Created by Oliver K. Langmead
London gentleman detective HAVELOCK HARPER speaks for the trees.
Yep, he’s sorta like Dr. Suess‘s Lorax, or at least that’s the turf he’s covering in his series launch, 2026’s wonderfully weird mystery/fantasy hybrid The Killing of a Chestnut Tree, wherein Havelock and his partner, Major Sebastian Wright, are called upon to investigate the murder of the Duke of Farleigh.
Only thing is, when they arrive in the sleepy, woodsy village of Farleigh in England’s Lake District where the crime took place they discover that the Duke is a tree.
A much beloved old chestnut, cruelly chopped down by person or persons unknown.
A tree!
Right.
And it turns out the Duke was not just any old tree in any old forest.
It’s a magical forest — where words spontaneously appear on the bark and branches of the trees, expressing themselves for all to read. To both the trees and the kindhearted villagers, Duke was a beloved friend. They want justice.
This is some kinda book. And some kinda detectives. The author hits all the highpoints of the classic Great Detective formula, instantly familiar to anyone who’s ever read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson stories — or any of the approximately eight zillion ersatz imitations.
- He’s a celebrated genius.
- He’s eccentric.
- He lives in London.
- He takes on strange and peculiar cases, and solves often seemingly impossible crimes..
- He lives with a man who acts as his partner, and who chronicles his cases.
But the author had added one oh-so-modern kink to the formula (besides the anthromorphism of sentient trees):
Havelock and Sebastian are secretly, sweetly lovers.
Gee, what would Sir Arthur say?
I’m not sure where Langmead can go with this, but The Killing of a Chestnut Tree is being billed as the first in a series.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Oliver K. Langmead writes speculative fiction. His verse-novel, Calypso, was shortlisted for a Hugo Award, and named one of the best Science Fiction books of 2024 by Esquire and The Guardian, while another novel, Glitterati, was shortlisted for a British Fantasy Award, and named one of New Scientist’s best Science Fiction books of 2022. He is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Lancaster, and served as the writer in residence at the European Space Agency’s Astronaut Centre in Cologne in 2018.
STRAIGHT FROM THE AUTHOR’S MOUTH
- “In recent years, I’ve been very angry about climate catastrophe and trying to figure out what I can do, as a writer of fantastical stories…”
— Oliver K. Langmead
UNDER OATH
- “I loved this book! Havelock and Sebastian are such great company, brilliant, approachable, fascinating, their relationship is real and touching and relatable. And the mystery is riveting.”
— Louise Penny - “Elegant prose, dry humor and sweet romantic moments make this sing.”
— Publishers Weekly
NOVELS
- The Killing of a Chestnut Tree (2026) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
