A murder of magpies (2014)

London book editor Samantha Clair notices the professional details other people would dismiss: manuscripts, messages, office habits and an author who has gone missing. Her mother, neighbours and colleagues give this first Sam Clair mystery an adult social world as well as a comic voice. Also published as Writers’ Block, it is a useful change of pace for readers who want expertise to grow out of an ordinary job. The jokes about publishing accompany a real murder investigation.