Front cover of Sharp as any Thorn by Sue McCormick, paperback

Sharp as any Thorn - Sue McCormick

Sue McCormick

£10.99
  • Pages · 1 pages
  • Publication Date · 17/09/2026
  • Genre · Crime & mystery
Collect in store Pick it up free from the shop in Oxford's Covered Market, usually quicker than the post.
Delivery Standard tracked £1.99, free on orders over £20. Express tracked £2.99.
Book Lovers' Happy Hour Three cocktails matched to your taste, three books chosen for you, an hour and a half at the bar. £60 per person. Book a place →

1951 - Dame Elspeth 'Holly' Hollanby and her no-nonsense dresser, Ivy, drive to west Wales to join a star-studded Christmas concert, a favour for a friend. At only their first rehearsal, they hear a young singer has died, one of a group of talented students nicknamed the Four Canaries. It is soon found to be poison and hers will not be the last murder... Holly and Ivy are equally at home with the stars at the ghostly Nanteos Mansion and the students in their seafront digs. Despite warnings from the dashing Inspector Lloyd, they know how to read between the lines with performers and can't help asking questions. They soon find themselves in a life-or-death race for the truth.

Only at Gulp Fiction

Book Lovers' Happy Hour

An hour and a half at the bar, with three cocktails matched to your taste and three books chosen for you. Tell us what you like when you book, and we'll have them waiting when you arrive.

  • 1½ hours
  • £60 per person
  • 3 cocktails, 3 books
Book Happy Hour

Up to four of you can come — book a place each and choose the same time slot, then tell us who you're with. For larger groups, email gulpfictionbooks@gmail.com and we'll arrange it.

Three customers at the window table in Gulp Fiction, cocktails in hand beside a stack of books, with Oxford's Covered Market visible through the glass

Collect in store

Order online and pick it up from the shop. It's free, and usually quicker than the post.

Find us

Units 28–29, Covered Market, Oxford OX1 3DU. Mon–Wed 10–5, Thu–Sat 10–10, Sun 11–4.

Book a table

The bar is open late Thursday to Saturday. Reserve a table for a drink among the books.