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A Shot in the Dark: 'a sheer delight' DAILY MAIL
336 pages, Paperback
Published May 11, 2023
About the author
Lynne Truss
114 books1,053 followersLynne Truss is a writer and journalist who started out as a literary editor with a blue pencil and then got sidetracked. The author of three novels and numerous radio comedy dramas, she spent six years as the television critic of The Times of London, followed by four (rather peculiar) years as a sports columnist for the same newspaper. She won Columnist of the Year for her work for Women's Journal. Lynne Truss also hosted Cutting a Dash, a popular BBC Radio 4 series about punctuation. She now reviews books for the Sunday Times of London and is a familiar voice on BBC Radio 4. She lives in Brighton, England.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 21, 2026
confused.com 🙄 so much going on, overlapping and I got lost . I dont even know if they caught the Woman in the end🤷♀️
September 29, 2025
This book took the cozy crime genre to the extreme. It was quite frankly ridiculous! From the plot line to the character names it was absurd. Not awful I must add, just ridiculous!
April 6, 2026
I went into this book blind, expecting a cosy, coastal mystery that would make me laugh and unfortunately it just didn’t deliver that for me. I struggled to connect to any of the characters and as a result, I found I didn’t really care about what happened to them, or who the killer was, which isn’t ideal for a mystery!
The plot was also very difficult to follow, characters were introduced too quickly and the story seemed to jump around between situations without much introduction. because of this, I found myself feeling very lost and disconnected for most of this book.
What I liked…
Sadly I didn’t like much about this book, I went into it thinking I was going to love it and I was so disappointed that it missed the mark. Unfortunately, it isn’t one I’d recommend.
What I didn’t like…
The plot, the characters and the writing style all missed their marks for me. I understand it’s been adapted from a very successful radio 4 show, but it just didn’t work in novel format. I spent most of the book feeling confused and a bit frustrated.
I think you’d like this book if…
You’ve listened to the radio 4 show and are already familiar with the characters and plot – it might give you a better start with this book.
The plot was also very difficult to follow, characters were introduced too quickly and the story seemed to jump around between situations without much introduction. because of this, I found myself feeling very lost and disconnected for most of this book.
What I liked…
Sadly I didn’t like much about this book, I went into it thinking I was going to love it and I was so disappointed that it missed the mark. Unfortunately, it isn’t one I’d recommend.
What I didn’t like…
The plot, the characters and the writing style all missed their marks for me. I understand it’s been adapted from a very successful radio 4 show, but it just didn’t work in novel format. I spent most of the book feeling confused and a bit frustrated.
I think you’d like this book if…
You’ve listened to the radio 4 show and are already familiar with the characters and plot – it might give you a better start with this book.
March 6, 2026
4.5 stars. Not your typical crime/mystery novel. It was laugh out loud funny and written in a way to try and solve alongside the detectives-but not easy. Clever and entertaining, will definitely want to read the other books in the series.
September 18, 2023
A lovely romp with some memorable characters and set in a parallel universe version of my home town, Brighton. A very light, enjoyable read.
March 7, 2025
A Shot In The Dark marks the inaugural entry in Lynne Truss’s Constable Twitten Mysteries. Set in 1957, it follows the astute young Police Constable Twitten, who has been transferred to Brighton, where he tackles crimes that his superior, Inspector Steine, dismisses as trivial. Twitten soon earns a reputation as a know-it-all by swiftly resolving a series of burglaries, only to find himself unexpectedly thrust into the midst of a murder scene involving a widely despised theatre critic.
The narrative features intricately crafted protagonists and antagonists, all set against a seaside town post-war backdrop rich with vividly depicted sights, particularly highlighting the vibrant film, theatre and vaudeville references that the author clearly cherishes. The incorporation of sounds and pop culture elements truly transforms A Shot In The Dark into a compelling, humorous page-turner.
The narrative features intricately crafted protagonists and antagonists, all set against a seaside town post-war backdrop rich with vividly depicted sights, particularly highlighting the vibrant film, theatre and vaudeville references that the author clearly cherishes. The incorporation of sounds and pop culture elements truly transforms A Shot In The Dark into a compelling, humorous page-turner.
April 11, 2026
🚨NO SPOILERS 🚨
I really struggled with this book - as you can see the length of time! However the further I got in the more interesting it was. The plot overall is very clever and witty but the way the book is written and structured is what I struggled with. If you’re reading this book, please give it chance to get better. I did and I’m glad I did!
My favourite things about this book are :
📚The plot twists multiple times - which keeps it exciting and at a good pace
📚the character development is really good
📚we explore each and every character in depth and learn about their individual quirks
📚the book came to a good end - there is the chance to develop further (which the author did) or the chance to end where it did!
would rate more a 3.5! ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Late review as completely forgot to review until I was reading the second book 🤣🤣
I really struggled with this book - as you can see the length of time! However the further I got in the more interesting it was. The plot overall is very clever and witty but the way the book is written and structured is what I struggled with. If you’re reading this book, please give it chance to get better. I did and I’m glad I did!
My favourite things about this book are :
📚The plot twists multiple times - which keeps it exciting and at a good pace
📚the character development is really good
📚we explore each and every character in depth and learn about their individual quirks
📚the book came to a good end - there is the chance to develop further (which the author did) or the chance to end where it did!
would rate more a 3.5! ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Late review as completely forgot to review until I was reading the second book 🤣🤣
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews