Bad Influence: Cosy up with this hilarious, heartwarming and heartfelt mystery for fans of Richard Osman

CJ Wray

May 2025 · Hachette UK

Ebook

336

Pages

Eligible

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About this ebook

Shortlisted for the CWA Whodunnit Dagger Award 2026!

The charming and heartwarming mystery about searching for treasure and finding redemption. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman and AJ Pearce.

'Funny, touching, fabulous' The Mail

'Entertaining, intriguing and sometimes poignant' Jill Mansell

Old enough to know better. Young enough not to care...

There are three things Jennifer 'Jinx' Sullivan promised herself she would never do:

1. Eat fast food.
2. Go on a coach trip.
3. Die without exacting revenge on the people who ruined her life.

She's about to let herself down on the first two, but she can keep her word on the third-on a coach trip to Florence.

89-year-old Jinx is going to face her painful wartime history, unearth long-buried skeletons (quite literally) and plan long overdue vengeance on the worst best friend a woman ever had. That's the best friend who trained her in etiquette, cocktail-making and silent killing.

It's going to be a tough journey - not least because she's sharing it with twenty senior citizens and a recalcitrant teen. But Jinx knows that some promises are worth keeping, no matter how hard it may be...

Praise for CJ Wray:

'Not all heroes wear capes, some wear M&S cardigans! A triumph!' Mike Gayle

'Just pure joy from start to finish' Alexandra Potter

'Funny, thrilling and brilliantly researched' SJ Bennett

'It's utterly wonderful' Annie Lyons

Shortlisted for the CWA Whodunnit Dagger Award 2026! The charming and heartwarming mystery about searching for treasure and finding redemption. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman and AJ Pearce. 'Funny, touching, fabulous' The Mail 'Entertaining, intriguing and sometimes poignant' Jill Mansell Old...

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About the author

C.J. Wray is a pseudonym of bestselling author Chris Manby. Writing under several names, she is the author of more than 40 books. She's written features (and obituaries) for several national papers and had a long-running column in The Independent Online. More recently, she has worked as a ghostwriter, helping a variety of people from WW2 veterans to soap stars to tell their true stories.

C.J. Wray is a pseudonym of bestselling author Chris Manby. Writing under several names, she is the author of more than 40 books. She's written features (and obituaries) for several national papers and had a long-running column in The Independent Online. More recently, she has worked as a ghostwr...

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