The Mystery of the Crooked Man [Paperback]

Fraudulent cozy mystery expert Agatha Dorn is cancelled — and severely ticked off! — in this quirky homage to Golden Age detectives, lost manuscripts, and famous authors

“Oh how I enjoyed this thoroughly delightful and nasty mystery”  – Alice Bell, author of Grave Expectations

Meet Agatha Dorn, cantankerous archivist, grammar pedant, gin afficionado and murder mystery addict. When she discovers a lost manuscript by Gladden Green, the Empress of Golden Age detective fiction, Agatha's life takes an unexpected twist. She becomes an overnight sensation, basking in the limelight of literary stardom.

But Agatha's newfound fame takes a nosedive when the 'rediscovered' novel is exposed as a hoax. And when her ex-lover turns up dead, with a scrap of the manuscript by her side, Agatha suspects foul play.

Cancelled, ostracised and severely ticked off, Agatha turns detective to uncover the sinister truth that connects the murder and the fraudulent manuscript. But can she stay sober long enough to catch the murderer, or will Agatha become a whodunit herself?

Don’t miss this distinctive, delightfully quirky, English cozy murder mystery featuring an unforgettably spiky protagonist – perfect for fans of The Twyford Code, Magpie Murders, and Yellowface. Sometimes you know immediately that a book is going to get under your skin and stay there. I felt that way only a few pages into Spencer’s tart debut
—Sarah Weinman, New York Times

Cosy crime fiction does not come much cleverer or more angry than Tom Spencer’s first novel... Neatly plotted [and] funny -- Literary Review

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