Billy Dead Mates: he's the nasty new killer on the block, who picks pairs of best friends and then picks them off one at a time, presenting each with a little white book before he does the dirty deed. Folks in general are scared, particularly stand-up comedian Kim Tribbeck, who was handed one of those books by a stranger at a gig. She hasn't got any friends to be murdered with, so was the stranger really Billy? From the New York Times best-selling author; with a 75,000-copy first printing.

Hannah's tenth "Spilling CID" title, originally published as The Narrow Bed in the UK (after Woman with a Secret), leavens a grim story of a serial killer with the darkly funny narration of protagonist Kim Trebbick. But as in all Hannah novels, the narrative shifts among many characters and plot lines. Det. Simon Waterhouse and his colleagues at the Spilling CID are stumped by the seemingly unconnected murders of two pairs of best friends linked only by the existence of small homemade books they received before their deaths. When this information is made public, the police catch a break, as Kim, a misanthrope comedian who doesn't have a best friend, was also given one of the books before the killings occurred. This provides Simon with a fresh jumping-off point; Kim is intrigued, but she worries that the murderer will be after her next. VERDICT When it comes to complex plotting, internationally acclaimed Hannah ("Hercule Poirot" mysteries) has few equals. Her trademark slow build, as she introduces characters and the threads of their lives, may cause some readers to struggle, but those who stick with it will find the adventure well worthwhile. [See Prepub Alert, 8/20/18.]—Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI

In this underwhelming standalone from bestseller Hannah (The Mystery of Three Quarters and two other Hercule Poirot pastiches), a team of British Major Crimes officers, who spend more time sniping at each other than investigating, search for serial killer Billy Dead Mates, so-named because his four victims consist of two pairs of best friends. In the weeks before their deaths, the three women and one man murdered by Billy Dead Mates each found a small white book, with a blank cover and a few handwritten words inside, in her or his possession. Meanwhile, British comedian and author Kim Tribbeck, an obnoxious narcissist, inserts herself into the case. Kim even insists that her strict rules for interviews, which include specifications for exact punctuality and having a "packet of pickled-onion-flavored Monster Munch crisps" on hand, apply when she comes in to help the police with their inquiries. The unsatisfying ultimate reveal will only add to the disappointment of fans of Hannah's much better efforts. Those looking for an offbeat, comic police procedural will do better with Lynne Truss's A Shot in the Dark. (Feb.)