The Sinister Student

Richards is a master at creating a 1930s background – long may his series continue.

The Corpse in the Cellar (2015) It might seem a touch impertinent for a “veteran Australian journalist, bestselling author and broadcaster” to hijack the very real C S Lewis (known to his friends as Jack) as his fictional detective. Readers may feel, however, that writer Kel Richards could be forgiven as they join Jack, brother Warnie and young “scientific atheist” friend Tom Morris in 1930s Cambridgeshire where their holiday is interrupted by the discovery of the corpse in the cellar. The path to solving the seemingly “impossible” murder also offers opportunities for Jack to debate his newly-discovered theological truths with his atheist friend, resulting in a satisfying, many-faceted piece of holiday reading.

“Somewhere in Cambridgeshire, not far from the County of Midsomer” is the site of the action in Kel Richards’The Corpse in the Cellar. The oddness of this charming story is in the person of the chief investigator; CS “Jack” Lewis. When a walking holiday goes horribly wrong, the great man divides his time between solving a locked-room murder and explaining the tenets of the Christian faith to the young narrator.

A tale that twists and turns in the tradition of the golden age of English murder mysteries like Agatha Christie. Add [the author’s] trademark humour and it's an entertaining baffler!

Lovers of books by Lewis and Tolkien will enjoy the theological discussions.