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Inspector Hobbes and the Blood: Comedy Crime Fantasy (Unhuman Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Wilkie Martin (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 2,744 ratings
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A reporter with nothing to lose. An inspector with something to hide. The Cotswolds’ newest odd couple is on the case…

Of all the journalists at his small-town paper, Andy Caplet is far and away the worst. At least he has a job. But when his latest expose on the strange and scandalous Inspector Hobbes backfires, Andy is left broke and homeless. The inspector’s offer of a spare room for a few days (or months) seems like the only option…

Andy agrees to accompany the inspector to investigate a sudden surge in crime and soon finds himself immersed in a world beyond humanity. It turns out that Inspector Hobbes eats raw bones, their housekeeper collects teeth, and their guests include trolls, dwarves, and ghouls. As Andy tries to piece together the inspector’s true identity, his new partner is hard at work solving unexplainable murders, suicides, and robberies. If they can’t learn to work together and solve the mystery in time, the chilling fate of their charming town will be sealed…

Inspector Hobbs and the Blood is the first book in a series of comedy crime fantasy novels. If you like intriguing characters, hilarious wit, and small-town whodunits with fantasy flair, then you’ll love Wilkie Martin’s fast-paced supernatural tale.

Buy Inspector Hobbs and the Blood to join the madcap mystery today!

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  1. Book 1 of 5
    Unhuman
  2. Print length
    313 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    January 12, 2014
  5. File size
    1.2 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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  9. See all details
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From the Publisher

1 - Inspector Hobbes and the Blood
2 - Inspector Hobbes and the Curse
3 - Inspector Hobbes and the Gold Diggers
4 - Inspector Hobbes and the Bones
5 - Inspector Hobbes and the Common People
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Customer Reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars 2,744
4.4 out of 5 stars 1,676
4.5 out of 5 stars 1,851
4.4 out of 5 stars 2,196
4.5 out of 5 stars 1,468
Price $1.99 $3.99 $3.99 $3.99 $3.99
Inspector Hobbes, Andy Caplet, Mrs Goodfellow, Dregs ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Billy Shawcroft (dwarf), Featherlight (landlord) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Rocky ✓ ✓
Les Bashem, Bernie Bulimore (werewolves) ✓ ✓
Violet King, Felix King (werecats) ✓
Kathleen Johnson (daughter?) ✓
Daphne Duckworth ✓ ✓ ✓
Sid Sharples (vampire) ✓ ✓ ✓
Alvin Elwes, Aubrey Elwes, Hilda Elwes, Matilda Kielder, Solomon Slugg (elves) ✓
Yetis, Not Yetis ✓

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Odd, inventive, and genuinely very funny indeed' Katie Jarvis, Cotswold Life

About the Author

Wilkie Martin sets his Unhuman series of novels in the Cotswolds, where he lives with his partner Julia. He introduces readers to a close-knit, small-town community filled with quirky and occasionally dangerous inhabitants, and an 'unhuman' policeman who maintains law and order. Wilkie intersperses writing his novel with short stories and funny poems, which he enjoys performing and uploading to YouTube. His stories reflect his love of the enigmatic, with memorable characters and, like many of the latter, he has a taste for curry. He is a qualified scuba instructor and has dived in many places around the world and in the UK.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00E45A2M8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Witcherley Book Company (January 12, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 12, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.2 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 313 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0957635109
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 2,744 ratings

About the author

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Wilkie Martin

Wilkie Martin

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Wilkie Martin is a bestselling comedy and cozy mystery writer. He lives in the Cotswolds, UK with his partner in a town remarkably similar to the fictional Sorenchester of his unhuman series, although he has never come across a policeman there like Inspector Hobbes.

He loves cooking, especially curries which is why his characters tend to like things spicy and despite living as far away from the coast as is possible in the UK, he is a qualified scuba diving instructor.

Wilkie's latest book is a comedy crime fantasy story - Inspector Hobbes and the Common People.

There are now 5 books in his unhuman series of comedy cozy mystery fantasy novels, described by Cotswold Life magazine as 'odd, inventive and genuinely very funny indeed':

I - Inspector Hobbes and the Blood

II - Inspector Hobbes and the Curse

III - Inspector Hobbes and the Gold Diggers

IV - Inspector Hobbes and the Bones

V - Inspector Hobbes and the Common People

They can be read standalone but are best read in order. They are available on kindle, paperback, large print paperback, hardback and audiobooks.

Find the first 3 unhuman books together in his ebook bundle - First Ever Unhuman Bundle.

Find the first 4 unhuman books in the Hobbes omnibus (paperback, hardback and audiobook).

He also has a fantasy thriller - Razor

an a little book of silly verse - Relative Disasters - that chronicles the various humorous but fatal mishaps that happen to family members.

Children's books are written as Wilkie J. Martin, and a cookbook as his character A.C. Caplet.

For an update on when the next book is available visit his website http://www.wilkiemartin.com and signup for his newsletter.

Awards:

Inspector Hobbes and the Blood was shortlisted for the Impress Prize for New Writers 2012.

Inspector Hobbes and the Blood audiobook was a nominee for Audiobook Reviewer (ABR) Listener Award 2018 in Fantasy, Mystery, Humor.

Inspector Hobbes and the Bones audiobook WINNER of Indpendent Audiobook Award Fantasy 2019.

Inspector Hobbes and the Bones audiobook nominee VoiceArts Award Fantasy 2019.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
2,744 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They find the characters interesting and likable, with comical dialogue. The mystery is described as unique and quirky, with many twists and turns. Readers appreciate the humor and writing style, finding it clever and silly. The pacing is described as fast-paced and keeps them laughing out loud.

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EnjoymentCharacter developmentMystery qualityHumorWriting qualityPacePacingInterest
119 customers mention "Enjoyment"112 positive7 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it engaging, with a fun dynamic. The story is clever and silly, with a good pace. It's suspenseful, macabre, and darkly humorous at times.

"...It is at different times suspenseful, macabre, darkly humorous, and quirky, while maintaining a well-developed and interesting mystery..." Read more

"...The book itself is clever and extremely silly so if you are the type of person who can't stand goofy or characters from another world I would not..." Read more

"...Inspector Hobbes is human-ish: has hands as hairy as coconuts, has great strength, can walk with no noise for a big man, and not least of all he..." Read more

"...really, really regret that, as the rest of Inspector Hobbes is very good to excellent, with good writing, intriguing characters, quite a lot of humor..." Read more

65 customers mention "Character development"57 positive8 negative

Customers find the characters interesting and engaging. They find the dialogue humorous and the detective inspector unlikable. The book features an amusing mystery with a well-developed plot.

"...The cast of characters is delightful, made up of mismatched and very different personalities that one might not expect to get along with one another..." Read more

"...Inspector Hobbes is very good to excellent, with good writing, intriguing characters, quite a lot of humor, imaginative (though not very frequent)..." Read more

"...And then I must have recalibrated how I was reading it. I was hooked. Characters, action, reality, setting, the author's wit, only a couple of..." Read more

"...Oh it's that good! I believe all the action, and fun creature like characters would delight and entertain children of all ages, while their parents..." Read more

59 customers mention "Mystery quality"51 positive8 negative

Customers enjoy the unique mystery and quirky characters. They find the book engaging with many twists and turns, humor, and imaginative action. Readers appreciate the adventure of meeting ghouls, vampires, and other denizens.

"...It is at different times suspenseful, macabre, darkly humorous, and quirky, while maintaining a well-developed and interesting mystery..." Read more

"...This is an adventure with lots of bad guys and good guys who often seem like bad guys...." Read more

"...with good writing, intriguing characters, quite a lot of humor, imaginative (though not very frequent) action scenes & acceptable mysteries...." Read more

"...A light, urban fantasy was exactly what I needed. There are so many variations of “urban fantasy” it is difficult to know what to expect...." Read more

50 customers mention "Humor"46 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book. They find the characters intriguing and the plot imaginative. The book is described as humorous, with puns and subtle wit. Readers describe it as a light-hearted and enjoyable read.

"...Similarly, Mrs Goodfellow is both kind and terrifying at the same time, providing yet another contrast to Andy, whose trademark quality is his..." Read more

"...The book itself is clever and extremely silly so if you are the type of person who can't stand goofy or characters from another world I would not..." Read more

"...good to excellent, with good writing, intriguing characters, quite a lot of humor, imaginative (though not very frequent) action scenes & acceptable..." Read more

"...But it also has the silly humor, pratfalls of Meyer’s “The Authorities”...." Read more

43 customers mention "Writing quality"37 positive6 negative

Customers enjoy the writing quality. They find the book enjoyable without curse words, with witty dialogue and an engaging mystery. The characters are interesting and the writing has them invested in their well-being. Some of the dialogue is hilarious, especially when Hobbes leads Andy. There are virtually no grammatical or editing errors, which is amazing in and of itself.

"...and generally gruff presentation lies a good heart and a very literal sense of humour...." Read more

"...There is no hesitation from one character voice to another and I always knew who was speaking...." Read more

"...as the rest of Inspector Hobbes is very good to excellent, with good writing, intriguing characters, quite a lot of humor, imaginative..." Read more

"...I was hooked. Characters, action, reality, setting, the author's wit, only a couple of groaners to get past. On to number two!" Read more

24 customers mention "Pace"18 positive6 negative

Customers enjoy the book's fast pace. They find the adventures engaging with moments of laughter. The characters are described as intelligent, funny, loyal, and kind.

"...and curiosity to the story, which is well-developed and proceeds at a good pace...." Read more

"...The names and situations are often extremely cute- maybe clever and relentlessly silly. There are some very scary and ugly characters...." Read more

"...Somewhat slow moving at first, and, as others have remarked, with the narrator being rather obnoxious (though he gets better as the book proceeds),..." Read more

"...aside my distaste for the author’s sentence structure, I enjoyed the quick wit and dark humor...." Read more

11 customers mention "Pacing"8 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pacing. They find Andy to be an unlikable character, with a comic detective team. The good guys often seem like bad guys, and the story is described as goofy and fresh.

"...This is an adventure with lots of bad guys and good guys who often seem like bad guys...." Read more

"...I liked that Andy gained some ground morally, but didnt just suddenly become a superhero...." Read more

"...But though "mostly harmless" he continues to be pretty thoroughly selfish & whining...." Read more

"...Andy is a complete berk, and yes I'd like to see more developed about Hobbes...I'm assuming I will over the course of the series. It's just fun." Read more

10 customers mention "Interest"7 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the book's interest. They find the storyline engaging and hooked all the way through, with a satisfactory ending. The Victorian feel is perfect for them as a break from textbooks.

"...novel (as far as I know, at least the first of a series), it held my attention, though I had to push through a few spots, and deal with my annoyance..." Read more

"...This will never win any literary awards but it's perfect for taking you away from the every day...." Read more

"...Yes, I bough them all. They're addicting. They're like Pralines and Cream ice cream or Blanton's bourbon...." Read more

"...The other characters are likeable and keep your interest." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Book Squirrel
    5.0 out of 5 stars A most enjoyable dark mystery read.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    The first book in Wilkie Martin’s ‘Inspector Hobbes’ mystery series, this is a highly original contribution to the genre. It is at different times suspenseful, macabre, darkly humorous, and quirky, while maintaining a well-developed and interesting mystery storyline.

    The cast of characters is delightful, made up of mismatched and very different personalities that one might not expect to get along with one another at all, and yet they are oddly complementary. In that sense, there is much in this book that challenges the ways in which people often perceive others based on looks, occupation or social status. Inspector Hobbes is an enigma: beneath the intimidating exterior and generally gruff presentation lies a good heart and a very literal sense of humour. Still, he is clearly not your everyday local police inspector, and the questions about his past and his otherworldly nature are both puzzling and captivating. That many of these questions remain unanswered is a point of continued intrigue that holds strong appeal for the natural curiosity that is common among readers of mystery novels.

    Similarly, Mrs Goodfellow is both kind and terrifying at the same time, providing yet another contrast to Andy, whose trademark quality is his mediocrity: he wants to be ‘more' than he is but never quite manages it. It is his profound sense of disappointment in his unrealised dreams and his helplessness when the events of life conspire against him that make him relatable to readers and have them silently hoping for better things for him. When he falls in with Hobbes and discovers life beyond his less-than-stellar career in journalism, the unlikely friendship between the two provides a frequent source of both amusement and fascination.

    The oddities of the characters and the macabre elements of the story add further layers of mystery and curiosity to the story, which is well-developed and proceeds at a good pace. Unlike some other mysteries, there is nothing predictable or formulaic about this book.

    This is indeed a most enjoyable dark mystery story.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Serena
    4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Audibly
    Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    The narrator of this book, Tim Campbell, is an excellent reader! There is no hesitation from one character voice to another and I always knew who was speaking. If the voice of the narrator is important to you then this audible version is outstanding.

    The book itself is clever and extremely silly so if you are the type of person who can't stand goofy or characters from another world I would not read this book.

    I purchased this book awhile ago and randomly chose it from my audiobook library. I listened for awhile before I realized that most of the characters are no longer human and maybe never were. This is an adventure with lots of bad guys and good guys who often seem like bad guys.

    The names and situations are often extremely cute- maybe clever and relentlessly silly. There are some very scary and ugly characters. I am glad this is fiction.

    It's not the kind of book I usually prefer, but I will read the earlier three books in this series--eventually.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Nora Jean Stone
    5.0 out of 5 stars Cub Reporter Finds His Humanity Among UnHuman Beings
    Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I liked "Inspector Hobbes and the Blood" because I like detective stories, hapless anti-hero protagonists, and other worldly beings just trying to get on in the world.

    Andy Caplet is a long time "cub reporter" for a local newspaper. He was apathetic about his job, living in a day dream, going no where in life, and was horribly love lorn. He was sent out on a "real" assignment with a police inspector, Inspector Hobbes. Soon after being paired up with Inspector Hobbes Andy's flat burns down (Hobbes rescued him) he gets sacked from his job, his ex-boss incorrectly spells Andy's name on the severance check.

    Andy begins to realize that Inspector Hobbes is human-ish: has hands as hairy as coconuts, has great strength, can walk with no noise for a big man, and not least of all he investigates scenes by going down on all fours and sniffing things. But it is plain old deductive reasoning that Inspector Hobbes uses when examining clues. There is some question as to how old Hobbes actually is with evidence pointing to hundreds of years. But the action of the story pulls Andy away from such ruminations.

    Hobbes is so amused with Andy that keeps him around like a side kick after Andy loses his job and apartment. Andy is invited to move in with Hobbes and the toothless housekeeper, who covets Andy's teeth and wants to add them to her collection when he's done with them. She dresses Andy in her MIA husband's clothing which fit perfectly in an eerie sort of way. Her cooking is out of this world and she gets so much housework done it is like she has an army of elves helping her when everyone is asleep.

    There's been an unusual rash of crimes happening in the locale, thefts of odd items, and murder. Hobbes and Andy follow the clues while Andy slowly comes to realize that Hobbes is unhuman (but we don't know what sort of nearly immortal creature he is), that Hobbes interacts with ghouls (who have day jobs), and an embarrassed troll who looks too human for the troll society's taste. The housekeeper also has some supernatural abilities, not the least of which is the ability to sneak up on Andy and speak loudly in his ear, making him jump in a PTSD sort of what that makes Hobbes laugh merrily, something the housekeeper said hadn't happened in a long time.

    Andy's charm is turning each situation he is into a comedy of errors and misunderstandings. As he gets more experience with Hobbes and is allowed to mature I came away with a feeling that Andy is developing as a person in the presence of those who are not human, but who are humane. The humans involved in the crimes are more dangerous than the unhuman characters.

    I was lead to think that the items stolen and the people murdered, would lead in a particular direction to a predictable end. It did lead in a direction but the ending was not predictable, which was nice. The miscreants were caught, folks got rescued, justice was served, and Andy found real life via those other worldly folks. I laughed. I cared for the characters. I hissed at the villains. I was sad when the book was done and that's a good thing.
    10 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Inspector Hobbes & the Blood
    Reviewed in Canada on January 19, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    This is book 1, but it wasn't my first Wilkie Martin read. That's why I got this book and am looking forward to another. They are mostly stand alone stories. I'm looking forward to the next book.
    Report
  • Ian Si
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great book
    Reviewed in France on November 17, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoy this series very much
    Report
  • Kermit
    5.0 out of 5 stars Schwacher Start einer guten Serie
    Reviewed in Germany on April 29, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Der Anfang dieses Buches ist hart. Die Hauptperson, Andy, ist unsympatisch, die anderen Personen sind stark überzeichnet, die Handlung ist unrealistisch. Das ändert sich, als Hobbes auftaucht. Er ist sofort faszinierend. Die Handlung nimmt fahrt auf und langsam bekommt auch Andy sympatische Facetten.

    Das Buch ist auf den ersten Blick ein klassicher Krimi, ähnlich Sherlock Holmes. Es gibt einen genialen Detektiv und einen leicht beschränkten Ich-Erzähler als Gehilfen und Chronisten. Nur sind nicht alle Personen Menschen. W. Martin gelingt es immer wieder, aus diesem Setup lustige bis surreale Szenen zu entwickeln. Das ist es, was mir am meisten an dieser Serie gefällt.

    Warum 5 Steren bei einem Buch mit echten Schwächen?

    Fantasy krankt of an zu starker Ernsthaftigkeit. Es gibt epische Schlachten zwischen Gut und Böse.
    W. Martin schafft es, spannende Geschichten zu schreiben, ohne sich dabei zu sehr ernst zu nehmen.

    Ich habe mir gleich das nächste Buch bestellt und dann das nächste und dann das nächste.
    Jedes Buch ist besser als das vorherige. Eine wirklich gute Serie. Hoffentlich schreibt W. Martin weiter.
    Report
  • Ms Louise Wilford
    5.0 out of 5 stars A comfort read with belly laughs
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I really enjoyed this novel. It is a comfort-read. The narrative voice is straightforward and there are no overblown passages of purple prose or fancy narrative tricks - but it is still imaginative, creative, and above all funny. The narrator, Andy, an average man-in-the-street in his thirties, is a bit, well, let's say 'unlucky' in life. A journalist on a local paper in the Cotswold town of Sorenchester, he is bad at his job and fails to gain the respect of his colleagues. Sent to interview local police detective, Hobbes, he is drawn into a world of strange beings and unexpected adventure. He meets ghouls and trolls, not to mention Robin Goodfellow's wife, and is drawn into Hobbes' current case.

    Basically, Hobbes improves Andy's life no end. Andy is a bit of an idiot, accident-prone, timid, not very bright (he manages to burn down his own flat early on in the story!). But Hobbes brings out his braver, better qualities, mostly through being very kind to him. Andy ends up living with Hobbes and his housekeeper, the elderly tooth-obsessed Mrs Goodfellow (a wondrous cook and kung fu expert). Hobbes himself is, Andy concludes, 'unhuman' - he is physically huge, ugly, strong, clever, brave, honourable and with a dark sense of humour. As we learn more about Andy's real father, Hobbes clearly becomes a surrogate father to Andy, both saving him repeatedly and also enlivening his life and self-esteem no end.

    This is a warm-hearted, delightful novel, great to read before you nod off in bed or when you're feeling a bit under the weather and need cheering up. It has some laugh-out-loud moments and the central characters are warm, likeable and entertaining.
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  • Steph D
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good fun, great story!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 5, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I liked this very much, it is only not a five star because the humour feels just a bit over used and clunky at times (think 'Dad' jokes!).

    That said, characters are well drawn and it's a great little read - I still really do recommend!
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