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Taking the Lead: A witty and addictive British cozy crime mystery
‘A prickly, dog-loving sleuth . . . Simply delightful.’ VASEEM KHAN
One dead rock star. One lively Border Collie. And one amateur sleuth barking up a very dangerous tree . . .
Gwinny Tuffel’s acting comeback is not going to plan. Instead of taking the lead, she’s been demoted to playing the grey-haired granny. So a relaxing weekend dog-sitting for ageing rock star Crash Double aboard his luxury houseboat in London’s Little Venice sounds just the tonic.
Admittedly, Ace the Border Collie has enough energy to exhaust an entire West End chorus line. But surely Gwinny can handle one dog, a few leisurely walks, and the colourful Canal Carnival?
Then a body floats to the surface.
It’s Crash.
The police think it was an accident. Gwinny smells a rat.
Crash was supposed to be in Dublin. Ace was locked inside the boat. And beneath the bunting and cheerful narrowboats, Little Venice is awash with secrets.
There’s Crash’s celebrity wife. His oldest friend and bandmate. A smooth-talking wellness guru. And the formidable woman running the Carnival. Any one of them might have wanted the old rocker permanently off the bill.
With retired detective Alan Birch in tow and Ace determined to take the lead, Gwinny starts sniffing out the truth.
But the deeper she digs, the more suspects come off the leash.
Has Gwinny finally bitten off more than she can chew?
Perfect for fans of Veronica Heley, Richard Osman, Faith Martin and Simon Brett.
PRAISE FOR THE DOG SITTER DETECTIVE
'A country house, a body in the library, a cast of dodgy wedding guests, and a prickly, dog-loving sleuth… I can’t think of a more agreeable combination of ingredients for a new cosy crime series.' Vaseem Khan
'A light-hearted and lively story which will offer readers some very welcome escapism.' Martin Edwards
'A tail-wagging, wet-nose delight of a book!' Fiona Veitch
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A very pleasing puzzle with a great cast of characters.’ Liz
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Full of charm, enchanting animal antics and red herrings.’ Marit
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Even better than the first.’ Emma
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A twisty and highly entertaining mystery.’ Annarella
MEET YOUR NEW FAVOURITE SLEUTH
Former TV star Gwinny Tuffel is sixty, broke, and out of options. She gave up a modest acting career to nurse her elderly father, and all he’s left her is a crumbling Chelsea townhouse and a pile of debts. To pay the bills, she takes up a new career as a dog-sitter – and, to her surprise, finds that she generally prefers the company of her canine charges to their owners. Gwinny has a weakness for jigsaws, a talent for asking questions people would rather she didn’t, and enough theatrical confidence to bluff her way into places she has no business being!
One dead rock star. One lively Border Collie. And one amateur sleuth barking up a very dangerous tree . . .
Gwinny Tuffel’s acting comeback is not going to plan. Instead of taking the lead, she’s been demoted to playing the grey-haired granny. So a relaxing weekend dog-sitting for ageing rock star Crash Double aboard his luxury houseboat in London’s Little Venice sounds just the tonic.
Admittedly, Ace the Border Collie has enough energy to exhaust an entire West End chorus line. But surely Gwinny can handle one dog, a few leisurely walks, and the colourful Canal Carnival?
Then a body floats to the surface.
It’s Crash.
The police think it was an accident. Gwinny smells a rat.
Crash was supposed to be in Dublin. Ace was locked inside the boat. And beneath the bunting and cheerful narrowboats, Little Venice is awash with secrets.
There’s Crash’s celebrity wife. His oldest friend and bandmate. A smooth-talking wellness guru. And the formidable woman running the Carnival. Any one of them might have wanted the old rocker permanently off the bill.
With retired detective Alan Birch in tow and Ace determined to take the lead, Gwinny starts sniffing out the truth.
But the deeper she digs, the more suspects come off the leash.
Has Gwinny finally bitten off more than she can chew?
Perfect for fans of Veronica Heley, Richard Osman, Faith Martin and Simon Brett.
PRAISE FOR THE DOG SITTER DETECTIVE
'A country house, a body in the library, a cast of dodgy wedding guests, and a prickly, dog-loving sleuth… I can’t think of a more agreeable combination of ingredients for a new cosy crime series.' Vaseem Khan
'A light-hearted and lively story which will offer readers some very welcome escapism.' Martin Edwards
'A tail-wagging, wet-nose delight of a book!' Fiona Veitch
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A very pleasing puzzle with a great cast of characters.’ Liz
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Full of charm, enchanting animal antics and red herrings.’ Marit
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Even better than the first.’ Emma
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A twisty and highly entertaining mystery.’ Annarella
MEET YOUR NEW FAVOURITE SLEUTH
Former TV star Gwinny Tuffel is sixty, broke, and out of options. She gave up a modest acting career to nurse her elderly father, and all he’s left her is a crumbling Chelsea townhouse and a pile of debts. To pay the bills, she takes up a new career as a dog-sitter – and, to her surprise, finds that she generally prefers the company of her canine charges to their owners. Gwinny has a weakness for jigsaws, a talent for asking questions people would rather she didn’t, and enough theatrical confidence to bluff her way into places she has no business being!
268 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 24, 2026
About the author
Antony Johnston
355 books431 followers** Sign up for Antony's newsletter at http://ajwriter.substack.com **
Antony Johnston is a multi-award-winning author, a New York Times bestseller, and one of the most versatile writers of the modern era.
The Charlize Theron movie Atomic Blonde was based on his graphic novel. His murder mystery series The Dog Sitter Detective won the Barker Book Award. His crime puzzle novel Can You Solve the Murder? reinvented choose-your-own-story books for a mainstream audience and was a Waterstones Paperback of the Year. And his productivity guide The Organised Writer has helped authors all over the world take control of their workload.
Antony is a celebrated videogames writer, with genre-defining titles including Dead Space, Shadow of Mordor, and Resident Evil Village to his credit. He also consulted on the Emmy Award-winning Silent Hill Ascension, making him the only writer in the world to have contributed to all of gaming’s ‘big three’ horror franchises.
His immense body of work also includes Marvel superheroes such as Daredevil and Shang-Chi, the award-winning Alex Rider graphic novels, the post-apocalypse epic Wasteland, and more. He wrote and directed the film Crossover Point, made entirely in quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic.
An experienced podcaster and public speaker, he also frequently writes articles on the life of an author, and is a prolific musician.
Antony is a former vice chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, a member of International Thriller Writers and the Society of Authors, a Shore Scripts screenwriting judge, and sits on the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain’s videogames committee. He lives and works in England.
Antony Johnston is a multi-award-winning author, a New York Times bestseller, and one of the most versatile writers of the modern era.
The Charlize Theron movie Atomic Blonde was based on his graphic novel. His murder mystery series The Dog Sitter Detective won the Barker Book Award. His crime puzzle novel Can You Solve the Murder? reinvented choose-your-own-story books for a mainstream audience and was a Waterstones Paperback of the Year. And his productivity guide The Organised Writer has helped authors all over the world take control of their workload.
Antony is a celebrated videogames writer, with genre-defining titles including Dead Space, Shadow of Mordor, and Resident Evil Village to his credit. He also consulted on the Emmy Award-winning Silent Hill Ascension, making him the only writer in the world to have contributed to all of gaming’s ‘big three’ horror franchises.
His immense body of work also includes Marvel superheroes such as Daredevil and Shang-Chi, the award-winning Alex Rider graphic novels, the post-apocalypse epic Wasteland, and more. He wrote and directed the film Crossover Point, made entirely in quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic.
An experienced podcaster and public speaker, he also frequently writes articles on the life of an author, and is a prolific musician.
Antony is a former vice chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, a member of International Thriller Writers and the Society of Authors, a Shore Scripts screenwriting judge, and sits on the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain’s videogames committee. He lives and works in England.
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