2.5 stars rounded down. Comedy writing styles are tough, because humour is so subjective - one person’s hilarious reading is another one’s teeth grinding. Sadly, this book fell more into the latter end of the scale for me - it just didn’t work, and when I got to one particularly clunky paragraph, I nearly gave up:

“But at this point Cordelia had to be very careful.

Monty Harrington had emphasised to her—that is, Cordelia—that while Melantha Spatetree could be very useful to her—that is, Cordelia—if she realised that Monty had put her—that is, Cordelia—onto her—that is, Melantha—then Melantha would not only be very upset—for reasons that Monty wasn’t willing to explain—but that she would also immediately cease to be useful to her. That is, Cordelia.”

Dear lord…

The mystery itself was OK, but Cordelia is annoying and hard to like given she will happily steal books. So add in the “comedy” writing style, and this wasn’t for me.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

LIKE A BULLET is the third novel in The Paperback Sleuth series from author Andrew Cartmel, also known for his Vinyl Detective Series. Having now read one from each of these, the overriding aspect of these novels is a slightly over the top humour that is going to be perfect for some readers. And confuse and possibly annoy the hell out of others.

There are, apparently, also a lot of crossovers of characters in both series, so whilst it's not completely necessary to have read any of the earlier books from either set, it would perhaps help a little to have read some of the earlier Paperback Sleuth ones, because the central character here, Cordelia, is someone to be going on with.

The idea behind the series is that Cordelia specialises in tracking down rare paperback novels for fans who have a lot of money and no idea / desire to do the job themselves. She has special contacts and ways and means of finding these little gems, starting out combing charity shops and jumble sales, but not above a spot of nefarious dealings and burglary to get her hands on her much desired prizes. All of which seems to always come with a hefty dose of wrong target, very big bother, when it comes to parting owners from their much prized books. And some quite surprising ill-gotten gains along the way.

To be fair, it's all a bit of high-silly fun, and some of the supporting cast, like her landlord Edwin and his dog, are lovely characters. Cordelia, on the other hand, is a more tricky undertaking, bordering on unlikeable, which will mean that new to the series readers might be wondering just who she thinks she is. But remembering this is high humour, almost farce, that humour will either work. Or not. For this reader it kind of did, and then it all got a bit too much, and two one armed men and a few seriously silly names later, and I was mildly annoyed, and more than a bit confused by how or why or how anyone would want to spend any time at all with a bibliophile who is mostly just in it for the cash. Although, to be fair, she's not above a very decent gesture if you're in this book to the end.

Definitely one for fans of a very tongue in cheek brand of humour, with hefty doses of farce and some very uncomfortably understandable threats on the life of The Paperback Sleuth.

Cordelia isn't your typical cozy main character. She's amoral and doesn't mind letting someone pull something over on the fuzz. Particularly if it benefits her. She fits in with the writer's other series characters, the Vinyl Detective, quite well. In fact, some of the characters from the Vinyl Detective show up here. But Cordelia is unique enough to stand up as her own character and she will have to be to survive her latest case.

She has been hired by a retired rock star to find the last book in a series of pulp fiction WWII commando stories. It was written under a pseudonym and no one even knows if the last book actually exists. Her investigations lead her to uncover that the story was inspired by a real mission. It was top secret then and someone is willing to kill to still keep it under wraps.

If you are tired of the typical cozy you might want to try this series. In fact this might be considered an antidote to the cozy. Quirky characters, unusual story lines, humor, and definitely not a completely clean read is what you can expect from this book. Take the dive and enjoy.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

It feels like just yesterday that Cartmel introduced us to Cordelia Stamner, our slightly (a/im)moral used book dealer with a real knack for finding hard-to-find tomes and trouble. In the third installment of the series, we get some fun cameos from characters from the Vinyl Detective books as Cordelia is hired by Erik Make Loud to track down a series of WWII pulp novels. And Cartmel continues to develop Cordelia's world too, bringing out more of her story and adding glimpses into Edwin. Whether you have been reading Cartmel for years or are just diving in, "Like a Bullet" is a wonderfully entertaining read!

Like A Bullet is my second book in The Paperback Sleuth series of books and I have to say I loved it. There is a brilliant balance of humour and cosy crime. Cartmel is brilliant at making a novel that features fantastic characters (and characterisation) and a brilliant story that keeps you wanting to read just a little bit more. There’s a nice balance of humour and ‘serious’ plot as well.

This series is perfect for fans of cosy crime but want a bit of fun sprinkled in and a memorable cast of characters as well.
As always thank you to Titan Books for the advanced copy to review, my reviews are always honest and freely given.

Titan Books provided an early galley for review.

This is the third book in the Paperback Sleuth series. I was happy to be diving back in once more.

Cartmel brings along all the usual cast of characters from this series as well as some from The Vinyl Detective novels. He also introduces a number of new characters, expanding this fictional world as each adventure unfolds. This is a nice reward for the dedicated readers like myself.

I continue to enjoy Cartmel's writing style which is a nice blend of characterization and plot. The evolution of the relationship between Cordelia and her landlord Edwin continues, giving him a more expanded role in her adventurous investigations without compromising her agency. I too liked how this one ended in a manner that was entertaining (and not at all something I might have predicted or would have imagined).

I look forward to Cordelia's next adventure, whenever it comes.

"Humorous cosy-crime caper from the author of the beloved, bestselling Vinyl Detective series in which a feisty, amoral book dealer uses her unique skills to solve fiendish crimes. A love letter to Agatha Christie murder mysteries and classic whodunnits.

When Erik Make Loud, retired rock star and a major World War Two nut, hires Cordelia, the Paperback Sleuth, to track down a series of lurid paperbacks about his favourite global conflict - the "Commando" novels by the blatantly pseudonymous Butch Raider - it seems like a routine job. But Cordelia soon discovers the final novel in the series, the incredibly rare Commando Gold, is all but impossible to track down.

The books' creator - real name Monty Harrington, once a promising young poet and now a depraved drunk - proves easier to find. Writing pulp war stories didn't come naturally to Monty. Until he met someone who knew all about such stuff during a pub crawl; a genuine ex-commando who, for the price of a pint or two, was willing to provide Monty with authentic anecdotes.

Too authentic, it turns out...

Because Commando Gold reveals the details of a real-life commando mission.

At the time the mission was top secret.

And all these years later, someone is quite prepared to kill to keep it so."

Perfect synchronicity to have a new Andrew Cartmell book and a new Ben Aaronovitch book on the same day!