Witty Crime

Woman Brutally Murdered on Cruise The luxury cruise ship Grand Voyager is headed full speed to Dubai after stops in Sri Lanka and India. Meg has just attended a big fat royal wedding and is looking forward to some relaxing sea days. Her hot dinner date is interrupted by the announcement of a passenger's death. Rushing to the spot, Meg is sad to learn it is her new friend who was celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary. Further investigation reveals the old woman was stabbed in her suite. Meg can't believe the bashful mother of two that security apprehended is capable of such a heinous ...

You are cordially invited to a murder… Judith Spears was expecting a quiet retirement. Instead, she’s investigating a killing at a country estate. When a loud-mouthed media celebrity is accused of murder, he insists he’s been framed—and for reasons Judith would rather keep to herself, she’s inclined to believe him. So she agrees to help. As Judith begins to dig, it quickly becomes clear that nothing about the case is straightforward. Secrets lurk behind polite smiles. Alibis don’t quite hold. And someone is determined to keep the truth buried. Unfortunately for them— Judith ...

When an over-the-hill American actor finds his wife, a rising star in Bollywood, dead in their Mumbai high-rise, he quickly becomes the prime suspect in this atmospheric, razor-sharp social mystery. Lucy Foley meets The White Lotus and perfect for fans of Age of Vice. "A deliciously twisting...

Meg Butler sets sail on the Grand Voyager on a luxury world cruise, eager to visit 30 countries before she's 30. But she hasn't planned on running into murder! The ship is hosting a Bingo tournament for the length of the cruise. Several passengers are competing for the grand prize which is rumored to be in six figures. Meg runs into a friendly older man who boasts of being a skilled player. He has developed a fool proof strategy that is guaranteed to win him big money. Meg is warmed by his affectionate manner toward her and feels he is the father figure she has always yearned for. Disaster ...

Improv(e) Your Conversations teaches the ingenious rules of improv comedy that allow performers to turn boring prompts into memorable interactions worthy of standing ovations. This means there are real frameworks and templates to escape interview mode small talk – and start connecting and building rapport from the moment you say “Hello”. This book goes through over 15 of the most helpful and insightful improv comedy techniques with countless real-life examples to make you a great talker.

Someone has added murder to the menu… Judith Spears never expected a humble burger van to serve up anything more dangerous than questionable ketchup. She was wrong. When a local fast-food entrepreneur is found dead, Judith is drawn into a surprisingly cutthroat world of rival traders, simmering grudges, and secrets best left buried. With the ever-hungry DS Raymond Collins and the sharp-eyed DC Sarah Eastly on the case, it quickly becomes clear that country lay-bys hide more than passing trade. Because someone is willing to kill to protect their patch. And this time… the danger is closer...

Adapted from the major television series created by Mark Gatiss - out now! 'A delicious read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW London, 1946. Gabriel Book is an erudite and unconventional London bookseller married to Trottie, the owner of the wallpaper shop next door. He is also a sleuth who uses...

The bone-shaking new trilogy continues – the latest adventure in the bestselling Skulduggery Pleasant series Vengeance is a killer. A killer is stalking and murdering sorcerers, and Valkyrie Cain is next on his list. While hunting down a cult of magical terrorists intent on taking their...

Murder has arrived on the rails… When a body is discovered on a picturesque heritage steam railway, Judith Spears finds herself drawn into another deadly mystery. Alongside DS Raymond Collins and DC Sarah Eastly, she must navigate a tight-knit world of rivalries, secrets, and simmering grudges—where every enthusiast has something to hide. Because behind the charm of polished engines and nostalgic journeys lies something far more dangerous. Someone is willing to kill. And when an attempt is made on Judith’s life, the stakes become all too real. As suspicion falls on everyone involved, ...

Someone has captured the perfect shot… of a murder. In the sleepy village of Little Pickton, where the biggest scandal is usually an overbaked Victoria sponge at the church fête, death is most dreadfully inconvenient. When a local photographer is found dead, DS Raymond Collins and DC Sarah Eastly are called in to investigate—but as ever, nothing is quite as it seems. Because behind every photograph lies a story. And some stories are better left hidden. As secrets begin to surface, Judith Spears is drawn into the case, using her unconventional instincts to uncover what others have ...

A brand-new library. A quiet village. One very inconvenient murder. Judith Spears expected the opening of Little Pickton’s new library to be blissfully uneventful. She was wrong. When a body turns up among the bookshelves, Judith finds herself pulled into yet another tangled mystery—this time with an enthusiastic (and thoroughly nosy) librarian determined to turn the case into her next true-crime obsession. As secrets begin to surface, it becomes clear that beneath the village’s polite smiles lies something far darker—something with roots deep enough to shake the town to its core. ...

Someone has died in the doctor’s surgery—and no one knows how they got there. When an unidentified body is discovered behind a locked door in Little Pickton, Judith Spears finds herself once again at the centre of a baffling mystery. With DS Raymond Collins and DC Sarah Eastly struggling to untangle a web of feuding colleagues, bitter family rivalries, and long-buried secrets, Judith does what she does best—asks questions no one else dares to. But this time, the stakes are higher. As tensions rise and another murder looms, Judith must navigate not only a dangerous killer—but an am-...

A bone-shaking new trilogy begins – the latest adventure in the bestselling Skulduggery Pleasant series SIX YEARS AGO, THE UNIVERSE ENDED. When it restarted, blinking back into existence, it brought with it a darkness that remains hidden from the mortal population. A week ago – fuelled by...

A nervous gunman. A terrified hostage. Can Dan succeed, or is death the inevitable conclusion? Unleash your adrenaline in this heart-pounding prequel to the Austin and Archer Mystery Series where danger lurks around every corner and the fate of a terrified hostage hangs in the balance. Meet Dan Archer, the hard-hitting, no-nonsense Texas lawman who later becomes an indomitable partner in the esteemed Austin and Archer Detective Agency. After a grueling day on the job, Dan seeks solace in a simple drink. But his plans are abruptly derailed when a robbery takes a deadly turn, plunging him ...

At this brewery, the last orders are to die for… When handsome, former-rugby-playing, pub landlord Mil asks Juno Mulligan for a favour, she immediately says yes. Although she’s initially disappointed that the favour doesn’t involve any sort of romantic shenanigans, Juno is reminded that...

A delightfully wicked British cozy mystery perfect for fans of Richard Osman and M.C. Beaton. Welcome to the shires, where the rolling green hills are beautiful, the thatched cottages are picture perfect, and the local body count is outrageously high. For readers who love a traditional English village mystery packed with dry British humor, this classic whodunit introduces a world where a peaceful afternoon tea is a rare luxury. Beneath the pristine surface of parish gardens and highly competitive village fetes lies a community with an astonishing knack for stumbling over corpses. When ...

In the gripping new Baby Ganesh Agency novel, Inspector Chopra and his elephant sidekick investigate the death of one of Mumbai's wealthiest citizens, a murder with ramifications for its poorest. The Parsees are among the oldest, most secretive and most influential communities in the city...

The bone-shaking new trilogy concludes – the latest adventure in the bestselling Skulduggery Pleasant series Skulduggery Pleasant has many enemies – many, many enemies – and people try to kill him multiple times a day. But when someone puts a price on his head, he finds himself going up...

She files the past for a living—but today the past files a murder. City Hall archivist Keira James has a knack for spotting what doesn’t belong. When a dead body turns up behind the café, a strange broken-circle symbol starts surfacing on permits and maps. With Whisper, her imperious gray tabby, Keira uncovers doctored files, buried projects, and secrets painted over with civic pride. Suspects crowd the margins: Councilman Hayden, burying scandal to save his career; Mira Surratt, the ex-wife with motive and money at stake; and Oliver Leighton, the city’s polite fixer guarding ...

The trials of Gabriel Ward continue in A Case of Life and Limb, available now. Bloomsbury presents A Case of Mice and Murder by Sally Smith, read by Matthew Lloyd Davies. SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2026 BRITISH BOOK AWARD, CRIME & THRILLER Named a Best Book of the Year by The Wall Street Journal...