Longlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger

In the second instalment of Lynne Truss’s joyfully quirky crime series, our trio of detectives must investigate the murder of a hapless romantic; an aristocratic con man on the prowl; and a dodgy Brighton nightspot…

It is summer in Brighton and the Brighton Belles are on hand to answer any holidaymaker’s queries, no matter how big or small. The quickest way to the station, how many pebbles are on the beach and what exactly has happened to that young man lying in the deckchair with blood dripping from him?

Constable Twitten has a hunch that the fiendish murder may be connected to a notorious Brighton nightspot and the family that run it, but Inspector Steine is – as ever – distracted by other issues, not least having his own waxwork model made and an unexpected arrival, while Sergeant Brunswick is just delighted to have spied an opportunity to finally be allowed to go undercover.

‘A knockabout farce of mayhem and murder . A feast of black humour’ – Barry Turner, The Daily Mail

‘A welcome second outing … Lynne Truss is clearly having a great time – and so does the reader. There is a smile, giggle or guffaw on every page’ – Mark Sanderson, The Times