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David Walliams to write first murder mystery for HarperCollins Children's Books
HarperCollins Children’s Books has announced Super Sleuth, the first ever murder-mystery novel by David Walliams, with illustrations by Adam Stower.
“A brilliantly funny crime caper set on a luxury ocean liner in the 1920s”, Super Sleuth will be published in hardback on 24th October 2024, retailing at £14.99.
“Prepare for thrills, spills, laughs—and murders—galore in this hilarious new historical mystery novel from literary phenomenon David Walliams,” HarperCollins said. “Super Sleuth welcomes you aboard the world’s most luxurious liner, bound from New York to London, in 1929.”
“When the world’s greatest detective is murdered on the first night of the crossing, amateur sleuth Dilly and her dog Watson must attempt to unravel the mystery. But the detective duo haven’t had much luck cracking cases so far, and soon Dilly finds that her own life is in danger too.
“Encountering a whole cast of eccentric suspects—including a novelist, a composer, a brigadier and a mysterious widow—and with her horrible Aunt Gladys getting in the way at every opportunity, Dilly will need all her wits about her to work out whodunnit before it’s too late. With a thousand passengers and a thousand nautical miles around them, it’s the perfect scene for a culprit to get away with a murder… or two… or three… or more. And only Dilly and Watson can stop them.”
HarperCollins Children’s Books fiction publisher Nick Lake said: “Following hot on the heels of David’s first graphic novel Astrochimp [also illustrated by Stower, published last May], it is a delight to see him continuing to take his globally loved storytelling into new areas with this—his first ever murder mystery. Combining the timeless locked-room appeal of Agatha Christie with David’s trademark hilarious wit, Super Sleuth is a laugh-out-loud adventure, full of comedy and warmth, that will keep you guessing till the end.
“Gorgeously illustrated in stylish art deco lines by the brilliant Adam Stower, it’s a seamless and classic piece of pure entertainment that will be the perfect gift for any child this year.”
Walliams said: “Since I was a boy I have loved murder mysteries. Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes have always been my favourites. This is my very first detective story, with plenty of humour. I am excited for my readers to turn detective themselves. Can they work out who the murderer is before the end of Super Sleuth? No cheating by flicking to the back of the book though.”
Stower said: “Like David, I love murder mysteries. Super Sleuth has been a joy to illustrate. It is packed with thrills, laughs, 1920s glamour and a whole host of hilarious characters. It is a wonderful mix of drama and comedy and I have tried to reflect that in the illustrations. Super Sleuth is so inventive and there are some illustration firsts for me in this book—a giant blancmange and a flying nun, to name but two.”
Super Sleuth is Walliams’ 42nd book for children. Overall he has sold 25,023,917 units at £149.2m, according to Nielsen BookScan. His bestselling title is Gangsta Granny (HarperCollins Children’s Books), which has made more than £10m.
