'Glorious fun, packed with puzzles and twists. An absolute riot’ Tom Mead, author of The Murder Wheel




A gripping new mystery featuring Detective Tess Fox and her con-artist sister Sarah Jacobs.




Members of the Lewes Bonfire Society would say afterwards that the event would have been a huge success that year, if it hadn’t been for the dead body…



When the charred remains of MP Rupert Millington are found inside a burning effigy, no one knows how they got there, but there are plenty of rumours about whodunnit.


The lead suspect wants Detective Tess Fox and her con-artist sister Sarah Jacobs to help clear her name. She says she's being framed, but surely there is no smoke without fire.


The heat is on when a second victim is killed in a locked room while Tess and Sarah are in the building. Can the duo solve this puzzling mystery and find the real killer before they strike again?



Praise for J.L. Blackhurst



‘A tasty whodunnit’ The Sun


‘One of the few authors where the twists leave me speechless’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


’A real puzzle box of a story’ J.M. Hall, author of A Spoonful of Murder


‘Incredibly ingenious’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


’Twisty, tricksy and whip-smart … crackles with tension and humour’ Marion Todd, author of the Detective Clare Mackay series


‘From the first sentence to the end I was hooked’ Reader review⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐