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Eight Detectives (Paperback)
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Eight Detectives (Paperback)

(author)
£9.99
Paperback 352 Pages
Published: 05/08/2021
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Waterstones Says

A reticent crime writer, a shrewd editor, and an enthrallingly layered literary mystery form the basis of Pavesi’s uniquely crafted Mediterranean crime thriller.

All murder mysteries follow a simple set of rules.

Grant McAllister, an author of crime fiction and professor of mathematics, once sat down and worked them all out.

But that was thirty years ago. Now he's living a life of seclusion on a quiet Mediterranean island - until Julia Hart, a sharp, ambitious editor, knocks on his door. His early work is being republished and together the two of them must revisit those old stories.

An author, hiding from his past, and an editor, probing inside it.

But as she reads the stories, Julia is unsettled to realise that there are parts that don't make sense. Intricate clues that seem to reference a real murder.

One that's remained unsolved for thirty years . . .

If Julia wants answers, she must triumph in a battle of wits with a dangerously clever adversary.

But she must tread carefully: she knows there's a mystery, but she doesn't yet realise there's already been a murder . . .

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9781405944977
Number of pages: 352
Weight: 255 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 22 mm


MEDIA REVIEWS

TODAY'S GREATEST EXPONENT OF PLAYFUL DETECTIVE FICTION. A gloriously original, intricate and often very funny series of practical jokes played on the reader - Oskar Jensen, GUARDIAN

Terrific. Alex Pavesi knows the genre inside out. One of the year's most entertaining crime novels - Sunday Times, Crime Book of the Month

Dizzying, dazzling - a potent potion of a thriller, a brew of bibliophilia (think The Shadow of the Wind), wire-taut tension (The Talented Mr. Ripley), and plot swerves so sharp and sudden you risk whiplash with each turn of the page, as bold as the best of Michael Connelly and Lisa Gardner. When did you last read a genuinely original thriller? The wait is over. - A J Finn, bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

So, so clever. A twisty story and an education in the maths of murder mysteries, Agatha Christie would take her hat off to this one - bravo! - Sarah Pinborough

Alex Pavesi is a lively writer . . . It feels like a game of Clue-do-ku - Times

An elegantly structured, intellectually challenging and completely unique thriller that grips like a vice - Sophie Hannah, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Killings at Kingfisher Hill

This is both a wonderfully tricksy debut and a loving tribute to the golden age of crime fiction - Mail on Sunday

It's rare for me to read a book in a single day, but I couldn't put Eight Detectives down. Compelling, clever, and beautifully-constructed. It deserves to be huge. I genuinely wanted to applaud at the end - Alex North

A brilliantly twisty thriller. I adored this clever, game-playing book - it's like Agatha Christie for bibliophiles - Sunday Times

A box of delights . . . Pavesi's revelations are completely unexpected, right up to the end - New York Times

An absolute triumph of a novel. I read it in two greedy gulps. Intelligent and compelling storytelling. Utterly brilliant - Ali Land, bestselling author of Good Me, Bad Me

This super-smart homage to the Agatha Christie tradition is a must. Stylish, ingenious and great fun - Sunday Mirror

Has an intricacy rare in modern crime fiction. Alex Pavesi deserves huge applause for his plot, constructed with all the skill of the old masters - Sunday Express

In Eight Detectives, Alex Pavesi constructs a remarkable puzzle that turns readers into literary detectives with every new twist. Both a celebration and a reinvention of mystery fiction - Matthew Pearl, bestselling author of The Dante Club

Masterfully told in a unique way - this is sure to get you thinking - Woman's Weekly

An absolute juggernaut of a novel. - Caz Frear

This debut novel, constructed with clockwork precision, has an understated creepiness that gets under your skin - Daily Mirror

Alex Pavesi's Eight Detectives is a delightfully inventive and enjoyable debut which plays fascinating games with the classic murder mystery and puts a fresh spin on the notion of whodunit. Bravo! - Martin Edwards, winner of the 2020 Diamond Dagger

So clever and a lot of fun, fans of Golden Age crime fiction (of which I am one) will love this unique tale with a modern twist - Jenny Blackhurst, bestselling author of How I Lost You

Alex Pavesi has written one of the most creative detective novels of the year...if not of all time. Sharp writing, crisp dialogue, and the end will leave you reeling. An incredible debut novel! - Samantha Downing, bestselling author of My Lovely Wife

A fantastic read. Utterly original, yet reads like a long-lost golden age classic. The author surprises from the first chapter, is always one step ahead, and constantly gives you this feeling that something macabre is happening behind your back! Bravo - Ragnar Jonasson

I have never read a book quite like this. It's original, clever and compelling - and the revelations at the end took me totally by surprise. - Rachel Abbott

I loved this intelligent and inventive novel and I'm sure that it will find legions of fans amongst aficionados of classic crime. It's the most fun I've had in ages - Cathy Rentzenbrink

An ingenious exploration of the crime genre - Literary Review

An enthrallingly layered literary mystery - News Letter

A brilliantly conceived novel . . . "I didn't see that coming", you'll say - Shots Magazine

Ingenious . . . perfect for fans of Agatha Christie - Best

A clever read - Woman

[An] impressive evocation of the golden age of crime fiction - Sunday Times

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“Unique”

What does a good murder story need? One or more victims, a murderer, suspects, and one (or more) detective(s). Those are the rules to follow for the perfect murder story according to mathematician and author Grant... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 47

“A quirky murder mystery”

This was a very quirky novel and one I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved the format of the book and how there were seven different short murder mystery stories within the overall novel. This made it quite the page-turner... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 46

“Enjoyable”

I was sent a copy of Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi to read and review by NetGalley
This novel read rather like a book of short stories interspersed with chapters of explanation, which I suppose is sort of what it... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 46

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