Description

24 advent calendar doors. 23 clues. And 1 killer to catch before Christmas . . . a deviously clever, classic murder mystery for the festive season

For fans of Janie Hallett and Peter Swanson’s The Christmas Guest

‘Fun and diverting, with a plethora of red herrings’ New York Times

—-

My name is Ernest Cunningham.

I’m not a detective. I just happen to have a knack for what makes mysteries – and murderers – tick. I’d hoped, this Christmas, that any killers out there might be willing to take a break for the holidays.

I was wrong.

So here I am, backstage at the Christmas show of world-famous magician Rylan Blaze, whose benefactor has just been murdered. From the magician’s assistant to the hypnotist, my suspects are all professional tricksters. Masters in the art of misdirection.

My clues are even more of a mystery:

A suspect covered in blood, with no memory of how it got there.

A murder committed without setting foot inside the room where it happens.

And an advent calendar. Because, you know. It’s Christmas.

Solving the murder is the only gift I want this year.

But can I catch a killer, and make it home for Christmas alive?

—-

Praise for Benjamin Stevenson

‘Leave it to Stevenson to make high-jinx and murder deviously good fun’ Nita Prose

‘This crackles on the page. Such an original voice’ Jane Fallon

‘It’s Knives Out meets Richard Osman’ A.J. Finn

‘Deliciously dark, funny and intriguing’ Alex Pavesi

Publisher Review

Praise for Benjamin Stevenson — : An ingenious and hilarious meta-murder mystery * Sunday Times * An outstanding and exceptional mystery from start to finish — Jane Harper As fresh and zingy as a salted lime. It’s Knives Out meets Richard Osman. Or Dexter by way of Agatha Christie. Or Schitt’s Creek with a body count. It’s also the most luxuriantly enjoyable novel I’ve read in years — A.J. Finn Clever, satisfying, impossible to put down and gloriously inventive. It’s fantastic — Stuart Turton This crackles on the page. Such an original voice — Jane Fallon This book had me hooked from the first chapter. Deliciously funny, dark and intriguing — Alex Pavesi This was such a clever, compelling read. It’s a must for anyone who loves the rules of crime fiction, but it still packs plenty of twists. It had me laughing and turning the pages in equal measure. Bravo Mr Stevenson! — S.J. Bennett The best thing I’ve read in ages. I absolutely loved it. Whip-smart, twisted, funny, and constructed with the pinpoint precision of a bloodthirsty watchmaker — Stuart MacBride Fun and diverting, with a plethora of red herrings * New York Times * Sparkling with wit and witticisms…Leave it to Stevenson to make high-jinx and murder deviously good fun — Nita Prose