Comical (humorous) crime and mystery

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

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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 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 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 SynopsisLydia Wienewski has opened her Polish-American cafe and bakery on the shore of Lake Erie, but her idyllic new venture is shattered when the low tide leads to a terrible discovery.June, 1982. Lydia Wienewski''s dream has finally come true: Lydia''s Lakeside Cafe and Bakery, selling delicious Polish-American fare on the shore of Lake Erie, is now open and her fortunes are looking up. Even her old nemesis and tutor, the irascible Madame Delphine, has made time to sample Lydia''s delectable pierogi, with some of her students in tow. But when Lydia finds Madame Delphine dead in the water, her lakeside dream turns into a nightmare. Was it a bizarre suicide, or brutal murder? As Lydia and Grandma Mary investigate, they discover that there was more to Madame Delphine than meets the eye, and quickly find themselves drawn into an increasingly perilous situation! Can they uncover the truth about Madame Delphine''s untimely death

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Book Synopsis''A new Simon Brett is an event for mystery fans'' P. D. James''Murder most enjoyable'' Colin DexterAnyone for cricket - and a spot of burglary? An idle conversation on the merits of the glorious game with an old Etonian chum is just the excuse Blotto needs to put himself forward for a cricket tour to foreign climes... and so begins the next adventure for our intrepid duo, where the action takes them to India where, as everyone knows, the finest cricket players hail from - as well as the world''s most skilled jewel thieves...The Dowager Duchess has no problems in letting her two children go to the subcontinent as having her beautiful daughter Twinks married off to a massively rich Maharaja offers the Dowager Duchess the prospect of a permanent solution to the cash-draining maintenance of the Tawcester Towers plumbing.So Twinks joins Blotto on a steamer bound for India, one that is full of young woman desperate to marry wel

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Book Synopsis'A new Simon Brett is an event for mystery fans' P. D. James 'Murder most enjoyable' Colin Dexter 'What? You mean the earl does it for money? That's way beyond the barbed wire!' This explosion of disgust from Blotto is provoked when Twinks informs him of the activities of the Earl of Woking. The gentleman in question is owner of Clusters, a stately home not far from Tawcester Towers, and he has been renting out parts of Clusters for private functions - and charging his guests! The discovery of this appalling lapse in aristocratic behaviour sets Blotto and Twinks off on their latest adventure. Determined to find out more about the Earl of Woking's activities, they discover the existence of a sinister group called Aristotours - brokers between impoverished owners of stately homes and the common people, offering 'a taste of the high life' to characters such as stockbrokers, surgeons and solicitors. And if this were not bad enough, the siblings disco

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Book SynopsisHired to find the missing son of retired political activist Moira Doherty, Dan Starkey knows his new case is going to be challenging. Billy ''the Bear'' Doherty isn''t an easy man to find - a criminal with a nasty drug habit, his mum is convinced he''s been murdered.But when Moira herself is killed, her body found floating in the waters under Londonderry''s Peace Bridge, Dan finds himself in the middle of a deadly game of cat and mouse. Already in unfamiliar territory, Starkey is quickly embroiled in the city''s porn and drug fuelled underworld, where a new generation of gangster terrorist is intent on creating mayhem their predecessors could only dream of ...Trade ReviewHe just seems to get better and better -- Ian RankinSometimes brutal, often blackly humorous and always terrific * Observer *Fast and furious * Daily Mirror *A dark and brilliant champion of words -- James NesbittFast paced and throbbing with menace * Time Out *

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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 SynopsisSet on the coast of Sicily, The Safety Net is the twenty-fifth novel in the bestselling Inspector Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri.***Adapted for BBC4's Inspector Montalbano series***Vigàta is bustling as the new filming location for a Swedish television series set in 1950. In the production frenzy, the director asks the locals to track down movies and vintage photos to faithfully recreate the air of Vigàta at that time. Meanwhile, Montalbano is grappling with a double mystery, one that emerges from the past and another that leads him into the future . . .Engineer Ernesto Sabatello, rummaging in the attic of his house, finds some films shot by his father between 1958 and 1963, always on the same day, 27 March, and always the same shot: the outside wall of a country house. Montalbano hears the story and, intrigued, begins to investigate its meaning. Meanwhile, a middle school is threatened by a group of armed men, and a closer look at the case finds Montalbano looking into the students themselves and delving into the world of social media.The Safety Net is followed by the twenty-sixth gripping mystery, The Sicilian Method.Trade ReviewAmong 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 Mirror *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 *

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Book SynopsisIn The Sicilian Method, Andrea Camilleri's twenty-sixth novel in the Inspector Montalbano mystery series, Montalbano finds his answers to a murder in a theatrical play.Mimi Augello is visiting his lover when the woman's husband unexpectedly returns to the apartment. Hurriedly, he climbs out the window and into the downstairs apartment, but from one danger to another. In the dark he sees a body lying on the bed. Shortly afterwards another body is found and the victim is Carmelo Catalanotti, a director of bourgeois dramas with a harsh reputation for the acting method he developed for his actors: digging into their complexes to unleash their talent, a traumatic experience for all. Are the two deaths connected? Catalanotti scrupulously kept notes and comments on all the actors he worked with as well as strange notebooks full of figures, dates and names . . .Inspector Montalbano finds all of Catalanotti's dossiers and plays, the notes on the characters and the notes on his final drama, Dangerous Turn. It is in the theatre where he feels the solution lies.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 *One of the best of the long running series, vibrant, sharp and very funny * Crime Time *

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Book SynopsisThe Scent of the Night is the sixth comic detective novel in the Inspector Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri.Montalbano learned how hard it was to put on a wetsuit while in a dinghy speeding over a sea that wasn't exactly calm. Mimì, at the helm, looked tense and worried."Getting seasick?" the inspector asked him at one point."No. Just sick of myself.""Why?""Because every now and then I realize what a stupid shit I am to go along with some of your brilliant ideas."When an angry octogenarian holds a terrified and lovelorn secretary at gunpoint, Inspector Montalbano is reluctantly drawn into the case. The secretary's boss, a financial advisor, has vanished along with several billion lire entrusted to him by the good citizens of Vigàta. Also missing is the advisor's young colleague, whose uncle just happens to be building a house on the site of Inspector Montalbano's very favourite olive tree . . .Ably abetted by his loyal and eccentric team, Montalbano, the food-loving, commitment-phobic inspector, returns for another delicious investigation served up in vintage Camilleri style.The Scent of the Night is followed by the seventh book in the series, Rounding the Mark.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 SynopsisSet in Sicily, Game of Mirrors is the eighteenth exciting instalment in the humorous Inspector Montalbano mysteries by Andrea Camilleri.When Montalbano comes to the aid of his new neighbour, Liliana Lombardo, after the engine of her car is interfered with, the inspector can little imagine where this innocuous event will lead. It soon transpires that the young woman – beautiful, intelligent and rather vague about the whereabouts of her husband – is being targeted by someone with a grudge against her. But is Liliana's growing interest in Montalbano simply a product of the detective's innate charm? Or is she trying to lead him astray – and into trouble?Meanwhile the inspector finds himself drawn into another mystery when a bomb explodes outside an empty warehouse in the Sicilian city of Vigàta. But who was the bomb intended for? And why was it left in such a peculiar place? As Montalbano and his colleagues investigate the street's residents - some of whom have suspicious mafia links - they begin to receive a barrage of false clues from an anonymous source.As Liliana's behaviour becomes increasingly erratic and leaks around the case threaten Montalbano's reputation; the sense of danger grows. The inspector soon realizes that, with this investigation, he is being led into a hall of mirrors, where there is danger at every turn and nothing is quite clear . . .Game of Mirrors is followed by the nineteenth Inspector Montalbano novel, Blade of Light.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 SynopsisThe Pyramid of Mud is the twenty-second Montalbano mystery from Italy’s finest crime writer, Andrea Camilleri.It’s been raining for days in Vigàta, and the persistent downpours have led to violent floods overwhelming the Inspector’s beloved hometown, sweeping across the land and leaving only a sea of mud behind. It is on one of these endless grey days that a man – a Mr Giuglù Nicotra – is found dead, his body discovered in a large sewage tunnel, half naked and with a bullet in his back. The investigation is slow and slippery to start with, but when Montalbano realizes that every clue he uncovers and every person he interviews is leading to the same place – the world of public spending and, with it, the Mafia – the case begins to pick up pace.But there’s one question that keeps playing on Montalbano’s mind: in his strange and untimely death, was Giuglù Nicotra trying to tell him something?The Pyramid of Mud is followed by the twenty-third gripping Montalbano mystery, The Overnight Kidnapper.Trade ReviewAmong 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 *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 *

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Book SynopsisThe Cook of the Halcyon is the twenty-seventh Inspector Montalbano mystery from the master of Sicilian crime, Andrea Camilleri.Moments later the all-white schooner, which looked like a hospital ship, began to pass ever so slowly before him, as if wanting to show itself off in all its beauty. The name on the prow said: Halcyon.Two deaths – the suicide of a recently fired worker and the murder of an unscrupulous businessman – lead Inspector Montalbano to the Halcyon, a mysterious ship that visits Vigàta’s port each day. With very few crewmen, no passengers and a stern large enough to land a helicopter, it piques the Inspector’s interest straightaway. In the midst of this, a rare trip to Genoa to visit Livia ends with the Vigàta police department in disarray, and Inspector Montalbano’s position as the head of the commissariat in jeopardy. It will be up to Montalbano to fix the damage done.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 SynopsisThe twenty-eighth and final novel in the thrilling, wickedly funny Inspector Montalbano Mysteries series by bestselling author 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 . . .Trade 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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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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The Accidental Medium is the first book in a hilarious series from Tracy Whitwell featuring Tanz, the accidental medium who, with the help of the dead, is about to become an unwilling crime-solver.Tanz is a wine-loving, straight-talking, once-successful TV actress from Gateshead, whose career has shrivelled like an antique walnut. She is still grieving for her friend Frank, who died in a car crash three years ago, and she has to find a normal job in London to fund her cocktail habit. When she starts work in a ‘new age’ shop, Tanz suddenly discovers that the voices she’s hearing in her head are real, not the first signs of madness, and that she can give people ‘messages’ from beyond the grave. Alarmed, she confronts her little mam and discovers she is from a long line of psychic mediums.Despite an exciting new avenue of life opening up to Tanz, darkness isn’t far away and all too soon there’s murder in the air . . .

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Book SynopsisWATERSTONES BEST CRIME BOOKS OF 2023 PICK'A terrific read - murder, arson and a cat who is so much more than he seems!' – J. M. Hall, author of A Spoonful of MurderThe Cat Who Solved Three Murders by L T Shearer is a charming cosy crime read for fans of Richard Osman and S. J. Bennett.Retired police detective Lulu Lewis’s life changed forever when she met a street cat named Conrad. There’s something very special about Conrad, but it’s a secret she has to keep to herself.When Lulu takes her narrowboat to Oxford, she is planning nothing more stressful than attending a friend’s birthday party. And drinking a few glasses of Chardonnay.But a brutal murder and a daring art theft means her plans are shattered – instead she and Conrad find themselves on the trail of a killer . . .A killer who may well strike again.'A charming, off-beat story with some great characters and wonderful locations' – S. J. Bennett on The Cat Who Caught a KillerTrade ReviewA terrific read - murder, arson and a cat who is so much more than he seems! -- J. M. Hall, author of A Spoonful of MurderA 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 -- S. J. Bennett on The Cat Who Caught a KillerA captivating, charming and gentle tale, perfect for all those who love their crime cozy -- Peter James on The Cat Who Caught a KillerCharming and original. This book is the cat’s whiskers -- Anthony Horowitz on The Cat Who Caught a Killer

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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 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 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 Synopsis---A GUARDIAN BEST SUMMER READ---'A very modern interrogation of violent fiction. Fiendishly readable' SARAH MOSS, GUARDIAN'Powerful and moving' ERIN KELLY, author of He Said/She Said______________When a young writer accepts a job at a university in the remote countryside, it's meant to be a fresh start. But when one of her students starts sending in chapters from his novel that blur the lines between fiction and reality, the professor recognises herself as the main character in his book - and he has written her a horrific fate.Will she be able to stop life imitating art before it's too late?At once a breathless battle-of-wits and a disarming exploration of sexual politics, The Body Lies is an essential book for our times.___________________'Outstanding' CLARE MACKINTOSH'A literary exploration of consent, entitlement and how narratives can be bent, misappropriated and wrested back. I loved it' SARAH VAUGHAN'A propulsive #MeToo thriller.' GUARDIAN'Gripping. The perfect marriage of risky literary fiction and full-on thriller' MARIA SEMPLE'Page-turning thriller and examination of how women's bodies are treated, in life and in fiction.' THE BOOKSELLER'A novelist with a gift for intimate and atmospheric storytelling' FINANCIAL TIMES'Baker's heroine is one of the most believable I've seen on the page in a long time...nuanced, non-linear, lifelike' TLS'Gripping and fast-paced' GOOD HOUSEKEEPINGTrade ReviewA propulsive #MeToo thriller investi­gating consent and male entitlement as well as the borders between truth and fiction. * Guardian *Build-up of tension is EXCELLENT * Daily Mail *Packs a powerful punch on every page * Red Magazine *Gripping ... with lots to say about sexual politics * Good Housekeeping *This superior thriller looks at how novels represent violence through the story of a creative writing teacher who finds herself trapped between the borders of life and fiction after recognising herself in a story written by one of her students * METRO *

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Book Synopsis'An immensely readable treat!' ALEXANDER McCALL SMITHThe first book in a light-hearted historical adventure series set during the mid-twentieth century............................................................................Ernest Drabble, a Cambridge historian and mountaineer, travels to rural Devon to inspect the decapitated head of Oliver Cromwell - a macabre artefact owned by Dr Wilkinson. Drabble only tells one person of his plans - Harris, an old school friend and press reporter. On the train to Devon, Drabble narrowly avoids being murdered, only to reach his destination and find Dr Wilkinson has been killed. Gripped in Wilkinson's hand is a telegram from Winston Churchill instructing him to bring the head of Oliver Cromwell to London.Drabble has unwittingly become embroiled in a pro-Nazi conspiracy headed by a high-status Conservative member of the British government.And so, Drabble teams up with Wilkinson's secretary, Kate Honeyand, to find the head and rescue Harris who is being tortured for information..............................................................................Praise for Rule Britannia:'A rollicking good read' IAN RANKIN 'Marsh chomps the period bit between his teeth and relates his yarn with winning gusto' NEW STATESMAN'Tremendous stuff! With the arrival of Alec Marsh's first Drabble and Harris thriller, John Buchan must be stirring uneasily in his grave'STANLEY JOHNSONTrade ReviewMarsh chomps the period bit between his teeth and relates his yarn with winning gusto * New Statesman *Tremendous stuff! With the arrival of Alec Marsh's first Drabble and Harris thriller, John Buchan must be stirring uneasily in his grave * Stanley Johnson *A rollicking good read * Ian Rankin *

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Book Synopsis'A rollicking good read' IAN RANKIN'Employs a turbulent 1930s India as the canvas for a nefarious assassination plot complete with tiger hunts and shady maharajahs. A rollicking Raj-era mystery' VASEEM KHAN The second in the series of the Dabble and Harris thrillers! Set in the mid-twentieth century, this adventure series is perfect for fans of action-packed, historical fiction.............................................................India, 1937. Intrepid reporter Sir Percival Harris is hunting tigers with his friend, Professor Ernest Drabble. Harris soon bags a man-eater - but later finds himself caught up in a hunt of a different kind...Harris is due to interview the Maharaja of Bikaner, a friend to the Raj, for his London newspaper - and he and Drabble soon find themselves accompanied by a local journalist, Miss Heinz. But is the lady all she seems? And the Maharaja himself is proving elusive...Meanwhile, the movement for Indian independence is becoming stronger, and Drabble and Harris witness some of the conflict first-hand. But even more drama comes on arrival at Bikaner when the friends find themselves confined to their quarters... and embroiled in an assassination plot!Just who is the enemy in the Maharaja's palace? What is the connection to a mysterious man Drabble meets in Delhi? And what secret plans do the British colonial officers have up their sleeves?............................................................Praise for Alec Marsh's Drabble and Harris thrillers:'An immensely readable treat!' ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH'Told with humour and flair, Enemy of the Raj is a highly enjoyable, riveting read'ABIR MUKHERJEE'A thoroughly engaging and enjoyable diversion'NEW STATESMAN on Enemy of the Raj 'Tremendous stuff! With the arrival of Alec Marsh's first Drabble and Harris thriller, John Buchan must be stirring uneasily in his grave'STANLEY JOHNSONTrade ReviewA thoroughly engaging and enjoyable diversion * New Statesman *Tremendous stuff! With the arrival of Alec Marsh's first Drabble and Harris thriller, John Buchan must be stirring uneasily in his grave * Stanley Johnson *A rollicking good read * Ian Rankin *An immensely readable treat! * Alexander McCall Smith *Told with humour and flair, Enemy of the Raj is a highly enjoyable, riveting read. I'm already looking forward to the next one! * Abir Mukherjee *

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Book SynopsisGood dad or good assassin? Can he be both? From the internationally bestselling author of BULLET TRAIN: A seemingly ordinary family man tries to juggle his home life with his job as a hitman.Picture a mantis raising up its blades. It looks fearsome, but it's still just a tiny insect. The mantis actually thinks it can win. Even though it's tiny, it's still ready to fight to the death.Kabuto is an ordinary guy; stressed with work, hassled by his wife and disrespected by his son. No wonder he visits his doctor so often. Except 'the Doctor' is actually his handler, and Kabuto is a hired assassin. The 'prescriptions' the Doctor hands over are his unlucky targets. Because although Kabuto may seem like a small man at home, he's really good at killing people.Kabuto is worn out with the business of murder. He's trying to pay his way out of the Doctor's employment with a few last jobs. But the most lucrative contracts involve taking out other professional assassins and his final assignment puts both him and his family in danger.'Unlike anything you're likely to have read before...white-hot with double-crosses' Financial Times, on Bullet TrainTrade ReviewAn offbeat but touching thriller, with a wonderful final twist * Mail on Sunday *Unlike anything you're likely to have read before...white-hot with double-crosses * Financial Times, on Bullet Train *Entertaining...high-speed...with lots of twists and turns...it has a Tarantino-meets-the-Coen-Brothers feel to it. * The Times, on Bullet Train *Thoroughly enjoyable * Guardian, on Bullet Train *Showcases Kotaro Isaka's Tarantinoesque blend of offbeat wit and stylised violence * The Times, on Three Assassins *

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Book SynopsisGood dad or good assassin? Can he be both? From the internationally bestselling author of BULLET TRAIN: A seemingly ordinary family man tries to juggle his home life with his job as a hitman.Picture a mantis raising up its blades. It looks fearsome, but it's still just a tiny insect. The mantis actually thinks it can win. Even though it's tiny, it's still ready to fight to the death.Kabuto is an ordinary guy; stressed with work, hassled by his wife and disrespected by his son. No wonder he visits his doctor so often. Except 'the Doctor' is actually his handler, and Kabuto is a hired assassin. The 'prescriptions' the Doctor hands over are his unlucky targets. Because although Kabuto may seem like a small man at home, he's really good at killing people.Kabuto is worn out with the business of murder. He's trying to pay his way out of the Doctor's employment with a few last jobs. But the most lucrative contracts involve taking out other professional assassins and his final assignment puts both him and his family in danger.'Unlike anything you're likely to have read before...white-hot with double-crosses' Financial Times, on Bullet TrainTrade ReviewAn offbeat but touching thriller, with a wonderful final twist * Mail on Sunday *Unlike anything you're likely to have read before...white-hot with double-crosses * Financial Times, on Bullet Train *Entertaining...high-speed...with lots of twists and turns...it has a Tarantino-meets-the-Coen-Brothers feel to it. * The Times, on Bullet Train *Thoroughly enjoyable * Guardian, on Bullet Train *Showcases Kotaro Isaka's Tarantinoesque blend of offbeat wit and stylised violence * The Times, on Three Assassins *

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Book SynopsisWry humour and small-town crime, in the acclaimed Lucian Wing series. Lucian Wing is the sheriff of a backwoods county in Vermont, a hardscrabble place far from the picture-postcard gaze. He is also a man with a problem. Multiple problems, in fact, including a threatening superior; a wandering wife; a hard-drinking father-in-law; a demented mother; a squad of deputies variously overzealous and moronic; a mysterious vigilante band operating in his jurisdiction; and a formidably bloodthirsty local carnivore... Wing needs to draw on all his patience, knowledge, and (especially) humor to resolve things. Not least, to honour what one ambiguous ally refers to as Old Number Five.Trade ReviewPraise for Castle Freeman's novels: ‘A small miracle – sharp, sly, moving and full of heart' Nick Cave‘Part comic romp and part nail-biting thriller ... Castle Freeman writes with both wit and a deep understanding of the human psyche, and he does not cheat us out of a dramatic climax’ Guardian‘Shares many small-town, big-crime themes with Cormac McCarthy... it is impossible not to appreciate this’ The Times 'Wonderful... every paragraph a gem. Freeman – like Cormac McCarthy, like Annie Proulx – shows us the awkward realness of lives, and does it with humour, with wry perception, with great style' R. J. Ellory ‘Extremely funny... streamlined storytelling, dead-on dialogue and lyrical descriptions of the bleak, woodsy landscape. This is a meticulous New England miniature, with not a word wasted’ Oprah Magazine‘A fast, memorable read gooey with atmosphere … a gem that sparkles with sly insight and cuts like a knife’ Boston Globe‘Freeman has a flawless ear for dialogue and a sharp eye for quirky detail … Superb’ People Magazine‘A brilliant book – laconic, spare, stylish and exciting’ Al Alvarez‘A small masterpiece of black comedy and suspense … If all novels were this good, Americans would read more’ Kirkus Reviews

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Book SynopsisA fast-paced, sharply observed novel of rural suspense. Sheriff Lucian Wing goes to the aid of a pair of young runaways, Duncan and Pamela, who have fled to his backwoods county jurisdiction in Vermont. The girl’s powerful stepfather New York has set a smoothly menacing lawyer and well-armed thugs on their trail. At the same time Wing must deal with his wayward wife’s chronic infidelity; the snobbery of Pamela’s cosmopolitan mother; the dubious assistance of a demented World War Two enthusiast – and even the climactic, chaotic onset of a prodigious specimen of the local wildlife. Amidst it all, can Wing bring Duncan and Pamela to safety?Trade ReviewPraise for Castle Freeman's novels: ‘A small miracle – sharp, sly, moving and full of heart' Nick Cave'Part comic romp and part nail-biting thriller ... Castle Freeman writes with both wit and a deep understanding of the human psyche, and he does not cheat us out of a dramatic climax’ Guardian‘Shares many small-town, big-crime themes with Cormac McCarthy... it is impossible not to appreciate this’ The Times'Wonderful... every paragraph a gem. Freeman – like Cormac McCarthy, like Annie Proulx – shows us the awkward realness of lives, and does it with humour, with wry perception, with great style' R. J. Ellory ‘Extremely funny... streamlined storytelling, dead-on dialogue and lyrical descriptions of the bleak, woodsy landscape. This is a meticulous New England miniature, with not a word wasted’ Oprah Magazine‘A fast, memorable read gooey with atmosphere … a gem that sparkles with sly insight and cuts like a knife’ Boston Globe‘Freeman has a flawless ear for dialogue and a sharp eye for quirky detail … Superb’ People Magazine ‘A brilliant book – laconic, spare, stylish and exciting’ Al Alvarez‘A small masterpiece of black comedy and suspense … If all novels were this good, Americans would read more’ Kirkus Reviews

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Book SynopsisTom Winscombe is having a bad day. Trapped at the top of the tallest building in Minsk while a lethal battle between several mafia factions plays out beneath him, he contemplates the sequence of events that brought him here, starting with the botched raid on a secretive think tank and ending up in the middle of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. More importantly, he wonders how he's going to get out of this alive when the one person who can help is currently not speaking to him. Join Tom and a cast of disreputable and downright dangerous characters in this witty thriller set in a murky world of murder, mystery and complex equations.Trade ReviewPraise for Jonathan Pinnock: ‘Lovely stuff’ Ian Rankin'A series of humorous, riotous mathematical mysteries' David Nicholls‘He makes funny and self-deprecating company’ The Herald‘Jonathan Pinnock writes compelling tales with a deliciously wicked glint in his eye’ Ian Skillicorn, National Short Story Week‘Jonathan Pinnock is Roald Dahl’s natural successor’ Vanessa Gebbie‘Funny, clever, and sometimes brilliantly daft. A comedy that I am sure would have made Pythagoras, Archimedes and Douglas Adams all laugh out loud’ Scott Pack on The Truth About Archie and Pye

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Book SynopsisTina Rossi, the world’s leading coloratura soprano, has travelled to Edinburgh, ostensibly to sing in the Festival, in reality to meet her lover, top scientist Kenneth Holmes. But instead of finding Kenneth at their rendezvous, she discovers an unknown corpse. Enter Johnson Johnson, a famous but enigmatic portrait painter whose yacht Dolly is about to sail in a race to the Hebrides where Holmes was conducting his top-secret research. Soon Tina and Johnson are sailing the high seas to investigate Holmes' disappearance, but as Dolly nears Rum, the race has become one for life rather than prize money…Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR THE DOLLY MYSTERY SERIES ‘The Dolly novels are… delicious, funny, ingenious, glamorous, clever’ Listener'Dunnett tempts her fans with buried clues and red herrings that keep them reading and rereading the books’ New York Times'[Dunnett’s] women are among her strongest characters' Guardian

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Book SynopsisWhen Sarah Cassells, a young British woman who has just completed her training as a chef, hears of her father’s violent death on Ibiza, she refuses to believe it is suicide. She heads to Ibiza to investigate and soon gets caught up with an art dealer; two beautiful jet-setters; a remarkable American woman who is not what she seems – and with Johnson Johnson, the mysterious portrait painter who shows up on his yacht, Dolly. As Ibiza prepares to celebrate Holy Week with the traditional processions, events become more and more macabre…Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR THE DOLLY MYSTERY SERIES ‘The Dolly novels are… delicious, funny, ingenious, glamorous, clever’ Listener'Dunnett tempts her fans with buried clues and red herrings that keep them reading and rereading the books’ New York Times'[Dunnett’s] women are among her strongest characters' Guardian

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Book SynopsisIf Ruth had stayed on leave, none of it might have happened. An astronomer working at the Maurice Frazer Observatory, Ruth Russell is enjoying her time in Rome. That is until Charles Digham, top fashion photographer and Ruth’s lover, has his camera stolen and the thief ends up a headless corpse in the zoo park toletta. The enigmatic Johnson Johnson, in Rome to paint a portrait of the Pope, is on hand to unravel the mystery. But as Johnson and Ruth begin the search for clues it soon becomes clear that more is at stake than the secrets of a couture house… something far more deadly.Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR THE DOLLY MYSTERY SERIES ‘The Dolly novels are… delicious, funny, ingenious, glamorous, clever’ Listener‘Dunnett tempts her fans with buried clues and red herrings that keep them reading and rereading the books’ New York Times‘[Dunnett’s] women are among her strongest characters' Guardian

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Book SynopsisTo all appearances Joanna Emerson is a fully qualified, gold-medalled graduate of the world’s finest college of Nursery Nurses… Engaged as a nanny to Benedict, newly born heir to a vast cosmetic fortune, she becomes caught up in a complex kidnap plot. But the enigmatic portrait painter, yachtsman and former spy, Johnson Johnson is never far away – and he knows the dangerous game she’s playing. Before long, bullets are flying, and most of them in Joanna’s direction.Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR THE DOLLY MYSTERY SERIES ‘The Dolly novels are… delicious, funny, ingenious, glamorous, clever’ Listener‘Dunnett tempts her fans with buried clues and red herrings that keep them reading and rereading the books’ New York Times‘[Dunnett’s] women are among her strongest characters’ Guardian

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Book SynopsisOn the trail of a couple of missing alpacas, disaster-prone Tom Winscombe has somehow ended up at an online gambling convention in Las Vegas. With the assistance of his mysterious new companion Ada, his quest takes on a dangerous turn as he finds that this time he has some hungry wildlife to contend with, as well as a cast of disreputable and downright dangerous human characters. As the stakes get higher and his chances of survival drop lower, Tom finds the only solution may be to forge an unexpected alliance with someone from his past. Will he end up with a winning hand, or will everything fall apart like a house of cards?Trade ReviewPraise for Jonathan Pinnock: ‘Lovely stuff’ Ian Rankin'A series of humorous, riotous mathematical mysteries' David Nicholls‘He makes funny and self-deprecating company’ The Herald‘Jonathan Pinnock writes compelling tales with a deliciously wicked glint in his eye’ Ian Skillicorn, National Short Story Week‘Jonathan Pinnock is Roald Dahl’s natural successor’ Vanessa Gebbie‘Funny, clever, and sometimes brilliantly daft. A comedy that I am sure would have made Pythagoras, Archimedes and Douglas Adams all laugh out loud’ Scott Pack on The Truth About Archie and Pye

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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 SynopsisMurder has a way of killing business...In the small village of Kilbane, County Cork in Ireland, Naomi’s Bistro has always been warm and welcoming. Nowadays, twenty-two-year-old Siobhán O’Sullivan runs the family bistro named for her mother, along with her five siblings, after the death of their parents in a car crash almost a year ago. It’s been a rough year for the O’Sullivans, but it’s about to get rougher.One morning, as they’re opening the bistro, they discover a man seated at a table with a pair of hot pink barber scissors protruding from his chest. With the local garda suspecting the O’Sullivans, and their business in danger of being shunned, it’s up to Siobhán to solve the crime and save her beloved brood.A charming Irish village mystery, perfect for fans of Betty Rowlands and Dee Macdonald.

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Book Synopsis'So chillingly addictive you'll forget to breathe' CHRIS WHITAKER, author of WE BEGIN AT THE END THEY BELIEVE HIS LIES. SHE KNOWS THE TRUTH. You can't lie to Izzy Lambert. Her highly developed empathic abilities allow her to read people's emotions with terrifying accuracy - and consequences. As a child her insights sparked her parents' divorce. As an adult she avoids getting too close to people for fear of what she might learn. But now young girls are going missing in her town. The police have no suspects but, seeing her old school caretaker interviewed on the news about the story, Izzy comes to a chilling realisation: he knows where the missing girls are. When the police won't take her seriously despite the lives at stake, she will risk everything to uncover the truth. Perfect for fans of Steve Cavanagh, Adrian McKinty and Harlan Coben, No Secrets will keep you turning the pages until the very last line. 'Hitchcockian suspense' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Intriguing, absorbing, with a great twist that I genuinely didn't see coming' MANDASUE HELLER 'David Jackson is the master of the unputdownable thriller' MICHAEL WOOD 'A proper page turner, dark, thrilling, twisty and full of surprises' NADINE MATHESONTrade ReviewHitchcockian suspense * Financial Times *So chillingly addictive you'll forget to breathe, No Secrets is everything I love about David Jackson thrillers. Cold and clever, yet brimming with heart, humour and ingenious twists -- Chris Whitaker, author of WE BEGIN AT THE ENDAn exhilarating ride with a serial killer and the empath on his tail. Funny, shocking, brilliantly written - and I swear there's a twist on every page! -- Janice Hallett, author of THE TWYFORD CODEIntriguing, absorbing, with a great twist that I genuinely didn't see coming -- Mandasue HellerFabulous. David Jackson is officially King of Just One More Chapter. Beautifully dark and twisty -- Joanna Cannon, author of A TIDY ENDINGAn original and gripping page-turner. David Jackson is the master of the unputdownable thriller -- Michael Wood, author of the DCI Matilda Darke seriesA proper page turner, dark, thrilling, twisty and full of surprises -- Nadine Matheson, author of THE JIGSAW MANDefinitely on the list for Book of the Year. Absolutely gripping -- David MarkTruly is a thrilling read. Murder, deadly secrets and a complex main character who you keep turning the pages for, I thoroughly enjoyed it -- Deborah Masson, author of the DI Eve Hunter seriesBrilliantly twisty and thrilling - with a plot that rockets along and a clever reveal to make you gasp. I loved it -- Lisa Hall, author of THE PERFECT COUPLE

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Book Synopsis'So chillingly addictive you'll forget to breathe' CHRIS WHITAKER, author of WE BEGIN AT THE END THEY BELIEVE HIS LIES. SHE KNOWS THE TRUTH. You can't lie to Izzy Lambert. Her highly developed empathic abilities allow her to read people's emotions with terrifying accuracy - and consequences. As a child her insights sparked her parents' divorce. As an adult she avoids getting too close to people for fear of what she might learn. But now young girls are going missing in her town. The police have no suspects but, seeing her old school caretaker interviewed on the news about the story, Izzy comes to a chilling realisation: he knows where the missing girls are. When the police won't take her seriously despite the lives at stake, she will risk everything to uncover the truth. Perfect for fans of Steve Cavanagh, Adrian McKinty and Harlan Coben, NO SECRETS will keep you turning the pages until the very last line. 'Hitchcockian suspense' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Intriguing, absorbing, with a great twist that I genuinely didn't see coming' MANDASUE HELLER 'A proper page turner, dark, thrilling, twisty and full of surprises' NADINE MATHESON 'David Jackson is the master of the unputdownable thriller' MICHAEL WOODTrade ReviewHitchcockian suspense * Financial Times *So chillingly addictive you'll forget to breathe... Cold and clever, yet brimming with heart, humour and ingenious twists -- Chris Whitaker, author of WE BEGIN AT THE ENDAn exhilarating ride with a serial killer and the empath on his tail. Funny, shocking, brilliantly written - and I swear there's a twist on every page! -- Janice Hallett, author of THE TWYFORD CODEIntriguing, absorbing, with a great twist that I genuinely didn't see coming -- Mandasue HellerAn original and gripping page-turner. David Jackson is the master of the unputdownable thriller -- Michael WoodFabulous. David Jackson is officially King of Just One More Chapter. Beautifully dark and twisty -- Joanna Cannon, author of A TIDY ENDINGAn original and gripping page-turner. David Jackson is the master of the unputdownable thriller -- Michael Wood, author of the DCI Matilda Darke seriesA proper page turner, dark, thrilling, twisty and full of surprises -- Nadine Matheson, author of THE JIGSAW MANDefinitely on the list for Book of the Year. Absolutely gripping -- David MarkTruly is a thrilling read. Murder, deadly secrets and a complex main character who you keep turning the pages for, I thoroughly enjoyed it -- Deborah Masson, author of the DI EVE HUNTER series

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Book Synopsis'King of One More Chapter' JOANNA CANNON 'Master of the unputdownable thriller' MICHAEL WOOD 'A stunning read that grips you by the throat' JANICE HALLETT NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED Elliott has never thought of himself as a hero. Until one dark night he meets Rebecca, a scared and vulnerable young woman who needs his help. There's a man harassing her, following her; would he mind pretending to be her boyfriend, just while she walks home, to put him off? And that is that - just a favour for a stranger - until there is a knock at Elliott's door. It's the man who was following Rebecca. He claims he's her ex-boyfriend, but it's clear that he's been stalking her. He's obsessed, dangerously so. He wants Rebecca, and he will do anything to have her. When Elliott eventually tries to tell him the truth, the man doesn't believe him. The only way to save himself is to get Rebecca to explain. There's just one problem: Rebecca is nowhere to be found. And now it looks like one good deed will cost Elliott everything... A must-read for fans of Adrian McKinty, Steve Cavanagh and Alex North, this is a gripping pageturner from 'the King of One More Chapter'Trade ReviewWhen David Jackson drops a pebble in the pond, get ready for a tsunami to sweep you away. One Good Deed is a brutal cautionary tale, an accomplished cat-and-mouse psychological thriller and a stunning read that grips you by the throat until the final page -- Janice Hallett, author of THE APPEALOne Good Deed is an unsettling, intriguing, beautiful plotted mystery that turns the world of a Good Samaritan upside down. Another cracker from David Jackson. Don't miss it -- Mari Hannah, author of THE LOSTWhen you start a David Jackson book, you know you'll soon be reading through your fingers. Brilliant stuff, with all his hallmark warmth and humour -- Leonora Nattrass, author of BLUE WATERClassic full out nail biting page turner -- Tina Baker, author of CALL ME MUMMYA dark story of obsession, fear, and the terrible consequences of doing the right thing. A gripping page-turner which I finished in a day! -- Guy Morpuss, author of BLACK LAKE MANORPacked with enough twists and chases and eye-goggling reveals to keep my head spinning for hours after the final page -- Dan Malakin, author of THE BOX

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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 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 LIEA clever, elegant mystery in the Golden Age tradition, though it's set in the present day. Nods to my favourite fictional sleuth of the era made it even more special -- Leonora Nattrass, author of BLUE WATERA highbrow cosy that takes a playful approach to the tropes and fetishes of the genre while effortlessly twisting the reader in circles. A hugely accomplished fiction debut -- Eva Dolan, author of LONG WAY HOMEA brilliantly clever murder mystery with an alluring cast and fiendish puzzle at its heart. Perfect for fans of the country house whodunnit looking for a contemporary take on a classic tale -- Philippa East, author of LITTLE WHITE LIESCunningly clever. I defy you to guess whodunnit. Golden age mystery -- Tina Baker, author of CALL ME MUMMYAs cunning as Christie, as elegant as Sayers, with a dash of Donna Tartt thrown in for good measure. Helle & Death is not only a fiendishly clever mystery on par with the best the Golden Age has to offer, but a deft character study in the complex entanglements of old friendships. Witty, erudite, funny, and wonderfully well-written, I am in awe of what Oskar Jensen has achieved with this book -- William Hussey, author of KILLING JERICHOA clever, funny, sparklingly fresh twist on classic country house murder -- Kate Griffin, author of FYNESHADEA clever and funny country house murder... brilliant -- J.B. Mylet, author of THE HOMESSuper tight plotting with a great cast of characters and wonderful Sorkin-esque dialogue. Huge recommendation for fans of Agatha Christie and Rian Johnson -- Tariq Ashkanani, author of WELCOME TO COOPERA charmingly quirky protagonist, a bleakly vivid setting, and a cleverly plotted country house murder make for a brilliant read! Helle and Death is a beautifully written tribute to the golden age classics -- Guy Morpuss, author of FIVE MINDSBeautifully written and teeming with intrigue... Had me hooked from the first page and guessing until the last -- Joanna Wallace, author of YOU'D LOOK BETTER AS A GHOSTFull of skulduggery and humour and with a denouement that will take you by surprise... a refreshingly modern take on the classic country house murder mystery and will no doubt provide a fresh fix for lovers of golden age crime -- Anita Frank, author of THE LOST ONESAgatha Christie meets Friends Reunited... Witty and pithy, this murder mystery has all the classic elements of a country house caper. A lot of fun! -- Jo Furniss, author of DEAD MILEFiendishly clever! An absolute masterclass in Golden Age detective fiction, laced with wit and ingeniously plotted. Utterly magnificent -- Victoria Dowd, author of THE SUPPER CLUB MURDERSThe setting is so vivid, and the perfect take on an updated Golden Age country house murder mystery. The characters are well crafted and the pace is cracking -- Chris McDonald, author of A WASH OF BLACKIntriguing and intricately plotted... A compelling and engaging mystery with a truly disorientating dénouement * Crime Fiction Lover *A smart, humane, post-modern mystery that skewers the tropes of the genre and crafts an engaging mystery... Jensen clearly has a talent * Set the Tape *Atmospheric * Crime Monthly *A Danish slant on the Golden Age... This is no simple whodunnit * Shots *

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Book SynopsisThe best undercover officers are all a little crazy. They develop an eccentric persona, designed to impress, deceive and befriend the most violent and shrewd criminals in society. But what happens when one of them is forced to return to being a regular detective? That’s what happens when Harry Stallard is seriously injured in an undercover operation and posted back to force. Unfit for frontline duties, he is sent to recuperate in the Cold Case Review Unit, where his ponytail, tattoos and attitude clash with the sedate, ultra-mature vibe. His first case: missing person Joey Doane, who was lead singer with local band The Magic Rats, and whose truck was found abandoned near the Humber Bridge. The original investigation was filed as a probable suicide, but did Joey really jump to his death or has he staged his own disappearance? Stallard becomes convinced he’s dealing with something far more sinister, but who would want to kill Joey and why? Dive into Sheffield’s vibrant music scene, where indie rock bands play in colourful, sweat-soaked clubs, and beneath the surface, lurks a murky world of corrupt business, pseudo-gangsters and chaotic drug-use.

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