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The Strangest Criminals: A Funny and Heartwarming Cosy Fantasy Mystery About Crime, Magic, and Found Family
Welcome to Public Unrest: part cult, part crime syndicate, all chaos.
Sally Li didn’t mean to become a key player in the magical underworld. She just wanted to grow her weird, glowing plants in peace. But in Strange—a seaside town an hour from London, where the secrets outnumber the seagulls—peace is in short supply.
Sal cultivates Tinker, a rare, memory-meddling plant grown for Public a secretive, enchantment-fuelled crime syndicate hidden beneath the city. Its network is everywhere—through laundrette spin cycles, bakery ovens, and broom cupboards in takeaway shops—and it runs on a potent mix of magic, tech, and ruthless charm.
To the outside world, Sal is just another StrangeEats delivery rider. But underground, she’s the Orchard Manager, growing the most valuable (and volatile) product in the Family’s supply chain. She’s protected, surveilled, and suspiciously well-treated. Which means she’s either very important—or dangerously expendable.
When a turf war brews and Sal’s chosen family—her girlfriend Lucy and her flatmate Matti—get tangled in the fallout, she’s forced to confront how deep she’s in and who’s really calling the shots. Is she building something worthwhile or just tending the roots of a new kind of cult?
Set in a world where spells are bought online and secret doorways open through household appliances, The Strangest Criminals is a sharp, funny, and subversive crime fantasy about loyalty, found family, and the cost of choosing the wrong kind of magic. Perfect for fans of Neverwhere, Rivers of London, and The Thursday Murder Club—with a rebellious heart and a criminally good sense of humour.
Sally Li didn’t mean to become a key player in the magical underworld. She just wanted to grow her weird, glowing plants in peace. But in Strange—a seaside town an hour from London, where the secrets outnumber the seagulls—peace is in short supply.
Sal cultivates Tinker, a rare, memory-meddling plant grown for Public a secretive, enchantment-fuelled crime syndicate hidden beneath the city. Its network is everywhere—through laundrette spin cycles, bakery ovens, and broom cupboards in takeaway shops—and it runs on a potent mix of magic, tech, and ruthless charm.
To the outside world, Sal is just another StrangeEats delivery rider. But underground, she’s the Orchard Manager, growing the most valuable (and volatile) product in the Family’s supply chain. She’s protected, surveilled, and suspiciously well-treated. Which means she’s either very important—or dangerously expendable.
When a turf war brews and Sal’s chosen family—her girlfriend Lucy and her flatmate Matti—get tangled in the fallout, she’s forced to confront how deep she’s in and who’s really calling the shots. Is she building something worthwhile or just tending the roots of a new kind of cult?
Set in a world where spells are bought online and secret doorways open through household appliances, The Strangest Criminals is a sharp, funny, and subversive crime fantasy about loyalty, found family, and the cost of choosing the wrong kind of magic. Perfect for fans of Neverwhere, Rivers of London, and The Thursday Murder Club—with a rebellious heart and a criminally good sense of humour.
- GenresMagical Realism
580 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 18, 2025
4 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Blake Polden
2 books16 followersBlake Polden lives in Tasmania, Australia—a place of wild beauty and quiet magic. Once an avid traveller, he now happily explores imaginary worlds from the comfort of home, accompanied by his dog Kip, his favourite humans, and an alarmingly high stack of empty coffee cups.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 17, 2026
This is a great, funny first novel by this author. I enjoyed the characters and the story line. The reference and nods to Terry Pratchett were also an added bonus.
September 25, 2025
The Strangest Criminals is an absolute blast! Blake Polden blends urban fantasy with mob crime and magic in a way that is fast paced, thrilling, and funny. This book was so original and unlike anything I've read before, blending magically seamlessly into the normal from plants to AI. Such a unique and fresh story with memorable characters. Can't wait to read what's next!
October 8, 2025
This was a fun read. Great world building and the characters felt real. I loved every quirky page. Added bonus the cover is pretty and what originally caught my eye.
November 6, 2025
Engaging, fast paced story.
Tasmanian author.
I wrote a review, that means I really enjoyed it.
Tasmanian author.
I wrote a review, that means I really enjoyed it.
July 20, 2025
Decent read, if I don’t say so myself.
August 7, 2025
Amazing first novel from Blake!
I love Mr Collins and his little "friends"
Story gripped me from start to finish and I LOVE where it ended, cant wait to read more magical and strange adventures that come from your mind...
I love Mr Collins and his little "friends"
Story gripped me from start to finish and I LOVE where it ended, cant wait to read more magical and strange adventures that come from your mind...
July 30, 2025
I loved how The Strangest Criminals blends magic, crime, and humor in such a fresh, creative way. Sally just wants to grow her glowing plants, but ends up deep in a magical crime syndicate run out of ovens and broom cupboards-how wild is that? It’s sharp, funny, and full of heart, with a great cast of characters and a world that feels both strange and oddly real. Totally recommend if you love weird, wonderful urban fantasy.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews