A Murder of Magpies

(first published as “Writer’s Block)

You know when you have one of those days at the office? You spill coffee on your keyboard, the finance director goes on an expenses rampage and then, before you know it, your favourite author is murdered. When Samantha Clair decides to publish journalist Kit Lovell’s tell-all book on the death of fashion designer Rodrigo Aleman, she can scarcely imagine the dangers ahead. Cue a rollercoaster ride into the dark realms of fashion, money-laundering and murder, armed with nothing but her e-reader and her trusty stock of sarcasm.

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Praise for “A Murder of Magpies”

“It’s a thriller, a wickedly funny insider’s view of the book trade and the heroine has a backbone – for me the perfect storm of an entertaining read. Sam Clair lives alone and likes it; she’s a great one for making her own rules. She works as a publisher and she recently commissioned Kit Lovell, Gay Best Friend and fashion guru, to write a book about the murder of an iconic designer. But several I people are taking an unhealthy interest in the manuscript, and suddenly Sam’s quiet working life is getting murkier by the minute. What’s in the book that I people are so desperate to see? And where on earth is Kit? To make it more complicated, a policeman is buzzing around her, and he’s distractingly gorgeous. Best of all, Sam’s Dr Watson is her elegant, overachieving mother — a successful lawyer and all-round brilliant character who’s not above a little mild law-breaking. Loved it.”
Kate Saunders, The Times

“I had no idea that the publishing world could be so funny… Hilarious, big-hearted, clever, whip-smart and devious. A truly wonderful crime novel by a brilliant writer… Judith Flanders has found that difficult, magical ground between humour and crime, where the death is never trivialized, but the territory is hysterically pilloried. Brava!”
Louise Penny, author of The Long Way Home

“Deadly funny. Judith Flanders’ wry take on publishing and murder should be on everybody’s wish list.”
Donna Leon

“The array of delightful and believable characters, as well as a neat turn at the end, will leave readers well satisfied and anticipating the next installment.”
Publishers Weekly

“From the first page you want Samantha Clair to be your new best friend… [Flanders] keeps the reader intrigued and laughing in equal measure.”
Daily Mail

“Mordantly funny; at last a novel about the world of fashion that seems to find it as ridiculous as I do.”
Philip Kerr, author of A Man Without Breath

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