Penny Dreadful

Penny Wanawake #2

by Susan Moody

Penny Wanawake — big, black and sexy — exploded onto the detection scene in Penny Black. This is her second adventure.
When Max Maunciple, a novelist feared for his vitriolic pen, dies from an apparent surfeit of gin, only Penny suspects that his death may not be from natural causes. Aided by a handsome American policeman holidaying in England, she sets out to discover the truth.
The novel is full of splendid characters and elegantly set in Canterbury where historical and Chaucerian references abound. There is a memorable visit to a health farm and another to Boulogne. The action is fast. The dialogue sparkles. The story maintains its pace right to the very last page.
Zest and fun adorn a classic whodunnit plot. The disciplines of the detective novel are observed, the murderer's identity coming as a real surprise when the red herrings have been disposed of.
Very contemporary, full of zip and fizz, Penn's latest case as a sleuth comes as a fine successor to the first. It is a spectacular crime novel and a gripping piece of storytelling

'The successful second book in a notable series' Financial Times

'Penny and her new, out-of-the-blue American bedfellow go through the warmly characterized list with gusto, shedding wisecracks like scurf till the going gets grim, hurtful ...' Sunday Times

'Chaucer and bed-springs take a bashing in an energetic effort to live up to all the words like "zip" and "zest" that saluted her first' The Observer

Sexually athletic black sleuthette, on pilgrimage to Canterbury, unravels murder of bitchy old crime writer. Full of exuberance ...' The Guardian

'More, please.' The Irish Times

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 21, 2012

About the author

She grew up in Oxford then moved to Tennessee for 10 years. She published two historical novels and the novelisation of the Nescafe Gold Blend advertisements under the pen name Susannah James. More recently she has also used the nom de plume, Susan Madison. She is a former Chairman of the Crime Writer's Association, served as World President of the International Association of Crime Writers, and was elected to the prestigious Detection Club. Susan Moody has given numerous courses on writing crime fiction and continues to teach creative writing in England, France, Australia, the USA and Denmark