Publisher Description

The first book in The County Guides to Murder Series.
The County Guides are a series of detective novels set in 1930s England.

The books are an odyssey through England and its history.

In each county, the protagonists – Stephen Sefton, a veteran of the Spanish Civil War, and his employer, the People's Professor, Swanton Morley – solve a murder.

The first book is set in Norfolk. The murder is in the vicarage.

There are 39 books – and 39 murders – to follow.

Notes

Paperback edition of this first in the new County Guides series of detective novels set in 1930s England, about a murder in a Norfolk vicarage. There are 39 books, and murders, to follow. 'A delightful, idiosyncratic mystery...' Daily Mail.

Author Biography

Ian Sansom is the author of Paper: An Elegy and the Mobile Library Mystery series of novels. He is also a frequent contributor to the Guardian and the London Review of Books, and a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. The Sussex Murders is the fifth in his County Guide series, following The Norfolk Mystery, Death in Devon, Westmorland Alone and Essex Poison.

Review

Praise for 'The Norfolk Mystery':'A delightful, idiosyncratic mystery set in the Thirties … There is a touch of Sherlock Holmes and a dash of Lord Peter Wimsey, but the total is put together with a charm that is teasingly precious … Beautifully crafted by Sansom, Professor Morely promises to become a little gem of English crime writing; sample him now' Daily Mail'Sansom is both celebrating and sending up the golden age of detective novels when, in the 1930s, Dorothy L Sayers and Agatha Christie were the queens of crime … A brilliant first outing that leaves you looking forward to the next maniacal mystery tour' Mark Sanderson, Evening Standard

Long Description

Love Miss Marple? Adore Holmes and Watson? Professor Morley's guide to Norfolk is a story of bygone England; quaint villages, eccentric locals - and murder! It is 1937 and disillusioned Spanish Civil War veteran Stephen Sefton is stony broke. So when he sees a mysterious advertisement for a job where 'intelligence is essential', he applies. Thus begins Sefton's association with Professor Swanton Morley, an omnivorous intellect. Morley's latest project is a history of traditional England, with a guide to every county. They start in Norfolk, but when the vicar of Blakeney is found hanging from his church's bellrope, Morley and Sefton find themselves drawn into a rather more fiendish plot. Did the Reverend really take his own life, or was it - murder? Beginning a thrilling new detective series, 'The Norfolk Mystery' is the first of The County Guides. A must-read for fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, every county is a crime scene and no-one is above suspicion!

Review Quote

Praise for 'The Norfolk Mystery': 'A delightful, idiosyncratic mystery set in the Thirties ... There is a touch of Sherlock Holmes and a dash of Lord Peter Wimsey, but the total is put together with a charm that is teasingly precious ... Beautifully crafted by Sansom, Professor Morely promises to become a little gem of English crime writing; sample him now' Daily Mail 'Sansom is both celebrating and sending up the golden age of detective novels when, in the 1930s, Dorothy L Sayers and Agatha Christie were the queens of crime ... A brilliant first outing that leaves you looking forward to the next maniacal mystery tour' Mark Sanderson, Evening Standard

Feature

* An absolute must-read for fans of Agatha Christie, 'The County Guides to Murder' brings to life a bygone age of pre-war glamour, quaint English villages and old-fashioned murder! * Read by Julian Rhind-Tutt, 'The Norfolk Mystery' was a very popular Radio 4 Book at Bedtime last year. * 'The Norfolk Mystery' is the first book in a series and will likely become a collector's item as the series builds. * 'The Norfolk Mystery' features real locations and will be illustrated with guide book-style imagery throughout. Competition: Sherlock Holmes; Agatha Raisin; Sherlock Holmes. Agatha Christie;Arthur Conan Doyle;

Description for Sales People

The first book in The County Guides to Murder Series. The County Guides are a series of detective novels set in 1930s England. The books are an odyssey through England and its history. In each county, the protagonists - Stephen Sefton, a veteran of the Spanish Civil War, and his employer, the People's Professor, Swanton Morley - solve a murder. The first book is set in Norfolk. The murder is in the vicarage. There are 39 books - and 39 murders - to follow. Gold title * An absolute must-read for fans of Agatha Christie, 'The County Guides to Murder' brings to life a bygone age of pre-war glamour, quaint English villages and old-fashioned murder! * Read by Julian Rhind-Tutt, 'The Norfolk Mystery' was a very popular Radio 4 Book at Bedtime last year. * 'The Norfolk Mystery' is the first book in a series and will likely become a collector's item as the series builds. * 'The Norfolk Mystery' features real locations and will be illustrated with guide book-style imagery throughout. Competition: Sherlock Holmes; Agatha Raisin; Sherlock Holmes. Agatha Christie;Arthur Conan Doyle;

Details