As a long running fan of the Vinyl Detective series I have enjoyed the spin off series, the Paperback Sleuth though I have found it more difficult to connect with the characters. Cordelia Stanmer, sister of Stuart “Stinky” Stanmer, a recurring nemesis of the Vinyl Detective. Cordelia is certainly different from her brother but is also different from the Vinyl Detective. Cordelia is a sharp-tongued, morally flexible book fiend who’d pickpocket a nun for a first-edition pulp thriller, and I mean that as the highest compliment.

In this third installment, Cordelia’s back at it, roped in by none other than Erik Make Loud, retired rocker and Tinkler’s friend from the Vinyl Detective books who’s equal parts charm and catastrophe. He’s obsessed with WWII militaria, so he tasks the Paperback Sleuth with tracking down a pristine copy of the ultra-rare Commando Gold, a lurid ’60s paperback that may or may not actually exist. As always Cartmel weaves in these clever nods to and cameos from his other series.

Like all his stuff it barrels along and Cartmel can write a funny and interesting story. Cordelia’s inner monologue is sharp and cynical as ever. The plot has some good twists and turns and whilst it lacks the warmth of the sister series in some ways the main character is more interesting (the Vinyl Detractive is the least interesting person in his books). If you’re already a Vinyl Detective fan then there’s plenty you’ll recognise and enjoy though this might be a slightly darker series. I think I still prefer the Vinyl Detective series but these are a very enjoyable way to spend an afternoon and I can’t wait for the next installment in either series!

The return of Cordelia Stanmer, aka The Paperback Sleuth (she's had cards made and everything) is always welcome. Unlike her counterpart in the world or rare record collecting, Cartmel's Vinyl Detective, Cordelia's got few scruples (she's certainly up for a bit of burglary) when it comes to securing down a rare, pristine paperback volume, so life is always exciting when she's around. These books are a third mystery, a third scavenger hunt, and, perhaps, the other third has a distinct flavour of mild hedonism, Cordelia employing her gains in the pursuit of pleasures both licit and... not.

In Like a Bullet, Cordelia's been engaged by wealthy, retired rock star Erik Make Loud (known to those who've been reading the Detective's adventures) to locate a copy of the legendary 1960s novel Commando Gold. This is a book so rare that online wars break out over whether it even exists. How can she resist that challenge (and the promised reward for achieving it)?

Especially since, on acquiring the previous books in the series, she finds them eminently readable (not really what she'd expected from an author called "Butch Raider").

As ever, though, Cordelia doesn't really know what she's getting into. Someone really, really doesn't want that book found. There's more at stake here than a musty, mouldering volume of war stories. Soon, she' dodging a very determined enemy... one very familiar with the kinds of techniques described in the books.

As ever, I had great fun with Cartmel's latest. Cordelia's a very distinct, very well-formed character, more of a loner than the Detective (while she eventually has to ask for help in this story from her ex hard-man landlord Edwin, she generally handles things herself rather than travelling with an entourage like the Detective). She's a planner, often (but not always) one step ahead of everyone else. She inhabits the same slightly raffish south west London. Cartmel also has a good eye for location and geography, mapping out backstreets, pubs and routes into and out of London, as well as giving us glimpses of the strange characters (never quite too strange to be believable) who live there.

An excellent addition to the series.

4-4.5 out of 5
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC
I have to admit that I didn't love the first book in this series - I just couldn't find much to like about the protagonist. The second instalment helped humanize Cordelia for me, and I looked forward to a third book.
Like a Bullet has all the elements of a good 'caper' - a lot of French farce type sneaking around, a solid background (I've heard) in 'commando' fiction that reminded me of Alistair Maclean, and a selection of crossover characters from the Vinyl Detective books.
While Cordelia is (as many people have noted) quite amoral, I've noticed that she doesn't 'liberate' rare books from anyone who would suffer from losing them, and she's obviously not living the high life from the proceeds.
It's refreshing to read a witty and well-written puzzle mystery that doesn't take itself too seriously - I'd recommend this to people who liked Peter Mayle's 'caper' books and don't mind a bit of Dexter on the side.

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!