logo
episode-header-image
Aug 11
9m 49s

A new mystery novel by Liza Tully pairs ...

NPR
About this episode
In a new murder mystery, a young woman, Olivia Blunt, is eager to impress her new boss, a no-nonsense detective named Aubrey Merritt. This intergenerational pairing is at the center of The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant, the latest novel from Liza Tully, which is the pen name of author Elisabeth Brink. In today’s episode, Tully joins NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe for a conversation that touches on why the author chose to write this duo, how she lays out her clues, and what draws readers to murder mysteries.

To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Today
These new mystery novels are 'whodunits' that might as well be called 'whydunits'
Today’s episode features two mystery novels with special twists. First, The Killer Question is a story told via emails, WhatsApp messages and texts. When a new trivia team becomes suspiciously successful, egos are hurt and a body is found in the river. In today’s episode, author ... Show More
17m 34s
Yesterday
In 'Dream School,' Jeff Selingo wants parents to rethink what makes a ‘good’ college
Over the past 20 years, the number of college applications filed to top schools has exploded. And while many American colleges accept most applicants, some parents and students hold tightly to the idea that prestige matters. In his new book Dream School: Finding the College That’ ... Show More
7m 45s
Oct 8
For her latest novel, Patricia Lockwood says she wanted to write about confusion
In Patricia Lockwood’s latest novel, the protagonist is an author named Patricia. Will There Ever Be Another You documents a four-year period of disorientation, disassociation and confusion after Patricia becomes severely ill. The story is based on Lockwood’s own experience with ... Show More
8m 53s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2025
How Award-Winning TV Writer & Novelist Georgia Jeffries Writes
Award-winning TV writer/producer turned novelist Georgia Jeffries spoke with me about why Cagney and Lacey was her film school, teaching screenwriting at USC, and the ghosts, grief, and grievance in her debut novel THE YOUNGER GIRL. Georgia Jeffries is the Emmy-nominated TV write ... Show More
49m 48s
Jul 25
Book Club: Let's Talk About 'The Catch,' by Yrsa Daley-Ward
In this month’s installment of the Book Review Book Club, we’re discussing “The Catch,” the debut novel by the poet and memoirist Yrsa Daley-Ward. The book is a psychological thriller that follows semi-estranged twin sisters, Clara and Dempsey, who were babies when their mother w ... Show More
52m 25s
Sep 2024
Kate Atkinson on the Return of Jackson Brodie
The British writer Kate Atkinson has had a rich and varied career since her debut novel, “Behind the Scenes at the Museum,” won the Whitbread Book of the Year award in 1996; her 14 subsequent books have included story collections, historical fiction and an inventive speculative n ... Show More
44m 48s
Jun 2024
616 Madwomen and Literature (with Suzanne Scanlon) | Sylvia Plath | My Last Book with Adhar Noor Desai
The relationship between literature and "madwomen" has deep roots. In this episode, Jacke talks to author Suzanne Scanlon (Committed: On Meaning and Madwomen) about her efforts to reclaim the idea of the madwoman as a template for insight and transcendence. PLUS Jacke talks to Ad ... Show More
1h 11m
Sep 2023
549 Forgotten Women of Literature 7 - Ursula Parrott (with Marsha Gordon)
Hardly anyone knows Ursula Parrott today, but not long ago she was close to being a household name. As a bestselling novelist of the Roaring Twenties and beyond, Parrott's life was filled with literature, celebrity, and scandal. In this episode, Jacke talks to Parrott's biographe ... Show More
1h 3m
Jan 2024
Agatha Christie - Man in the Brown Suit - Part 1
"The Man in the Brown Suit" is a mystery novel written by Agatha Christie, first published in 1924. The story revolves around the adventures of Anne Beddingfeld, a young woman who becomes embroiled in a complex mystery after witnessing a man's sudden death at a London underground ... Show More
1h 31m
Oct 2021
S4 Ep1: Bookshelfie: Candice Carty-Williams
Candice Carty-Williams, bestselling author of Queenie, talks to our new host Zawe Ashton about how groundbreaking fiction can help decolonize British literature.  Candice and her debut novel Queenie made history smashing every glass ceiling going when it was published back in 201 ... Show More
59m 5s
Oct 2024
Kate Young & Nicola Dinan: Experienced
In her debut novel Experienced (4th Estate) writer and cook Kate Young delves into the world of queer dating following, reluctant Bette on an odyssey of sexual encounters as she tries to catch up on the decade of fun she missed out on before coming out, always intending to return ... Show More
54m 46s
Dec 2024
The Forgotten Queen of Romance Novels | 60 Minutes: A Second Look
In 2024, romance – a genre once relegated to the back corners of bookstores – might just be saving the publishing industry. But while more and more readers are looking for love between their covers, few are reaching for titles by one of the first giants of the genre, Dame Barbara ... Show More
44m 44s