *Written with the gifted Herron's typical wit, and with Lamb's personality pervading every page, this is the antithesis of the discreet George Smiley * Daily Mail *One of the best entries in an outstanding series * Daily Express (Scotland), Daily Mirror *What we're reading * i Paper *It's beautifully written with a satisfyingly complex plot and an explosive finale * Daily Record *Like all of Herron's enthralling series, Bad Actors is both thriller and anti-thriller, subverting and denying the treats you expect from the genre, but then sardonically providing them in a twisted form after all * Sunday Times, Thriller of the Month *Anyone who tries to understand modern Britain through its fiction but overlooks Mick Herron's satirical thrillers merits a punishment posting to the critics' version of Slough House . . . Snappily paced, his comic prose fizzes with an epigrammatic chutzpah, softened by elegiac grace notes. . . Herron, in Wodehouse or Pratchett mode, fashions a self-sustaining comic realm . . . it's the line-by-line hits of patter and backchat - part-Noël Coward, part-Joe Orton - that spritz every page * The Spectator *Beautifully written with a satisfyingly complex plot and an explosive finale. Herron remains Britain's finest living thriller writer . . . [A] remarkable talent * Sunday Express *New readers attracted by the TV version of Slow Horses will find Herron at his very best * Mail on Sunday, Mail Online *The foremost living spy novelist in the English language -- John Gray * New Statesman *I roared through Mick Herron's new Slough House novel, Bad Actors, with the odious, odorous genius Jackson Lamb at its heart, and a couple of loathsome main characters who surely only coincidentally resemble well-known British political figures of our time * Robert Macfarlane *The man is a genius * The Spectator *One of the most consistently enjoyable literary achievements of the past decade * The Times *Mixes his trademark black comedy with insights into the tangled moral universe we inhabit . . . Herron at his very best * Mail on Sunday *Herron stands firmly in the line of descent from Ian Fleming. It is fitting that he has been given the broadcast treatment because - following the death of John le Carré - he is at the summit of what I believe is a new golden age of spy fiction . . . Herron began writing about a private detective and switched to spy thrillers in 2010, but it was eight years before he made it big. While he won awards, his books barely sold. His second, Dead Lions (2013), did not even secure a hardback release in the UK. It was only when the publisher John Murray rescued him from obscurity that he began to enjoy commercial success - he recently topped one million sales for the Slough House series -- Tim Shipman * Sunday Times *I love Mick Herron's books, both for what they are - which is: pitch-perfect, fantastically-written, hilariously-funny spy capers - and also for what they say about Britain . . . Herron is not just a top-notch thriller writer, but a satirist of the first order -- Oliver Bulloughs, WaterstonesMick Herron's Slough House spy thrillers, about a duff MI5 unit, got me through journeys, despite egregious politicking (the latest, Bad Actors, is in paperback) -- John Lewis-Stempel * Country Life books of the year *

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Book SynopsisA masterpiece of black humour from the renown comic and acclaimed author of ‘At Swim-Two-Birds’ – Flann O’Brien.Trade Review‘Flann O’Brien learned from Joyce the art of tuning language to a lyrical pitch, which he could then turn to his purpose, whether it was to be plain foolery, unconcealed indignation or high comedy. The best of his contemporaries and many subsequent Irish writers have much to thank him for.’ Sunday Times ‘Flann O’Brien is inventive, his storytelling is swift and sure, making the eccentric seem natural and the commonplace hilarious.’ The Times ‘Even with “Ulysses” and “Finnegans Wake” behind him, James Joyce might have been envious.’ Observer ‘Wonderful. “The Third Policeman” is a great masterpiece of black humour.’ George Mackay Brown

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Book SynopsisTHE THIRD NOVEL IN THE RECORD-BREAKING, MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES.YOU KNOW WHO WILL LOVE READING THIS? EVERYONE!----------''Full of Osman''s trademark charm, insight and intelligence'' Lee Child''Tender, hopeful and funny'' Marian Keyes''I adored this thrilling adventure. His best yet!'' Claire Douglas''Infectious, charming and full of heart'' Gillian McAllisterIt is an ordinary Thursday and things should finally be returning to normal.Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club is concerned. A decade-old cold case leads them to a local news legend and a murder with no body and no answers.Then a new foe pays Elizabeth a visit. Her mission? Kill...or be killed.As the cold case turns white hot, Elizabeth wrestles with her conscience (and a gun), while Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim chase down clues with help from old friends and new. But can the gang solve the mystery and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again?----------WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES''Infectious, charming and full of heart'' GILLIAN MCALLISTER''I adored this thrilling adventure. His best yet!'' CLAIRE DOUGLAS''Another witty, charming and hugely entertaining read ... his best yet'' SUNDAY EXPRESS''A joy to be back...intrigue, red herrings and loads of charm'' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING''I snickered so much reading this one'' THE OBSERVER''Opening the new Osman is like sitting down to dinner with treasured friends you know are going to kill you - deliciously!'' PETER JAMES''Full of humour and heart, Osman delivers another must-read. I loved it'' HARLAN COBEN''A warm, wise and witty warning never to underestimate the elderly'' VAL MCDERMID''So smart and funny. Deplorably good'' IAN RANKIN''Thrilling, moving, laugh-out-loud funny'' MARK BILLINGHAMRichard Osman, Sunday Times bestseller, March 2024The Bullet that Missed broke the record for the fastest-selling adult fiction hardback ever, September 2022Trade ReviewHumour is gently threaded through every element * Observer *Unlike the bullet, Richard Osman seems incapable of missing * The Times *Delivered with the sharp wit that we associate with Osman * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisIn this gripping mystery by US bestseller David Handler, sleuthing suthor Stewart Hoag investigates the murder of his wealthy neighbour, and discovers her dark past. 1990s New York. Muriel Cantrell lives in a luxury apartment building on Central Park West, where she's known for her pride and joy: a 1955 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud. Her neighbours include beautiful movie star Merilee Nash – and author Stewart 'Hoagy' Hoag. Hoag, whose career crashed when he got into drugs and alcohol, is on the up and he and basset hound Lulu are glad to be sharing Merilee's life (and apartment) again. Hoagy, Merilee and the building's other residents are shocked when delicate, sweet, elderly Muriel is murdered after a Halloween party. Who in the world would want to harm an old lady whose major vices were buying Chanel suits and watching daytime soap operas? NYPD Lieutenant Romaine Very investigates and again seeks assistance from his friend Hoagy, who is perfectly placed to help. Their sleuthing soon leads to the unexpected source of Muriel's wealth, the history of her years at the Copacabana nightclub, and how her Mob-linked chauffeur came to be called 'Bullets'... not to mention a desperate meth-head nephew, and wealthy neighbours with secrets of their own. A gripping, darkly comic new mystery, The Lady in the Silver Cloud was a Traditional & Historical Crime Club Pick on release. Reviews for David Handler 'One of my all-time favourite series.' Harlan Coben 'Adultery, blackmail, trick-or-treaters, unseemly ties to organized crime, and New York in the 1990s. What's not to like?' Kirkus 'David Handler is a hoot, and his books are just the thing for what ails you.' Parnell HallTrade ReviewAdultery, blackmail, trick-or-treaters, unseemly ties to organized crime, and New York in the 1990s. What's not to like? * Kirkus *PRAISE FOR DAVID HANDLER: 'One of my all-time favorite series!' Harlan Coben. 'David Handler is the master of the sly, comedic mystery' Adriana Trigiani. 'Full of dark secrets and potential suspects, so many of each that they threaten to overwhelm Hoagy, although it should be noted that they never overwhelm author Handler, who keeps a sure hand on the steering wheel' Booklist. 'Handler's breezy, unpretentious and warm-hearted hero provides a breath of fresh air in a world of investigative angst' Publishers Weekly. 'David Handler is a hoot, and his books are just the thing for what ails you. I find it hard to begrudge him his Edgar!' -- Parnell Hall, author of You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled

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Book SynopsisTHE INSTANTLY ICONIC NO. 1 BESTSELLER''Devotees of Midsomer Murders and Agatha Christie''s Miss Marple stories will feel most at home here'' Guardian''I''ve been waiting for a novel with vicars, rude old ladies, murder and sausage dogs... et voila!'' Dawn French''Cosy crime with a cutting edge'' Telegraph''Whodunnit fans can give praise and rejoice'' Ian Rankin''Charming and funny'' ObserverEven better than I knew it would be'' India Knight''Quintessentially English'' Sunday Express''An absolute joy'' Adam Kay''''Wry, tongue-in cheek and whimsical'' Daily Mail''Glorious'' Robert Webb ''Beautifully written, charming, funny, intelligent and mordant too'' Sunday Times''Pitch perfect'' Philip Pullman''A cunning whodunnit'' Daily ExpressCanon Daniel Clement is Rector of Trade ReviewI've been waiting for a novel with vicars, rude old ladies, murder and sausage dogs ... et voila! * Dawn French *The Reverend Richard Coles gives us a serpent in England's pastoral Eden - and whodunit fans can give praise and rejoice. * Ian Rankin *Cosy and charming, Murder Before Evensong is less about the shock and gore of murder than its ripple effect on a small, close-knit community. Devotees of Midsomer Murders and Agatha Christie's Miss Marple stories will feel most at home here. -- Fiona Sturges * GUARDIAN, Audiobook of the week review *Britain's favourite vicar might be hanging up the dog collar, but in Murder Before Evensong he proves to be the unlikely heir to Barbara Pym...Coles is free here to unleash a splendidly caustic wit on those parishioners who deserve it... as Daniel locks horns with his flock over the matter of whether the vintage pews in St Mary's can be moved to make way for a new lavatory, Coles rivals Barbara Pym in his ability to make supremely low-stake conflict gripping... Like all the best cosy mysteries, this is comforting but not anodyne. And the style suits the content perfectly: wonderfully feline when it comes to jokes, but moving easily to unselfconscious wisdom when required. Auden would have admired this novel for meeting his requirements for the classical detective story: but he might also have recognised Coles as being, at his best, a fellow artist with words. -- Jake Kerridge * THE DAILY TELEGRAPH *Even better than I knew it would be. Really well plotted... beautifully written, charming without being twee, funny, intelligent and mordant too. It's cosy, yes, but waaay better than "cosy crime" suggests. -- India Knight * SUNDAY TIMES *Murder Before Evensong is like a walk in the country on a warm summer's evening... one during which your fellow ramblers can be murdered horribly at any moment. Canon Daniel Clement is an inscrutable and erudite detective, while four-legged sidekicks Hilda and Cosmo are his delightful foils. You'll want to take a front row pew in Champton while this delicious series unfolds. * Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal *An absolute joy from cover to cover - funny, clever and wonderfully plotted. Praise be! * Adam Kay *Beautifully written and a warm funny joy from start to finish. * Sarah Millican *Perfect for those who like their cosy crime to have a cutting edge. * Ben Aaronovitch *Glorious. * Robert Webb *Champton joins St Mary Mead and Midsomer in the great atlas of fictional English villages where the crimes are as dastardly as the residents delightful. Canon Daniel Clement must solve mysteries temporal and theological while surviving his parishioners tender ministries. Delightful! And only Richard Coles could pull this off so joyfully and with such style. Biscuit-thieving Cosmo, too, will soon have his own fan club. * Damian Barr *Coles has a gift for subtle comic writing... beyond the fascinating story with its rich characters, the real discovery here is the sniffing out of the author's formidable talent for writing about English life with English humour. Roll on the rest of the series! -- The Reverend Jonathan Aitken * THE OLDIE *Coles does a wonderful job of bringing his congregation to life... [and] moves seamlessly between humour and something deeper... Charming and funny, it is just what you'd expect from the excellent Coles. -- Alison Flood * THE OBSERVER, Thriller of the Month *Coles' murderous take on a quintessentially English parish makes for a likeable, cosy crime caper. -- Jon Coates * SUNDAY EXPRESS *Cosy crime with a cutting edge. * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *A good old page-turner with brilliantly drawn characters, from the aristocratic de Floures to Daniel's astute, snobbish mother, and dachshunds so real you can almost smell them. -- Rose Shepherd * SAGA, Book of the Month *[A] cunning whodunnit... This wise and often beautifully written novel remains most memorable as a sharp but sympathetic portrayal of everyday life in a small community and a clergyman's role within it. -- Jake Kerridge * DAILY EXPRESS *Richard Coles is one of the most sparkling, entertaining, clever and lovable people in public life, as rare and precious to British culture as a Norman cathedral. * Victoria Coren Mitchell *Murder Before Evensong has all the elements that make up a classic detective story: a pitch-perfect setting, a genuine puzzle, a gruesome murder (or more) and engaging characters. I enjoyed it very much. * Philip Pullman *Coles' rendering of his fictional church, St Mary's, in the village of Champton, twinkles with quirky detail and sharp humour. -- Paul Connolly * METRO *A wry, tongue-in cheek and whimsical debut with more than a trace of G. K. Chesterton's Father Brown... charming. -- Geoffrey Wansell * DAILY MAIL *Violent deaths aside, it's a cosy world of Desert Island Discs, flower rotas and walnut cakes, beautifully written and evocative, run through with the comforting, ancient liturgical rhythms that transport you to Evensong and gentle organ music in a cool country church on a summer's evening. -- Kate Green * COUNTRY LIFE *This has all the ingredients of a brilliant new cosy crime series. -- Susan Watson * MY WEEKLY *A brilliant crime romp set in a village full of gossip and secrets. -- Zoe West * WOMAN'S WEEKLY *A deliciously thrilling murder mystery. -- Susan Watson * WOMAN'S WEEKLY SUMMER SPECIAL *He's very good on the nitty-gritty of a clergyman's life. His likable protagonist Canon Daniel Clement's struggle to get parishioners to accept the installation of a new church toilet is every bit as gripping as his investigation of the inevitable series of mystifying murders. -- John Williams * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Coles is a sharp observer of human nature, but his observations are tempered with both humour and compassion, and much of the pleasure in the book lies in the incidental asides. -- CAROLINE CHARTRES * CHURCH TIMES *Coles adds another string to his bow with this witty, Barbara Pym-ish village whodunnit about a crime-solving cleric. * THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, Best Holiday Reads *

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Book SynopsisCrime writer Jen returns to her small hometown with a bestselling book behind her and a bad case of writer''s block. Finding sanctuary in the local bookstore, with an endless supply of coffee, Jen waits impatiently for inspiration to strike. But when theowner of the bookstore dies suddenly in mysterious circumstances, Jen has a real-life murder to solve. The stakes are suddenly higher when evidence places Jen at the scene of the crime and the reading of the will names her as the new owner of the bookstore ... Can she crack the case and clear her name, before the killer strikes again?--Trade Review“Warm, amusing, and relatable… A very entertaining cozy mystery… A relaxing night-time read, and it was perfect for that… I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I loved trying to figure out the murder before I got to the end. This was a cozy, page-turning read” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This ingenious author has written a cannot put down novel” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Book SynopsisSuperb. . .a fast-moving and gripping plot- Publishers Weekly Starred ReviewAugust, 1556. Jack Blackjack is on a simple mission: make it back home to his beloved London. It should be simple, right? Wrong. He''s made it as far as Exeter, but before he can secure a fresh steed in that hellish city, he''s faced with a dead priest, ruthless thieves, and a devious Dean who''s determined to see the back of Jack. That suits Jack just fine - he wants to leave!So when wealthy merchant Wolfe, offers passage to London via sea, Jack jumps at the chance . . . and unwittingly into further danger! With thieves, pirates and potential murderers at every turn who can Jack trust? Will he uncover the truth behind the dead priest and missing merchant ships? But more importantly, will he ever make it home to London with his purse strings and limbs intact? Set during the brief but exceedingly troubled reign of Queen Mary I, elder half-sister to the future Elizabeth I, (1553-1558) the Bloody Mary series features the amoral former cutpurse turned paid assassin, Jack Blackjack, as its cowardly, lecherous, yet strangely likeable amateur sleuth protagonist. The joke is always on Jack as he lurches from one crisis to the next, never quite sure what''s going on, yet always - just about - managing to keep one step ahead of his many enemies and those who, for whatever reason, are trying to kill him.

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Book SynopsisEVERYONE IN MY FAMILY IS A KILLER. EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY IS A SUSPECT.BUT WHICH OF THEM IS A MURDERER?''The best thing I''ve read in ages'' STUART MACBRIDE''Fun, witty and exciting. This is not one to miss!'' 5***** READER REVIEW''A must-read for every fan of the mystery genre'' JANE HARPER_________I knew our family reunion wouldn''t end well. But I didn''t expect murder.Maybe I should have known better. After all, everyone in my family is a killer. My parents, my siblings, my in-laws . . . even me. The deaths weren''t all deliberate, of course. Accidents happen.So when a body is found in the snow, it''s clear it''s the work of a Cunningham. But which one? And why?I''ll give you one clue: it wasn''t me.But a piece of advice? Never trust a Cunningham . . ._________''I absolutely LOVED it. Engaging, entertaining and charming'' MARIAN KEYES''Clever, unexpeTrade ReviewI absolutely loved it. Utterly original, hugely entertaining, and a must-read for every fan of the mystery genre. What an exceptionally fresh, smart, funny book - I've never read anything like this before. -- Jane HarperAn ingenious and hilarious meta-murder mystery . . . strangely moving * Sunday Times 'Best Crime Books of 2022' *As fresh and zingy as a salted lime. It's Knives Out meets Richard Osman. Or Dexter by way of Agatha Christie. Or Schitt's Creek with a body count. It's also the most luxuriantly enjoyable novel I've read in years. And years. I began toting my copy around town so that strangers would ask me about it - who could resist that title? I only wish there were more members of the Cunningham clan, so that this raucous, matchlessly entertaining mystery could go on longer. Benjamin Stevenson, I've got a lot to learn from you -- A.J. FinnThe best thing I've read in ages. I absolutely loved it. Whip-smart, twisted, funny, and constructed with the pinpoint precision of a bloodthirsty watchmaker. -- Stuart MacBrideThis book had me hooked from the first chapter. Deliciously funny, dark and intriguing -- Alex PavesiI absolutely loved it. It's so engaging, entertaining and charming. I don't think I've ever read anything like it, and it's such a fun read -- Marian KeyesClever, unexpected, and not to be missed -- Karin SlaughterAn exceptionally clever and amusing mystery. Stevenson carries off this tour de force with all the aplomb of a master magician who conducts his tricks in plain view * Publishers Weekly *This was such a clever, compelling read. It's a must for anyone who loves the rules of crime fiction, but it still packs plenty of twists. It had me laughing and turning the pages in equal measure. Bravo Mr Stevenson! -- S.J. BennettAn engrossing whodunnit, with an ingenious twist on the classic crime genre. The type of book you finish and want to immediately read again -- Kyle PerryIf you're a classic murder mystery fan looking for something fresh and original, you will absolutely love this -- Anna DownesSurprising, darkly funny, clever and charming - you won't want to put this one down * Living Edge *My go-to recommendation this year. It has everything I love about great twisty mystery, presented in a hugely original package -- Jane Harper * Daily Express *A mystery for anyone who thinks they know all too well how mysteries are supposed to work -- Gabriel BergmoserA homage to a golden age whodunnit, with a page-turner plot . . . Smart and funny * Business Post *A really fresh take on classic crime -- Jane Harper * Good Housekeeping *

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Book SynopsisDirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, is a much-loved cult classic, that has spawned radio dramas, television, theatre and comic book adaptations across the globe.What do a dead cat, a computer whiz-kid, an Electric Monk who believes the world is pink, quantum mechanics, a Chronologist over two hundred years old, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (poet), and pizza have in common?Apparently not much; until Dirk Gently, self-styled private investigator, sets out to prove the fundamental interconnectedness of all things by solving a mysterious murder, assisting a mysterious professor, unravelling a mysterious mystery, and eating a lot of pizza – not to mention saving the entire human race from extinction along the way (at no extra charge). To find out more, read this book (better still, buy it then read it) – or contact Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. 'A thumping good detective-ghost-horror-who dunnit-time travel-romantic-musical-comedy-epic' - Douglas Adams.Continue this surreal series with The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul and the unfinished The Salmon of Doubt.Trade ReviewAn astonishing comic writer -- Neil GaimanRich and endlessly entertaining -- Stephen ManganA pleasure to read * New York Times *Few recent writers have had such an infectious prose style as Adams. With his fondness for paradox, his galactic perspective on things and his wonderful way with meaningful nonsense his are the books which have launched a trillion quips -- Robert McFarlane

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Book SynopsisThe Other End of the Line is the twenty-fourth Inspector Montalbano mystery from the international bestselling author Andrea Camilleri, and this time migrants and murder are on the Inspector's mind. In Inspector Montalbano’s coastal town of Vigàta, a surge of migrants have been coming in by boat, and all the town’s hands are on deck to help the arrivals. At the heart of the scene are the police – on the lookout for the people smugglers responsible – and long night-shifts are rendering Inspector Montalbano and his officers exhausted. Then one night, while Montalbano is enduring yet another gruelling stint at the port, a separate crime is committed – unexplained, unexpected, and unpleasant. Elena, the dressmaker at the town’s famous tailors, has been found dead – slaughtered by her own scissors . . . As a swell of desperate people arrive in search of a better life, Inspector Montalbano finds himself trying to unravel the mystery of who murdered the dressmaker. But as he makes his enquiries, the Inspector can’t help but wonder: what will happen if he keeps tugging on this thread? And what will he find at the end of the line?The Other End of the Line is followed by the twenty-fifth gripping mystery, The Safety Net.Trade ReviewMontalbano’s colleagues, chance encounters, Sicilian mores, even the contents of his fridge are described with the wit and gusto that make this narrator the best company in crime fiction today * Guardian *Among the most exquisitely crafted pieces of crime writing available today . . . Simply superb * Sunday Times *One of fiction’s greatest detectives and Camilleri is one of Europe’s greatest crime writers * Daily Mail *

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Book Synopsis I used to just write murder mysteries. Now I investigate them… Trade ReviewPraise for Sue Minix and Murder at the Bookstore:: “A super cozy mystery… The perfect pick up for a weekend read by the fire. It has everything… Hijinks, who-dun-its, loveable characters, and a wonderful setting. And a main character who is FIERCE” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Warm, amusing, and relatable… A very entertaining cozy mystery… A relaxing night-time read, and it was perfect for that… I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I loved trying to figure out the murder before I got to the end. This was a cozy, page-turning read” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This ingenious author has written a cannot put down novel” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Book SynopsisJulia Chapman is the pseudonym of Julia Stagg, who has had five novels, the Fogas Chronicles set in the French Pyrenees, published by Hodder. She is also the author of the Dales Detective series which follows the adventures of Samson O'Brien and Delilah Metcalfe as they solve cases in the Yorkshire Dales.Born with a wanderlust that keeps her moving, Julia has followed her restless feet to Japan, Australia, the USA and France. She spent the majority of that time as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language but also dabbled in bookselling, pawnbroking, waitressing and was once checkout chick of the month' at a supermarket in South Australia. She also ran an auberge in the French Pyrenees for six years with her husband.Having spent many years wandering, she is now glad to call the Yorkshire Dales home. Its distinctive landscape and way of life provide the setting for her latest set of novels, the Dales Detective series.Trade ReviewA classic whodunit set in the spectacular landscape of the Yorkshire Dales, written with affection for the area and its people. A satisfying read riddled with dry Yorkshire humour (and dry-stone walls) -- Cath Staincliffe, author of The Silence Between BreathsGreat fun! -- Carol Drinkwater

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Book SynopsisIn the eighth novel in the Dales Detective series, Date with Evil, Samson and Delilah are about to discover that all of their new cases may be connected to a network of evil that seems to be surrounding Bruncliffe. Will they solve them all before the danger comes directly to their door?'A Yorkshire Agatha Raisin' – DalesmanEvil is stalking the streets of Bruncliffe . . .From stolen washing to inheritance investigations, Bruncliffe’s Dales Detective Agency is being inundated with cases.But with Samson O’Brien still in London helping the Met Police clear his name, and the newly appointed member of the investigations team, Ida Capstick, distracted by her brother George’s insistence that their farm is haunted, Delilah Metcalfe is struggling to meet the mounting demands for the agency’s services.So when the mother of a local estate agent arrives at the offices insisting her son is missing, Delilah is relieved to have Samson return to help.Little do the detective duo know that several of their cases are about to collide when identifying the whereabouts of the missing man becomes something far more sinister.Something that will finally expose the network of evil which has been infiltrating the Dales town over the past decade, and in doing so place Delilah in the utmost danger.Following on from Date with Betrayal this new novel delights with its combination of beguiling charm and witty ingenuity. Look out for Date With Justice coming soon!Praise for The Dales Detective series:'Bags of Yorkshire charm and wit' – Northern Echo'A classic whodunit set in the spectacular landscape of the Yorkshire Dales' – Cath Staincliffe'Full of dry wit and clever plotting' – Countryside'Chapman delivers on every level' – Lancashire Evening Post'Enlivened with numerous subplots, the story moves at a cracking pace' – Daily MailTrade ReviewGreat fun! -- Carol Drinkwater, actress All Creatures Great and Small and author of The Olive FarmA classic whodunit set in the spectacular landscape of the Yorkshire Dales, written with affection for the area and its people -- Cath Staincliffe, author of the Scott & Bailey seriesBags of Yorkshire charm and wit * The Northern Echo *Enlivened by numerous subplots . . . the story moves at a cracking pace . . . But Chapman's track record suggests that the next instalment will be well worth the wait. * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisMagdalena Yoder is accused of murdering her ex-husband in this delightfully quirky cozy mystery set among Pennsylvania''s Amish-Mennonite community. You''re going to be sorry, Aaron Paul Miller. Before I''m through with you, you''re going to wish that you were dead. Shockwaves are running through the small town of Hernia with the news that an enormous, biblical-themed amusement park is to be built on its doorstep, destroying the community''s peaceful way of life for ever. And the man spearheading this so-called Armageddonland? None other than Magdalena''s ex-husband, the duplicitous Aaron Miller. At a public demonstration to showcase his plans for the new park, Aaron bites into a delicious homemade tart - with fatal consequences. It''s clear the tart was poisoned . . . but who baked it? As the leader of the local resistance against the project and her acrimonious history with her ex well known, Magdalena immediately falls under s

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Book SynopsisSingle-mother Fran returns to her sleepy hometown to care for her dying father when a devastating bush fire breaks out. A heartbreaking, nail-biting disaster-noir thriller from the bestselling author of The Cry and Worst Case Scenario. ‘Urgent, angry, absolutely terrifying, yet suffused with the humanity and humour you expect from a Helen Fitzgerald novel’ Erin Kelly ‘Tantalisingly powerful’ The Times ‘Ash Mountain is the author at her masterly best … I loved it!’ Louise Candlish ________________ Fran hates her hometown, and she thought she’d escaped. But her father is ill, and needs care. Her relationship is over, and she hates her dead-end job in the city, anyway. She returns home to nurse her dying father, her distant teenage daughter in tow for the weekends. There, in the sleepy town of Ash Mountain, childhood memories prick at her fragile self-esteem, she falls in love for the first time, and her demanding dad tests her patience, all in the unbearable heat of an Australian summer. As past friendships and rivalries are renewed, and new ones forged, Fran’s tumultuous home life is the least of her worries, when old crimes rear their heads and a devastating bushfire ravages the town and all of its inhabitants… Simultaneously a warm, darkly funny portrait of small-town life – and a woman and a land in crisis – and a shocking and truly distressing account of a catastrophic event that changes things forever, Ash Mountain is a heart-breaking slice of domestic noir, and a disturbing disaster thriller that you will never forget… ________________ ‘A new novel from Helen Fitzgerald is always a major event, and Ash Mountain is magnificent’ Mark Billingham ‘There is plenty of human depravity in the plot but none of that is as terrifyingly overmastering as the fire’ Literary Review ‘Domestic life is rarely served up quite so dark as this – but that only makes you hungry for more’ The Sun ‘Dark, atmospheric and terrifying’ Ambrose Parry ‘Compelling’ Independent ‘A hugely entertaining writer, with lovingly constructed landscapes and so-real-you-can-actually-hear-it dialogue but the thing she does best of all is create a little warm and cosy microcosm of life, then throw in a bloody great firecracker of a detail that sends the whole thing off into a completely different direction’ Crime Fiction Lover Praise for Helen FitzGerald ***Worst Case Scenario was Shortlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2020*** ‘The plotting is intricate and beautifully handled, and the narrative pace is absolutely breakneck … a wonderful, energetic, hard-hitting and deeply funny novel’ The Big Issue ‘The main character is one of the most extraordinary you’ll meet between the pages of a book’ Ian Rankin ‘A dark, comic masterpiece which manages to be both excruciatingly tense and laugh out loud funny at the same time’ Mark Edwards ‘The classic thriller gets a hell of a twist’ Heat ‘FitzGerald writes like a more focused Irvine Welsh or a less misogynist Philip Roth’ Daily Telegraph ‘Domestic life is rarely served up quite so dark as this – but that only makes you hungry for more’ The SunTrade Review'The plotting is intricate and beautifully handled, and the narrative pace is absolutely breakneck ... a wonderful, energetic, hard-hitting and deeply funny novel' The Big Issue;'Shocking, gripping and laugh-out-loud hilarious' Erin Kelly;'The main character is one of the most extraordinary you'll meet between the pages of a book' Ian Rankin;'A dark, comic masterpiece which manages to be both excruciatingly tense and laugh out loud funny at the same time' Mark Edwards;'Outrageous, extremely funny and ultimately devastating' Ambrose Parry;'Fabulously transgressive and completely unique' Mark Billingham;'The classic thriller gets a hell of a twist' Heat;'FitzGerald writes like a more focused Irvine Welsh or a less misogynist Philip Roth' Daily Telegraph

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Book SynopsisJulia Chapman’s sixth Dales Detective Agency novel, Date with Deceit, sees Delilah going undercover at a shoot involving dangerous criminals. A page-turning cosy crime mystery, perfect for fans of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club and M.C. Beaton.A woman in tears in the Dales Detective Agency is never the best way to start the week and when it's the town mayor's wife, asking the detective to investigate whether her husband is having an affair, Samson O’Brien and Delilah Metcalfe know they will have to tread carefully.The case, however, proves to be more complex than even they had imagined. While Delilah is undercover at a local shoot to better keep tabs on the errant husband, she is on the scene for a fatal incident that sends the Yorkshire town into turmoil. Soon the detective duo are embroiled in a far more serious investigation than mere infidelity. Deceit is rife in Bruncliffe and it may well prove deadly . . .Curl up with this delightful murder mystery, full of wit, warmth, and a cast of charming characters. Continue the series with Date With Betrayal.'A classic whodunit set in the spectacular landscape of the Yorkshire Dales . . . A satisfying read riddled with dry Yorkshire humour (and dry stone walls)' - Cath Staincliffe, author of the Scott & Bailey series.Trade ReviewGreat fun! -- Carol DrinkwaterA classic whodunit set in the spectacular landscape of the Yorkshire Dales, written with affection for the area and its people -- Cath StaincliffeBags of Yorkshire charm and wit * Northern Echo *Enlivened by numerous subplots . . . the story moves at a cracking pace . . . But Chapman's track record suggests that the next instalment will be well worth the wait. * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisJulia Chapman is the pseudonym of Julia Stagg, writer of the Fogas Chronicles set in the French Pyrenees. She is also the author of the Dales Detective series which follows the adventures of Samson O'Brien and Delilah Metcalfe as they solve cases in the Yorkshire Dales.Born with a wanderlust that keeps her moving, Julia has followed her restless feet to Japan, Australia, the USA and France. She spent the majority of that time as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language but also dabbled in bookselling, pawnbroking, waitressing and was once checkout chick of the month' at a supermarket in South Australia. She also ran an auberge in the French Pyrenees for six years with her husband.Having spent many years wandering, she is now glad to call the Yorkshire Dales home. Its distinctive landscape and way of life provide the setting for her latest set of novels, the Dales Detective series.Trade ReviewBags of Yorkshire charm and wit * The Northern Echo *A delightful read * The Dalesman *A classic whodunnit set in the spectacular landscape of the Yorkshire Dales, written with affection for the area and its people. A satisfying read riddled with dry Yorkshire humour (and dry-stone walls) -- Cath Staincliffe, author of The Silence Between BreathsGreat fun! -- Carol Drinkwater, actress (All Creatures Great and Small) and author of The Olive FarmThe barbed electricity flowing between the two central protagonists . . . bring fire and drive to the narrative * The Yorkshire Times *

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Book SynopsisHettie and Tilly are invited to host a Christmas Eve murder mystery aboard the Santa Claws Express. No sooner has the train left the station at Mogbury-on-the-Tilt than our two feline detectives are caught up in a murderous family feud between the Shuttles and the Stokers. Is the ghost of Hornby Stoker haunting the line? Are there enough sausage rolls in the Biscuit Jar Buffet? Who will hit the buffers at Hissingford Holt? And will Hettie and Tilly’s Christmas be derailed? Join our tabby heroes as they plough their way through red herrings, hot chestnuts and snowbound platforms in a hunt for a festive fiend who will stop at nothing.Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR THE NO. 2 FELINE DETECTIVE AGENCY ‘The world that Morton has created is irresistible’ Publishers Weekly ‘Original and intriguing… a world without people which cat lovers will enter and enjoy’ P. D. James'I loved it. The whole concept is just so “real”!’ Barbara Erskine‘Mandy Morton’s Feline Detective Agency instigates a new genre, both wonderful and surreal’ Maddy Prior‘Witty and smart. Prepare to be besotted' M.K. Graff‘Mandy Morton’s series is both charming and whimsical’ Barry Forshaw ‘Hettie Bagshot might be a new face at the scene of a crime, but already she could teach most fictional detectives a thing or two’ The Hunts Post

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Book SynopsisThe Cat Who Caught a Killer by L T Shearer is a charming cosy crime read, set in West London, for fans of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club and S. J. Bennett’s The Windsor Knot.'Charming and original. This book is the cat’s whiskers' – Anthony Horowitz, author of The Twist of a KnifeMeet Conrad. Conrad is a cat. You’ve never met a detective like him before.Neither has Lulu Lewis, until he walks into her life one summer’s day. Mourning the recent death of her husband, the former police detective had expected a gentle retirement, quietly enjoying life on her new canal boat, The Lark, and visiting her mother-in-law in a nearby care home.But when her mother-in-law dies suddenly in suspicious circumstances, Lulu senses foul play and resolves to find out what really happened. And a remarkable cat named Conrad will be with her every step of the way . . .Readers are loving Conrad the cat detective . . .Five Star Reader Reviews:'This was such a charming tale and a genuine mystery that had me glued to my e-reader from start to finish''I absolutely loved this book! Conrad was a wonderful character who I would love to encounter again''I just loved Conrad the talking cat who really is the star of this gentle murder mystery story'Trade ReviewA charming, off-beat story with some great characters and wonderful London locations. I’m sure it will make readers long for their own canal boat, and quite possibly - if they don’t already have one - their own talking cat. Conrad is a delight -- SJ Bennett, author of The Windsor KnotA captivating, charming and gentle tale, perfect for all those who love their crime cosy -- Peter James, bestselling author of the Roy Grace seriesCharming and original. This book is the cat’s whiskers -- Anthony Horowitz, bestselling author of The Twist of a KnifeA gently funny novel with an original twist * Westmeath Examiner *

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Book SynopsisA sparklingly delicious confection to satisfy the mystery reader's appetite' Helena Dixon, bestselling author of the Miss Underhay MysteriesJodie Nosey' Parker is back!When a body turned up at her last catering gig it certainly put people off the hors d'oeuvres. With a reputation to salvage, Jodie's determined that her next job for the village's festival will go off without a hitch.But when chaos breaks out, Jodie Parker somehow always finds herself caught up in the picture. The body of a writer from the festival is discovered at the bottom of a cliff, and the prime suspect turns out to be the guest of honour, the esteemed painter Duncan Stovall.With her background in the Met police, Jodie has got solving cases down to a fine art so she knows things are rarely as they seem.Can she find the killer before the village faces another brush with death?The second book in the Jodie Nosey' Parker cozy mystery series. Can be read as a standalone. A humorous cosy mystery with a British female sle

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Book SynopsisSuspicious goings-on at a retirement home lead to an intriguing investigation in Date with Malice, the second cosy crime novel in Julia Chapman's Dales Detective series. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club and M.C. Beaton.'A Yorkshire Agatha Raisin' – DalesmanIt’s dark in the Dales this winter . . .When Mrs Shepherd arrives at the Dales Detective Agency, quite convinced that someone is trying to kill her, Samson O’Brien dismisses her fears as the ramblings of a confused elderly lady. But, after a series of disturbing incidents at Fellside Court retirement home, he begins to wonder if there is something to her claims after all . . .With Christmas around the corner, Samson is thrown into a complex investigation – one that will require him to regain the trust of the Dales community. Faced with no choice, he enlists the help of a local: the tempestuous DeliTrade ReviewBags of Yorkshire charm and wit * The Northern Echo *A Yorkshire Agatha Raisin * The Dalesman *This second in the Dales Detective Series has Chapman well into her stride. With her eye for detail, we feel the chill of a Yorkshire deep midwinter, while taking comfort from the warmth of a close-knit community * Daily Mail *Chapman delivers on every level in this intriguing murder mystery . . . a big helping of recognizable small-town life, a suitably menacing air of malevolence, an undercurrent of suspense, lashings of Yorkshire wit and a seductively simmering relationship between handsome Sansom and the delightful Delilah * Lancashire Evening Post *Great fun * Carol Drinkwater *An engaging cast of characters and a cleverly clued puzzle move Chapman’s debut to the top of the English village murder list * Kirkus *As village murder mysteries go, this clever, witty and realistic series is quite out of the ordinary and strongly recommended * Crime Review *A classic whodunnit featuring two very likeable characters . . . A satisfying read riddled with dry Yorkshire humour (and dry-stone walls) -- Cath Staincliffe, author of Blue MurderNicely told and rather charming, so it should give traditionalists hours of innocent delight * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisSet in Sicily, The Terracotta Dog is the second novel in the humorous Inspector Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri.*Adapted for BBC4's Inspector Montalbano series*After a cloak and dagger exchange with an ageing Mafioso, Inspector Montalbano is left haunted by the man’s dying words, which lead him to a mountainside just west of Vigàta where he unearths two young lovers, dead fifty years and still embracing, watched over by a life-size terracotta dog.Heedless of personal danger, Montalbano’s drive to solve this old crime forces him on a journey through Sicily’s World War II history and to the dark heart of one family . . .The Terracotta Dog is followed by the third title in this satirical series, The Snack Thief.Trade ReviewMontalbano's colleagues, chance encounters, Sicilian mores, even the contents of his fridge are described with the wit and gusto that make this narrator the best company in crime fiction today * Guardian *Among the most exquisitely crafted pieces of crime writing available today . . . Simply superb * Sunday Times *One of fiction's greatest detectives and Camilleri is one of Europe's greatest crime writers * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisRichard is a middle-aged Englishman who runs a B&B in the fictional Val de Follet in the Loire Valley. Nothing ever happens to Richard, and really that’s the way he likes it. One day, however, one of his older guests disappears, leaving behind a bloody handprint on the wallpaper. Another guest, the exotic Valérie, persuades a reluctant Richard to join her in investigating the disappearance. Richard remains a dazed passenger in the case until things become really serious and someone murders Ava Gardner, one of his beloved hens... and you don’t mess with a fellow’s hens! Unputdownable mystery set in rural France, by TV/radio regular and bestselling author Ian Moore – perfect for fans of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder ClubTrade Review'A very funny page-turner. Fantastique!' Adam Kay'A joyous read!' Alan Carr'A writer of immense wit and charm' Paul Sinha'Ian is one of my favourite writers; this is hilarious and a great mystery too' Janey Godley'Good food and a laugh-out-loud mystery. What more could anyone want in these dark times' Mark Billingham'Like going on a joyous romp through the Loire valley with Agatha Christie, PG Woodhouse and Mc Beaton. A delight.' C. K. McDonnell'Ian Moore is a brilliant, funny writer who perfectly captures the foibles of rural France but judging by this book I will never be visiting his bed and breakfast’ Josh Widdicombe'Beautifully done. Very funny indeed. I can’t imagine how one plots something like that. Tremendous work' Miles Jupp'I'm so punchdrunk from the sheer entertainment of it I've got a sore jaw. Encore!' Matt Forde'This is like two great books in one, a tricksy whodunnit, and a really, really funny story' Jason Manford'Such a brilliant read, smart, funny and his sharp writing captures the nuances of “Anglo-French” relations beautifully' Zoe Lyons'This book is a fun and funny read and I’m very much looking forward to the next one' Ian Stone'Funny, pacey and very entertaining' Robin Ince

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Book SynopsisFrom the glitz of the London club scene of the 1990's to the underbelly of its criminal world, Layer Cake is the best in British crime fiction.Trade Review‘This assured debut is far more sophisticated than such expressions of “gangster chic” as Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. Connolly displays the same infectious relish for underworld argot as Elizabethan writers fascinated by rogues’ cant, and his ostensibly artless plotting is as rich in double and triple crosses as a spy thriller’ John Dugdale, The Sunday Times‘The best crime novel I’ve ever read’ Bruce Reynolds ‘An immensely entertaining read’ Philip MacCann, The Spectator‘If the brilliantly written and intriguing Layer Cake is anything to go by, his will soon be a name to whet the appetites of readers and critics alike’ Francis Gilbert, The Times 'Funny, hectic, hard-hitting debut novel... Tart, tough and riveted at every juncture by unmistakable authenticity... sheer, unstoppable joy to read from the first page to the last' Philip Oakes, Literary Review'A storming piece of work... the novel has a grasp of street argot unparalleled since Kinky Friedman first sashayed out of his from door and nailed a checker straight out of the bat' D. J. Taylor'Connolly's style is fast and funny and just frightening enough to make you sit up all night finishing the book' Independent on Sunday'One novel in and Connolly has hit the jackpot, jump-started British crime fiction into the present... Like good drug fiction you're given glamour and squalor, a voyeuristic thrill, and the bill' Uncut

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Book SynopsisPerfect for fans of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club, this is the page-turning, twisty, and often hilarious new crime novel from bestselling author Belinda Bauer.A Sunday Times 'best paperbacks of 2021' pick and The Times 'best thriller books of 2021' pick'Quirky, charming, intensely human, important . . . and very suspenseful. I loved it.'Lee Child__________________'This ingenious and darkly comic mystery is an absolute delight and Felix is one of the most loveable fugitives ever created.'Sunday ExpressMeet Felix Pink. The most unlikely murderer you'll ever have the good fortune to spend time with.When Felix lets himself in to Number 3 Black Lane, he's there to perform an act of charity: to keep a dying man company as he takes his final breath . . .But just fifteen minutes later Felix is on the run from the police - after making the biggest mistake of his life.Now his world is turned upside down as he must find out if he's really to blame, or if something much more sinister is at play. All while staying one shaky step ahead of the law.__________'Fresh, funny, flawless. The best crime novel you'll read this year.'Clare Mackintosh'Bauer's judgement of tone is perfect throughout a captivating whodunnit that's often hilarious . . . beady-eyed yet tender, it resembles a collaboration between Agatha Christie and Muriel Spark.'Sunday Times__________________Readers are loving EXIT and the marvellous Felix Pink:'Another winner from this outstanding author who has a unique ability to blend crime with humour.''Felix Pink - one of the most adorably unexpected murderers in print.''A brilliantly entertaining crime read, with an ordinary pensioner at its heart, a Felix who managed to capture my heart.''It may seem a dark topic but Exit is anything but. Pure joy, honestly.''Despite being a crime novel, it is a charming book that encompasses themes of compassion, friendship, love and standing up for what you believe is right.''This is an exceptionally cleverly crafted novel. A fair amount of black humour, two love stories, quite a lot of gambling and some unlikely friendships.'Trade ReviewSuch warmth and wit. * Sunday Telegraph *A crime novel . . . but not as you know it. * Woman & Home *Beady-eyed yet tender, it resembles a collaboration between Agatha Christie and Muriel Spark. * Sunday Times (Thriller of the Month) *Fresh, funny, flawless: EXIT is a joy from start to finish. * Clare Mackintosh, author of LET ME LIE *Charming, intensely human . . . and very suspenseful. I loved it. * Lee Child *EXIT is ingeniously plotted and every word is perfect. It’s a rare book that has you turning the pages impatiently, desperate to solve the mystery, all the while never wanting it to end because it’s such a joy to read. Felix Pink is the most loveable killer in recent fiction. * Erin Kelly, author of HE SAID/SHE SAID *Twisty, brilliantly plotted and funny too. Felix Pink is a wonderful character and I just wanted to hug him. (He'd be horrified!) * Jill Mansell, author of MAYBE THIS TIME *Cleverly plotted, touching and funny. * Bookseller *EXIT is the perfect antidote to the nervy gloom of this shut-down world. It's warm and funny and dark and sad all at the same time, beautifully plotted and paced, and peopled with fabulous, complex characters that have drawn me right into their lives. Felix is fast becoming one of my favourite fictional characters. * Donal Ryan, author of FROM A LOW AND QUIET SEA *This darkly funny crime novel has possibly the most unique concept I've come across: 75-year-old Felix is part of a network called the Exiteers, who sit with people who have chosen to end their lives. Except on his most recent mission, something goes wrong and Felix finds himself on the run for murder. For fans of Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie books. * Good Housekeeping *I loved Exit. Belinda Bauer writes the sort of characters who rock your world view and yet pull you in totally. Her plots are completely out of left field but she is singing my tune. A fan for life (I know, slightly creepy) and cannot wait for the next... * Fiona Barton, bestselling author of THE WIDOW *Exit is an absolute delight, a darkly comic mystery that will keep you guessing while you frantically turn the pages, and Felix is one of the most loveable fugitives ever created. This ingenious and unique crime novel is the perfect tonic to the gloom of another lockdown. * Sunday Express *A cunningly plotted thriller with more than a dash of Joe Orton-like black comedy. Bauer confirms her status as one of our most consistently inventive crime novelists. * Mail on Sunday *This intriguing, tender, funny and sometimes (in the best possible way) farcical novel about life and death is a sheer delight. * Guardian *The plot is breakneak, but what lingers most is the hero's capacity for empathy at any cost. * New York Times, Editor's Choice *

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Book SynopsisThe Salmon of Doubt is Douglas Adams's indispensable guide to life, the universe and everything. It includes short stories and eleven chapters of a Dirk Gently novel that Douglas Adams was working on at the time of his death, and features an introduction by Stephen Fry.This sublime collection dips into the wit and wisdom of the man behind The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, uncovering his unique comic musings on everything from his school-trousers to malt whisky and from the letter Y through to his own nose, via atheism, hangovers and fried eggs.These hilarious collected writings reveal the warmth, enthusiasm and ferocious intelligence behind this most English of comic writers; a man who was virtually an unofficial member of the Monty Python team. Douglas Adams on his passion for P. G. Wodehouse, The Beatles and the perfect cup of tea alone make this a must-have collection and a remarkable sign-off from one of the best loved writers of all time.Start from the beginning of the surreal Dirk Gently series with Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.Trade ReviewAn astonishing comic writer -- Neil GaimanA pleasure to read * New York Times *Few recent writers have had such an infectious prose style as Adams. With his fondness for paradox, his galactic perspective on things and his wonderful way with meaningful nonsense his are the books which have launched a trillion quips -- Robert McFarlane

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Book SynopsisThe Shape of Water is the first in Andrea Camilleri's wry, brilliantly compelling Sicilian crime series, featuring Inspector Montalbano. When the body of respected and prominent engineer Silvio Luparello is discovered in the Pasture, a rubbish-strewn site brimming with drug dealers and prostitutes, the coroner’s verdict is death from natural causes – refreshingly unusual for Sicily.But Inspector Salvo Montalbano of the Vigàta police force, as honest as he is streetwise and as scathing to fools and villains as he is compassionate to their victims, is not ready to close the case, despite pressure from Vigàta’s police chief, judge, and bishop. Picking his way through a labyrinth of high-comedy corruption, carefully planted false clues, trigger-happy Mafia members, and delicious Sicilian fare, Montalbano can be relied on, whatever the cost, to get to the heart of the matter.The Shape of Water is followed by the second in this phenomenal series, The Terracotta Dog.Trade ReviewAmong the most exquisitely crafted pieces of crime writing available today . . . Simply superb * Sunday Times *Montalbano's colleagues, chance encounters, Sicilian mores, even the contents of his fridge are described with the wit and gusto that make this narrator the best company in crime fiction today * Guardian *One of fiction's greatest detectives and Camilleri is one of Europe's greatest crime writers * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisRichard Ainsworth is preparing for the Christmas of his dreams: quiet, no guests at his French B&B and his favourite films on the TV. None of which seems on the cards when his rural peace is shattered by the unexpected arrival of a familiar face. Valérie d’Orçay has hotfooted it from Paris with her chihuahua in tow and an invitation to a Christmas themed murder mystery game. Richard begrudgingly dresses up as Father Christmas, but the costume becomes the least of his worries when he realises this isn't a game to everyone. As other guests arrive to join the hunt, can Richard work out who is the victim - and who is murderer?Trade Review'Like going on a joyous romp through the Loire valley with Agatha Christie, P. G. Woodhouse and M. C. Beaton. A delight' C. K. MCDonnell'Funny, pacey and very entertaining' Robin Ince'Such a brilliant read, smart, funny and his sharp writing captures the nuances of “Anglo-French” relations beautifully' Zoe Lyons'This book is a fun and funny read and I’m very much looking forward to the next one' Ian Stone'Ian Moore is a brilliant, funny writer who perfectly captures the foibles of rural France but judging by this book I will never be visiting his bed and breakfast’ Josh Widdicombe'Ian is one of my favourite writers; this is hilarious and a great mystery too' Janey Godley'Beautifully done. Very funny indeed. I can’t imagine how one plots something like that. Tremendous work' Miles Jupp'Good food and a laugh-out-loud mystery. What more could anyone want in these dark times' Mark Billingham'This is like two great books in one, a tricksy whodunnit, and a really, really funny story' Jason Manford'I'm so punchdrunk from the sheer entertainment of it I've got a sore jaw. Encore!' Matt Forde'A joyous read!' Alan Carr'A very funny page-turner. Fantastique!' Adam Kay

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Book SynopsisThe sleeper book of the year so much fun to read that you forget to even try and solve the case. And good luck solving it anyway, with twists within twists within twists' ?????Donna Nightshade's first rule of composting: shred. Things rot quicker that way cabbages, flowers, dead bodiesWhen Donna branches out from floristry to private investigation and opens The Edge of the World Detective Agency, the last thing she expects is to have a murder fall into her lap almost immediately. Now, normally she wouldn't be one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but there's one significant problem with the case all the evidence points to Donna as the murderer!Donna may have hated the man, but she's not the only one who had the means and motive, so she dons her deerstalker. Staying two steps ahead of the police specifically her ex, Detective Sergeant Joe Enys won't be easy, but with pirate blood in her veins nothing can stop deadly' Donna from claiming her bounty and making the real culprit walk tTrade Review‘Reflects (exaggerates) the eccentricities of the British people, in particular the Cornish… the author brought wicked sarcasm and snark into her characters’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Book SynopsisA well-dressed corpse found shot in the sand and gravel wharf sparks trouble for Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur and his unpredictable boss, Assistant Chief Constable Iles.A must-read for devotees of British procedurals - Booklist Starred ReviewThe man is found dead in the local dockyard, shot from behind. Colin Harpur, examining the impeccably dressed corpse on his hands and knees, predicts the execution spells imminent trouble - and not just the unexpected arrival of his spiteful, brilliant boss, ACC Iles, at the two a.m. slaughter scene.Iles''s progressive attitude towards the local drugs trade has kept gang warfare off the streets, but now it seems jealous outsiders may be coveting the safe, ordered community he has so brilliantly created. Coveting, too, the local property - for instance, drug lord Ralph Ember''s luxurious mansion, Low Pastures, home to his unparalleled collection of china and porcelain.Harp

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Book SynopsisMagdalena Yoder is accused of murdering her ex-husband in this delightfully quirky cozy mystery set among Pennsylvania''s Amish-Mennonite community. You''re going to be sorry, Aaron Paul Miller. Before I''m through with you, you''re going to wish that you were dead. Shockwaves are running through the small town of Hernia with the news that an enormous, biblical-themed amusement park is to be built on its doorstep, destroying the community''s peaceful way of life for ever. And the man spearheading this so-called Armageddonland? None other than Magdalena''s ex-husband, the duplicitous Aaron Miller. At a public demonstration to showcase his plans for the new park, Aaron bites into a delicious homemade tart - with fatal consequences. It''s clear the tart was poisoned . . . but who baked it? As the leader of the local resistance against the project and her acrimonious history with her ex well known, Magdalena immediately falls under s

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Book Synopsis'A glorious debut' - SUNDAY EXPRESS 'Recommended reading for a long winter night' - GUARDIAN 'A love letter to the classic country house murder mystery' J.M. HALL A snowstorm. A country house. Old friends reunited. It's going to be murder... Torben Helle - art historian, Danish expat and owner of several excellent Scandinavian jumpers - has been dragged to a remote snowbound Northumbrian mansion for a ten-year reunion with old university friends. Things start to go sideways when their host, a reclusive and irritating tech entrepreneur, makes some shocking revelations at the dinner table. And when these are followed by an apparent suicide, the group faces a test of their wits... and their trust. Snowed in and cut off, surrounded by enigmatic housekeepers and off-duty police inspectors, not to mention a peculiar last will and testament, suspicion and sarcasm quickly turn to panic. As the temperature drops and the tension mounts, Torben decides to draw upon all the tricks of Golden Age detectives past in order to solve the mystery: how much money would it take to turn one of his old friends into a murderer? But he'd better be quick, or someone else might end up dead... This witty murder mystery puts a modern spin on the classic country house whodunnit. A must-read for fans of Agatha Christie, Richard Osman and Janice Hallett. 'A solid gold revival of the golden age whodunnit, with a delicious Danish twist' JANICE HALLETT 'Wonderfully descriptive and loaded with atmosphere' IAN MOORETrade ReviewAn ingenious plot, witty asides and lively characterisations... If Carlsberg did whodunnits they would probably be something like this * Saga *A witty repurposing of the Golden Age country house whodunnit for the modern age * Financial Times *Nicely done, with some entertaining asides about the nature of detective fiction: recommended reading for a long winter night * Guardian *Combines classic country house murder mystery with an ensemble comedy caper in a glorious debut * Sunday Express *An entertaining whodunnit in the classic Christie style * Mail on Sunday *Jensen has taken themes from dozens of golden age novels and made something new - and funny - out of them... Self-conscious in the best way, with an array of literary references, this is an excellent cosy crime novel * Literary Review *A spine-chilling, Agatha Christie-esque whodunnit * iPaper *A locked-room mystery that gleefully winks to its form... Full of sharp turns, the plot is equally engaging, reminiscent of the Knives Out films, and drawing from the many mysteries it name-checks. This craftily entertaining novel's surprising conclusion fits comfortably in that lineage * Irish Times *A heart-warming blend of a classic whodunnit with a modern spin * Belfast Telegraph *A glorious feat that intrigues, surprises and delights from page one. This gem is a solid gold revival of the golden age whodunnit, with a delicious Danish twist -- Janice Hallett, author of THE APPEALA love letter to the classic Country House murder mystery... if Agatha Christie had written The Big Chill it would have been very much like this -- J.M. Hall, author of A SPOONFUL OF MURDERA brilliant update on the traditional country house murder. Oskar Jensen has a wonderfully descriptive style, pin-point accurate and loaded with atmosphere. If this is the start of Scandi-Cosy, I'm all for it -- Ian Moore, author of DEATH AND CROISSANTSOskar Jensen is a sparkling new voice in crime fiction. Loved it -- S.J. Bennett, author of THE WINDSOR KNOTA wonderful mix of golden age tributes, scandi not-so-noir, puzzling mystery, and a study of the sort of friendships that linger across the years, often against the odds... A belter of a book, and I'm already anxiously awaiting the sequel -- Katy Watson, author of THE THREE DAHLIASA glittering jewel in the crown of modern country house mysteries. We must have more of Torben Helle! Truly excellent -- Marion Todd, author of OLD BONES LIE

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Book SynopsisNever has Inspector Montalbano's character – a unique blend of humor, cynicism, compassion, earthiness, and love of good food - been more compelling than in Andrea Camilleri's third Montalbano novel, The Snack Thief. When an elderly man is stabbed to death in an elevator and a crewman on an Italian fishing trawler is machine-gunned by a Tunisian patrol boat off Sicily’s coast, only Inspector Montalbano suspects a link between the two incidents.His investigation leads to the beautiful Karima, an impoverished house-cleaner, whose young son steals other school children’s mid-morning snacks. But Karima disappears, and the young snack thief’s life – as well as Montalbano’s – is endangered when the inspector exposes a viper’s nest of government corruption and international intrigue.The Snack Thief is followed by the fourth Inspector Montalbano novel, The Voice of the Violin.Trade ReviewMontalbano's colleagues, chance encounters, Sicilian mores, even the contents of his fridge are described with the wit and gusto that make this narrator the best company in crime fiction today * Guardian *Among the most exquisitely crafted pieces of crime writing available today . . . Simply superb * Sunday Times *One of fiction's greatest detectives and Camilleri is one of Europe's greatest crime writers * Daily Mail *The novels of Camilleri breathe out the sense of place, the sense of humour and the sense of despair that fills the air of Sicily. Remarkable -- Donna Leon

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Book SynopsisShe loved writing the perfect murder mystery, but she never wanted to be written into one . . . Just as amateur sleuth Jen gets to work on her next book, the owner of the town's rival bookstore is found murdered. Suspicions quickly turn to Jen, and she is forced to get back to sleuthing to clear her own name.To make matters worse, customers for Ravenous Readers are slipping away as they hear of Jen''s alleged misdeeds. Time is ticking for Jen to prove her innocence and win back customers before the store closes forever.But what will strike Jen first? Inspirationor the killer?Fans of Agatha Christie, Lauren Elliott and Ellery Adams will be hooked by this Christmas bookish cozy mystery, which will leave you guessing right up until the final page.Readers and authors love The Bookstore Mystery Series!Sue Minix has created a world any reader would love to escape to! When I reached the exciting ending I still wanted to hang out with what felt like my new friends!' Jamie L. Adams,Author of ThTrade ReviewPraise for The Bookstore Mystery Series: “Warm, amusing, and relatable… A very entertaining cozy mystery… A relaxing night-time read, and it was perfect for that… I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I loved trying to figure out the murder before I got to the end. This was a cozy, page-turning read” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This ingenious author has written a cannot put down novel” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Book SynopsisThe Treasure Hunt is the sixteenth gripping novel in Andrea Camilleri's darkly humorous Inspector Montalbano series.When a crazed elderly man and his sister begin firing bullets from their balcony down onto the Vigàta street below, Inspector Montalbano finds himself a reluctant television hero.A few days later, when a letter arrives containing a mysterious riddle, the Inspector becomes drawn into a perplexing treasure hunt set by an anonymous challenger. As the hunt intensifies, Montalbano is relieved to be offered the assistance of Arturo Pennisi, a young man eager to witness the detective's investigative skills first hand.Fending off meddling commissioners and his irate girlfriend, Livia, the inspector will follow the treasure hunt's clues and travel from Vigàta's teeming streets to its deserted outskirts: where an abandoned house overlooks a seemingly bottomless lake. But when a horrifying crime is committed, the game must surely be laid aside. And it isn't long before Montalbano himself will be in terrible danger . . .'Among the most exquisitely crafted pieces of crime writing available today . . . Simply superb' - Sunday TimesThe Treasure Hunt is followed by the seventeenth Inspector Montalbano title, Angelica's Smile.Trade ReviewMontalbano's colleagues, chance encounters, Sicilian mores, even the contents of his fridge are described with the wit and gusto that make this narrator the best company in crime fiction today * Guardian *Among the most exquisitely crafted pieces of crime writing available today . . . Simply superb * Sunday Times *One of fiction's greatest detectives and Camilleri is one of Europe's greatest crime writers * Daily Mail *For sunny views, explosive characters and a snappy plot constructed with great farcical ingenuity, the writer you want is Andrea Camilleri * New York Times *One of fiction's greatest detectives and Camilleri is one of Europe's greatest crime writes . . . utterly gripping * Daily Mirror *

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Book Synopsis*ONE OF 40 BOOKS FOR SUMMER* 'gripping'- iNews'A panoramic thriller ...chockful of vivid characters.' - THE SUNDAY TIMES'An intriguing, timely and unsettling new thriller' - SAM BOURNE'Exhilarating and beautiful' - AMOL RAJAN'Catapults you from first word to last... pacy, sinister and timely read.' - ALAN JUDD'Another page-turner from a writer who can take you into gripping worlds, real and virtual.' MISHAL HUSAIN 'A terrific thriller - vivid, quick-witted and dynamic, crackling with energy, dread and rage as it crosses continents and digs down into the human heart.' - NICCI GERRARD 'The dark world of private cyber-surveillance crackles off the page - full of jeopardy and suspense.' - ALLAN LITTLE 'A vividly written thriller of ruthless tech entrepreneurs exploiting their surveillance powers and morally compromised journalists feeling their way in the dark towards the truth.' - RORY CELLAN-JONES'Carver is a marvellous creation.' - MIKE RIPLEY, SHOTS MAGKNOWLEDGE IS POWER. AND THEY KNOW EVERYTHING.The tech company Public Square believes in 'doing well by doing good'. It's built a multi-billion dollar business on this philosophy and by getting to know what people want. They know a lot. But who else can access all that information and what are they planning to do with it?Reporter William Carver is an analogue man in a digital world. He isn't the most tech-savvy reporter, he's definitely old school, but he needs to learn fast - the people he cares most about are in harm's way.From the Chilean mines where they dig for raw materials that enable the tech revolution, to the streets of Hong Kong where anti-government protesters are fighting against the Chinese State, to the shiny research laboratories of Silicon Valley where personal data is being mined everyday - A Cursed Place is a gripping thriller set against the global forces that shape our times.'A true page turner - highly recommended'. TORTOISETrade Review*Praise for A Cursed Place* A panoramic thriller that shuttles with aplomb between four continents... chockful of vivid characters -- JOHN DUGDALE * The Sunday Times *Whether in rioting Hong Kong, or a doomed Chilean mining town, or a sinister data-mining outfit in Silicon Valley, or the shabbiness of London's Elephant & Castle, Peter Hanington sustains a narrative drive that catapults you from first word to last. Just make sure you don't miss the scenery on the way - seeing from the inside how the BBC works and how news is made leaves you feeling that W1A may not be entirely caricature. A good, pacy, sinister and timely read. -- ALAN JUDD * author of A Fine Madness *Peter Hanington draws you into the dark world of private cyber-surveillance, and the menace of the world he conjures - the world we all now live in - crackles off the page. His characters are beautifully drawn and so convincing that I found myself shouting "Get out of there now!" The writing is taut - not a wasted word - and the story is fast-paced, moving and twisting and quickening to a conclusion that is full of jeopardy and suspense. And when it ends, it doesn't end: it leaves you wanting the next chapter. -- ALLAN LITTLEA Cursed Place is an exhilarating and beautiful novel that answers the most pressing question of our time: how to reconcile new technology with timeless human needs. It is written with such verve and precision, and its plot emerges with such terrifying force, that I enjoyed it even when the message it conveyed terrified me. Its characters will, I think, become literary legends. I have gotten to know William Carver quite well. He feels achingly familiar from my newspaper days. I don't always like him. But I do always admire him: especially that itchy yearning to hold mighty powers to account, and to discover the truth behind their dissembling. Peter Hanington's remarkable achievement is to have told a story which is as important as it is unputdownable. Anyone vaguely interested in the survival of our species ought to read this book - and will be thrilled they did so. -- AMOL RAJANHanington's third thriller featuring veteran BBC reporter, William Carver, is a true page-turner, combining the author's insights and expertise as a distinguished foreign correspondent with a pace that keeps the reader guessing and embroiled in a plot that sweeps us from Peckham, via Hong Kong and Chile, to the Big Tech citadels of Silicon Valley...highly recommended. * Tortoise *Another page-turner from a writer who can take you into gripping worlds, real and virtual. -- MISHAL HUSAINAn intriguing, timely and unsettling new thriller. -- SAM BOURNE (JONATHAN FREEDLAND)A Cursed Place is a fast-paced and vividly written thriller. It takes the reader on a journey from the dark heart of Silicon Valley via a Chilean mining town and Hong Kong street protests and into the bowels of New Broadcasting House, in a dystopian tale of ruthless tech entrepreneurs exploiting their surveillance powers and morally compromised journalists feeling their way in the dark towards the truth. -- RORY CELLAN-JONESAstute, pacy and possibly too true for its own good. -- GILLIAN REYNOLDSCarver is a marvellous creation, just the sort of tough-as-old-boots hero we need in a world run by algorithms. -- MIKE RIPLEY * Shots Mag *A Cursed Place will have readers cancelling meetings and postponing dinner plans so as to read just one more page, just one more chapter. This beautifully-written thriller tells a story centred not around spies or mobsters but the state of frontline journalism in the era of big tech. More widely it grapples with the possibility of resisting the total-surveillance society we are almost definitely otherwise hurtling towards. -- SEB EMINA * The Happy Reader *Exciting, addictive & just plain brilliant; a timely political thriller with that authentic insider's view shining through in the gripping plot, spot-on characters, & sharp dialogue. A must-read for 2021. -- CAROLINE SKANNE * editor of the journal of the British Haiku Society *A gripping... thriller that spins from Hong Kong protests to Silicon Valley surveillance in a heartbeat. * i Magazine *Gorgeous... blocks out the world when my brain [wants] superb distraction * Fi Glover **Praise for A Dying Breed*A former stalwart on the Today programme, Hanington is as good on BBC politics as he is on the UK's ambiguous role east of Suez, and excels, too, at character portraits of figures such as the British ambassador. There are nods to John le Carré, but his impressive debut is its own thing, with three radio men (including the Radio 4 breakfast show's dissolute editor) at its centre, not spooks or civil servants. * The Sunday Times (Thriller of the Month) *A tremendous novel - shot-through with great authenticity and insider knowledge - wholly compelling and shrewdly wise. -- WILLIAM BOYDAn impressive debut by Peter Hanington... The multilayered plot, set in Afghanistan and BBC headquarters, moves excitingly and entertainingly but also raises serious current issues about dodgy political and commercial interference with the search for truth by journalists...The subplots and secondary characters are admirable. Hanington has true talent. * The Times *A Dying Breed is an enthralling page-turner, and, as befits an author steeped in newsgathering, there's a real sense of authority and authenticity at work in this quality thriller. -- MICHAEL PALINIt is a fine thriller: pacy without being frenetic, complex without being convoluted, innovative but without abandoning all of the satisfying clichés and conventions o the genre. Hannington seems to have an innate sense of how and when to push the plot along, while still giving us enough time to savour the characterisation and locations (Hong Kong, in particular). * Michael Duggan *

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Book SynopsisWhen you play a double game, if you lose… you die.Tasked by General Napoleon Bonaparte with effecting a perilous entry into the fortress convent of Valletta, Lieutenant Vanderville sides with a renegade Maltese desperate to end the oppressive rule of the Knights of St John.When his companion is lost, the mission goes from bad to worse as he discovers treachery and murder are stalking the agents he is supposed to be meeting, his only allies.Caught between the feuding knights, the machinations of the Grand Master and his foes in the Holy Office, Vanderville begins to feel hopelessly unable to find the killer without the sage guidance of his mentor, Felix Gracchus. Will he live to regret his rash decision to part company?A riotous whodunnit set during the heights of Napoleon's European conquest, for fans of Steven Saylor and S. J. Parris.

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Book Synopsis''Billed as Agatha Christie meets Beatrix Potter . . . Sometimes you just need an entertaining, escapist read to while away the hours'' ?????????? CULTURE FLYIt''s spring in Shady Hollow, and romance is in the air. Even reporter Vera Vixen is caught up in the season as her relationship with new police chief Orville Braun blossoms. But true love is not always smooth sailing, as two of the hollow''s young residents come to find. Jonah Atwater and Stasia von Beaverpelt find themselves battling their families in order to be together. And when Alan''s father, Shelby, goes over the top of Twilight Falls, all signs point to Stasia being the murderer.The evidence against Stasia appears overwhelming, and Orville arrests her. It looks like the case is closed, but Vera isn''t so sure. There are almost too many clues indicating Stasia is the killer, leading her to suspect someone is setting Stasia up. Besides, what about the mysterious ghostly creature skulk

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Book Synopsis''Daisy Waugh''s featherlight satires are as refreshing and uplifting as a glass of chilled vintage champagne. . . Imagine Agatha Christie on laughing gas'' TimesThe Todes are back, and they''re taking on Hollywood . . .When Hollywood wants to do a remake of the film that made Tode Hall famous, India and Egbert are delighted. They envisage a summer of free money and star-studded dinner parties ahead . . . But the Hall is soon overrun by wardrobe trucks and catering tents, and lusty, insecure actors squabbling about nudity clauses. When the movie''s producers threaten to sue over the exact colour of Tode Hall''s rolling lawns, India and Egbert realise that having a film crew on their doorstep isn''t such a breeze after all. With so many egos in one place things were bound to end badly, but no one would have predicted quite so literal a backstabbing . . .''A glorious satire on aristocratic manners anTrade ReviewPraise for the Todes of Tode Hall series:Fans of PG Wodehouse and Agatha Christie should bag this madcap comedy whodunnit . . . Outrageous and over-the-top, a perfect antidote to all real-life craziness going on * Daily Mail *It's sharp, funny and just the right amount of farcical - the best sort of murder mystery * Tatler *I couldn't put it down -- Santa MontefioreWhat a triumph! It gave me enormous pleasure to read, plus of course a few appropriate shudders. [In the Crypt] lightens the darkness in a way that is both dark and light -- Antonia FraserAn irresistible champagne bubble of pleasure and laughter -- Rachel JohnsonAgatha Christie but with a bit of Julian Fellowes's Snobs and Downtown Abbey thrown in . . . A masterclass in how to write a rollicking good read -- Sarah VineA jolly farce that never takes itself too seriously * Red Magazine *Fizzles, crackles and sparkles -- Elizabeth BuchanAn irresistible, high-camp crime caper - deliciously entertaining -- Andrew WilsonA perfect antidote to wintry gloom * The Literary Review *A country-house murder mystery with nods to Agatha Christie and Evelyn Waugh . . . a delightful treat * The Lady *An effervescent madcap whodunnit * Metro *A work of sublime silliness. The knife-edge between crime and comedy is a tricky one, but Daisy Waugh negotiates it magnificently . . . a delightful book, witty, pacy and beautifully written -- Simon BrettThis is a marvellous rollicking read with brilliantly drawn characters. I finished it within 24 hours -- Mary KillenShe's spot on; she's skewered her targets brilliantly -- Imogen Edwards-Jones

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Book SynopsisIt''s Christmas in Riddleton and crime novelist turned amateur sleuth, Jen, is in desperate need of a cozy festive season running the town''s local bookstore. But, between trying to drum up business for Ravenous Readers and attempting to finish her latestnovel, Jen is totally run off her feet. Matters get worse, however, when a man''s body is found outside the bookstore, along with a scrap of paper in his pocket with none other than Jen''s address on it! To solve the murder--and clear her own name--Jen must, once again, become Riddleton''s best detective. The stakes have never been higher and the pressure is on--but with the help of her best friend, Brittany, and trusty dog, Savannah, can Jen catch the killer, finish her novel and save Ravenous Readers before time runs out?--Trade ReviewPraise for The Bookstore Mystery Series: “Warm, amusing, and relatable… A very entertaining cozy mystery… A relaxing night-time read, and it was perfect for that… I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I loved trying to figure out the murder before I got to the end. This was a cozy, page-turning read” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This ingenious author has written a cannot put down novel” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Book SynopsisThe Dance of the Seagull is the fifteenth darkly humorous adventure starring Inspector Montalbano from bestselling author Andrea Camilleri. Inspector Montalbano is awake at dawn, sitting on his porch, when his attention is caught by a seagull which falls from the sky, performing a strange dance, before lying down to die. Montalbano is perplexed by what he has witnessed and the scene hangs over him like an omen. About to depart for a holiday with his girlfriend Livia, Montalbano makes a quick trip to the police station to tie up loose ends. But when his dear colleague Fazio is discovered missing – and it transpires that the policeman has been involved in his own secret investigations – Montalbano instead launches a desperate search for his lost friend, as time begins to run out . . . Navigating a shadowy maze of smuggling, blackmail and the darkest murder, and moving from the docks of Vigàta to its deep, dry wells where the mafia hide their terrible crimes, Inspector Montalbano must have his wits about him to unravel this tangled mystery.'Among the most exquisitely crafted pieces of crime writing available today . . Simply superb' - Sunday TimesThe Dance of the Seagull is followed by the sixteenth Inspector Montalbano novel, The Treasure Hunt.Trade ReviewMontalbano's colleagues, chance encounters, Sicilian mores, even the contents of his fridge are described with the wit and gusto that make this narrator the best company in crime fiction today * Guardian *Among the most exquisitely crafted pieces of crime writing available today * Sunday Times *One of fiction's greatest detectives and Camilleri is one of Europe's greatest crime writers * Daily Mail *For sunny views, explosive characters and a snappy plot constructed with great farcical ingenuity, the writer you want is Andrea Camilleri * New York Times *One of fiction's greatest detectives and Camilleri is one of Europe's greatest crime writes . . . utterly gripping * Daily Mirror *

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Book SynopsisMovie premieres, murder charges and celebrity shenanigans? It''s all in a day''s work for New Jersey prosecutor turned LA family lawyer Sandy Moss.Copperman knows how to entertain - Publishers Weekly Starred ReviewFormer New Jersey prosecutor Sandy Moss moved to a prestigious Los Angeles law firm to make a new start as a family lawyer. So it seems a little unfair that Seaton, Taylor have created a criminal law division specifically for her. Just because she''s successfully defended two murder trials, it doesn''t mean she likes them!But when abrasive Hollywood movie director Robert Reeves is accused of murdering a stuntman on set, Sandy finds she can''t say no when he demands her help. Robert might be an unpleasant, egotistical liar, but something tells Sandy that he''s innocent - even if no one else can see it.At least this time, she reassures herself, her charismatic, adorable, and oh-so annoying TV star boyfriend Patrick McNabb isn''t involved in the case. He isn''t . . . right?The third in the fast-paced, funny legal mystery series starring pitch-perfect heroine Sandy Moss, who could give Perry Mason a run for his money (Kirkus Reviews), is a great pick for fans of cozy mysteries, legal dramas and anyone who likes to laugh!

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Book SynopsisThey killed the only one who ever cared and now they''re going to pay.A reckoning has come to the City of Angels...Karen Garcia is missing and her father doesn''t trust the cops - he wants someone he knows on the case. So he enlists the help of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike.It seems that Karen is the latest victim of a distinctive serial killer and the police are determined to pin her death, and four others, on the witness who found her body. Cole doesn''t believe the man has the guts to murder, and with his partner and the police at each other''s throats, it''s down to him to find the connection that will reveal the killer. But nailing the murderer means choosing between the two people he cares most about...Trade ReviewRobert Crais is, without question, one of the very best mystery writers of all time. And in Elvis Cole and Joe Pike he has created two of the most iconic figures in any genre -- David BaldacciRobert Crais is one of best storytellers at work today. He never disappoints, never leaves you anywhere but the edge of your seat -- Michael ConnellyIn the ambitious new L. A. REQUIEM, Robert Crais has created a series entry that threatens to break through the genre barrier. (He has) crafted a full-bodied novel that explores such topics as honor and friendship and justice and love, that brings its protagonists to a new point of self-awareness and, not incidentally, that provides the kind of puzzle plot that sends mystery fans into paroxysms of joy * LA TIMES *This is Crais's most ambitious novel to date, a big book that juggles aspects of friendship, trust and love against a background of violence and conspiracy. Highly recommended * IRISH TIMES *L. A. REQUIEM is an utterly gripping narrative, written straight from the heart. The almost unbearable tension is tempered by the wit and humanity of Cole himself, confirming Robert Crais's place as a major American thriller writer * MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS *Crais creates plots as lucid as blueprints and strong enough to build cities on. Ear-pinning dialogue and proper attention paid to characterization and relationships. No sunny romances on the agenda, but real feelings--love, friendship, and loathing--explored, and even celebrated. So good you'll want to shout about it * LITERARY REVIEW *L. A. REQUIEM has been one of the best books I've read this year, and this has been an exceptionally good year. This novel has everything: great setting, terrific characters, a plot that hooks you from the first page, and expert knowledge of police procedure. Simply irresistible * TORONTO GLOBE & MAIL *With a pace that never falters, Elvis and Joe burrow through layers of deceit following the death of an ex-girlfriend, with the LAPD itself under suspicion in this tale of double-crossing that is also unbearably poignant. A major US crime series that can no longer be overlooked * TIME OUT *

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Book SynopsisA dream of a wedding turns into a bloody nightmare for LA family lawyer Sandy Moss''s cousin Skinny in the latest instalment of the critically acclaimed Jersey Girl Legal mystery series. Sandy might have to take on her trickiest case yet!An uncomfortable weekend awaits LA family lawyer Sandy Moss when she makes her way to her hometown in New Jersey for the wedding of her cousin Stephanie, sweetly nicknamed Skinny. Uncomfortable, because Sandy is not really looking forward to seeing her family, but at least her boyfriend, Hollywood movie star Patrick McNabb, is by her side.However, if Sandy thought a weekend with her criticising mother and aggravating sister was bad, she definitely wasn''t prepared for the rehearsal event at the wedding venue! When Skinny enters the room, all eyes are on her and her beautiful party dress . . . covered in blood, with a knife in her hand.Skinny says she didn''t do it. But with dozens of wedding guests witnessing her dramatic entrance, the question of who killed the corpse in the kitchen seems an easy one to answer - and an equally easy court case to lose. Reluctantly agreeing to represent her cousin, Sandy sets to work. But how can she save Skinny when she''s not at all sure she''s innocent . . . and when Skinny seems oddly determined to put herself in jail?Loveable, streetwise heroine Sandy "could give Perry Mason a run for his money" (Kirkus Reviews). If you like witty, fast-paced cozies, legal shenanigans and a touch of romance, why not try the series out?

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times bestselling, twenty-eighth and final novel in the thrilling, wickedly funny Inspector Montalbano Mysteries series by Andrea Camilleri.‘Contrary to what you think, I’m carrying out this investigation as best I can. But let’s do this: if I get stuck, if I find I can’t go forward or back, then I’ll let you know, and you can step in. And offer me a way out. You’ve gained a bit of detective work through me, haven’t you? What do you say?’‘I’m game,’ said the Author . . .When Inspector Montalbano receives an early-morning phone call it proves to be the start of a very trying day. For the caller expects Montalbano to arrive imminently at a rendezvous with some friends. But before he can reply the caller announces himself as someone called Riccardino and hangs up.Later that day news comes in of a brutal slaying in broad daylight by an unknown assassin who makes his getaway on a motorbike. And when the Inspector learns of the victim’s identity – a man called Riccardino – his troubles are only just beginning. For soon he must contend with the involvement of a local bishop and a fortune teller who reports some strange goings-on in her neighbourhood.All roads soon lead to a local salt mine but the case proves stubbornly intractable until Montalbano receives another unexpected call . . .'Camilleri has contrived a fitting goodbye to a dear old friend who operates, to the very last, on his own terms' - GuardianTrade ReviewReading it feels like taking a restful and invigorating holiday, in the company of an infallibly amusing author who is also sufficiently wise . . . Reflecting now on the pleasure Camilleri’s body of work has given me, I’m moved to break a reviewing convention and offer to his shade a sentiment that even the most delighted critics never express: thank you * The Daily Telegraph *The concluding instalment in the late Italian writer's beloved Inspector Montalbano series is a chance to savour the sardonic Sicilian's company, the vivid landscape of his region and Camilleri's distinctive voice as he unravels his final mystery * The i *Among the most exquisitely crafted pieces of crime writing available today . . . Simply superb * Sunday Times *Montalbano's colleagues, chance encounters, Sicilian mores, even the contents of his fridge are described with the wit and gusto that make this narrator the best company in crime fiction today * Guardian *One of fiction's greatest detectives and Camilleri is one of Europe's greatest crime writers * Daily Mail *Camilleri has contrived a fitting goodbye to a dear old friend who operates, to the very last, on his own terms * Guardian *With Riccardino, Montalbano signs off in glorious style * Crime Fiction Lover *

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