The Ethelred and Elsie Mysteries Series

From the author of Herring on the Nile, a fellow novelist’s plea for help plunges a mid-list mystery writer and his agent into a murder investigation. “You don’t believe me, do you?” asked Henry. “That I might have killed somebody.” Well, really. The genuine murderer—the real pro—tends to keep track of that sort of thing. And besides, there is no dead body to speak of. Understandably, Ethelred, our struggling mystery writer, is reluctant to help his colleague figure out whether or not he killed someone on New Year’s Eve. But then his agent, the chocolate-chomping Elsie, points out that Henry is in a position to write a good review of Ethelred’s work, and good reviews are worth going to a little bit of trouble for. Peppered throughout with Amazon reader reviews, which add to the fun, and told from both Ethelred and Elsie’s points of view, the book is a funny, insightful commentary on literary fame, as well as a solid mystery. Praise for Crooked Herring “Wodehouse-like characters . . . L. C. Tyler pulls it off brilliantly.” —Booksmonthly (UK) “A clever plot, with lots of laughs along the way.” —Daily Mail (UK) “Delightful.” —Publishers Weekly

From the author of The Herring in the Library, a struggling mystery author takes an Egyptian cruise for inspiration only to become surrounded by murder. Ethelred Tressider’s career is not, let’s face it, what one might call glittering. In fact, it’s barely what one might call capable of paying the gas bill. To be honest, this is not surprising: Ethelred lost any real interest in writing mystery novels many years ago, and his audience has never been truly excited about reading them. In a desperate effort to revive his imagination, Ethelred books a cruise down the Nile—cradle of civilization and so on. Well, it worked for Agatha Christie. It is not, however, working very well for Ethelred. No sooner has he settled into his state room—followed by his literary agent, the splendid Elsie—than dead bodies start littering the premises. There are any number of suspects, but for many of the boat’s amateur sleuths, it seems that the dastardly murderer is none other than the sweating Ethelred . . . Perfect for fans of Golden Age mysteries Praise for Herring on the Nile “Joyously entertaining . . . An outrageously clever parody of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and all those other masters of the whodunit . . . the equivalent of a sparkling glass of champagne.” —Lancashire Evening Post (UK)

In this Edgar-nominated cozy series opener, a second-rate British crime novelist and his quirky agent investigate his devious ex-wife’s murder. A mediocre mystery-writer (and thus a purveyor of red herrings), Ethelred Tressider has even less interest in writing his books than his (dwindling) fan base has in reading them, and his agent—the pesky, nosy, vulgar, chocolate-chomping Elsie—has no interest in them at all. But with a name like Ethelred, things can always get worse, and when Ethelred’s dishy ex-wife turns up dead, they do. The Case of the Dead Dish is the most exciting project Elsie’s come across in years, but however much she bullies Ethelred he refuses to take much interest in the mystery. Chalk it up to some pathetic mid-life crisis? Maybe. But how much more interesting would it be to note that Ethelred’s lack of interest raises what might be called some extremely interesting questions? Praise for The Herring-Seller’s Apprentice “Fans of comic mysteries will welcome British author Tyler’s debut.” —Publishers Weekly “Tyler is a stylish writer, and his humor is both subtle and sly.” —Booklist

In this Edgar-nominated cozy mystery, a sub-par literary agent and her crime-writing client must ferret out a murderer in a French hotel. Ethelred Tressider is eager to pack in his career a mid-level mystery author—and happy to leave his (deservedly) long-suffering agent, Elsie, holding the bag. But Elsie has tracked Ethelred from England to his hideout, a run-down hotel hosting a stamp-collectors’ conference in the French Loire Valley. After a guest is stabbed, other murders follow—as does a swarm of policemen. Suspicion soon falls on the remaining guests, while Ethelrod can’t be bothered to help, and Elsie can’t resist the urge to meddle in police business—or devour chocolate. But soon both agent and author are joining forces to say “Au revoir” to the killer. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and other authors of Golden Age mysteries Praise for The Herring-Seller’s Apprentice “Fans of comic mysteries will welcome British author Tyler’s debut.” —Publishers Weekly “Tyler is a stylish writer, and his humor is both subtle and sly.” —Booklist

From the author of Ten Little Herrings, murder is on the menu when a two-bit British crime writer and his sub-par agent dine at a country estate. Ethelred and Elsie are an unlikely duo: he’s a deeply mediocre mystery writer, and she’s his deeply nosy, chocolate-chomping agent. And yet they are stuck with one another, if only because their combined sleuthing abilities are much more impressive than anything either one of them can come up with alone. Tonight’s agenda: dinner with Ethelred’s pal “Shagger” Muntham and his titled wife. Elsie may not be overly fond of the Shag, but she wasn’t exactly hoping someone would murder him in the library of his own stately home. However, now that someone has done the dastardly deed, would it kill Ethelred to take a little interest, show a little Sherlockian spirit for once? Praise for The Herring in the Library “Biting social satire and loads of fun detective work.” —Booklist “A wonderful send up both of Christie's classic country house murder, and the so-called “locked room” mystery.” —Reviewing the Evidence