Actually, I'm A Murderer
A gripping murder mystery from the multimillion-copy bestselling author
Published on 12. June 2025
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-1-4087-2010-3 (ISBN)
Description
'Sinister and hilarious. Great fun' SUN
'[A] smart, funny and deftly executed page turner' GUARDIAN
'Extraordinarily fun and oh-so-gripping' i PAPER
'Dark, witty . . . had me racing for the end' JANICE HALLETT
'Funny, and so very, very clever . . . the most fun I've had reading a book in a long time ' M. W. CRAVEN
'Wonderful' IAN MOORE
______________
A hilarious and whip-smart crime novel by the multimillion-copy bestselling author of the Horrible Histories. The perfect mystery for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Richard Osman and Janice Hallett.
Four strangers on a train. An unlikely introduction:
'Actually, I'm a murderer.'
It is 1973 and the lives of four people are thrown into turmoil when sharing a carriage with an unremarkable little man with glasses, on the night train back to Newcastle.
By the end of the following day, one of them will be dead, one will turn blackmailer and another forced to commit a crime. And all of them will be under the astute observation of Aline, the local police officer with her own agenda to fulfil.
When the body count begins to rise, the question is: just how many murderers are out there... and who will be the next victim?
______________
'Laugh-out-loud funny' WOMAN & HOME
'A delightful joyride of a book' SIMON BRETT
'A fun page-turner . . . a gripping book and perfect for Knives Out fans' PRESS ASSOCIATION
'Gripping, original and hard to put down' KATE ELLIS
'Witty, wonderfully paced and great fun' MATURE TIMES
'Highly original and deeply engaging' FRANCES BRODY
* PRE-ORDER THE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES, ACTUALLY, I'M A CORPSE, NOW *
'[A] smart, funny and deftly executed page turner' GUARDIAN
'Extraordinarily fun and oh-so-gripping' i PAPER
'Dark, witty . . . had me racing for the end' JANICE HALLETT
'Funny, and so very, very clever . . . the most fun I've had reading a book in a long time ' M. W. CRAVEN
'Wonderful' IAN MOORE
______________
A hilarious and whip-smart crime novel by the multimillion-copy bestselling author of the Horrible Histories. The perfect mystery for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Richard Osman and Janice Hallett.
Four strangers on a train. An unlikely introduction:
'Actually, I'm a murderer.'
It is 1973 and the lives of four people are thrown into turmoil when sharing a carriage with an unremarkable little man with glasses, on the night train back to Newcastle.
By the end of the following day, one of them will be dead, one will turn blackmailer and another forced to commit a crime. And all of them will be under the astute observation of Aline, the local police officer with her own agenda to fulfil.
When the body count begins to rise, the question is: just how many murderers are out there... and who will be the next victim?
______________
'Laugh-out-loud funny' WOMAN & HOME
'A delightful joyride of a book' SIMON BRETT
'A fun page-turner . . . a gripping book and perfect for Knives Out fans' PRESS ASSOCIATION
'Gripping, original and hard to put down' KATE ELLIS
'Witty, wonderfully paced and great fun' MATURE TIMES
'Highly original and deeply engaging' FRANCES BRODY
* PRE-ORDER THE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES, ACTUALLY, I'M A CORPSE, NOW *
Reviews / Votes
A crime story that's a pitch perfect mix of sinister and hilarious. Great fun * Sun * Extraordinarily fun and oh-so-gripping * i Paper * This smart, funny and deftly executed page turner is sure to please * Guardian * Laugh-out-loud funny * Woman & Home * A twisting, turning, unpredictable jaunt through a murder mystery that takes 50 years to reveal its deliciously captivating conclusion. With a cast of intriguing characters and a premise so ordinary and innocuous, I found myself drawn into a dark, witty story that had me racing for the end, yet reluctant to finish! Vivid, clever, cheeky and compelling -- Janice Hallett, Sunday Times bestselling author of THE APPEAL Actually, I'm a Murderer is the most fun I've had reading a book in a long time. Pitch-perfect in tone, funny, and so very very clever. I'd be surprised if I read anything better this year. Highly recommended -- M. W. Craven, Sunday Times bestselling author of THE MERCY CHAIR Full of dark humour, clever reveals and irresistible pacing. Pure crime fiction fun. * i Paper * [A] fun page-turner . . a gripping book and perfect for Knives Out fans * Press Association * A wonderful story told with increasing pace. A cross between Hitchcock and The Beiderbecke Affair -- Ian Moore, author of DEATH AND CROISSANTS Witty, wonderfully paced and great fun * Mature Times * A stunning first crime novel. Actually, I'm a Murderer is a delightful joyride of a book. Its switchback turns are managed with professional ease, so that the reader does not know exactly what happened until the very end -- Simon Brett, author of the Charles Paris series Warm-hearted . . . immersive * Buzz magazine * Gripping, original and hard to put down. I enjoyed this book so much -- Kate Ellis, author of the DI Wesley Peterson series One of the most surprising books I've read for 2025 . . . A cast of eccentric characters are woven in for what is a punchy and perfectly pitched story . . . so clever and fantastical * Belfast Telegraph * Highly original and deeply engaging -- Frances Brody, author of the Kate Shackleton novelsMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Little, Brown Book Group
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
548 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4087-2010-3 (9781408720103)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Terry Deary was born in Sunderland, in the north east of England, and now lives in County Durham. He was a professional actor before he began writing scripts for the theatre company he was working for and then adapting those stories into novels. He has also worked as a theatre director, museum manager, drama teacher and television presenter.
Terry is the creator of the Horrible Histories series and has written both fiction and non-fiction for children and adults, including the No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller A History of Britain in Ten Enemies. He has been a published writer since 1977, selling over 38 million books in 45 languages, and he has also written for TV, theatre, radio, audio and new media scripts.
Terry's great love has always been reading murder mysteries and, for his landmark 350th book, he decided to finally write his own. Actually, I'm a Murderer was his first crime novel and it was the start of the Actually Murders series.
Terry is the creator of the Horrible Histories series and has written both fiction and non-fiction for children and adults, including the No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller A History of Britain in Ten Enemies. He has been a published writer since 1977, selling over 38 million books in 45 languages, and he has also written for TV, theatre, radio, audio and new media scripts.
Terry's great love has always been reading murder mysteries and, for his landmark 350th book, he decided to finally write his own. Actually, I'm a Murderer was his first crime novel and it was the start of the Actually Murders series.