A Clean Canvas

Crime always leaves a stain . . .

Lena Szarka, a Hungarian cleaner, dusts off her detective skills when a masterpiece is stolen from a gallery she cleans with her cousin Sarika. But when Sarika goes missing too, accusations start to fly.

Convinced her cousin is innocent, Lena sweeps her way through the secrets of the London art scene. With the evidence mounting against Sarika and the police on her trail, Lena needs to track down the missing painting if she is to clear her cousin.

Embroiling herself in the sketchy world of thwarted talents, unpaid debts and elegant fraudsters, Lena finds that there's more to this gallery than meets the eye.

Praise for Elizabeth Mundy

'Terrific and heartwarming; a charming debut' Daisy Waugh

'A warmly-crafted crime debut, perfect for our multicultural age' Vaseem Khan

'I loved IN STRANGERS' HOUSES - poignant, funny and races effortlessly along. Lena is a wonderfully unusual heroine and I can't wait for her next adventure' Elodie Harper

'Lena's tenacity and common sense illuminate this engaging story' Daily Mail

'Beautiful writing, a fine debut' The Sun

Short-listed for The Whodunnit Award - The Dead Good Reader Awards 2019 (UK)

“Formidable and funny”

Sunday Independent
A deliciously light and amusing soufflé of a book Irish Independent
Witty and warm but with an unsentimental core of steel in its chronicling of London's guest-workers, this looks set to become a highly popular series Morning Star
Witty and warm but with an unsentimental core of steel in its chronicling of London's guest-workers, this looks set to become a highly popular series Morning Star

Elizabeth Mundy's grandmother was a Hungarian immigrant to America who raised five children on a chicken farm in Indiana. An English Literature graduate from Edinburgh University, Elizabeth is a marketing director for an investment firm and lives in London with her messy husband and two young children. In Strangers' Houses and A Clean Canvas are the first two novels in the Lena Szarka mystery series.

Crime always leaves a stain . . . Lena Szarka, a Hungarian cleaner, dusts off her detective skills when a masterpiece is stolen from a gallery she cleans with her cousin Sarika. But when Sarika goes missing too, accusations start to fly. Convinced her cousin is innocent, Lena sweeps her way through the secrets of the London art scene. With the evidence mounting against Sarika and the police on her trail, Lena needs to track down the missing painting if she is to clear her cousin. Embroiling herself in the sketchy world of thwarted talents, unpaid debts and elegant fraudsters, Lena finds that there's more to this gallery than meets the eye. Praise for Elizabeth Mundy 'Terrific and heartwarming; a charming debut' Daisy Waugh'A warmly-crafted crime debut, perfect for our multicultural age' Vaseem Khan'I loved IN STRANGERS' HOUSES - poignant, funny and races effortlessly along. Lena is a wonderfully unusual heroine and I can't wait for her next adventure' Elodie Harper'Lena's tenacity and common sense illuminate this engaging story' Daily Mail 'Beautiful writing, a fine debut' The Sun

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