The problem with telling tales is that you might get caught out by the twist: read the most original literary thriller of 2024, from the author of the sensational Eight Detectives

''A spectacularly crafty puzzle with characters who come more and more to life as the stakes get higher'' Mail on Sunday

''More fun than Eight Detectives'' The Times

‘Today''s greatest exponent of playful detective fiction’ Guardian

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Six friends gather at a country house for a birthday weekend. They decide to play a game.

All six names go in a hat. Choose two, and imagine one murdering the other.

Write it down. Type it up. Read it out.

Points are given for making the murders sound convincing.

Of course, when given such a task, it’s only natural to use what you know.

Secrets. Grudges. Affairs.

But once you’ve put it in a story, that secret is out.

So with each fictional murder, someone gets a motive for a real one.

Which leads to the most important question:

When a real murder comes, will you be able to spot it in time?

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‘The master puppeteer of literary crime’ Janice Hallett

Praise for the sensational bestseller Eight Detectives

‘One of the year''s most entertaining crime novels’ Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month
‘So, so clever . . . Agatha Christie would take her hat off to this one - bravo!’ Sarah Pinborough
‘A wonderfully tricksy debut and a loving tribute to the golden age of crime fiction’ Mail on Sunday
‘A box of delights . . . Pavesi''s revelations are completely unexpected, right up to the end’ New York Times