Books like Underwater

In Sister Agatha – do I detect a nod to Ms Christie? – Paul Waters has created a wonderful new detective character: a nun with a wicked sense of humour and certainly no push-over. She is not above the occasional minor sin either, in the form of a sneaky cigarette or the bending of the occasional rule. The extra touch of genius here is to locate the semi-retired Irish nun to India.

The streets of Old Delhi are vividly evoked and the meeting of these two cultures is another joy. In what I sincerely hope is the first of many adventures, we find the sister at the Delhi Haveli Hotel, in the company of hotel manager and fellow sneaky smoker Avtar Mehta.

A highly entertaining and original addition to the cosy crime genre.

I’ve read and enjoyed Peter Tickler’s Oxfordshire-based crime thrillers in the past and it was a pleasure to renew my acquaintance with flawed but affable private investigator Doug Mullen. Mullen, in contrast to Morse, is a much more down-to-earth character and the county he stalks is less dreaming spires and more scruffy backstreets. The writing style is easy, with welcome light touches, and the pacing is excellent, with a satisfying number of cliff hangers and engaging characters, plus a conclusion that is convincing, as well as unexpected. There’s even a grumpy dog to fall in love with! I shan’t leave it so long before my next Doug Mullen tale!