Ten Little Herrings

When we last saw Ethelred Tressider, at the end of The Herring Seller’s Apprentice, he was pulling a disappearing act, eager to pack in his career as a mediocre mystery-writer, and happy to leave his (deservedly) long-suffering agent, Elsie, holding the bag. But as Ten Little Herrings opens, she is tracking Ethelred to his secret lair, which turns out to be a run-down French hotel hosting a stamp-collectors’ conference. A murder (quelle surprise!) ensues, and, as the title (a nod to Agatha Christie and her famous Ten Little Indians) suggests, the whole thing turns into a blissfully funny parody of classic British crime fiction. This second novel in LC Tyler’s Ethelred and Elsie series was nominated for an Edgar Award.