Herring Seller's Apprentice (Macmillan New Writing) [Hardcover]

L.C. Tyler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 2007 | Series: Macmillan New Writing

Ethelred Tressider is a crime writer with problems. His latest novel is going nowhere, mid-life crisis is looming and he's burdened by the literary agent he probably deserves: Elsie Thirkettle, a diminutive but determined individual who claims to enjoy neither the company of writers nor literature of any sort. But however bad things look they can always get worse, as Ethelred discovers when his ex-wife, Geraldine, vanishes close to his Sussex home. When the disappearance becomes a murder enquiry, the police quickly decide that Geraldine Tressider has been the victim of a local serial killer.Elsie begs to differ, on the grounds that the killer's other victims had been Sad Cows, whereas Geraldine was a Scheming Bitch - another species entirely - and no serious serial killer would murder one in mistake for the other ...Soon the indefatigable Elsie has bullied Ethelred into embarking upon his own investigation, but as their enquiries proceed, she begins to suspect that her client's own alibi is not as solid as he claims. "The Herring Seller's Apprentice" is an appallingly funny murder mystery, packed with dizzying plot twists and peopled by a memorable cast of eccentrics. 'Masterful' - "Financial Times". 'A classic detective novel' - "Scotsman". 'Unusually accomplished' - Helen Dunmore.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of comic mysteries will welcome British author Tyler's debut, the first in a series to feature novelist Ethelred Tressider and his chocoholic literary agent, Elsie Thirkettle. When the body of Tressider's ex-wife, Geraldine, turns up near his West Sussex home, the police mark Tressider as a person of interest. Aided by Thirkettle, Tressider investigates other suspects, as the official theory switches from possible suicide to a serial killer. One-third of the way in, Tressider's Wodehousian narrative voice (You'll have found the same thing yourself, of course. Just when you think you have committed the perfect crime, things most unfairly take a turn for the worse) switches to that of Thirkettle, who doesn't miss a beat sustaining the light tone (If there's one thing that gets up my sodding nose, it's starting a new chapter and finding that the poxy narrator has changed). The resolution may not satisfy everyone, but the lively characters and amusing banter will bring most readers back for more. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Between the cartoon-like cover and the strange title (a subtle allusion to red herrings), you might not realize that this is a cozy mystery. But it is, and it stars a mystery author. Ethelred Tressider writes three different series, none of which are spectacularly successful, but the author and his agent, Elsie Thirkettle, manage to make a living from them. With the disappearance of Tressider’s former wife, Geraldine, Elsie thinks it is the perfect time for Ethelred to branch out into true crime. It is soon apparent that the caustic, scheming Geraldine (who had been responsible for nicknaming Ethelred the Herring-Seller) was also a crook. Tressider has no interest in solving the crime, but Elsie (the apprentice of the title) pushes him into it. Tyler is a stylish writer, and his humor is both subtle and sly. Elsie tells Ethelred not to bother developing character, describing atmosphere, or using clever literary allusions, but Tyler does all those things superbly. Readers may wonder after finishing this romp whether a series is in the offing—the conclusion seems to suggest it’s not—but Ten Little Herrings has already been published in England and will be appearing in the U.S. soon. --Judy Coon --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan; First Edition edition (October 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0230529658
• ISBN-13: 978-0230529656
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,083,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

L C Tyler is a British writer of crime and other fiction. He grew up in Essex and studied at Jesus College Oxford and City University in London. During a career with the Civil Service and the British Council he lived in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Sudan, Thailand and Denmark, none of which places provides the slightest inspiration for his work.

He is now based in Islington and West Sussex. He is married and has two children and one dog. Sadly, Amazon rules prevent the inclusion of a dog in the author photo - the dog is easily the more photogenic of the two.

His first novel, the Herring Seller's Apprentice, was published in the UK in 2007 and in the US in 2009. It was been nominated in the US for an Edgar and for a Barry Award, and was short-listed in the UK for the Last Laugh Award. Subsequent novels in the "Elsie and Ethelred" series are Ten Little Herrings (UK 2009, US 2010), also Edgar-nominated, and The Herring in the Library (UK 2010, US 2011), which won the Last Laugh Award. Herring on the Nile will be published in the UK in July 2011. Outside the series, his humorous (non-crime) novel A Very Persistent Illusion was published in March 2009.

L C Tyler writes occasional short stories; one of these ("Richard Remembered") won an Ian St James Award in 1993. Others have been published in magazines and anthologies. He also writes bad poetry, some of which he is able to sneak into his novels by having bad poets as central characters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On page 154 and loving every minute of it..., May 23, 2009

By 

Writer @ Home "Cheryl" (Western United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Herring-Seller's Apprentice: Ethelred & Elsie #1 (Paperback)

I am on page 154 of this 206 page book and loving it so much that I thought I'd hop online to see if it is already well-known and possibly part of a series. Apparently not, yet. It is hilariously well written and reminds me a little bit of another recently published literary murder mystery, "The Writing Class" by Jincy Willett, which I also adored. (And I am not even a fan of murder mysteries...it's the humor and the character development and the writing angle in these books which delight me.) Despite my earlier reservations, I'm starting to like Elsie (L.C.?) and appreciate her candor. Don't know how it will end...but must get back to reading.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tressider is a writer writing about writing in the funniest, most insightful, ways as he, along with his chocolate loving agent,, July 15, 2010

By 

gillian hanson "bookish" (houston texas via sussex england) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Herring-Seller's Apprentice: Ethelred & Elsie #1 (Paperback)

Think Agatha Christie and P. G. Wodehouse, whom L. C. Tyler mentions as one of his favorite writers, and you'll have an idea of how truly funny and intuitive concerning human nature this mystery is. The title, The Herring-Seller's Apprentice, refers to the sobriquet, the `Herring Seller,' given to the main character, a reluctant mystery writer, Ethelred Tressider, by his former wife because of the numerous red herrings he uses in his novels. Tressider is a writer writing about writing in the funniest, most insightful, ways as he, along with his chocolate loving agent, Elsie Thirkettle, try to solve the mystery of his missing ex-wife. Through various plot twists and hilarious observations Tyler takes his readers on a wonderful journey, and along the way they will meet some eccentric and intriguing characters. Fortunately this book is the first in

Tressider/Thirkettle series and is followed, so far, by two more. Highly recommended. Murder, That's What Gillian Hanson

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dry, wry wit, May 23, 2011

By 

booklion - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Herring-Seller's Apprentice: Ethelred & Elsie #1 (Paperback)

Booth's wonderful cover art* made me expect delightfully eccentric characters, and the books did not disappoint. The contrast in characters between intelligent, educated, understated and reserved Ethelred and vulgar, crass, and loud agent Elsie is priceless. Sophisticated readers will not find the mystery very mysterious, but, after all, you are reading this for the pleasure of the language and the charm of the characters and setting. I also want to commend Tyler on the endings, both of them. In an age when even good books have poorly conceived and written endings, it was a pleasure to read two books with completely satisfying endings. I want more! More! MORE! from this writer.

*I bought print rather than Kindle editions of these for the sake of the cover art. Truthfully, as handy as the Kindle is for traveling and waiting rooms, I still vastly prefer print editions for any books that I think I will keep.