L. C. Tyler

The herring in the library

Cat Among the Herrings

Crooked Herring

Ethelred Tressider and his agent Elsie Thirkettle have been invited to lecture on a creative writing course at Fell Hall, a remote location in the heart of ragged countryside. When one of their number goes missing, Ethelred leads a search party and makes a gruesome discovery. With no phone signal and no hope of summoning the police, can Ethelred and Elsie identify the killer among them before one of them is next?

Farewell My Herring

In an effort to rejuvenate his flagging career, crime novelist Ethelred Tressider decides to set his new book in Egypt and embarks on a 'research trip' with his literary agent, Elsie Thirkettle, in tow. No sooner has their cruise on the Nile begun, however, than an attempt is made on Ethelred's life. When the boat's engine explodes and a passenger is found bloodily murdered, suspicion falls on everyone aboard including a third-rate private eye, two individuals who may or may not be undercover police, and Ethelred himself. As the boat drifts out of control, though, it seems that events are being controlled by a party far more radical than anyone could have guessed. Herring on the Nile is an ingenious mystery, and a darkly funny tribute to Agatha Christie and the golden age of crime fiction.

Herring on the Nile

When literary agent Elsie Thirkettle is invited to accompany tall but obscure crime-writer Ethelred Tressider to dinner at Muntham Court, she is looking forward to sneering at his posh friends. What she is not expecting is that, half way through the evening, her host will be found strangled in his locked study. Since there is no way that a murderer could have escaped, the police conclude that Sir Robert Muntham has killed himself. A distraught Lady Muntham, however, asks Ethelred to conduct his own investigation. Ethelred (ably hindered by Elsie) sets out to resolve a classic 'locked room' mystery; but is any one of the assorted guests and witnesses actually telling the truth? And can Ethelred's account be trusted?

The Herring in the Library

Maltese Herring

Investigate the killer plots of twenty mysteries - nearly all specially commissioned and all with a literary flavour - published in honour of Heffers and independent bookshops everywhere. Chase down the criminals in new stories featuring Carole & Jude, Gary Goodhew, the Good Thief, and the redoubtable Baroness 'Jack' Troutbeck, by their respective creators: Simon Brett, Alison Bruce, Chris Ewan and Ruth Dudley Edwards.

Bodies in the Bookshop

Steve Hockensmith

Hilary Davidson

Kevin Quigley

Dave Zeltserman

Robert Lopresti

Eve Morton

Nick Manzolillo

Marilyn Todd

Kay Hanifen

Eve Elliot

Wendy Harrison

Warren Moore

Shiny Nyquist

F. D. Trenton

Fratricide is funny-in the hands of STEVE HOCKENSMITH-but, mostly, bad neighbors (related or not) are bad news and endlessly infuriating, as in HILARY DAVIDSON's "King of the Castle," or endlessly preying on your goodwill, as in EVE MORTON's "Vengeance Takes a Holiday." (Yet what relief!-be honest now-when that neighbour hits the dance floor for their final dance: the great Mortal Coil Shuffle!) Sometimes, naturally, the hatred is mutual and one against one, as in EVE ELLIOT's "One Spye After Another," or one against many, as in KEVIN QUIGLEY's "The Woman Who Cried Cat." And a bad neighbor should never underestimate their victim, as WARREN MOORE's "One of Us Is Dying" venomously suggests or F. D. TRENTON's "I Found Me a Bigger Flea" tells us in a disagreeable escalation of, er, disagreeableness. (And what's not to like-come, search your soul and tell me I'm wrong-with a little bit of biting back?) In a traditional vein, a little investigation can go a long way, as we find in WENDY HARRISON's "A Little Power," or the wrong way in DAVE ZELTSERMAN's "Woops!" Happily, a bad neighbor might turn out to be the worst possible neighbor to themself, as in L. C. TYLER's "Fifty Something," or ROBERT LOPRESTI's "Lambs and Wolves." While KAY HANIFEN portrays a dedicated handmaiden to bitter non-regret, and MARILYN TODD bangs the rock into rock star, and NICK MANZOLILLO challenges us to take a trip next door. But only SHINY NYQUIST can tell us what "Sir Fergus Allison's Bench" is for. Themed these stories may be; same-ish they are not. This crime and mystery anthology is edited by JACK CALVERLEY.

Death of a Bad Neighbour - Revenge is Criminal

Ethelred Tressider, mid-list crime writer, is surprised when fellow author Henry Holiday unexpectedly turns up on his doorstep. He's even more surprised when Henry confesses that he may have committed murder while drunk on New Year's Eve. Though he has little recollection of the night, Henry fears he may have killed drinking companion and fellow crime writer Crispin Vynall, and asks Ethelred to discreetly make enquiries in order to discover the truth.

John Grant

Bev Vincent

Lavie Tidhar

Eric Brown

Martin Edwards

Jared Cade

Michael Bracken

O'Neil De Noux

Sandra Murphy

Amy Myers

Rhys Hughes

David Quantick

Deryn Lake

Jane Finnis

Keith Brooke

Ashley Lister

Paul Charles

Christine Poulson

This anthology draws together some of the best new stories of mystery and murder—compiled by the Anthony Award–winning crime fiction editor. This anthology collects the most original stories of murder by some of mystery fiction's most inventive talents from the United States and United Kingdom. With innovative new takes on locked-room mysteries and impossible crimes, these short stories are full of vexing conundrums and reality-defying puzzles. A murder has been committed—but how could it have happened? Curated by Maxim Jakubowski, one of the crime genre’s most renowned editors, this volume features never-before-seen stories by acclaimed authors—including British Science Fiction Award–winner Eric Brown, Derringer Award–winner O'Neil de Noux, and multiple CWA Dagger Award–winners and nominees.

The Best New Original Stories of the Genre

The Book of Extraordinary Impossible Crimes and Puzzling Deaths

With A Cruel Necessity, the first in the John Grey historical mystery series, LC Tyler, takes a sharp turn into the shadows. The year is 1657, Oliver Cromwell is in power in England, and joy has been outlawed. A young lawyer with a taste for beer and pretty women, John Grey finds pleasures enough, even in this backwater Essex town, but he d be wise to keep his amusement to himself: A Royalist spy has been found dead in a local ditch, and Cromwell's agents make it clear this is nothing to laugh about."

The First John Grey Historical Mystery

A Cruel Necessity

When literary agent Elsie Thirkettle is invited to accompany tall but obscure crime-writer Ethelred Tressider to dinner at Muntham Court, she is looking forward to sneering at his posh friends. What she is not expecting is that, half way through the evening, her host will be found strangled in his locked study. Since there is no way that a murderer could have escaped, the police conclude that Sir Robert Muntham has killed himself. A distraught Lady Muntham, however, asks Ethelred to conduct his own investigation. Ethelred (ably hindered by Elsie) sets out to resolve a classic ‘locked room’ mystery; but is any one of the assorted guests and witnesses actually telling the truth? And can Ethelred’s account be trusted? In the process, we meet one of Ethelred’s own creations, the fourteenth-century detective Master Thomas, who is helped in his investigations of a mediaeval crime at Muntham Court by a small and rather pushy Abbess with a taste for honey cakes . . . Is it possible that Master Thomas can shed some light on the twenty-first century case, and on Ethelred’s own motives for investigating Sir Robert’s death? The Herring in the Library is another ingenious outing for crime fiction’s most mismatched double-act. ‘Tyler juggles characters, story, wit and clever one-liners with perfect balance’ THE TIMES

Herring in the Library

L. C. Tyler

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