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Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Cozy > Killer on the First Page

A Canadian Author Canadian Read

Killer on the First Page: A Novel

By Ian Ferguson, Will Ferguson


Where to buy


Publish Date

July 08, 2025

Category

Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths
Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Amateur Sleuth

Price

$24.99

Three locked rooms. Three impossible crimes. One determined sleuth. Miranda Abbott is back in a new mystery from the bestselling authors of I Only Read Murder and Mystery in the Title

The famous are descending on the town of Happy Rock. This time, the stars are not of the screen but of the page. The Happy Rock bookstore, I Only Read Murder, is hosting not only an author festival but a murder mystery festival, with six of the biggest names in crime fiction.

New bookstore majority co-owner and former TV star Miranda Abbott loves nothing more than the idea of hosting literary luminaries. Little does she realize the authors are bringing their egos, their professional jealousies, and their personal grudges along with their books. And they all want the first look at a mysterious posthumous manuscript that has been delivered to the bookstore. This festival of rivals goes from bad to worse when one of the authors turns up dead in a locked room with no windows. And this death is just the beginning—no one knows which author will be next. 

Miranda is on the case, along with Edgar, her almost–ex-husband; Andrew, her one-person entourage; Ned, the patient police chief; and the good people of Happy Rock. Together, they’ll stop at nothing to solve three murders, in three locked rooms, and three impossible crimes.

WILL FERGUSONis a three-time winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour. His novels include his debut,HappinessTM, which sold in twenty-three languages;419, which won the Scotiabank Giller Prize; andThe Finder, which won the 2021 Arthur Ellis Award for Crime Fiction. With his brother, Ian, he is the co-author of the Miranda Abbott series, which includesI Only ReadMurderandMystery in the Title, as well as the mega-bestsellerHow to Be a Canadian. Will Ferguson lives in Calgary.

ISBN: 9781443475099
Format: Paperback
Pages: 304
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: July 08, 2025

Praise for I Only Read Murder and Mystery in the Title — –“Delightfully amusing…there’s a genuine whodunit here, and quite the good one…gosh darn, it’s a lot of fun.” — Winnipeg Free Press“The Fergusons take the reader on a madcap caper that moves faster than Magnum’s Ferrari.” — Zoomer Magazine“While the Ferguson brothers are both known for their comedic chops as writers, I Only Read Murder does feature a well-constructed mystery at its core.” — Calgary Herald“No cottage weekend should be without a smart and witty cozy mystery. And the Ferguson brothers deliver that perfectly. . . . This is all great fun.” — Globe and Mail (Toronto)“A lighthearted romp through murder and . . . an entertaining summer read.” — The British Columbia Review