A Shot in the Dark: 'a sheer delight' DAILY MAIL

by Lynne Truss

336 pages, Paperback

Published May 11, 2023

About the author

Lynne 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.

Reviews

[Jackie Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

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!

[Mark Allinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely romp with some memorable characters and set in a parallel universe version of my home town, Brighton. A very light, enjoyable read.

[Andy Howells · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.