
Answer in the Negative
Henrietta Hamilton(Author)
Penguin Books Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 19. March 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-1-4059-9103-2 (ISBN)
Description
Rediscover the brilliance of Answer in the Negative in the Mermaid Collection - classic books by popular pioneering female authors republished to delight new generations of readers. Pre-order this gorgeous edition now.
A 1950s Fleet Street murder mystery for classic crime fans - married couple and amateur sleuths Johnny and Sally Heldar are called into the National Press Archives to investigate some poison pen letters and cruel pranks, but things get a lot more sinister when the first murder happens . . .
With a foreword by Sophie Hannah
'He was lying sprawled on his stomach just outside the open doorway of his office, with his head and shoulders out of sight . . .'
Frank Morningside, assistant at The National Press Archives on Fleet Street, is receiving nasty poison pen letters. His superior Toby Lorn wants to put a stop to it, so he calls on his friends Sally and Johnny Heldar.
Married amateur sleuths, Sally and Johnny agree to go undercover, posing as researchers to scout out the many suspects in the archive. After all, Fleet Street is home to plenty of seedy types and murky happenings. But, soon after they begin, they find a body - bludgeoned to death by a box of glass negatives.
Suddenly, the gentile world of the archives is a tangled web of suspicion and deadly danger. When another murder swiftly follows, the Heldars worry they are in over their heads.
And it is only a matter of time before one of them is next . . .
Reader praise for Henrietta Hamilton:
'A classic whodunnit, well written and engrossing' Reader Review *****
'Hugely enjoyable classic crime' Reader Review *****
'A gem!' Reader Review *****
A 1950s Fleet Street murder mystery for classic crime fans - married couple and amateur sleuths Johnny and Sally Heldar are called into the National Press Archives to investigate some poison pen letters and cruel pranks, but things get a lot more sinister when the first murder happens . . .
With a foreword by Sophie Hannah
'He was lying sprawled on his stomach just outside the open doorway of his office, with his head and shoulders out of sight . . .'
Frank Morningside, assistant at The National Press Archives on Fleet Street, is receiving nasty poison pen letters. His superior Toby Lorn wants to put a stop to it, so he calls on his friends Sally and Johnny Heldar.
Married amateur sleuths, Sally and Johnny agree to go undercover, posing as researchers to scout out the many suspects in the archive. After all, Fleet Street is home to plenty of seedy types and murky happenings. But, soon after they begin, they find a body - bludgeoned to death by a box of glass negatives.
Suddenly, the gentile world of the archives is a tangled web of suspicion and deadly danger. When another murder swiftly follows, the Heldars worry they are in over their heads.
And it is only a matter of time before one of them is next . . .
Reader praise for Henrietta Hamilton:
'A classic whodunnit, well written and engrossing' Reader Review *****
'Hugely enjoyable classic crime' Reader Review *****
'A gem!' Reader Review *****
Reviews / Votes
Reader praise for Answer in the Negative * : * A classic whodunnit, well written and engrossing -- Reader Review ***** Hugely enjoyable classic crime -- Reader Review ***** A gem! -- Reader Review *****More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 195 mm
Width: 132 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
205 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4059-9103-2 (9781405991032)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Henrietta Hamilton
Answer in the Negative
A Gripping and Atmospheric Murder Mystery set in 1950s Fleet Street. Introduced by Sophie Hannah
E-Book
03/2026
Penguin Books Ltd
€8.99
Available for download
Person
Henrietta Hamilton is the pseudonym for Hester Denne Shepherd who was born in Dundee in 1920 and educated at St Hugh's College, Oxford, earning an honours degree in Modern Languages. During the Second World War, Hamilton served in the Wrens. Afterwards, she worked in a London bookshop, gaining first-hand experience of antiquarian bookselling - the background of her crime-solving duo, Sally and Johnny Heldar. During her life, Hamilton enjoyed writing and hill-walking. She died in 1995 in Hastings, East Sussex.