The Herring in the Library

By L. C. Tyler

When literary agent Elsie Thirkettle is invited to accompany tall but obscure crime-writer Ethelred Tressider to dinner at Muntham Court, she is looking forward to sneering at his posh friends. What she is not expecting is that, half way through the evening, her host will be found strangled in his locked study. Since there is no way that a murderer could have escaped, the police conclude that Sir Robert Muntham has killed himself. A distraught Lady Muntham, however, asks Ethelred to conduct his own investigation. Ethelred (ably hindered by Elsie) sets out to resolve a classic 'locked room' mystery; but is any one of the assorted guests and witnesses actually telling the truth? And can Ethelred's account be trusted?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allison & Busby
• Release date: Apr 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9780749017088

L. C. Tyler

L. C. Tyler was born in Southend-on-Sea and educated at Oxford and City Universities. He has won awards for his writing, including the CWA Short Story Dagger and the Last Laugh Award (twice). He is a former Chair of the Crime Writers' Association. L. C. Tyler has lived and worked all over the world but more recently has been based in London and Sussex.

Reviews for The Herring in the Library

[dtw42 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this straight after 'Ten Little Herrings'; it's nice to witness the characters of Elsie and Ethelred developing. The plot works okay as a device to hang jokes and metafiction musings off. But it does sag a little in the second half, and the fact that Ethelred gives up on his 'Master Thomas' story feels a bit of a let-down after we've been given several chapters (or part-chapters) of it. The short his-version/her-version chapters at the end didn't tie together the idea of the story having been co-written by Elsie and Ethelred quite as well as in the previous book.

[nocto_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In the beginning I really enjoyed this light hearted satirical take on the classic mystery. The first few chapters were a really easy and fun read. However it started to grate about half way through and I found I didn't really care very much about the plot or the characters. A pity, as it started in a very promising fashion.

[joeydag · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This clever little novel of a third rare murder mystery author and his difficult relationship with his agent and their involvement with a hosted dinner party that results in the death of the host, is set in England. Also included is the historical murder mystery that the character is working on during the action of the story. This creates an interesting mirror of the plot and reflects on the real author. The narrative role is played alternately by the murder mystery author and his agent, which results in some clever play with unreliable narrative.

[deborahswift · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A good dose of wit and mystery in a spoof Cluedo setting, with a jolly good plot. A sort of Agatha Christie meets Stephen Fry written with panache. The suspects for the inevitable murder in the library (don't think I'm giving away too much here)are observed from two opposing points of view - those of Ethelred the aspiring novelist and his long-suffering agent.Full of references to books and films you thought you had forgotten until Tyler reminds you of them, it entertains and keeps you guessing. And - if you are a writer you will love these characters with their insecurities and cynicism about the publishing industry.