10 Marchfield Square: a Telegraph Best Crime Book of 2025

Audrey Brooks loves people. She even loves clearing up their messes - which is lucky, as she works as a cleaner. The only thing more satisfying than making a new acquaintance smile is shifting a particularly stubborn stain. Lewis McLennon finds people irritating. Especially people like Audrey. His writing career is in the toilet and he hates his day job. His closest relationship is with his coffee machine and, frankly, he likes it that way. The only thing they have in common is that they both live in the smallest square in London. And that one of their neighbours is currently lying dead on his kitchen floor. The police think the victim's wife did it. Their landlady, Celeste, is having none of that. And so a very unwilling detective duo is born. In theory they have the skills to find the real killer - if they don't kill each other first. But should they be looking closer to home?