A brilliant pacy read. I was convinced I knew who had done it and had to eat my words. Great characters who I'd love to hear more from.

A pacey, twisty thriller that manages to make tax evasion and the property market both funny and exciting!

A really fun crime novel that I really enjoyed, A great cast of characters and an entertaining plot line. Recommended.

“It’s probably a good rule of thumb that if being on the run from a murderer and the police in the company of three professional squatters is the first time you’ve felt normal in a few months, maybe it’s time to re-examine the choices that brought you to this point.”

A Beginner’s Guide To Breaking And Entering is the third novel by British author, Andrew Hunter Murray. From a clunky old PC during weekly IT Literacy sessions in the Information Suite at HM Prison Brixton, a man not yet thirty, whose name isn’t Al, relates the series of events that cascaded to put him there in medium security, awaiting trial.

Even though he has a job he enjoys, it doesn’t pay much, so Al has become skilled at living rent-free, as an interloper. He’s enacting his belief that “We’re taking space that isn’t used and making it useful again. Frankly, we’re battling the housing crisis. These places are all – all – unoccupied. And the ones I go for are all second homes (or third, or fourth). Why not put them to good use?” although he later admits “I’m a vagrant, a youngish man whose only skill is breaking and entering, a parasite.”

He follows a long set of rules that have seen him successfully living undetected in the luxury homes of owners who are absent for a period: overseas for work or vacation, or living in their primary residence. But then a few unwise decisions find him in the company of interlopers Em, Elle and Jonny at Larksfoot, a former vicarage near Bridling in the Cotswolds.

The owner, though, isn’t in Dubai, where he’s supposed to be. He’s sitting in his study pointing a gun at the intruders, until he answers the front door and is shot dead for his trouble. Al and company make a quick exit, inadvertently leaving behind some traces that might identify them to the cops, or to the murderer who might want to eliminate potential witnesses.

Of their few viable options, Al’s idea to leave the country and lie low until the cops find the murderer is outvoted by the rest, who feel that discovering the identity of the murderer, and the motive, is their best chance of shifting the police focus off them. Given that he’s awaiting trial, it perhaps wasn’t a huge success, but how it all plays out, and the aftermath, is definitely entertaining.

In the lead up to Al’s arrest, as well as multiple luxury properties changing hands, there is mention of money in an outbuilding, there are lots of impersonations, there’s big-money fraud, international espionage and high treason. He advises his reader “…don’t ever, ever swallow your better judgement” because, of his list of rules, Al ends up resorting to his last one: “To save your skin, break any of the above rules.“ An eye-opening and thoroughly fun read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Random House UK Cornerstone.

An amusing and well-plotted whodunnit with the intelligent dry humour one would expect from Mr Hunter Murray Not an exceptional novel and a little long and loose, but things look very promising for the author’s future offerings.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own unbiased opinion.

A Beginner's Guide to Breaking and Entering is a charming and amusing novel that engages readers with its gentle humour and modern twist on classic heist stories.

Set against the backdrop of London's housing challenges and the crimes of the wealthy, the story follows a hero who moves into the second homes of the rich under the guise of an "Interloper." His life is governed by a list of self-imposed rules, though he often breaks them. Narrated from a medium-security prison, the protagonist reflects on his adventures with a mix of pride and regret, recounting how a series of missteps led to his current predicament amidst police, criminal gangs, and international security services.

This book was a bit rambly for me and I didn't really enjoy it that much. It was an effort to read this book,

Al house sits for people they just don’t know it! He’s respectful of properties always leaving them clean and tidy, not a thing out of place and so these empty houses usually due to holidaying owners mean that Al is able to live a comfortable and quiet life. That is until he returns to one of his regular properties to find that someone has beaten him to it. Oh and then there’s the dead body and its gang connections. Life is suddenly far from quiet. In fact all their lives are on the line.
This was an interesting premise with some likeable, but not quite enough, characters. If it was funny it wasn’t funny enough, the drama wasn’t quite dramatic enough. You catch my drift - it didn’t quite deliver. My first Andrew Hunter Murray book. I’ll try another of his books but won’t dash out to buy one.

3.5 upped to 4
The title made me think of a light and entertaining mystery: I found it full potential but quite twisty and dramatic.
It's well plotted and the page is right, a good thriller.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Every now and then I like to take a break from the darker side of fiction and read some light hearted crime and having seen Andrew Hunter Murray talk at Capital Crime Festival in London in July I knew I had to read his book.

Al is the main character and the voice behind the story. He’s an “interloper” which means he house sits large and luxurious properties whilst the owners are away. However, the owners don’t actually know he’s there, he researches the properties meticulously, tracks the owners whereabouts and breaks in living rent free until they return and then finds another property to “house sit”. He’s been successfully living this way for several years and using a strict number of rules hasn’t been caught YET.

However, as Al is now telling the reader his story from prison, it’s fair to assume something has gone terribly wrong involving a dead body, another group of interlopers, a police hunt, some criminal gangs, missing millions and several spies.

This is an amusing story and I particularly enjoyed Al’s self depreciating and dry humour. My only quibble was that it was a tad too long for my taste and I found my attention drifting on a few occasions. If, however, you are looking for a fun escape from reality, then give this a go.

This was well written and loved the story. The way it all flows and the characters appear in the story. Look forward to reading more of this author.

Al leads a unique life as an unofficial house-sitter, staying in the lavish second homes of the wealthy while they are away.

His unconventional occupation takes a dark turn when he becomes entangled with a group of fellow unofficial house-sitters, leading to a fatal mistake during a break-in.

The characters in this gripping tale are meticulously crafted, each adding depth and complexity to the narrative. Their diverse backgrounds and motivations create a wide variety of personalities that keep readers engaged and invested in their fates.

As the story unfolds, unexpected twists and turns add layers of intrigue, keeping readers guessing until the very end.

This book offers a quirky and captivating storyline that seamlessly blends suspense and entertainment. The author's skilful storytelling keeps readers on the edge of their seats, eagerly turning pages to uncover the truth behind the unfolding events.

An engrossing and enjoyable read.


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I have just spent about four days with Al (not his real name), Em, Elle, and Jonny. All four are interlopers...making themselves comfortable in multi-million pound homes while the owners are away. Al usually works solo, that is until he breaks one of his own rules, has to leave a property as a matter of urgency, and his world collides with that of the other three...and so ensues a chaotic life on the run, a dead body (dead man Davy), and a mystery to solve, ..'Property might be theft, but the housing market is murder....Read it (and take yourself on an exhausting adventure)

This is the first of Andrew Hunter Murray's novels that I have read and I found it to be a chaotically brilliant story. Both witty and entertaining with a fabulous cast of characters. A lot of fun.

After reading The Sanctuary, I was really excited to read another book by Murray & I enjoyed this one even more! From the very first page, this had me hooked, but I became more and more engrossed as I got further in, to the point where I couldn’t put the book down to go to bed - that’s when you know it’s a good one…

A laugh-out-loud murder mystery awash in suspense. Al calls himself an "interloper", breaking into wealthy people's second homes while they're away to live in them. Things take a sinister turn when he stumbles upon a murder. Al must use his clever wit to catch the killer. A house tour de force.

A really fun romp of a crime novel, A Beginner's Guide to Nreaking and entering does good, fun storytelling well. With a cast of characters which are well formed snd entertaining, a plot with enough action to keep you entertained, this is the perfect holiday read for summer.

This was unlike my usual type of books, though did include murder, so maybe not so different. It started a little slow, but soon gathered speed as they tried to solve the murder before they were arrested as suspects. The book threw lots of other suspects into the mix, but the one person I didn't really suspect was the culprit!
I enjoyed the mix of characters and how their relationships progressed. At times I found their actions amusing as they found different ways to evade the police and 'bowling ball'. A good book

I found this book quite chaotic and over long .The story of Al breaking into rich peoples homes and house sitting was interesting especially when he met up with three other people doing the same thing and then a man is killed at the house they are staying they run but afraid they may have left evidence that they had been in the house they decide to try and solve the murder !!! Told by Al from prison ,so we know he was caught the story was just not for me .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC

Ever heard of an interloper? - no? Neither have most people. Al considers himself to be one. Not a squatter, you understand, but an interloper.
He only targets second homes, and leaves everything as it was, never steals anything and repairs any damage made upon entering.
However, one day he finds himself in hot water, after an interlope goes wrong!
He is implicated in a murder, along with another group of people who live a similar lifestyle to Al, and he find himself working with them to clear their names.
What a great book! I loved every page, and the storyline was good. Although most of it is light hearted, it also touched on the darker parts of life, and had a great mix of characters.
A1 read....