Books like Passing strange by Catherine Aird


During the Almstone Flower Show, a fortuneteller disappears, only to be found murdered, turning a simple floral competition into a chilling crime scene. Detective Inspector Sloan and Detective Constable Crosby are dispatched to investigate. Together they sift through the event’s suspects and clues, confronting a case that offers no clear motive, means, or opportunity, forcing them to explore every angle of mystery and human behavior to uncover the killer’s identity.
First publish date: 1981
Genre: Mystery & Detective/Police Procedural
Authors: Catherine Aird
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3.5 (2 community ratings)

Passing strange by Catherine Aird

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Books similar to Passing strange (22 similar books)

Harm's way by 8646669|Catherine Aird book cover

πŸ“˜ Harm's way

When a crow drops a human finger on a walking club member’s path, a search for a missing body brings together police, community members and local farmers in a quiet English village.

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Slight Mourning (Inspector Sloan #6) by 8646669|Catherine Aird book cover

πŸ“˜ Slight Mourning (Inspector Sloan #6)

In the quiet country estate of Strontfield Park, a dinner party turns deadly when the host is killed by car collision and poisoned, leaving Inspector C.β€―D.β€―Sloan to untangle motives among the eleven survivors.

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His Burial Too (Inspector Sloan #5) by 8646669|Catherine Aird book cover

πŸ“˜ His Burial Too (Inspector Sloan #5)

Inspector C. D. Sloan confronts a sealed church tower mystery, where the only clues are a spent match, an emerald earring, and a black thread.

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Parting Breath (Inspector Sloan #7) by 8646669|Catherine Aird book cover

πŸ“˜ Parting Breath (Inspector Sloan #7)

C.D. Sloan investigates a murder that follows a student sit‑in and a bizarre theft at a fictional English university, unraveling clues hidden in the quadrangle and the echo of a dying man's words.

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A Shilling for Candles (Inspector Alan Grant #2) by 6917382|Josephine Tey book cover

πŸ“˜ A Shilling for Candles (Inspector Alan Grant #2)

Inspector Alan Grant investigates the murder of a woman found on a British coast, where a twisted article in her hair hints at a complex web of clues and motives.

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 3.3 (3 ratings)
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A dead liberty by 8646669|Catherine Aird book cover

πŸ“˜ A dead liberty

When a murder charge turns a young woman silent, police detectives Sloan and Crosby must unravel the mystery after the original investigator is injured.

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Some Die Eloquent by 8646669|Catherine Aird book cover

πŸ“˜ Some Die Eloquent

When old schoolteacher Miss Beatrice Wansdyke dies wealthy, Detective Inspector C.β€―D. Sloan must protect her fortune from ruthless pursuers while preparing for fatherhood.

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Losing Ground by 8646669|Catherine Aird book cover

πŸ“˜ Losing Ground

Detective Chief Inspector C.D. Sloan investigates a daring art theft, a suspicious arson at an old manor, and a pile of bones, uncovering a tangled web of local factions and a historic mystery in Berebury.

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A Going Concern by 8646669|Catherine Aird book cover

πŸ“˜ A Going Concern

When octogenarian Octavia Garamond demands a police‑presented funeral and a post‑mortem, Inspector C. D. Sloane and Constable Crosby investigate her mysterious death and a secretive past that may have put her life in danger.

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Death and the Dancing Footman by 6985268|Ngaio Marsh book cover

πŸ“˜ Death and the Dancing Footman

Inspector Roderick Alleyn confronts a deadly mystery at a snowbound millionaire’s gala, where the host’s murder forces him to sift through a cast of jealous enemies and possible killers.

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 4.5 (2 ratings)
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Chapter and Hearse by 8646669|Catherine Aird book cover

πŸ“˜ Chapter and Hearse

A collection of tightly crafted short mysteries that follow Inspector C. D. Sloan through a wealthier businessman’s death, a Christmas family drama, and a hospital scandal, plus a 1930s Foreign Office case and a 16th-century Scottish clansman’s murder.

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After Effects by 8646669|Catherine Aird book cover

πŸ“˜ After Effects

Inspector Sloan investigates a suspicious death linked to a clandestine drug trial, uncovering a deeper conspiracy.

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Dead heading by 8646669|Catherine Aird book cover

πŸ“˜ Dead heading

When Jack Haines reports a break‑in at his greenhouse, Detective Chief Inspector C.D. Sloan senses a sinister motive behind the seemingly minor theft of orchids.

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 3.5 (2 ratings)
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The Excursion Train by 6664155|Edward Marston book cover

πŸ“˜ The Excursion Train

Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck investigates a shocking murder on a Great Western Railway excursion, where the weaponβ€”a nooseβ€”hints at a link to the victim’s past as an executioner. When a second victim appears, he must race to stop the killer before more lives are lost.

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Past Tense by 8646669|Catherine Aird book cover

πŸ“˜ Past Tense

Detective Chief Inspector C.D. Sloan investigates a murder and a mysterious break‑in at Berebury Nursing Home, both linked to the lifeβ€”and secretsβ€”of Josephine Short, a woman whose recent death shocks her family.

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Hand in Glove by 6985268|Ngaio Marsh book cover

πŸ“˜ Hand in Glove

A typical London mystery unfolds when Superintendent Roderick Alleyn investigates a baffling death tied to a misdirected condolence letter and family feuds.

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πŸ“˜ In a dry season


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Learning Curve by 8646669|Catherine Aird book cover

πŸ“˜ Learning Curve

Detectives Sloan and Crosby unravel the tangled clues left by a dying chemist, tracing three mysterious deaths that may be linkedβ€”one accidental drowning, a lost caving victim, and a son’s reckless accidentβ€”into a potential murder confession.

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The coroner's lunch by 4194801|Colin Cotterill book cover

πŸ“˜ The coroner's lunch

In post‑Communist Laos, 72‑year‑old Dr. Siri Paiboun, newly appointed national coroner, uses his curiosity to investigate baffling murders while navigating a tense political landscape.

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The butterfly clues by 11414485|Kate Ellison book cover

πŸ“˜ The butterfly clues

A teenage girl with obsessive‑compulsive tendencies finds herself in the middle of a Cleveland murder while collecting items she feels compelled to acquire.

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πŸ“˜ Final account

A brutal murder sends police chief Alan Banks on a dangerous quest for the truth.

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A Late Phoenix by 8646669|Catherine Aird book cover

πŸ“˜ A Late Phoenix


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Some Other Similar Books

The Naming of the Dead by Ian Rankin
The Silent Witness by Rebecca Tope
Death in a White Tie by Carrie Adams
A Murder of Crows by Elizabeth Haynes
The Mystery of the Blue Vase by Agatha Christie
Silent Trigger by Joyce Carol Oates
The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham

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