Embedded Files
Clive Johnstone spent thirty years as a British copper. Retirement was supposed to mean sun, sangría and a quiet life on the Costa Blanca. Instead, crime followed him to Benidorm — so Clive slips into sequins, wig and heels and becomes Vera Copsicle, the most dashing drag detective the expat community has ever seen. Cruising the seafront in a battered white 1988 Mini Moke and working — loosely — alongside a bemused local police force, Vera tackles the strange, unusual and baffling crimes, because someone has to, and it certainly isn't going to be the tourists. Equal parts camp, chaos and clever plotting, this is a sun-soaked comic mystery for readers who like their crime with a wink and their detective fabulous.
Physical Editions
Some of these stories also exist as physical objects — printed, sewn, or folded by hand, each with its own Evidence Envelope containing material referenced in the story itself. Not a puzzle, not a game — just a way for part of the fictional world to exist outside the pages.
Author's Evidence Sleeve
Printed, folded, and hand-stapled booklet, archive-style paper sleeve
Evidence Envelope with story-specific documents, notes, or ephemera
Made to order · limited run · once the limit is reached, no more are made
Author's Evidence Edition
Hand-sewn Coptic-bound book in a kraft-card slipcover
Expanded Evidence Envelope with a period-accurate postage stamp, addressed to a fictional archivist
Made to order · limited to 25 of each title, ever · no reprints
Full details, dimensions, and shipping information are on each product page. Ships to UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and select Caribbean islands — see individual listings for full shipping eligibility.
THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE
A Clocktower Enquiries Mystery
A re-imagining of a classic Sherlock Holmes mystery by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Jabez Wilson has been offered a job that makes no sense. Claire M. Williams intends to find out why.
In 1992, Jabez Wilson runs a small car parts shop when he is offered a peculiar position. His job is to work through the Yellow Pages and make telephone calls from a list supplied by his new employers. His assistant and cousin are left to mind the shop while he carries out the work.
There is nothing obviously criminal about it. But the arrangement is so carefully constructed that Claire cannot ignore it. Following the trail takes her from Jabez's shop to the people behind the scheme and towards a plan that has been quietly taking shape.
A new Clocktower Enquiries investigation, based on The Red-Headed League by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The clues are there. Claire just has to do the legwork.
RELEASED ON THE 27TH SEPTEMBER 2026
🔪 Murder, Mayhem, and Mascara in the Costa Blanca…
Sun, sangria, and sequins—Benidorm is supposed to be a place where people come to forget their troubles.
As bodies pile up and suspects multiply, Clive and Vera must untangle lies, lust, and long-buried secrets before the killer strikes again. In a town where everyone has something to hide, the most fabulous detective in Spain might be the only one brave enough to reveal it.
Participate in a series of humourous short stories that initially appear unconnected. That is until the nuns appear.
And for some it's still a mystery how you can get a full English for only €3.00
THE THREE NOVELLA'S UNDER ONE COVER.
LAUGHTER, LIES & LIP-SYNC
GEMS, GIRLS & GIGGLES
MUSC, MEN & MEMORIES
Why Readers Love This Book
A drag queen detective you’ll never forget
A sun-soaked Spanish setting with a dark underbelly
Cozy crime vibes with sharp humour and real stakes
Perfect for fans of quirky amateur sleuths, camp humour, and clever twists
LAUGHTER, LIES & LIPSYNC
THE FIRST NOVELLA.
FEATURING CLIVE JOHNSTONE AS THE DASHING DRAG DETECTIVE 'VERA COPSICLE'
A TALENT SCOUT ENDS UP DEAD DURING A PERFORMANCE. WELL WORSE THINGS HAPPEN IN BENIDORM ALL THE TIME. BUT VERA HAS TO INVESTIGATE.
BENIDORM, COME FOR THE FUN.. STAY FOR THE CRIME
GEMS, GIRLS & GIGGLES
A missing diamond. A mysterious warning. And a performer with something to hide.
All eyes are on the stage when international sensation Sarah Bigendicken arrives in Benidorm.
Then a note appears.
A warning that Sarah’s diamond necklace is cursed.
It’s laughed off… right up until the necklace disappears from a locked safe.
Drawn into the mystery, Clive begins to uncover a trail of secrets that leads far beyond a missing jewel:
Because in Benidorm, even the most glamorous stories can hide something far more complicated underneath.
Perfect for readers who enjoy clever crimes, colourful characters, and a touch of the unexpected.
Men, Music & memories
Benidorm wasn’t always sunshine and cocktails.Back in the late 1960s, a group known as the Rat Pack helped shape the town’s rise until one of their own vanished without a trace.
The case was never solved.Decades later, life at the Pink Carnation is looking up. With business booming, owner Raymond Peacock has plans to expand, starting with a new tea room.
But when Clive Johnstone joins the search for the perfect property, the future takes an unexpected turn.
Because hidden inside one promising set of premises…is a body. Rolled in a carpet, Just waiting to be found.
Now, as Vera Copsicle, Clive is once again drawn into a mystery, one that reaches back into Benidorm’s past, where secrets have been left to gather dust for far too long.
Because in a town built on reinvention…
Not everything stays buried.
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