Black Silk Mask

A fiendish London-set Golden Age mystery, narrated by whip-smart American private eye Orla Carol as she investigates a kidnapping with her urbane British sidekick, Damien Todhunter. A funny, knowing love letter to the mysteries of Agatha Christie – with a distinctive Cartmel twist – ideal for fans of Tom Hindle and Nicola Upson.

The Year is 1932 and London is a hotbed of mysteries.

Damien Todhunter claims he was the sharpest detective Scotland Yard ever had. Until he wrote a tell-all memoir where he, conveniently, was the genius behind every case. The book was a huge success but ended his official police career pretty quickly. He was convinced he could ride that success for the rest of his life but somehow the movie business wasn't interested in a film with him in the starring role.

So now Hunter is back in London with his one souvenir from LA, Orla Carol. Orla washed up in Hollywood before she even started, but it turned out she had a real knack for following a lead. So now the two of them have had to put their pasts behind them and are determined to form London's premier detective agency.

But before they even leave the hotel, it looks like there's a murder to be solved. Now the pair have to find a premises, locate a missing heiress and, of course, hunt down whether London actually has any good coffee yet. All while trying to prove to anyone of note that their burgeoning new agency is the one to call when you have a mystery to be solved.