It's all in the title!

Like a cryptic crossword provides quiet pleasure, this DI Garibaldi whodunnit is an excellent tonic for those who like to think their way through a medley of clues, red herrings and wryly humorous writing. When the writer of a crime novel, a recently retired teacher, is found murdered in exactly the same way as the victim in his first novel, who is himself a recently retired teacher blackmailing former colleagues, the police begin to examine the lives of certain teachers known to the victim to see if life is imitating art. Or not, as the case might be.

Of course what we are reading is a novel which contains a similar novel, an imaginary victim who has created an imaginary victim; two dead teachers, both of whom enjoyed crossword puzzles, and both of who knew more than they should have about some of their colleagues. The reader is warned throughout that what is in the book may not be at all relevant to the case, that life rarely imitates art, but the writing here is so persuasive, the clues (and red herrings) so sensitively done that it all too easy to fall into the writer's traps, or indeed the murderer's.

“Every trick in the book “ is a whodunit that'll keep you guessing from start to finish. The story centers around the murder of a retired teacher, Alex Ballantyne, whose secrets and blackmail schemes come to light after his death. But things take a wild turn when the author of a novel that's eerily similar to the crime, Ben Joseph, is found dead in the same way as Alex! It's like, what are the chances, right?

The detectives have their work cut out for them, trying to untangle the web of secrets and lies that lead to not one, but two deaths. And let me tell you, it's a complex and twisty ride. Just when you think you've got a handle on it, another revelation comes along and blows your theory out of the water. I love how the author keeps you on your toes like that!

The writing is engaging and easy to follow, and the characters are well-developed and relatable. I especially loved how the story explores the darker sides of human nature, like how far people will go to keep their secrets safe. It's a total page-turner, and I found myself reading way past my bedtime because I just had to know what happened next!

It's a top-notch whodunit that'll keep you guessing and keep you up late turning those pages. Give it a go and see if you can figure out whodunit before the big reveal! 📚👮

I haven't read the earlier books in the series but the blurb of this book intrigued me. A first-time author is murdered and his body is found in the same place as the character in his book? Well, that just has to be read, doesn't it? I really enjoyed the book - it wasn't shocking or explicit but was comforting in a Sunday afternoon drama kind of way. There were some bits about the main character's former life that I didn't understand why they were there - which may be explained if I'd read the first two books. The identity of the murderer was a good twist. I look forward to meeting DI Garibaldi again in the future. Thanks to #netgalley for a copy of this book.

Every Trick in the Book is the third installment in Bernard O'Keeffe's DI Garibaldi series. Having thoroughly enjoyed the previous installment, I eagerly anticipated delving back into the series.

True to its title, DI Garibaldi and his team are confounded by the uncanny resemblance between an author's demise and the fate of the protagonist in his own book. Every trick in the book, indeed.

The similarities extend beyond mere murder. The victim's fictional counterpart was a blackmailer at the school where he worked, and his friends noted parallels between the story's setting—a school—and his workplace.

While the first half lays a solid foundation for the narrative, the second half loses some momentum with repetitive scenes. Despite a surprising twist, it echoes developments from earlier in the book.

Regarding the killer's identity, I found this aspect somewhat clichéd. The red herrings were explored exhaustively, and the revelation of the killer felt predictable.

Overall, the storytelling is superb. As I was reading through, it felt like a movie playing in my head. However, toning down the repetition between the first and second halves would have enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

3.5/5 rounding off to 4

I would like to thank Netgalley and Muswell Press for an advance copy of Every Trick in the Book, the third novel to feature DI Jim Garibaldi of the Met.

The morning after Liam Allerton, writing under the pseudonym Ben Joseph, gives a talk about his first novel Schooled in Murder, he is found dead in Barnes Pond, just like his protagonist. DI Garibaldi and the team start investigating and find more similarities to real life within the novel. Is it a roman à clef or simply cryptic clues?

I thoroughly enjoyed Every Trick in the Book, which has an unusual premise and plenty of twists. It is told mostly from Garibaldi’s point of view, with some other characters chipping in from time to time to add further intrigue and mystery.

In Schooled in Murder the protagonist, Alex Ballantyne, a recently retired teacher is murdered after blackmailing four of his colleagues. Liam Allerton has been retired for three years, but four of his former colleagues turn up at his talk and join him in the pub later. Naturally Garibaldi turns his attention to them, but all is not as it seems and he spends an inordinate amount of time trying to get purchase on Liam’s codes and linking these characters to the “fictional” ones. I must admit that it is all a bit convoluted, while being interesting and absorbing. The solution has a neat irony that I appreciated.

I like Jim Garibaldi, the book and country music aficionado, as he’s smart and thinks laterally, but I mostly like him because he hates his ex-wife’s new partner and is quite funny about it. He is even tempered, unless speaking to his ex-wife, and has few vices, so that’s a refreshing change.

Every Trick in the Book is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

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Bernard O'Keeffe utilized the book Every Trick in the Book to explore every cryptic idea a writer may have in their repertoire. It was said of over numerous times "this bloody book"and making the plot more akin to how much cryptic mystery could be contained in one story.
Had the murder solution come from left field, I could have put up with all of this, but the payoff was hardly worth the wait. 2.5 for me.
An independent review for NetGalley / Muswell Press

DI Garibaldi is investigating the murder of an author, found dead after a local book event. The murder copied the plotting from the author's recent book. I liked the background detail of Garibaldi, a good insight into his life. The plotting was good but with too many twists and it was a bit lengthy, which made me lose interest. I found it just a bit boring and was disappointed with the read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Thank you Muswell Press and NetGalley for the eARC in return for my honest opinion of this book.

Ben Joseph is a mystery writer, who after giving a talk at a local book festival, is found dead in the exact same circumstances as the dead body in his book. Except it turns out Ben Joseph is only his nom de plume, he's really Liam Allerton, a retired Math's teacher. What's even stranger is the setting for Allerton's book mimics the real school he taught in. The four suspects in the book were all teachers being blackmailed by the writer. Not suprisingly, four of Allerton's former colleagues show up to his talk. Was Allerton blackmailing them? Is Allerton's book really autobiographical?

What a great plot. Lot's of lovely twisty turns. I did guess who the murderer was fairly early on and in my opinion there were just a few too many twists. It's a good read and the lead detective, DI Garibaldi is a charming, likeable detective. This is the third book in the DI Garibaldi series and I look forward to reading more. 3 out of 5 stars

I received a paperback copy of this title from the publishers and had started reading it but was making slow progress. I find digital versions where I can enlarge the font easier to read and so I was delighted to discover that this was available as a Read Now title on NetGalley.

I quite enjoyed Every Trick in the Book, the third in the DI Garibaldi series (I've read the first but not the second in the series).

The series is a change of pace from the usual 'gritty thriller' crime novels I read. Every Trick in the Book is more of a mystery and literary themed 'whodunnit' set in the middle class London district of Barnes. It's well written although there are quite a few characters to keep track of, both the ex-colleagues of the murder victim and the fictional colleagues/suspects in the novel at the centre of the book, and I struggled a bit to remember who was who and sometimes had to refer back to earlier pages just to remind myself.

It's often the case that the protagonist in crime novels is a police officer with 'issues'. DI Garibaldi's 'issues' seem pretty minor in comparison to some. There is quite a nice balance of the actual investigation and his relationships and home life.

It's probably just a bit too slow paced for me but if you prefer your crime fiction to contain less violence and gruesome detail and more thoughtful crime solving, then this should fit the bill.

Good mystery! This book had some suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a great who done it and great police work! The storyline was interesting and flowed nicely! It was definitely worth reading but just ok for me! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Thank you NetGalley and Muswell Press for the eARC.
The beginning of the book was very enjoyable . I especially liked DI Garibaldi and the parts describing his private life.
The murder of the author exactly mimicking the murder of his book's protagonist was intriguing and so were many other strange parallels. The plot is very twisty and a bit complicated. Garibaldi and his team are stumped.
The very lengthy guessing game trying to figure out who and what, got too boring after a while and I ended up disappointed with the read. Sorry!