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The Weapon and the Fruit: Four and Twenty Blackboards
Meet London's newest eccentric private detective. Lance Pomegranate is a charming but cheeky Australian with an unyielding preference to live and work barefoot, including when working with the police, such as in their investigation of a murdered primary teacher, found stabbed, alone, locked inside her own home.
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.
Genre: Whodunnit/Mystery/Crime
Readership: Adult
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.
Genre: Whodunnit/Mystery/Crime
Readership: Adult
316 pages, ebook
First published January 7, 2025
3 people want to read
About the author
L.E. Bendon
2 books8 followersL.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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 26, 2025
What was expected to be a classic whodunnit story turned out to be much more of a thriller. The idea of comfort is mixed with elements of surprise when it comes to locations mentioned in the book. The characters are well developed with their stories and their characteristics making them very grounded and relatable. The language is clean with a very dry and a typical British sense of humour. The story has a decent pace to it, keeping the reader intrigued till the very end. The author has definitely laid out all the clues throughout the book very carefully. The plot is well hidden with glimpses of it offered as a brain teaser (if only the readers are careful to notice). There are small additions of the life of the characters that run parallel to the main plot making one wonder if there is going to be more to it or not. All the characters are from varied backgrounds adding to the maturity and some real-life struggles of being different. The book offers more than just a mystery to solve. it is up to the reader to decide how to navigate that space with understanding.
A great read for everyone who likes Agatha Christie and is a fan of classic British comedy.
Looking forward to more books!
A great read for everyone who likes Agatha Christie and is a fan of classic British comedy.
Looking forward to more books!
October 3, 2025
Memorable characters, terrific story!
This was a fun whodunit inhabited with many memorable characters. As I read, it was easy to picture the eventual movie of this book rolling through my head. Enough clues were given to be fair to the reader hoping to become the sleuth, but the climactic ending was unexpected and well played.
I would absolutely recommend this book and look forward to reading Book 2 in the series.
This was a fun whodunit inhabited with many memorable characters. As I read, it was easy to picture the eventual movie of this book rolling through my head. Enough clues were given to be fair to the reader hoping to become the sleuth, but the climactic ending was unexpected and well played.
I would absolutely recommend this book and look forward to reading Book 2 in the series.
January 15, 2026
Love how gently nuanced the characters are... Especially interactions between Lance and Murphy, and Lance with Inspector Owusu. I enjoyed the pace of this book as it felt seamless... And the setting, and instances all show the reality of our times. I would definitely love to see PawelKrol grow as a detective, the character definitely shows potential. Lance has his ways, some quite refined, some very headstrong ways, but gets the job done... Excited to read the second version of this series?
December 9, 2024
I will first preface this by saying mysteries are not generally my genre of choice, and the only ones I’ve really read were Agatha Christie. Being said, this book was a wildly pleasant introduction to the genre!
I loved the quirkiness and the humor of the main character, private detective Lance Pomegranate. (I also just loved the name?). His shoeless lifestyle in a place like London was such an interesting choice, and every time it was brought up I wondered how that worked in the wintertime. I digress though. The humor and writing style was very much up my alley. Some of the parts did feel like exposition, but I never minded that. Sometimes I enjoy it, because it means I don’t have to sift through piles of purple prose.
The mystery aspect was well done, at least in my humble opinion! I was holding on throughout it, wondering how these pieces were connected together and who might be behind the murder. It was like I was reading a novelization of the game Clue! The plot itself moved along at a really easy going pace, and I found myself caring enough about the other characters that even when there were slower parts, I didn’t mind because I enjoyed reading about them and learning more. I also really appreciate that I never saw any of the twists coming, I was left to piece together who was who. Just when I thought it was one, something happened to make me think otherwise.
All in all, this was a very fun read from a talented indie author!
I loved the quirkiness and the humor of the main character, private detective Lance Pomegranate. (I also just loved the name?). His shoeless lifestyle in a place like London was such an interesting choice, and every time it was brought up I wondered how that worked in the wintertime. I digress though. The humor and writing style was very much up my alley. Some of the parts did feel like exposition, but I never minded that. Sometimes I enjoy it, because it means I don’t have to sift through piles of purple prose.
The mystery aspect was well done, at least in my humble opinion! I was holding on throughout it, wondering how these pieces were connected together and who might be behind the murder. It was like I was reading a novelization of the game Clue! The plot itself moved along at a really easy going pace, and I found myself caring enough about the other characters that even when there were slower parts, I didn’t mind because I enjoyed reading about them and learning more. I also really appreciate that I never saw any of the twists coming, I was left to piece together who was who. Just when I thought it was one, something happened to make me think otherwise.
All in all, this was a very fun read from a talented indie author!
December 6, 2024
I really wish I wasn't the first review on here, because I was hoping my review would get lost in the mix of some 4 and 5 star reviews, but here we are.
This is a new mystery by an emerging indie author, and I really wanted to love it. That didn’t end up being the case, but reviews and ratings are important to indie authors so I’m going forward with my review anyhow. Although my impression of the story wasn’t the highest, I do plan to highlight the best aspects of the story, in hopes that this will still find its readers who think I am the wrongest wrongiest wronger that ever wrote a book review.
The usual disclaimer applies: these are just my opinions and even NYT bestsellers get 1-star reviews. In fact, I DNF several NYT bestsellers this year alone. The author has put their heart into a work of art and was brave enough to share it with the world.
First off, the premise is super fun. The detective is Australian named Lance Pomegranate who doesn’t wear shoes. Super creative and compelling. It reminded me of that boat designer savant that made that boat for those Aussies back in the 80’s when they finally handed America its ass.
I also enjoyed the concept of a mild school teacher who makes a few enemies and gets offed in her locked house. The hook of having a nosy reporter in the mix was also a big selling point to me. I wanted to see the nuisance she’d make to the plot!
Sadly, for me, this book just didn’t deliver on those promises. The writing was overly riddled with lengthy descriptions of the setting as well as way too many play-by-plays of what the character was doing. For example, exiting their door and turning left down the street. Standing up and walking across the room to talk to someone. Picking up the phone and dialling. The reader knows a character has to do these things, the space can be used to liven up the prose, give us more interiority, or simply be left out. I found myself skipping over large sections just to get back to the action.
The plot suffered similarly, with way too much time spent hanging out with Lance and his pals in restaurants and bars. While a few of their interactions were cute and/or amusing, they could’ve been cut down significantly, or been placed more strategically to move the plot forward.
I also got very tired of the constant lectures Lance gives about his shoeless lifestyle. I understand the author shares the lifestyle and likely has a lot to say on the topic, but in a fiction novel it just got to be overdone. An interaction here or there to add believability to the character would suffice. Again, I largely skipped these sections.
The mystery itself held some promise, but the “locked door” portion was solved almost at once (and was easy to guess as well), meaning that particular hook isn’t actually that important to the story. We are also given very few concrete clues we can use to try to parse the crime out, and most of the information Lance uses to solve the crime is only revealed at the very end.
For a mystery to feel satisfying to me, I have to feel like I could’ve solved it if I paid attention to the right things, and was a bit more clever. I also didn’t find the motive to be that believable, and the verbal traps used to get the suspect to confess did not seem elaborate enough to have worked.
The other missing piece for me was the goose that could’ve laid the golden egg: The reporter! Ciara Gallen was by far my favourite character. She is brash, confident, and unapologetically ambitious in her career. Even a bit vindictive. I fully expected a few trash pieces from her to hold up the investigation or turn public opinion. Or for her to at least be obnoxiously hovering around the investigation. But after dangling this compelling character in front of our noses, she disappears until the end. Give me more Ciara, and more tension, and this story’s stakes would jump up a whole level. If there is one piece I hope the author takes from my review it is this, because this is where his writing really started to shine for me and sucked me in. So it’s in there, you’ve just got to unleash it a bit more often!
The other really big issue I had with this story might just be personal preference but: the official police do not work in cahoots with private detectives on official cases like this. The contamination of evidence, the privacy of information, the interruption of the legal process, extreme liabilities… there are just so many issues. If realism isn’t super important to you, this might not bother you. But it did me. It’s true, you have to be more creative to have a P.I. story that doesn’t involve the police, but it can be done. And okay, okay the wildly popular Sherlock TV series did it. But not everyone is Sherlock (or Mark Gatiss), are they?
There was not enough tension in this book to keep me turning the pages and wondering what would happen next. It was a quiet stroll through Lance Pomegranite’s life, which may be just what some readers want, but it’s not my style of mystery.
This was the author’s first book, and as a first book, it is a decent effort. All the ingredients are there, they just need some reworking to make it all come together. It would benefit from an edit to add tension, remove a lot of scenes that do nothing to advance the plot and work on revealing more of the evidence to the reader as the story goes on to give them a chance to form their own conclusions before the big reveal.
I’d be interested in reading what Lance Pomegranate gets up to next, provided we get a bit more of the writing that brought us Ciara Gallen.
This is a new mystery by an emerging indie author, and I really wanted to love it. That didn’t end up being the case, but reviews and ratings are important to indie authors so I’m going forward with my review anyhow. Although my impression of the story wasn’t the highest, I do plan to highlight the best aspects of the story, in hopes that this will still find its readers who think I am the wrongest wrongiest wronger that ever wrote a book review.
The usual disclaimer applies: these are just my opinions and even NYT bestsellers get 1-star reviews. In fact, I DNF several NYT bestsellers this year alone. The author has put their heart into a work of art and was brave enough to share it with the world.
First off, the premise is super fun. The detective is Australian named Lance Pomegranate who doesn’t wear shoes. Super creative and compelling. It reminded me of that boat designer savant that made that boat for those Aussies back in the 80’s when they finally handed America its ass.
I also enjoyed the concept of a mild school teacher who makes a few enemies and gets offed in her locked house. The hook of having a nosy reporter in the mix was also a big selling point to me. I wanted to see the nuisance she’d make to the plot!
Sadly, for me, this book just didn’t deliver on those promises. The writing was overly riddled with lengthy descriptions of the setting as well as way too many play-by-plays of what the character was doing. For example, exiting their door and turning left down the street. Standing up and walking across the room to talk to someone. Picking up the phone and dialling. The reader knows a character has to do these things, the space can be used to liven up the prose, give us more interiority, or simply be left out. I found myself skipping over large sections just to get back to the action.
The plot suffered similarly, with way too much time spent hanging out with Lance and his pals in restaurants and bars. While a few of their interactions were cute and/or amusing, they could’ve been cut down significantly, or been placed more strategically to move the plot forward.
I also got very tired of the constant lectures Lance gives about his shoeless lifestyle. I understand the author shares the lifestyle and likely has a lot to say on the topic, but in a fiction novel it just got to be overdone. An interaction here or there to add believability to the character would suffice. Again, I largely skipped these sections.
The mystery itself held some promise, but the “locked door” portion was solved almost at once (and was easy to guess as well), meaning that particular hook isn’t actually that important to the story. We are also given very few concrete clues we can use to try to parse the crime out, and most of the information Lance uses to solve the crime is only revealed at the very end.
For a mystery to feel satisfying to me, I have to feel like I could’ve solved it if I paid attention to the right things, and was a bit more clever. I also didn’t find the motive to be that believable, and the verbal traps used to get the suspect to confess did not seem elaborate enough to have worked.
The other missing piece for me was the goose that could’ve laid the golden egg: The reporter! Ciara Gallen was by far my favourite character. She is brash, confident, and unapologetically ambitious in her career. Even a bit vindictive. I fully expected a few trash pieces from her to hold up the investigation or turn public opinion. Or for her to at least be obnoxiously hovering around the investigation. But after dangling this compelling character in front of our noses, she disappears until the end. Give me more Ciara, and more tension, and this story’s stakes would jump up a whole level. If there is one piece I hope the author takes from my review it is this, because this is where his writing really started to shine for me and sucked me in. So it’s in there, you’ve just got to unleash it a bit more often!
The other really big issue I had with this story might just be personal preference but: the official police do not work in cahoots with private detectives on official cases like this. The contamination of evidence, the privacy of information, the interruption of the legal process, extreme liabilities… there are just so many issues. If realism isn’t super important to you, this might not bother you. But it did me. It’s true, you have to be more creative to have a P.I. story that doesn’t involve the police, but it can be done. And okay, okay the wildly popular Sherlock TV series did it. But not everyone is Sherlock (or Mark Gatiss), are they?
There was not enough tension in this book to keep me turning the pages and wondering what would happen next. It was a quiet stroll through Lance Pomegranite’s life, which may be just what some readers want, but it’s not my style of mystery.
This was the author’s first book, and as a first book, it is a decent effort. All the ingredients are there, they just need some reworking to make it all come together. It would benefit from an edit to add tension, remove a lot of scenes that do nothing to advance the plot and work on revealing more of the evidence to the reader as the story goes on to give them a chance to form their own conclusions before the big reveal.
I’d be interested in reading what Lance Pomegranate gets up to next, provided we get a bit more of the writing that brought us Ciara Gallen.
June 10, 2025
I always go into a book with an open mind, and I generally never read the reviews or read the blurb until after I finished. I noticed that some of the early reviews leaned towards negative aspects. However, I do believe those statements may not fully capture the essence of what this novel sets out to achieve. Everyone is, of course entitled to their opinion, but I firmly believe this book is deeply underrated and deserves far more recognition for both its originality and emotional depth, which is quite unusual for a detective crime book.
We follow Lance Pomegranate, the main character and private detective, as he investigates the mysterious and strange murder of a teacher who was found locked inside her home with a knife lodged in her chest. Strong opening, suspenseful and immediately gripping. The book draws readers into a twisted who dunnit' that unravels layer by layer, hinting at different endings all the way through. The main character is the reason this novel is set apart from the rest. He is not your typical crime fiction detective. He's quirky, intriguing and perhaps most notably, he chooses to go barefoot. At first glance, this might strike some readers as odd, or even gimmicky. But as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that this trait is intentional and symbolic. It may seem eccentric, but to me it represents something much more profound. The choice to go barefoot is a subtle yet powerful metaphor for vulnerability and nonconformity. It speaks volumes about the character as he is a man who refuses to compromise his feelings and his identity, no matter how much others may judge him. The narrative also explores these themes through conversations with passer-by's and conveys to the readers to see how quick society can be to ridicule what they don't understand. It is a quiet, yet poignant commentary on individuality and the courage it takes to live life unapologetically, even in the face of severe scrutiny. This theme of acceptance and resisting judgement is woven throughout in a way to remind us that our human tendencies are to critique what we don't relate to or ever comprehend. This is a significant call to do better, be more empathetic, and more open-minded.
"Out, damned spot. Your hands will ne'er be clean, but soon our two households will be both alike in dignity"
From a storytelling perspective, the pacing is steady. The mystery unfolds with a slow burn but a perfect amount of tension. I tried to guess all the way through and kept messaging the author with my reasoning behind who I thought murdered the teacher, and I was so far from the truth. Writing a book like this is not easy, I'm guessing it demands intricate plotting, well-developed characters and carefully placed clues, with just a smidgen of misdirection. He navigated these with remarkable skill. With this genre it could be way too easy for it to become predictable, but this wasn't. All of the side characters in the book were given believable motives, each one adding to the web of suspicion that kept the mystery alive and evolving. This wasn't just a murder mystery, it was a rich tapestry of voices and identities.
"Just remember this isn't just a game, and the moral high ground is not a pre-requisite for someone to be able to hurt you."
If I had one initial hesitation it would have been the dialogue between Lance and his best friend Sahana, at first it seemed a bit too much but as the story progressed, I began to understand why. Those exchanges became some of the most compelling aspects of the novel, and I grew to adore them, and their banter.
Overall, this was a fantastic book. I read it within 48 hours because every time I put it down, I picked it straight back up again. Lucky for me, I also have a copy of the second book which I will be reading soon. To anyone considering buying this, look forward to the humour, the great mix of characters and their relationships. But also, have a willingness to embrace the unconventional. You may come away with a lot more than you first expected.
We follow Lance Pomegranate, the main character and private detective, as he investigates the mysterious and strange murder of a teacher who was found locked inside her home with a knife lodged in her chest. Strong opening, suspenseful and immediately gripping. The book draws readers into a twisted who dunnit' that unravels layer by layer, hinting at different endings all the way through. The main character is the reason this novel is set apart from the rest. He is not your typical crime fiction detective. He's quirky, intriguing and perhaps most notably, he chooses to go barefoot. At first glance, this might strike some readers as odd, or even gimmicky. But as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that this trait is intentional and symbolic. It may seem eccentric, but to me it represents something much more profound. The choice to go barefoot is a subtle yet powerful metaphor for vulnerability and nonconformity. It speaks volumes about the character as he is a man who refuses to compromise his feelings and his identity, no matter how much others may judge him. The narrative also explores these themes through conversations with passer-by's and conveys to the readers to see how quick society can be to ridicule what they don't understand. It is a quiet, yet poignant commentary on individuality and the courage it takes to live life unapologetically, even in the face of severe scrutiny. This theme of acceptance and resisting judgement is woven throughout in a way to remind us that our human tendencies are to critique what we don't relate to or ever comprehend. This is a significant call to do better, be more empathetic, and more open-minded.
"Out, damned spot. Your hands will ne'er be clean, but soon our two households will be both alike in dignity"
From a storytelling perspective, the pacing is steady. The mystery unfolds with a slow burn but a perfect amount of tension. I tried to guess all the way through and kept messaging the author with my reasoning behind who I thought murdered the teacher, and I was so far from the truth. Writing a book like this is not easy, I'm guessing it demands intricate plotting, well-developed characters and carefully placed clues, with just a smidgen of misdirection. He navigated these with remarkable skill. With this genre it could be way too easy for it to become predictable, but this wasn't. All of the side characters in the book were given believable motives, each one adding to the web of suspicion that kept the mystery alive and evolving. This wasn't just a murder mystery, it was a rich tapestry of voices and identities.
"Just remember this isn't just a game, and the moral high ground is not a pre-requisite for someone to be able to hurt you."
If I had one initial hesitation it would have been the dialogue between Lance and his best friend Sahana, at first it seemed a bit too much but as the story progressed, I began to understand why. Those exchanges became some of the most compelling aspects of the novel, and I grew to adore them, and their banter.
Overall, this was a fantastic book. I read it within 48 hours because every time I put it down, I picked it straight back up again. Lucky for me, I also have a copy of the second book which I will be reading soon. To anyone considering buying this, look forward to the humour, the great mix of characters and their relationships. But also, have a willingness to embrace the unconventional. You may come away with a lot more than you first expected.
January 7, 2025
In detective stories, there has long been a recurrent theme of brilliant but quirky consultants helping police solve difficult cases. In "Four and Twenty Blackboards" a new author gives this trope a surprising and refreshing twist. The eccentric but insightful police consultant in this tale is one Lance Pomegranate, a committed lifestyle barefooter. Lance has given up wearing shoes and steadfastly refuses to make any exceptions. Lance explains quite lucidly why he has done this and also why he is so committed to this lifestyle. Lance is the central character in this book with his police team-mates Esi Owusu and Patel Krol who collaborate together to solve a tricky murder. Lance has a close female friend Sahana Acharya. She is a trombonist and singer. Since Lances problem-solving mind is quite focused on the case, he naturally talks to her about it. This often leads to some new insight. There is a dizzyingly long list of potential suspects. We see the low-level grunt work that the team performs to check alibis and other leads.
Lance gets significant pushback on his barefootedness from two characters. The first is a Daily Mail newspaper columnist with a sharp tongue, Ciara Gallen. Ciara is also one of the suspects due to a contentious interaction with the murder victim. Lance handles her deftly and articulately, clearly having had such encounters many times before. The other pushback came from his colleague’s supervisor, Detective Chief Inspector Kieran Murphy. Murphy is the typical grumpy, long-suffering boss. He is extremely bothered by Lance showing up for meetings barefoot at the station. In both cases, Lance stands his unshod ground firmly and eloquently. The story is set in London in the U.K. Consequently, we are exposed to a lot of local place names as Lance travels around either socializing or working leads and hunches. Avid readers of such "whodunnit" mysteries may be able to infer the murder culprit from the large web of detail being revealed. As for myself, the dramatic conclusion took me by surprise. I quite enjoyed it.
On the downside, I think that the character development of some the lesser characters could have been made a bit stronger, and I felt that there was rather too much detail on the ordering and consumption of food.
All in all, a good read.
Lance gets significant pushback on his barefootedness from two characters. The first is a Daily Mail newspaper columnist with a sharp tongue, Ciara Gallen. Ciara is also one of the suspects due to a contentious interaction with the murder victim. Lance handles her deftly and articulately, clearly having had such encounters many times before. The other pushback came from his colleague’s supervisor, Detective Chief Inspector Kieran Murphy. Murphy is the typical grumpy, long-suffering boss. He is extremely bothered by Lance showing up for meetings barefoot at the station. In both cases, Lance stands his unshod ground firmly and eloquently. The story is set in London in the U.K. Consequently, we are exposed to a lot of local place names as Lance travels around either socializing or working leads and hunches. Avid readers of such "whodunnit" mysteries may be able to infer the murder culprit from the large web of detail being revealed. As for myself, the dramatic conclusion took me by surprise. I quite enjoyed it.
On the downside, I think that the character development of some the lesser characters could have been made a bit stronger, and I felt that there was rather too much detail on the ordering and consumption of food.
All in all, a good read.
December 27, 2024
First of all: I was given this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Other reviewers have already pointed to the quirkiness of the main character, who is witty, a little sarcastic and loves to hang out with his friends. It's good to have a detective who isn't isolated but has a crowd of friends who are a kind of 'found family' and who can offer insights into a case or respite from events of a case. That said there are a lot of characters to keep in your head. A cast list might have been a useful addition. For me the main character is overly quirky.
You do need to overlook some of the procedural issues with the whole idea of a private detective being part of a police investigation, and suspend disbelief.
The mystery had great potential, was an intriguing premise, and posed questions: Who would kill a middle-aged teacher and just as importantly, how did they do it? I won't offer spoilers here - but just to say the story is neatly wrapped up by Lance Pomegranate in a competent denouement.
I would say the book would benefit from some fairly heavy editing, as it is very full of description that we as readers just don't need, and which dilutes the tension.
Other reviewers have already pointed to the quirkiness of the main character, who is witty, a little sarcastic and loves to hang out with his friends. It's good to have a detective who isn't isolated but has a crowd of friends who are a kind of 'found family' and who can offer insights into a case or respite from events of a case. That said there are a lot of characters to keep in your head. A cast list might have been a useful addition. For me the main character is overly quirky.
You do need to overlook some of the procedural issues with the whole idea of a private detective being part of a police investigation, and suspend disbelief.
The mystery had great potential, was an intriguing premise, and posed questions: Who would kill a middle-aged teacher and just as importantly, how did they do it? I won't offer spoilers here - but just to say the story is neatly wrapped up by Lance Pomegranate in a competent denouement.
I would say the book would benefit from some fairly heavy editing, as it is very full of description that we as readers just don't need, and which dilutes the tension.
July 8, 2025
I initially stumbled on this series via the sequel to this book, and I was so hooked that I had to read more. The books can comfortably be read in any order without missing much, so I didn't hesitate to grab this one.
What hooked me? The Weapon and The Fruit series has the most unique, charming set of characters I've encountered in a long time. Not only that, but the setting, dialogue and cast are instantly familiar to any Brit. Diverse, witty and full of commentary on the country, the tone the author establishes is just perfect.
And then comes the mystery. L.E Bendon takes a realistic setting and sparkling cast and adds to it a seemingly impossible murder. A beloved teacher dead - in her own locked home, with no sign of outside influence.
And yet - in a twist that blew me away - there's a whole crew of outsiders with their own shady secrets who are eventually implicated in her death by quirky private detective Lance Pomegranate.
I won't spoil the book - but if you read it, you'll fall in love with the characters, laugh and cry at almost every line and be truly shocked by the final reveal!
What hooked me? The Weapon and The Fruit series has the most unique, charming set of characters I've encountered in a long time. Not only that, but the setting, dialogue and cast are instantly familiar to any Brit. Diverse, witty and full of commentary on the country, the tone the author establishes is just perfect.
And then comes the mystery. L.E Bendon takes a realistic setting and sparkling cast and adds to it a seemingly impossible murder. A beloved teacher dead - in her own locked home, with no sign of outside influence.
And yet - in a twist that blew me away - there's a whole crew of outsiders with their own shady secrets who are eventually implicated in her death by quirky private detective Lance Pomegranate.
I won't spoil the book - but if you read it, you'll fall in love with the characters, laugh and cry at almost every line and be truly shocked by the final reveal!
December 9, 2024
This was an incredible read from a debut author! A locked room murder mystery, but cozy; the best of both worlds. The story kept me wondering who the culprit was, while the characters themselves made me feel like I was spending time with newfound friends. Lance Pomegranate’s irreverent humor snared me from his first introduction, and while his barefoot lifestyle brought a fresh perspective to the genre, his race against time and media backlash were what ultimately kept me turning the pages. Impeccably plotted, the tale took twists and turns, giving just enough clues to make the ending a well-earned, satisfying surprise! On a line level, the editing of this book was top notch, but it was the heart of the story that impressed me the most. With themes of acceptance, loads of humor, and a quirky cast, this book still lingers in my mind, rent free!
January 6, 2025
I am actually giving this a 3.5 rating.
This book was a lot of fun with the murder mystery that seemed to me unsolvable. I could not figure out in anyway what Lance Pomegranate was seeing as he put the case together.
As a PI helping solve the murder of an unliked English Teacher the quirkiness he has in his way of thinking and style, really played up and he has the makings to be a great lead character in many books to come.
I loved not being able to solve the mystery before the characters do, but a few times I feel the side story took me out from the murder investigation and just onto a story about Lance and his best friend.
Overall I did enjoy the story and the world that L.E. Brandon has put together and I know I would read another mystery with Lance at the helm.
I was given an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a lot of fun with the murder mystery that seemed to me unsolvable. I could not figure out in anyway what Lance Pomegranate was seeing as he put the case together.
As a PI helping solve the murder of an unliked English Teacher the quirkiness he has in his way of thinking and style, really played up and he has the makings to be a great lead character in many books to come.
I loved not being able to solve the mystery before the characters do, but a few times I feel the side story took me out from the murder investigation and just onto a story about Lance and his best friend.
Overall I did enjoy the story and the world that L.E. Brandon has put together and I know I would read another mystery with Lance at the helm.
I was given an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 10, 2026
I love detectives and mysteries, so this book was really fun for me. I love following eccentric detectives and learning how they think, so Lance Pomegranate really interested me. In addition to the usual plot twists and suspenseful moments that I expected when reading a mystery, I loved the little cozy moments in between. The Weapon and the Fruit: Four and Twenty Blackboards is filled with friendship, family, love, belonging and self-acceptance. I love how the story emphasizes the importance of being yourself rather than conforming to social norms, although this seemed to overshadow the plot a bit sometimes. The mystery itself was intriguing, and I didn't see the ending coming at all. I hope there will be more mysteries with Lance Pomegranate!
February 10, 2025
Nice story about an unlikely connection between two criminal cases, which a team of investigators at a police station in London try to solve with the help of their clever friend Lance, who works as an associate private detective. Interesting characters, quite funny and intelligent dialogue. The possible ugly or awful details with the burglary, the murder and in the actions by the team and the suspects are thankfully not much described in the text.
December 28, 2024
Oh I loved the names of characters. The story was fun and intriguing. I could definitely reread parts. If you enjoy mystery this will be right up your alley or if you are new to the genre this is great!
January 7, 2025
If you're looking for a murder mystery book, with quirky characters this is for you. This was my first introduction of a book written by L. E. Bendon and I was pleasantly surprised. It's not a book one can just breeze on through. You're introduced to many, many characters throughout the book. Between the handful of detectives, police officers, and potential suspects, you will be scrambling to figure out who-dunit. But that's the beauty of this story, you'll be practically in the mist of the on-going investigations trying to figure out how it all ties together. I found myself racing against the star detective, Mr Pomegranate, and trying to figure out the culprit before the conclusion of the story. There is plenty of action to pull you through the book and you'll find yourself invested in each persons life, reading into their responses, and mapping out what supposedly happened. It was a great book to keep picking up to read. Well worth seeing how it all concluded.
July 6, 2025
I found this debut novel to be highly enjoyable. The humour, coupled with the distinctive writing style, constituted its primary strengths and maintained my interest throughout. The protagonist, private detective Lance Pomegranate, is particularly memorable, with his eccentric barefoot lifestyle and sharp wit lending a unique charm to the narrative.
The plot progresses at a leisurely yet engaging pace, successfully sustaining the reader's curiosity as to how the various threads are interconnected and who might be responsible for the murder. The character development is commendable; even during the slower sections, I found myself engrossed in the lives of the supporting cast.
The author’s comedic touch adds a refreshing levity to the work, balancing the darker themes inherent in the mystery genre.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable and impressive debut from an indie author, and I look forward to observing their future literary endeavours.
The plot progresses at a leisurely yet engaging pace, successfully sustaining the reader's curiosity as to how the various threads are interconnected and who might be responsible for the murder. The character development is commendable; even during the slower sections, I found myself engrossed in the lives of the supporting cast.
The author’s comedic touch adds a refreshing levity to the work, balancing the darker themes inherent in the mystery genre.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable and impressive debut from an indie author, and I look forward to observing their future literary endeavours.
December 27, 2025
A fun read that reminded me how engaging a whodunnit can be. The characters are likeable and the plot allows time for some pleasant loitering. I did find the selling of the main character’s central quirk a touch overdone, but otherwise the story was well worth my time.
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