The Bad Quarto

Another foolhardy Cambridge college-climber has died attempting Harding's Folly. This time it's John Talentire, one of the brightest young dons at St Agatha's, and the verdict is accident, compounded by idiocy.

But Imogen Quy - her name rhymes with 'why' - can't help wondering how such a clever young man died so stupidly.

And when a wildly eccentric production of Hamlet is interrupted by a murder accusation, Imogen has to look into it, uncovering more crime than she expected.

“This is a satisfyingly convoluted tale , involving a family tragedy that took place many years before, as well as some ingenious sleuthing on the part of Imogen.-- The Times”

Formidable talent . . . not so much Reservoir Dogs, more agony aunt with the mind of Morse. - Sunday Express (The Bad Quarto)

This is a satisfyingly convoluted tale, involving a family tragedy that took place many years before, as well as some ingenious sleuthing on the part of Imogen. In addition to this series, Paton Walsh has written two novels that continue Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey series and there is the same scholarly sensibility and elegant way with a plot twist to be found in the living author's work as there is in that of the doyenne of detective fiction. - Christina Koning, The Times

Jill Paton Walsh has created a Miss Marple for the 21st century. - Mirror

An entertaining read - Sunday Times

A jewel in the traditional English detective mode... Ms. Morse has arrived - Observer

Imogen Quy positively sparkles on the page as an amateur sleuth. - Sunday Express

In Imogen Quy, the author has created an admirable detective heroine, as unabashed as she is unaffected. - Times Literary Supplement

Paton Walsh plots deftly and writes intelligently . . . Sayers' many fans will be delighted. - Andrew Taylor, Independent

Jill Paton Walsh, born in 1937, is also the author of many non-crime novels for adults: the fourth of these, Knowledge of Angels, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Before writing for adults she made a career as a writer of children's books and has won many literary prizes.

Another foolhardy Cambridge college-climber has died attempting Harding's Folly. This time it's John Talentire, one of the brightest young dons at St Agatha's, and the verdict is accident, compounded by idiocy. But Imogen Quy - her name rhymes with 'why' - can't help wondering how such a clever young man died so stupidly. And when a wildly eccentric production of Hamlet is interrupted by a murder accusation, Imogen has to look into it, uncovering more crime than she expected.

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