'Jilly Cooper meets Richard Osman' EMILY GOWERS'Complex, compelling, funny, and surprisingly sexy' GRAEME GARDEN A murdered curator. A missing relic. An inexplicable mystery. When British Museum curator Caspar Swarfman is found murdered, the obvious motive points to his refusal to return sacred relics looted from Jerusalem's Second Temple. But Swarfman left a long trail of enemies-from bitter colleagues to spurned lovers, including a striking young Californian archaeologist with a resemblance to Rita Hayworth. Soon, a stolen Vatican chalice and a string of high-profile art thefts draw in Scotland Yard's elite Art & Antiques Squad but can they cope with murder? Throw in a voluptuous gangster, an innocent and well-hung bookkeeper, a devoted private secretary and some shady dealings designed to bring about The End of Days, and you have an unfathomable mystery. Enter veteran lawyer Leo Wengrowski, his intrepid poodle Pumpernickel, his loving partner, the well-renowned therapist Marion Fitzwalter, and his oldest friend, the acerbic crime reporter Dennis Arbuthnot. Together only they, can solve the crime. Dead Religious is a gripping mystery in the romantic crime series, The Pumpernickel mysteries, where dark plots meet sharp humour and shows that a little wit, civilized behaviour, and just the right amount of poodle, can defeat the forces of darkness, and allow romance to flourish.