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The Paperback Sleuth - Like a Bullet

Andrew Cartmel

$21.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English
Titan Books
11 November 2025
Humorous cosy-crime caper from the author of the beloved, bestselling Vinyl Detective series in which a feisty, amoral book dealer uses her unique skills to solve fiendish crimes, A love letter to Agatha Christie murder mysteries and classic whodunnits.

When rock musician and World War Two nut Erik Make Loud hires Cordelia, the Paperback Sleuth, to track down a series of rare and highly sought-after Commando novels by the blatantly pseudonymous Butch Raider, it seems like a routine job. But Cordelia soon discovers that the series

and in particular the incredibly rare Commando Gold paperback

are all but impossible to track down.

The books' creator

real name Monty Hanington, once a promising young poet and now an embittered drunk

proves easier to find. And when he reveals to Cordelia that all his stories came from a real ex-commando he'd met on a pub crawl, a man who was only too happy to provide authentic colour to Monty's stories for a pint or two, she realises the tales might just be a little too authentic.

For Commando Gold details a 1944 operation in Greece, in which commandos stumbled on a cache of Nazi gold and decided to bring it home with them. The operation was real, the gold is definitely real and the horde still exists

hidden away in England.

And some people are willing to kill to get it.
By:  
Imprint:   Titan Books
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Volume:   3
Dimensions:   Height: 198mm,  Width: 130mm,  Spine: 35mm
Weight:   250g
ISBN:   9781803367941
ISBN 10:   1803367946
Series:   The Paperback Sleuth
Pages:   336
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming

Andrew Cartmel began a long and varied career in TV and publishing when he was hired as script editor on Doctor Who in 1986. He had a major (and very positive) impact on the final years of the original run of the TV show. He has recently completed a comedy for the London stage, Screwball, and is also writing the Vinyl Detective series of crime novels for Titan Books; the fourth, Flip Back, will be available soon. In his spare time, he likes to do stand-up comedy.

Reviews for The Paperback Sleuth - Like a Bullet

“Tightly plotted and hugely enjoyable. I raced to the end to find out whodunnit.” Nev Fountain, author of The Fan Who Knew Too Much “Packed with Andrew Cartmel's customary wit and cleverness, the Paperback Sleuth novels make a splendid successor to the Vinyl Detective.” Stuart Douglas, author of Death at the Dress Rehearsal “An intriguing mystery with an amoral protagonist. Who knew the world of paperback books could be so deadly?” Ben Aaronovitch, author of Rivers of London “Andrew Cartmel introduces a new kind of heroine, entirely immoral, somewhat venal and slightly foxed.” David Quantick, Emmy award-winning producer of VEEP “A quirky crime yarn bound to hit the sweet spot for mystery lovers.” Kirkus Reviews “Cartmel has never been better than in this darkly funny series kickoff… Fans of Lynne Truss’s Constable Twitten novels will find much to love.” Publishers Weekly Starred Review “Devilishly clever… richly suspenseful… readers will be primed for more.” Booklist


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