Kit Pelham, professional cult sci-fi fan, has developed something of a reputation as a detective following her unmasking the killer of Wolf Tyler in The Fan Who Knew Too Much. So when she is on the scene when a dismembered body is found, along with a mocking poem implying this is the first of ten – sounds familiar? – then some people turn to her to unmask the culprit.

The fact that the body belongs to an ultra-rare action figure from the classic series of Vixens From The Void doesn’t make it any less serious than an actual murder in the eyes of the ultra-fans who donated the figures to a display in a stately home. When the rest of the action figures are stolen, it is clear they are heading for the same fate. But given there are five figures and the poems promise ten dismemberments, there looks like there’s going to be some murders on the horizon too…

I’ve been looking forward to this for a while – as you know if you scan the blog, I love Nev Fountain’s work in the genre. The Mervyn Stone mysteries – Geek Tragedy, DVD Extras Include Murder and Cursed Among Sequels – were one of the inspirations for the blog and as I’ve said before, The Axeman Cometh, an audio Mervyn Stone adventure from Big Finish, is simply the cleverest thing… If you want a freebie, then Nev’s blog has the complete version of The Pen Is Mightier Than The Nerd, a novel that he wrote on Twitter and that’s damn clever too. I know it appeals to my inner sci-fi nerd (mostly Doctor Who to be honest) but they are all entertaining and clever mysteries.

For this one, Nev has dialled things up to eleven. The notion of people going crazy for the loss of a doll might seem extreme – indeed, while I’m sure the behaviour has been heightened for dramatic effect, Nev knows fandom and I’m pretty sure a lot of this is based on people who he knows (and hopefully have a sense of humour). The oddness of the characters extends to the scheme of the villain of the piece, which, I have to say, is barmier and more ruthless than almost anything I’ve read. At the heart of the story, however, is Kit, who one might think could be treated as a joke due to her various traits, but anchors the whole thing as the most real character in the centre of the chaos.

There were a couple of things that irked me a tad. I did think that Kit accepts the thing that happens to her towards the end of the book a little too easily – I guess it might be built on in the next book – and one character/suspect did get on my nerves a lot. I know he’s a reflection of a number of people that I’ve seen on Twitter, but I didn’t really enjoy his interjections.

The plot, though, is one of a kind. I’ve never read anything like it, and I doubt I will again (well, until I re-read this). The pacing is original, the ideas are original, and, like many of Nev’s books, only work in the world of fandom. Yes, the first murder is late in the narrative – and obviously so are the rest – which normally bothers me, but not this time. Indeed, I thought it was a shame that the book blurb gives away that there would be an actual murder on top of the doll disfigurement…

One thing – read The Fan Who Knew Too Much first. It’s just as good and if you read this one beforehand, it will spoil quite a few things (including the murderer) from that one.

Lies And Dolls is out now from Titan Books in ebook and paperback.