Wrong’un

Sir Charles Huxley kept a dark secret, one the former government minister should have taken to the grave.

New to the series? Start with Who Sent Clement?.

Sir Charles Huxley kept a dark secret — a secret the former government minister should have taken to the grave.

His son, William, lives an uneventful life in his late father’s shadow. He never planned on becoming a middle-aged bachelor, and he definitely didn’t plan a career as a low-level politician, but that is now William’s lot … until it’s not.

One evening, William has a chance encounter which sets off an escalating series of sinister events, culminating in a damning revelation about his father’s past. That revelation drags William into the darkest of blackmail plots.

With his blackmailer having cunningly closed every exit, William is trapped, and faces personal and financial ruin. That is until an odd job man working at his local bar steps forward and offers help.

With no alternative, William is forced to join his peculiar saviour on a desperate mission to stop his blackmailer, and unearth the shattering truth about the wrong’un.

★★★★★“Even better than the first. Clement stumbles into someone's life, causes absolute chaos, and somehow makes everything better. The dialogue is razor-sharp, the twists are genuinely surprising, and there's a scene in a pub that had me crying with laughter. Keith A Pearson has created one of the most original characters in British fiction.”
Amazon reader review

About This Book

Wrong’un is the second Clement book. This time the big man in double denim turns up in the life of William Huxley, a middle-aged bachelor and minor politician living quietly in the shadow of his late father, Sir Charles Huxley, a former government minister with a secret he should have taken to the grave. When that secret surfaces, William finds himself in a blackmail plot with every exit sealed, and the only help on offer comes from the odd job man at his local bar.

It is a comedy mystery with a nastier villain than the first book and a reluctant hero who would much rather none of this were happening. Clement, naturally, is thrilled. The story takes the pair across London in pursuit of the blackmailer and the truth about Sir Charles, and the answer to the question in the title is not the one William wants.

Who Is This Book For?

Readers who met Clement in Who Sent Clement? and want more of him, and anyone who enjoys a British mystery where the laughs and the menace share the same page. If you like odd-couple stories, reluctant heroes and a man from 1975 explaining the modern world back to itself, this is your sort of book. Fans of Richard Osman and Jonas Jonasson tend to get along with Clement, though he is considerably ruder than anything in either.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to read Who Sent Clement? first?
Not strictly. Each Clement book follows a different person he is sent to help, so the story in Wrong’un stands on its own. You will get more from it if you have read the first book, because Clement’s backstory builds across the series.

Where does Wrong’un sit in the Clement series?
It is book two of four. The order is Who Sent Clement?, Wrong’un, Clawthorn, Headcase.

Is it darker than the first book?
A little. The blackmail plot is genuinely sinister and Sir Charles Huxley’s secret is not a pleasant one. The humour is still there, mostly because Clement cannot help himself.

Is Clement in this book the same Clement?
Same man, same double denim, same claim that he died in 1975 and has been sent back to help people as penance. He has not learned anything about modern manners since book one, and he has no intention of starting.

Is Wrong’un available as an audiobook?
Yes. The audiobook is narrated by Alexander Doddy and is available on Audible and other audiobook platforms.