The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant - A Merritt & Blunt Mystery by Liza Tully Hardcover

About the Book

"A great detective's young assistant yearns for glory, but first they must learn how to get along in this delightful feel-good mystery. Olivia Blunt doesn't want to be an assistant detective for the rest of her life. She's determined to learn everything she can from her mentor, renowned investigator Aubrey Merritt-but the latter is no easy grader. After weeks of fielding phone calls from parties pining for the celebrated detective's help, a case comes across Olivia's desk that just might be worthy of Merritt's skills. On the evening of her sixty-fifth birthday party, Victoria Summersworth somehow fell to her death over her balcony railing on the rocky shore of Lake Champlain. She was a happy woman-rich, beloved, in love, and matriarch of the preeminent Summersworth family. The police have ruled it a suicide, but her daughter, Haley, thinks it was murder. Merritt is ever the skeptic, but Olivia believes Haley. Plus, she's desperate to prove her investigative skills to her aloof boss. But the Summersworth family drama is complicated. Olivia realizes she might be in over her head with this whole detective thing ... or she might be unravelling a mystery even bigger than the one she started with"--

Book Synopsis

A brilliant Boomer detective and her ambitious Gen Z assistant try to get along in this delightful feel-good mystery.

Olivia Blunt is thrilled to be hired as assistant to the nationally renowned investigator Aubrey Merritt. She longs to become a valued contributor to the great detective's work, but Merritt is a difficult, exacting boss, and the learning curve is steeper than she expected.

After weeks of boring computer work, Olivia is finally invited to join Merritt on an important case. On the night of her sixty-fifth birthday party, Victoria Summersworth somehow fell over her balcony railing to her death on the rocky shore of Vermont's Lake Champlain. She was a happy woman--rich, beloved, in love, and matriarch of the preeminent Summersworth family. The police ruled her death a suicide, but Victoria's daughter Haley thinks it was murder.

Merritt and Olivia soon discover that the Summersworth family is complicated web of lies, ambitions, and resentments. As the list of suspects grows, Olivia makes one apparent mistake after another. When she blunders into a truly dangerous situation, she realizes Merritt might be right: she might be in over her head with this whole detective thing...or she might be unravelling a mystery even bigger than the one they started with.

Review Quotes

"This novel succeeds through memorable characters at odds with each other (and sometimes themselves) across generational divides. A solidly entertaining read, especially for lovers of traditional mysteries."
--Kirkus Reviews

"A traditional mystery full of quirky characters and humorous situations... The ending may be totally surprising as Aubrey delivers quite the denouement in the tradition of Agatha Christie."
--FirstClue

"This is a classic wealthy-family whodunit centered on a funny and smart pair of women who are opposites in just about every way. Readers will love spending time with this investigatory duo."
--Library Journal

"Readers will be eager for a sequel"
--Publishers Weekly

"A well-written drama that had me immediately immersed in all aspects of this wickedly solid storyline that kept me intrigued throughout."
--Dru's Book Musing

"Wild applause for this clever and original take on Holmes and Watson--with lead characters who are iconic and relatable from page one."
--Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author

"I can't stop recommending this book to my friends! Fun, funny, and with the best murder mystery I've read this year, Liza Tully's The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant will both charm you and keep your brain busy trying to guess whodunnit."
--Jessica Payne, bestselling author of Never Trust the Husband and Make Me Disappear

About the Author

Liza Tully is a pseudonym for Elisabeth Brink, who writes dark thrillers under the name Elisabeth Elo, as well as literary fiction under the name Elisabeth Panttaja Brink.