The Weapon and the Fruit: Four and Twenty Blackboards: (1 The Weapon and the Fruit)

A locked-door murder. The victim: a Hammersmith primary school teacher admired by pupils, parents and her pet spaniel... or so she believed. Her recent erratic behaviour produced more than one enemy. Ciara Gallen, an appearance-obsessed newspaper columnist and mother of one of her pupils, used to being the one passing judgement. Colleagues with secrets. Neighbours with grudges of their own. A dog deserving a bit more attention. DI Esi Owusu and DS Pawel Krol, overwhelmed with the bizarre case of a gentle but paranoid teacher found locked inside her own home with a knife buried in her chest, call in good friend and eccentric associate, Private Detective Lance Pomegranate, to assist with the baffling mystery. But Australian Lance's unyielding preference to live barefoot and irreverence towards those who challenge him for it, elevate the prim and opinionated Ciara Gallen to more than just a suspect; now, she's a determined adversary, with the power of the press behind her. Ciara is all too willing to vilify Lance and his police allies in print, unless they can provide a more satisfying story for her ovine readers by solving the locked-room mystery and identifying the teacher's killer. To save their reputations and Lance's career, the investigating trio face both the clock and court of public opinion. Meanwhile, the killer lurks in their midst, watching.

About the Author :
L. E. Bendon was born in 1983 and wishes Terry Pratchett were still not dead.He had built quite a satisfying musician's life for himself up until 2020 when it was suddenly on hold, for reasons we can all remember, and so he put the compulsory free time to use in an attempt to discover whether he could indeed write, polish and publish a novel.In creating irreverent detective Lance Pomegranate, along with his friends, associates and acquaintances, Bendon took to writing a mix of what he knows, what he's merely read about, and a few ideas he just likes.L.E. Bendon is from London, living in South India, where most people know him as a musician who spends an awful lot of his spare time writing novels on his laptop in cafés. Prior to his debut novel in 2025 all of his published work has been sheet music. He speaks a few languages well enough not to be confused or misled while abroad, though not well enough to translate his own books just yet. He loves cats but really prefers tortoises.He hasn't settled on what L.E. stands for. It is just a pen name after all. Perhaps he'll give a different response each time he is asked, always choosing names that are significant to him. For now, it can be Ludwig Elderberry.

Review :
"Interesting characters, quite funny and intelligent dialogue." Maria Ljungdahl, Sweden. "Ciara Gallen was by far my favourite character. She is brash, confident, and unapologetically ambitious in her career." Kayleigh Suggett, Canada. "The dramatic conclusion took me by surprise. I quite enjoyed it." Mike Berrow, U.S.A. "I loved the writing in this book. It was simple, to the point, hilarious, and clever." Marwah (The Booklore Fairy), U.A.E. "Highly enjoyable. The humour, coupled with the distinctive writing style, constitute its primary strengths." Razeena, U.K. "With themes of acceptance, loads of humor, and a quirky cast, this book still lingers in my mind, rent free!" Jordan Prewitt, U.S.A. "I know I would read another mystery with Lance at the helm." Chana, U.S.A. "Fun and intriguing. I could definitely reread." Jayla Booker, U.S.A. "I was holding on throughout it, wondering how these pieces were connected together" Zoë Partyka, U.S.A. "A fun read that reminded me how engaging a whodunnit can be." Jan Miklaszewicz, Indonesia. "There is plenty of action to pull you through the book and you'll find yourself invested in each person's life." Cydney Adger, U.S.A. "Charmingly odd characters that continue to interest and amuse throughout." Charlotte (The Pen Not The Sword), U.K.