Andrew Cartmel – författare

Humorous cosy-crime caper in which a feisty, amoral book dealer uses her unique skills to catch a murderer, desperate to hide the secrets kept by the yoga-obsessed staff and students of a West London ashram.When a set of rare, impossible-to-find yoga books are stolen from a West London ashram, its leaders turn to Cordelia, the paperback sleuth, to recover them - a set-up that's a little awkward as they've previously barred her from yoga classes for selling marijuana to their students. But what begins as a hunt for missing paperbacks soon becomes a murder investigation as those involved with the ashram can't seem to stop dropping down dead - murdered with a whisky bottle to the head or a poisoned curry. Can Cordelia work out who the killer is and bring them to justice before they bring an end to her sleuthing for good.

Humorous cosy-crime caper from the author of the beloved, bestselling Vinyl Detective series in which a feisty, amoral book dealer uses her unique skills to solve fiendish crimes, A love letter to Agatha Christie murder mysteries and classic whodunnits.When Erik Make Loud, retired rock star and a major World War Two nut, hires Cordelia, the Paperback Sleuth, to track down a series of lurid paperbacks about his favourite global conflict-the "Commando" novels by the blatantly pseudonymous Butch Raider-it seems like a routine job. But Cordelia soon discovers the final novel in the series, the incredibly rare Commando Gold, is all but impossible to track down. The books' creator-real name Monty Harrington, once a promising young poet and now a depraved drunk-proves easier to find. Writing pulp war stories didn't come naturally to Monty. Until he met someone who knew all about such stuff during a pub crawl; a genuine ex-commando who, for the price of a pint or two, was willing to provide Monty with authentic anecdotes.Too authentic, it turns out...Because Commando Gold reveals the details of a real-life commando mission. At the time the mission was top secret.And all these years later, someone is quite prepared to kill to keep it so.

CSI meets Harry Potter in this three-volume collection of graphic novel from Ben Aaronovitch, writer of the bestselling Rivers of London supernatural police procedural crime novel series, Andrew Cartmel author of The Vinyl Detective, Doctor Who Writer James Swallow and Emmy Award-winning writer, Celeste Bronfman. These all-new graphic novels are all based on the best-selling Rivers of London series.A stunning box set edition of three bestselling graphic novels in the Rivers of London series, starring Ben Aaronovitch's laconic trainee wizard and budding detective, Peter Grant.Vol 10: Deadly Ever AfterIllustrations from a mysterious book of fairy tales drawn in the late 1800s are coming to life in the 21st Century and causing havoc. The illustrations were originally painted by a Victorian artist called Jeter Day who disappeared one night in an enchanted forest when he was spirited away by tree nymphs never to be seen again...Now, with the enchantment accidentally broken, Jeter has returned to our world bitter and resentful and woe betide any man who stands in his way. With Peter and Nightingale busy on another case, it falls to sisters Olympia and Chelsea and the help of the Foxes to stop Jeter and save the day.Vol 11: Here Be DragonsSome say a dangerous monster is at large above the streets of London.A monster red in tooth and claw, with wings, and fire for breath. And its name... Wyvern! After a rash of strange UFO sightings above the capital, Wizard in training Peter Grant and his mentor, Thomas Nightingale, the Met's only sanctioned wizard, takes to the skies to investigate rumours of a Wyvern. As the mystery deepens, Peter and Thomas find themselves caught between two groups of hunters - one human, one fae. To save the skies of the city, Peter will have to face the enraged beast - but can he end things peacefully... Or will he be forced to destroy the last wyvern?Vol 12: Stray Cat BluesA cat-woman, a notorious London gangster, and a brothel specialising in chimeras. Old frenemies become allies in the latest Rivers of London adventure when a mysterious cat-woman comes to The Folly looking for help to free her sisters from a notorious chimera brothel run by London gangster Monty and his sinister magically endowed mother, Mrs. Napier.

The quirky British television series Doctor Who is a classic both of science fiction and television drama. First broadcast in 1963, it has remained an influential TV presence ever since, with an eagerly anticipated new series airing in 2005. As a vehicle for satire, social commentary, or sheer fantasy adventure, Doctor Who is unparalleled. It was a show created for children, but it was immediately usurped by adults. Arriving at a time of upheaval in the popular arts in Britain, Doctor Who was born into a television tradition influenced by the TV plays of Dennis Potter, the cult television drama The Prisoner, the James Bond films and Stanley Kubrick's science fiction triptych - Dr Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange. A British fantasy adventure that has unfolded across television screens over decades in the tradition of Lewis Carroll, Conan Doyle and HG Wells, the strength of Doctor Who has always been its writers and the ideas they nurtured. In this new history of the show, Andrew Cartmel (who was the script editor on Doctor Who from 1987 to 1990) looks into its social and cultural impact - providing a fascinating read for committed and casual fans alike.

Saving the planet, watching over the Rift, preparing the human race for the twenty-first century... Torchwood has been keeping Cardiff safe since the late 1800s. Small teams of heroes, working 24/7, encountering and containing the alien, the bizarre and the inexplicable.But Torchwood do not always see the effects of their actions. What links the Rules and Regulations for replacing a Torchwood leader to the destruction of a supermarket? How does a witness to an alien's reprisals against Torchwood become caught up in a night of terror in a university library? And why should Gwen and Ianto's actions at a local publisher's affect Torchwood more than a century earlier?For Torchwood, the past will always catch up with them. And sometimes the future will catch up with the past...Featuring sci-fi stories by writers for the hit Torchwood series created by Russell T Davies for BBC Television, including James Moran and Joseph Lidster, plus Andrew Cartmel, Sarah Pinborough and David Llewellyn.

He is a record collector - a connoisseur of vinyl, hunting out rare and elusive LPs. His business card describes him as the "Vinyl Detective" and some people take this more literally than others. Like the beautiful, mysterious woman who wants to pay him a large sum of money to find a priceless lost recording on behalf of an extremely wealthy, yet shadowy, client. So begins a painful and dangerous odyssey in search of the rarest jazz record of them all...

When a mint copy of the final album by Valerian England's great lost rock band of the 1960s surfaces in a charity shop, all hell breaks loose. Finding this record triggers a chain of events culminating in our hero learning the true fate of the singer Valerian, who died under equivocal circumstances just after - or was it just before? - the abduction of her two-year-old son.

When one of his cats accidentally discovers a rare Victory Disc, the Vinyl Detective and his girlfriend Nevada are whisked into the world of big band swing music, and a mystery that began during the Second World War.Hired to track down the rest of the highly sought-after recordings of the Flare Path Orchestra, our hero will discover that the battles of the last world war aren't over yet. And if all this sounds simple, it's only because we haven't mentioned drive-by shootings, murderous neo-Nazis, or that slight case of being buried alive...

The fourth book in the hilarious and enthralling Vinyl Detective mystery series. "Like an old 45rpm record, this book crackles with brilliance." David Quantick on Written in Dead Wax It's all Tinkler's fault. If it weren't for his obsession with the 1970s electric folk band, Black Dog, none of this would have happened. At the height of their success, the members of Black Dog invited journalists to Holy Island, a desolate island off the northeast coast of England, to an infamous publicity stunt: they burned a million pounds on an enormous bonfire. But the stunt backfired, and tensions between the band members exploded, splitting the band for good, and increasing the value of their final, recalled album tenfold. It is this album that Tinkler's got his eye on.The Vinyl Detective and Nevada accept the challenge to hunt a copy down for Tinkler, but soon realize that the search for this record is going to be their most dangerous yet. Narrowly avoiding a killing spree, negotiating deranged Black Dog fans, and being pursued by hack journalist Stinky Stamner and his camera crew, they discover that perhaps all was not as it seemed on Holy Island--and that in the embers of that fire are clues of a motive for murder...

The Vinyl Detective goes punk in his fifth hilarious adventure. "Like an old 45rpm record, this book crackles with brilliance." David Quantick on Written in Dead Wax. Semi-retired god of rock guitar and local poseur Erik Make Loud has got himself a new girlfriend. Helene Hilditch - formerly known as Howlin' Hellbitch - of all-girl punk outfit Blue Tits is a mean guitarist, someone is trying to kill her.With a rare pressing of the Blue Tits' first album to find, the Vinyl Detective and Nevada are called in to help. But this time the question is who isn't a suspect. With a long list of enemies, the people who could want Helene dead includes her ex-bandmates, their former producer turned record label mogul, the TV presenter that Helene got fired-even their old roadie could be in on it. As the killer's attempts on Helene's life get more and more ambitious the Vinyl Detective and Nevada are in a race against time to find the killer, before it's too late.

Ben Aaronovitch’s ‘Rivers of London’ Set For Adaptation By See-Saw, Pure Fiction TelevisionPress-ganged into helping a Russian oligarch hunt his missing daughter, PC Peter Grant and his boss, Thomas Nightingale, London's only wizarding cops, find themselves caught up in a battle between Russian gunmen, a monstrous forest creature - and their nemesis: The Faceless Man. But as Grant and Nightingale close in on the missing girl, they discover that nothing about this case is what it seems!

Ben Aaronovitch’s ‘Rivers of London’ Set For Adaptation By See-Saw, Pure Fiction TelevisionCSI meets Harry Potter in this fantastic new graphic novel from Ben Aaronovitch, writer of the bestselling Rivers of London novel series! Something dark and slimy is dripping through the walls of suburban London. Not the usual stuff, this mould is possessed by some dark power full of bad intentions. Looks like it's another case for London's one and only trainee wizard cop, Police Constable Peter Grant, and his reluctant partner, Sahra Guleed!

Ben Aaronovitch’s ‘Rivers of London’ Set For Adaptation By See-Saw, Pure Fiction TelevisionCSI meets Harry Potter in this fantastic new graphic novel from Ben Aaronovitch, writer of the bestselling Rivers of London supernatural police procedural crime novel series!An anthology series of stories featuring Police Constable Peter Grant, his partner, Sahra Guleed, and their associates, as they tackle supernatural crime on the streets of London! An all-new adventure for Ben Aaronvitch's laconic, way-past-cool but slightly geeky trainee wizard and budding detective, Peter Grant! Tying directly into the Rivers of London continuity. Aaronovitch is joined by Doctor Who writer Andrew Cartmel for this gripping new series.

Ben Aaronovitch’s ‘Rivers of London’ Set For Adaptation By See-Saw, Pure Fiction TelevisionVengeful Russian mobsters are looking to hire members of London's own more-then-natural underworld to bring bloody retribution down on the witch Varvara.However, the ex-Soviet sorcerer is under the protective wing of London's own wizarding cop, Peter Grant (now a proper detective and everything), and to get the attention of Grant and his colleagues, the the daughter of a prominent Russian oligarch is kidnapped by parties unknown but possibly fox-like. What makes it worse is that Peter is going to have to leave his beloved London and *gasp* go out into the countryside! And when there's trees and fields and wildlife involved, things never end well...

Ben Aaronovitch’s ‘Rivers of London’ Set For Adaptation By See-Saw, Pure Fiction TelevisionSpring Breakers meets Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels on the banks of the Thames in this new graphic novel from Ben Aaronovitch!An anthology series of stories featuring Police Constable Peter Grant, his partner, Sahra Guleed, and their associates, as they tackle supernatural crime on the streets of London!When two of the less well-behaved River goddesses, Chelsea and Olympia, decide to earn a few quid on the side, Peter and Bev find themselves drawn into a sordid cannabis-smuggling operation, controlled by London's new queenpin of crime - the brutal and beautiful Hoodette!

Ben Aaronovitch’s ‘Rivers of London’ Set For Adaptation By See-Saw, Pure Fiction TelevisionThe bestselling cops and wizards series from chart-topping author (and comics writer) Ben Aaronovitch continues, with its most revelatory volume yet! Uncover the secret World War II history of Peter Grant's mentor, the mysterious Nightingale!October, 1957. A serial killer terrorising the women of Cumbria has moved to the streets of London, with Constable Angus Strallen hot on his heels. But this murderer has special abilities, and Strallen soon realises he needs the help of an old friend from the front lines who can match this madman's power - London's own wizarding police officer, Thomas Nightingale. As the pair move in closer, it quickly becomes clear that murder is not this man's only intent.Tying directly into the continuity of the Rivers of London novels and revealing secrets about Nightingale's past that readers have long-hoped to find out!Collects Rivers of London: Action at a Distance #1-4.

Ben Aaronovitch’s ‘Rivers of London’ Set For Adaptation By See-Saw, Pure Fiction TelevisionPeter Grant, having become the first English apprentice wizard in fifty years, must immediately deal with two different but ultimately inter-related cases. In one he must find what is possessing ordinary people and turning them into vicious killers, and in the second he must broker a peace between the two warring gods of the River Thames.Dive in at the beginning of the bestselling cops and wizards series from chart-topping author (and comics writer) Ben Aaronovitch, with this Box Set Edition of the first three graphic novels! A stunning box set edition of the bestselling first three graphic novels in the Rivers of London sequence, starring Ben Aaronovitch's laconic trainee wizard and budding detective, Peter Grant. All-new adventures for Peter and the Folly - that are essential parts of the smash-hit novel continuity! Peter Grant is part of a very special London police unit. Full-time cop and part-time wizard, he works on rather unusual crimes - those that involve magic and the general weirdness that permeates London's dark underbelly.In the first volume, Body Work, Police Constable Peter Grant and his boss, Thomas Nightingale, London's only wizarding cops, tackle a case that begins with a perfectly innocent car on a homicidal killing spree - without a driver.In the second volume, Night Witch, Peter and Nightingale are press-ganged into helping a Russian oligarch hunt his missing daughter, where they are caught up in a battle between Russian gunmen, a monstrous forest creature - and their nemesis:In the third volume, Black Mould, something dark and slimy is dripping through the walls of suburban London. Not the usual stuff that smells funny and can be hell on the lungs, this mould is possessed by dark power and worse intentions.

Ben Aaronovitch’s ‘Rivers of London’ Set For Adaptation By See-Saw, Pure Fiction TelevisionCSI meets Harry Potter in this fantastic SPECIAL EDITION graphic novel from Ben Aaronovitch, writer of the bestselling Rivers of London supernatural police procedural crime novel series! This Deluxe Writers' Edition presents the full script of the graphic novel along with the unlettered, full-color artwork, allowing the reader to read the original script and see the artwork side-by-side.Grant is part of a very special London police unit. Full-time cop and part time wizard he works on rather unusual crimes - those that involve magic and the general weirdness that permeates London's dark underbelly.His latest case begins with a perfectly innocent car on a homicidal killing spree - without a driver. But, before you know it, there's a Bosnian refugee, the Most Haunted Car in England, a bunch of teenagers loaded on Ketamine and seemingly-harmless wooden bench with the darkest of pasts...

Ben Aaronovitch's 'Rivers of London' Set For Adaptation By See-Saw, Pure Fiction TelevisionCSI meets Harry Potter in this graphic novel from Ben Aaronovitch - writer of the bestselling Rivers of London supernatural police procedural crime novel series, Andrew Cartmel author of The Vinyl Detective and Celeste Bronfman.Illustrations from a mysterious book of fairy tales drawn in the late 1800s are coming to life in the 21st Century and causing havoc. The illustrations were originally painted by a Victorian artist called Jeter Day who disappeared one night in an enchanted forest when he was spirited away by tree nymphs never to be seen again...Now, with the enchantment accidentally broken by Olympia and Chelsea, daughters of the river goddess Mama Thames, Jeter, twisted by his time spent with the nymphs, has returned to our world bitter and resentful. It is a world he neither recognises nor likes. All he wants is his life returned to him and woe betide any man who stands in his way.With Peter and Nightingale busy on another case, it falls to sisters Olympia and Chelsea with the help of the Foxes to stop Jeter and save the day.

CSI meets Harry Potter in this graphic novel from Ben Aaronovitch, writer of the bestselling Rivers of London supernatural police procedural crime novel series, and Andrew Cartmel author of The Vinyl Detective. Includes 3 stunning art cards!A stunning box set edition of the bestselling graphic novels in the Rivers of London series, starring Ben Aaronovitch's laconic trainee wizard and budding detective, Peter Grant.Vol 7: Action at a DistanceThomas Nightingale is a man of immense power, one of the most highly revered magicians in Europe, but with a guarded past. Hidden within the archives of London Metropolitan Police's Special Assessment Unit, Detective Constable Peter Grant is about to uncover a brief glimpse into his mentor's history. Vol 8: The Fey and the FuriousWhen a Mitsubishi Eclipse washes up on the shores of the Netherlands, officers are surprised to find some unusual cargo in its boot. Fortunately, unusual cargo just so happens to be wizarding-cop Peter Grant's speciality. Infiltrating illegal street races, Peter hopes to find the supplier, but instead quickly finds himself speeding into a whole new world of trouble, where old enemies await.Vol 9: Monday, MondayWhat starts as a routine undercover operation to break up an organised teenage pickpocket gang turns into something far more dangerous when the Metropolitan police are confronted by a Swedish werewolf who'll stop at nothing to avoid capture. Now it's up to full-time cop and part-time wizard Peter Grant and his cohort of chums to hunt the deadly lycanthrope and bring him to heel!

CSI meets Harry Potter in this graphic novel from Ben Aaronovitch - writer of the bestselling Rivers of London supernatural police procedural crime novel series, Andrew Cartmel author of the Vinyl Detective and New York Times best-selling author, James Swallow creator of the Marc Dane series, and writer of five best-selling Warhammer 40,000 novels. After a rash of strange UFO sightings above the capital, a Met Police helicopter night patrol is attacked by what can only be described as a dragon! Wizard in training Peter Grant and his mentor, Thomas Nightingale, the Met's only sanctioned wizard, takes to the skies to investigate. As the mystery deepens, Peter and Thomas find themselves caught between two groups of hunters - one human, one fae - and he uncovers the legacy of events that extend all the way back to the late '60s and one of London's most famous residents - a certain "Experienced" rock star - who made a pact with the Demimonde that was never fulfilled. To save the skies of the city, Peter will have to face the enraged beast - but can he end things peacefully... Or will he be forced to destroy the last wyvern? Collecting together the critically acclaimed original four-issue mini-series.With exclusive bonus material, included a script to art comparison, covers gallery and a collection of the backup articles from the four comics.The continuing comic-book adaptation of Ben Aaronovitch's hugely successful and award-winning 10-book novel series first published in 2011.An all-new original adventure starring the Peter Grant the wizard-in-training hero of the first Rivers of London Novel, 'Rivers of London', also known as Midnight Riot in the US.

A cat-woman, a notorious London gangster, and a brothel specialising in chimeras. Or just another Wednesday as it's known in the world of Rivers of London. Stray Cat Blues is the latest adventure in the critically acclaimed series. CSI meets Harry Potter in this supernatural police procedural crime series based on characters and the books written by Ben Aaronovitch. This new series is scripted by regular co-writer Andrew Cartmel author of the Vinyl Detective.Old frenemies become allies in the latest Rivers of London adventure when a mysterious cat-woman comes to The Folly looking for help to free her sisters from a notorious chimera brothel run by London gangster Monty and his sinister magically endowed mother, Mrs. Napier.Now, Romeo, together with Abigail, Kitty Butchart aka Hoodette, Reynard Fossman, and Gina Penlaw must rescue the three imprisoned women before the Faceless Man can get his hands on them...Collecting together the critically acclaimed original four-issue mini-series.With exclusive bonus material, included a script to art comparison, covers gallery and a collection of the backup articles from the four comics.The continuing comic-book adaptation of Ben Aaronovitch's hugely successful and award-winning 10-book novel series first published in 2011.An all-new original adventure starring the Peter Grant the wizard-in-training hero of the first Rivers of London Novel, 'Rivers of London', also known as Midnight Riot in the US.

Launching a new series, a cast of lovable rogues face fiendish puzzles and murderous villains in this love letter to Agatha Christie murder mysteries and classic whodunnits. Introducing a new series from the creator of the beloved, bestselling Vinyl Detective novels.Cordelia knows books. An addict-turned-dealer of classic paperbacks, when she’s not spending her days combing the charity shops and jumble sales of suburban London for valuable collector’s items, she’s pining for the woman of her dreams and nimbly avoiding her landlord’s demands for rent. The most elusive prize of all, her white whale, has surfaced — a set of magnificent, vintage Sleuth Hound crime novels. Gorgeous, and as rare as they come. Just one problem. They’re not for sale. Still, that won’t stop a resourceful woman like Cordelia… One burglary later, the books are hers. Unfortunately, the man she’s just robbed turns out be one of London’s most dangerous gangsters, and now he’s on her trail and out for blood. Cordelia’s best laid plans to pay the rent and woo the object of her affections start to fall apart, and she realises she may have placed herself in the crosshairs of a villain torn straight from the pages of her treasured novels.

The Vinyl Detective plunges into the world of death metal in his sixth adventure. Expect laughs, LPs, cats and the return of fan favourites, Nevada, Tinkler, Stinky Stanmer and more.It starts with a perfectly normal evening in, except for the corpse-faced gentleman dressed all in black, with a crow on his shoulder, staring into the house, of course. And the visit from Owyn Wynter, head of Whyte Ravyn Records, who needs the Detective's unique skills.So begins an all-expenses-paid trip to Trollesko, Sweden for the Detective, Nevada, Tinkler and Agatha to track down a copy of the debut album from demonic metal legends, Storm Dream Troopers. Condemned by the church and banned on release, Attack and Decay is a legendary record.But their trip to the homelands of Nordic noir is quickly thrust into a world of intrigue as the Detective closes in on the deal, the band unexpectedly converge on the peaceful town, And worse, their trip somehow coincides with a visit from Stinky Stanmer... Soon the bodies start piling up, and the Vinyl Detective is the only one who can solve the case.

The Vinyl Detective plunges into the world of electronic dance music in his seventh adventure. Expect laughs, LPs, cats and the return of fan favourites, Nevada, Tinkler, Stinky Stanmer and more.The Vinyl Detective enters the fraught and frenzied realm of electronic dance music.Lambert Ramkin aka Imperium Dart, techno trickster and ambient music wizard of the 1990s, has gone walkabout, disappearing from his rather palatial home in Kent.This isn't the first time he's pulled a vanishing act, but he's never been gone so long before and his wife - wives, actually; it's complicated - are worried and hire the Vinyl Detective to find the old rascal.They theorise that wherever the missing man is, he won't be able to resist turning up at a record fair somewhere in search of 12-inch white label acid house singles, which he collects compulsively.And no one knows the world of record fairs better than the Vinyl Detective.They're not wrong...But once our hero finds the wandering Lamb the trouble really begins - including terrifying mind-fucks with a side order of, if things break the wrong way, mass murder.

The Vinyl Detective plunges into the world of Italian movie soundtrack music in his eighth adventure that is sure to delight those who love whimsical British cosy crime. Expect laughs, LPs, cats and the return of fan favourites, Nevada, Tinkler, Stinky Stanmer and more.Some of the greatest (and grooviest) music ever committed to vinyl has come out of Italy in the form of soundtracks—especially for that variety of lurid thriller known as a giallo. The maestros who composed these masterpieces include Ennio Morricone, Piero Piccioni, Armand Trovajoli… And Loretto Loconsole.No one disputes that Loconsole was a genius, but was he also a murderer?When his mistress was brutally killed in 1969, on location in Cool Britannia for a giallo called Murder in London, there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute him. But Loconsole died in the shadow of disgrace. Now, his granddaughter Chloë has come back to England to hire the Vinyl Detective. She wants him to find an immaculate vinyl copy of Murder in London…And to clear her grandfather’s name.Can the Vinyl Detective and the gang—Nevada, Tinkler and Agatha—find out the truth of what happened in Swinging London more than half a century ago? And can they stay alive when there’s someone out there who’d prefer the secrets of the past to remain buried—and is more than willing to kill to keep it that way?

A fiendish London-set Golden Age mystery, narrated by whip-smart American private eye Orla Carol as she investigates a kidnapping with her urbane British sidekick, Damien Todhunter. A funny, knowing love letter to the mysteries of Agatha Christie - with a distinctive Cartmel twist - ideal for fans of Tom Hindle and Nicola Upson.The Year is 1932 and London is a hotbed of mysteries.Damien Todhunter claims he was the sharpest detective Scotland Yard ever had. Until he wrote a tell-all memoir where he, conveniently, was the genius behind every case. The book was a huge success but ended his official police career pretty quickly. He was convinced he could ride that success for the rest of his life but somehow the movie business wasn't interested in a film with him in the starring role.So now Hunter is back in London with his one souvenir from LA, Orla Carol. Orla washed up in Hollywood before she even started, but it turned out she had a real knack for following a lead. So now the two of them have had to put their pasts behind them and are determined to form London's premier detective agency.But before they even leave the hotel, it looks like there's a murder to be solved. Now the pair have to find a premises, locate a missing heiress and, of course, hunt down whether London actually has any good coffee yet. All while trying to prove to anyone of note that their burgeoning new agency is the one to call when you have a mystery to be solved.