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Murder Most Cryptic
  • Published: 12 January 2027
  • ISBN: 9780241810972
  • Imprint: Michael Joseph
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 416
  • RRP: $36.99
Categories:

Murder Most Cryptic

Formats & editions
Hardback
12 Jan 2027
EBook
8 Oct 2026
Audiobook
8 Oct 2026
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The dead body is their first clue - and the answer is murder...but can they solve the crossword, and find a killer too?

Nina is a young journalist. She’s also an alcoholic.

Once a week, she attends a recovery group in the local church hall. When a stranger walks in one night, the group think they might have a new member. Until he promptly drops dead.

The police believe it’s nothing more than an accident. But the group soon realise there’s more to this mystery than meets the eye, when they discover a cryptic crossword clue hidden in the dead man’s pocket – the answer to which is Murder.

As more mysterious and threatening clues start appearing in the local paper’s crossword, Nina and team must work to crack this cryptic case. Can they solve the clues, and catch a killer?

Or will the next crosssword spell death for one of them…
  • Published: 12 January 2027
  • ISBN: 9780241810972
  • Imprint: Michael Joseph
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 416
  • RRP: $36.99
Categories:

About the author

Alys Cummings

Alys Cummings is a writer and journalist based on the north-east coast of England. She worked on local newspapers and for a news agency based at the Old Bailey, before joining BBC Panorama. She is an Emerging Creative Associate with New Writing North and a member of their North East Novelists group. Murder Most Cryptic is her debut novel, and won Pitch Perfect at the 2024 Bloody Scotland festival.
AC

Praise for Murder Most Cryptic

Fast-paced, clever and unputdownable

Claire Wilson

If you love a good puzzle, Alys Cummings' (crossword) cracking debut will blow your twisted mind. As a host of colourful characters...look for answers, so do readers as they try to tackle the cryptic puzzles scattered throughout the book. The one thing that no one is short of is clues! Hugely recommended but make sure you've got a pen handy when you're reading it!

Trevor Wood

Brilliant and bold, full of twists and headscratching puzzles that leave you wanting more. Crime fiction at its very, very best! A real treat of a mystery

Jonathan Whitelaw

When this quirky band of misfits in recovery sets out to solve the mystery of one of their own’s death, they must follow a path of cryptic crossword clues to uncover the killer. Clever and compelling, fans of Janice Hallett will gobble this up

Catherine Mack, USA Today bestselling author of This Weekend Doesn't End Well For Anyone

Murder Most Cryptic had me gripped from the first chapter, zipped along from there and didn't let go! Pacy and suspenseful, but also very human and insightful

Tanya Sweeney

Fans of The Marlow Murder Club rejoice! A crew of recovering alcoholics adds some welcome gravity to this clever, conundrum-filled cozy mystery. A wonderful debut!

Jo NIchols, author of The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective

Murder Most Cryptic is a surprising debut novel, righteously paced, filled with remarkable characters

P.J. Nelson, author of Booked For Murder

A genuinely gripping whodunnit, made even better by the crossword clues woven through every chapter...an original, strong and distinctive debut. Sharpen your pencils, there are clues to be solved!

Jamie West

Intriguing and ingenious, Cummings has cracked the code of setting the reader a thrilling mystery with a cryptic edge

Harriet Tyce

Relentlessly gripping and the puzzling is pristine. When’s the next one?

Alan Connor

Clever clues, warm humour, and a delightful puzzle. The very quintessence of murder mystery fun

Kelly Mullen