The Mystery of the Crooked Man

'Cosy crime fiction does not come much cleverer or more angry than Tom Spencer's first novel...neatly plotted, funny, whacky and very sad indeed' * Literary Review *
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 *
'This quirky drama raises a gin to the golden age of classic mysteries. A cosy caper with a waspish sting' * Sun *
This fast-paced mystery is lightened by an irresistible dry humour * Daily Mail *
As fresh and pithy as a ripe tangerine - a hoot from start to finish. Tom Spencer has created a riotously funny crime caper that Agatha Christie would have loved -- M.H. Eccleston, author of 'The Trust'
An affectionate homage to Agatha Christie that seamlessly blends satire and fair-play mystery... This witty whodunit will delight fans of Anthony Horowitz * Publishers Weekly, starred review *
A thoroughly enjoyable tribute to crime fiction's golden age * Mail on Sunday *
Not your usual cosy, and that's exactly what I loved! Spencer tip-toes on that line between traditional and modern with a delicate charm and deftness of touch to create a juicy whodunnit. Simply brilliant!
With a prickly protagonist and a plot that's twistier than a bag full of corkscrews, this one will keep you guessing until the end -- Fiona Leitch, author of 'The Cornish Wedding Murder'
An intriguing story and an engaging narrator whose sharp wit kept me turning the pages -- Frances Brody
A deliciously witty, wryly humorous whodunnit * The Lady *
This edgy mystery takes you down a dark path with unexpected turns, intriguing Golden Age breadcrumbs and a thorny denouement -- Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, author of A Murder of Crows
Oh how I enjoyed this thoroughly delightful and nasty mystery. It's hard to write a protagonist who is both completely unlikeable, yet desperately sympathetic and charismatic, but Tom Spencer has managed it at the same time as providing an intricately written and very funny crime story. You'd hate to work with Agatha Dorn, but you'd love to meet up once a month for a massive bitching session -- Alice Bell, author of 'Grave Expectations'
Christie fans'll love meeting Agatha Dorn, in a crime yarn as cool, crisp, and heady as the gin cantankerous library archivist Agatha loves * Peterborough Telegraph *
Witty and unique * Women's Own *
Written with charm and wit, not to mention a distinctly barbed turn of phrase, it is a delight from first page to last * Irish Daily Mail *
A hilarious mystery... You've never met a less likable-or funnier-would-be sleuth than Agatha Dorn... She's like a P. G. Wodehouse character dipped in acid, a confirmed misanthrope who can't get out of her own way * Airmail News, Lisa's Mystery Picks *
Spencer moves the plot in one direction and then another, as past secrets are uncovered. Throughout we are amused by Agatha's singular voice: delightfully cranky, prickly, funny, often drunk * The Tuscaloosa News *