Death Writ Large : The unmissable new Sunday Times bestselling Oxford-based linguistic murder mystery from leading lexicographer and star of Countdown, Susie Dent

'A mysterious letter. A silenced scholar. A city paved with injustice.'

When mysterious symbols appear as graffiti around Oxford, lexicographer Martha Thornhill recognises them from a runic alphabet created by a deceased fantasy writer whose papers she once worked on. But this is no publicity stunt, and tensions intensify when further graffiti is found near the body of a university lecturer.

Martha is not the only one to have doubts when the suspicious death is assumed by police to be a suicide. Called upon to lend their linguistic expertise to the case, Martha and her colleagues begin to unearth a tragedy that extends beyond the ancient walls of the university. As new messages portend more death, it's clear that a spirit of vengeance is stalking the city's streets, and may be reaching out towards them too.

Author: Susie Dent

Lexicography, Crime & mystery

Published on 13 Aug 2026 by Bonnier Books Ltd.