Murder Most Cryptic
$33.17
- Hardcover
416 pages
- Release Date
12 January 2027
Summary
The dead body is their first clue - and the answer is murder…but can they solve the crossword, and find a killer too?
Nina is a young journalist. She’s also an alcoholic. Once a week, she attends a recovery group in the local church hall. When a stranger walks in one night, the group think they might have a new member. Until he promptly drops dead.
The police believe it’s nothing more than an accident. But the group soon realise there’s more to this mystery than meets the eye,…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780241810972 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0241810973 |
| Author: | Alys Cummings |
| Publisher: | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Imprint: | Michael Joseph Ltd |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 416 |
| Release Date: | 12 January 2027 |
| Weight: | 632g |
| Dimensions: | 37mm x 165mm x 242mm |
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Critics Review
If this isn’t a book of the year, I’ll be very surprised. It’s where crime and crosswords collide – Janice Hallett
Intriguing and ingenious, Cummings has cracked the code of setting the reader a thrilling mystery with a cryptic edge – Harriet Tyce
Murder Most Cryptic had me gripped from the first chapter, zipped along from there and didn’t let go! Pacy and suspenseful, but also very human and insightful – Tanya Sweeney
[An] entertaining debut…The emergence of pertinent backstories lends rather more emotional depth than is found in the average cosy, whiel the discovery of further cryptic crossword clues provides an ingenious puzzle element * Guardian *
Puzzles are weaved skilfully into a narrative that sees an odd couple of cops trying to find the killer among a cast of rogue crossword setter * Mail on Sunday *
[A] unique take…for a first-time novelist, Cummings writes with the pace and intrigue one would expect from a seasoned writer. Murder Most Cryptic is far more Jonathan Creek than Midsomer Murders. While the central gimmick of solving a murder through newspaper crossword puzzles feels delightfully quaint, the characters’ struggles with addiction and the tense, threatening clues lend the story a darker, more sinister edge * Observer *
Fiendish * Crime Monthly *
Brilliant and bold, full of twists and headscratching puzzles that leave you wanting more. Crime fiction at its very, very best! A real treat of a mystery – Jonathan Whitelaw
Clever clues, warm humour, and a delightful puzzle. The very quintessence of murder mystery fun – Kelly Mullen
This original and ingenious cosy crime had me hooked from the first page. Cummings writes so well; every character is well drawn and compelling, the mystery is packed with twists, and the cryptic clues only add to the fun. If you love a cosy mystery with warmth, depth, and a really good puzzle, this is absolutely the book for you – Nicola Whyte
Alys Cummings
Alys Cummings is a writer and journalist based on the north-east coast of England. She worked on local newspapers and for a news agency based at the Old Bailey, before joining BBC Panorama.
She is an Emerging Creative Associate with New Writing North and a member of their North East Novelists group.
Murder Most Cryptic is her debut novel, and won Pitch Perfect at the 2024 Bloody Scotland festival.
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