Comedic Crime

'A Beaton novel is like The Archers on speed' DAILY MAIL 'The detective novels of M C Beaton have reached cult status' THE TIMES Feathers are flying in Agatha Raisin: Sugar and Spite! Agatha Raisin can think of nothing duller than a lecture on birdwatching... but events take a thrilling turn when an angry interloper storms the stage at the...

‘Oozes charm, wit and bloody murder’ JONATHAN WHITELAW, author of The Bingo Hall Detectives ‘Beautifully unguessable ... bursting with life ... brilliant!’ ALEX HAY, author of The Housekeepers Audrey Brooks loves people. She even loves clearing up their messes - which is lucky, as she works as a cleaner. The only thing more satisfying than making a new acquaintance smile...

Attending your best friend's wedding should be a piece of (wedding) cake, but not for bestselling mystery author Eleanor Dash. Because murder seems to follow her every time she goes on holiday - and is her uninvited plus-one to this special occasion... Eleanor's best friend, Emma, is starring in a movie alongside her co-star and fiancé, Fred. As filming wraps,...

A Murder in Eight Cocktails is a deliciously smart murder mystery from the author of This is Not A Game. Perfect for fans of Janice Hallett and Richard Osman. Mix one old flame with a splash of suspicion for the perfect... murder. In the seaside haven of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Willa Keane's marriage is in a rut. As a retired interior-designer-turned-influencer, she's...

Included in THE TIMES Best Historical Fiction Books of 2025: 'A lively new perspective on a grimly familiar tale'The world's most famous unsolved serial killer mystery, told from the perspective of a gang of women. 'A fresh and captivating retelling of the Jack the Ripper mystery, brimming with authentic historical detail and well-drawn, sympathetic characters. A must-read for lovers of...

Hiding out in the Caribbean until the heat dies down from his last job, X is thinking it's time to ditch the resort life and calls up his old friend Morty to plot his return to London. But he's hardly stepped off the plane when his associates, Sonny King and Roy 'Twitchy' Burns, get on the wrong side of a...

How far will Stephanie Plum go to protect the one person who means the most to her? The stakes have never been higher than they are in this latest adventure from No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich. THIS ISN'T JUST ANOTHER CASE. THIS IS FAMILY. Grandma Mazur, Stephanie Plum's favourite family member and occasional partner in crime,...

The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency begins with Hettie Bagshot taking on her first thrilling case. Having just launched the agency, she finds herself embroiled in a mystery that's more than any cat could chew. Furcross, a retirement home for senior cats, is dealing with a disturbing situation: a spate of bodysnatching incidents, where three former residents have been taken...

Having your name in lights can be murder... Stewart 'Hoagy' Hoag hasn't written any fiction since writer's block struck him after his hit debut novel. He's been reduced to ghostwriting celebrity memoirs, but his latest project has him diving back into the literary world in a way he never imagined. Nikki Dymtryk is Hollywood's hottest reality TV star, known for...

The Talented Mr Ripley meets How to Kill Your Family. Sharp, funny and has a twist you won't see coming. Eve Kellman Even for a con artist, Liz is about to take things way, way too far . . . Liz has always had a knack for charming people and gaining their trust. That's what makes her such a talented...

The Talented Mr Ripley meets How to Kill Your Family. Sharp, funny and has a twist you won't see coming Eve Kellman. Even for a con artist, Liz is about to take things way, way too far . . . Liz has always had a knack for charming people and gaining their trust. That's what makes her such a talented...

King of One More Chapter - JOANNA CANNON Master of the unputdownable thriller - MICHAEL WOOD 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...

'Full of twists, the emphasis is on comedy . . . but the extraordinary Holmes can pull the heartstrings too.' THE TIMES The McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts is a luxurious, clandestine college dedicated to the fine art of murder where earnest students study how best to "delete" their most deserving victim. Who hasn't wondered for a split second...

Murder in the Dressing Room by Holly Stars introduces a world where drag queens aren't just dramatic—they're deadly... Meet Misty Divine, a drag queen turned amateur sleuth in a stand-out new murder mystery. By day, shy accountant Joe hides behind their desk and plays by the rules. By night, Joe takes to the stage as Misty Divine, a star of...

When a beautiful staff member at a luxurious California boot camp is found brutally murdered, the owner pleads with the plucky senior sleuths, Angela Benbow and Caledonia Wingate, to investigate. Angela and Caledonia quickly join the party at The Time-Out Inn to check out their fellow guests: nice ladies on the surface, but beneath one of those mud-packs lurks a...

Canon Daniel Clement has suffered a secret humiliation and to recover takes respite at the monastery where he was a novice. But the monastery doesn't allow the break he needs, for tensions are building there too. There is a death at the monastery, and Daniel thinks it might be murder. Meanwhile back at Champton, Daniel is the subject of village...

Three best friends. One life-changing choice. Kiss Angela runs a dating agency and is an expert at connecting over fifties looking for the one. Marry Sara has lost her husband and is forcing herself to speed-date in the hope of finding love again. Kill Helen lives with her controlling partner, Brian - but she's been keeping his abusive behaviour a...

A dark theatrical comedy about the vexed and violent relationship between Britain and Ireland, from twice Booker-shortlisted author Patrick McCabe. It's the summer of Brexit, and in a seedy hotel room on the South Coast of England, Chenevix Meredith finds his old comrade Henry Plumm murdered in the bathtub. Piecing together their shared history, Meredith looks back at the years...

Stephanie Plum breaks the rules, flirts with disaster, and shows who's boss in the latest smash hit from No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich. Monday mornings should be predictable. Stephanie Plum knows that something is amiss when she turns up for work at Vinnie's Bail Bonds to find that longtime office manager Connie Rosolli, as reliable as...

'Been reading this on m'olidays. It's perfectly ridiculous & also v funny...' DAWN FRENCH Curtain Call to Murder positively explodes with the double-entendres and vicious wit that has become his trademark.' DAILY EXPRESS 'Utterly hilarious & thrillingly disgusting' MIRIAM MARGOYLES A murder on stage. A cast full of suspects. Can dresser to the stars and true crime obsessive Jayne unravel...

Death and Croissants by Ian Moore introduces us to Richard, a middle-aged Englishman running 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...

She wrote for a living. But who wanted her dead? When bestselling author Annie Morrissey is found dead, her daughter Niamh knows in her gut it’s no accident – even if the case needs a good edit. The village is strangely uneventful. The suspects are suspiciously normal. The leads quickly turn into dead ends… But when Annie’s final manuscript lands...

As All Hallows' Eve approaches, Hettie Bagshot of The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency has more than just a ghost and a warlock tart on her plate. Upon discovering the body of Mavis Spitforce, Hettie and her trusty sidekick Tilly set out to investigate an old crime and a spate of new murders. Why was Mavis Spitforce dressed for Halloween?...

Shortlisted for the 2025 CWA Whodunnit Dagger 'Can you come round?' Dad says tremulously. 'Of course. Are you OK? Is it Mum?' 'No!' He almost shouts it. 'Just come quickly. The garden...the...body... we need you, Penny.' For women of Penny's generation, being on hand for elderly parents is just part of life. But for Penny, things have become a little...

‘Rosalind Stopps is a born storyteller with a gift of balancing the gritty and dark with humour … a blooming marvellous page turner’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Warm, wise and compelling’ Daily Mail 'This story is fantastic' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A heart-warming tale of courage and friendship’ The Sun 'An outstanding read' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This standout read is both dark...

The latest book in the bestselling prequel series, starring R. D. Wingfield's unforgettable creation Jack Frost - younger, greener, and just as uncouth. When art dealer Ivan Fielding is found dead of a heart attack in his home, surrounded by the treasures he's collected all his life, it doesn't initially seem like a case for Detective Inspector Frost and the...

Down Under's funniest detectives shoot from the lip with a wit as dry as their martinis — Kathy Lette A brand new mystery featuring Nick and La Contessa, the beloved characters from Matthew Benns' smash hit nationwide newspaper serial. Time for a martini, darling? Wise-cracking, cocktail-swilling detective duo Nick Moore and his glamorous Italian wife, La Contessa, receive a last-minute...

The new cosy crime novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author. NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES starring Samantha Bond, Jo Martin, and Cara Horgan. Season 3 coming in 2026! ‘Step aboard for another sparkling Marlow Murder Club yarn … The best thing since Jerome K Jerome!’ Orlando Murrin, author of Knife Skills for Beginners Verity Beresford is worried about her...

An immersive and really satisfying mystery – Faith Martin As refreshing as an iced drink in a heatwave... These characters and their families feel like old friends. A fantastic addition to the series. – Fiona Leitch Retired schoolteachers and amateur sleuths Liz, Pat, and Thelma have a brand-new mystery to solve in this wonderfully witty cosy mystery. Retired schoolteachers Pat,...

There's no place like Hollywood. There's no one like The Unforgettable Loretta, Darling. You're Loretta Darling now, welcome to your brand-new flipping life. Dreams don't come true for girls like Loretta, but she won't let that stop her. With her sights set on becoming a make-up artist to the stars, Loretta wangles her way from Lancashire to the bright lights...

The razor-sharp, violent and darkly comic second novel from actor, comedian and writer Ardal O’Hanlon. Dove Connolly is dead. That’s not good for anyone in Tullyanna, never mind Dove. Now his best friend Sharkey is home asking awkward questions about Dove’s death, about the strange graphic novel he left behind, and, most of all, about Sandra. Sandra Mohan. Missing now...

The Mantis Good 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. Shortlisted for the CWA Dagger Award for Best Thriller Kabuto is an ordinary guy; stressed with work, hassled by his wife, and disrespected...

'Tis the season to solve a murder... This dazzling Golden Age murder mystery is compulsive, atmospheric, and written with Denzil Meyrick's trademark humour and wit. A case shrouded in secrets. It's just before Christmas, 1953. Grasby and Juggers are investigating a puzzling murder in the remote village of Uthley's Bay. A fisherman has been found dead on the beach, with...

On the surface, Richard Ainsworth has life where he wants it. Middle-aged navel gazing and Olympic levels of procrastination are exactly what rural life in France should be about. Then crisis hits his posh B&B when redoubtable housekeeper, Madame Tablier, is accused of murder. Even more surprisingly, it's the murder of a former fiancé, turned brother-in-law. None of which the...

On the surface, Richard Ainsworth has life where he wants it. Middle-aged navel gazing and Olympic levels of procrastination are exactly what rural life in France should be about. Then crisis hits his posh B&B when the redoubtable housekeeper, Madame Tablier, is accused of murder. Even more surprisingly, it's the murder of a former fiancé, turned brother-in-law. None of which...

After accidentally blowing up her husband, can Indigo get back on her four-inch heels? In this madcap debut, One for the Money meets Crazy Rich Asians with a little Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries thrown in. The marriage of Aussie billion-heiress Indigo-Daisy-Violet-Amber Hasluck-Royce-Jones-Bombberg to conscientious reconstructive surgeon Dr Richard Bombberg has come to a spectacular end. In the middle of a...

I loved writing murder mysteries, until I was thrust into the centre of one… It’s Christmas in Riddleton and crime novelist turned amateur sleuth, Jen, is in desperate need of a cosy festive season running the town's local bookstore. But, between trying to drum up business for Ravenous Readers and attempting to finish her latest novel, Jen is totally run...

‘As twisty-turny as a Cornish lane in high summer’ J.M. Hall, author of A Spoonful of Murder ‘A sparklingly delicious confection to satisfy the mystery reader’s appetite’ Helena Dixon, bestselling author of the Miss Underhay Mysteries A Siren’s call… to murder Former Met police officer Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker is working a trial period as an auxiliary Detective Sergeant with the...

‘A sparklingly delicious confection to satisfy the mystery reader’s appetite’ Helena Dixon, bestselling author of the Miss Underhay Mysteries Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker is back! When the popular TV baking contest and national institution The Best of British Baking Roadshow rolls into town and sets up camp in the grounds of Boskern House, a historic stately home near Penstowan, former police...

Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers join forces on a deadly maritime case like no other . . . An off-duty Coast Guardsman is fishing with his family when he calls in some suspicious behaviour from a nearby boat. The slick craft has stopped to pick up a surfaced diver, who was apparently alone, without his own boat, in the middle...

‘A rural Ben Aaronovitch!’ C. K. McDonnell ‘Fast-paced, entertainingly creepy, laugh-out-loud funny, and genuinely moving’ Michelle Paver Dear reader, you are cordially invited to the strangest wedding of the year . . . It’s May 1941, and the war is in full swing. Yet in the quiet village of Woodville in rural Kent a happy event is on the horizon,...

THE INSTANTLY ICONIC NO. 1 BESTSELLER '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' Observer 'Even better than I knew it would be' India Knight 'Quintessentially English' Sunday Express 'An...

It's 1964 in the tiny town of Eastport, Maine, and Billy McCadie is bored to death. She's surrounded by Jell-O salads and dull people with more etiquette than sense, with absolutely no sign of the intrigue or romance that fill the pages of her beloved novel collection. That is, until an engagement ring and cryptic love letter turn up, addressed...

Killing Eve meets The Thursday Murder Club in this exhilarating thriller, introducing retired spy Maggie Bird. The Spy Coast is The Thursday Murder Club on steroids' — SAGA Magazine 'I loved it. A hugely entertaining read!' — ANN CLEEVES NOW A SUNDAY TIMES TOP 5 BESTSELLER! Maggie Bird is many things. A chicken farmer. A good neighbour. A seemingly average...