The only person worse than Martyn's abusive alcoholic dad is his Aunt Jean. A Think of the worst person you know, then double it, and you'll be halfway to Aunty Jean. But living with Aunt Jean seems inevitable when Martyn accidentally kills his father with a self‑defensive shove, causing the drunken man to fall and hit his head on the fireplace. Years of reading Sherlock Holmes and watching Inspector Morse on television inspire a fearful Martyn to hide his father;s death. He disposes of the body with the help of his neighbor and secret love‑interest, Alex, who is full of ideas for how to handle the details. It’s a tricky situation that’s about to get worse when Martyn discovers his father was about to receive an inheritance. Just as the suspense becomes almost unbearable, another unexpected plot twist strikes without warning. Despite its macabre content, Martyn's compelling tale contains moments of inspired comedy, as when he and Alex must convince Aunt Jean that his father's dead body is actually just a sleeping one. Moral questions that plague Martyn are seamlessly integrated with the entertaining and engrossing mystery. (Ages 14 and older)

Meet Martyn Pig. His name may be bad, but his life is worse.Martyn's life is miserable, and it always has been. His mother is gone. His father hates him. But at least things can't get any worse. Or so he thought.When his father dies in a sudden accident, Martyn realizes that for the first time in his life, he has a choice. Sure, he could report what happened - and move in with his horrible Aunty Jean. Or he could get rid of the body and move on with the rest of his life. So Martyn comes up with a foolproof plan to hide the body. Hey, what could go wrong?