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The Art of Murder

The Village Detectives, Book 1

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The Art of Murder

By: Fiona Walker
Narrated by: Christine Mackie
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Don't miss this brilliantly gripping cozy mystery from MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER Fiona Walker

A must-listen for fans of Richard Osman, Janet Evanovich and the Reverend Richard Coles!

Former stand-up comic Juno Mulligan has been suffering a serious sense-of-humour failure. Not only has she lost the love of her life, but she’s having to relocate to the (admittedly idyllic) village of Inkbury to watch out for her elderly mother, who she’s genuinely worried might be marrying a wife-killer.

She hopes that her old friend, disgraced-journalist-turned-novelist Phoebe Fredericks can help her crack the case of whether her mother’s perma-tanned, iceberg-smiled, three-times-a-widower fiancé is hiding a murderous past.

But before they have a chance, the local art dealer washes up distinctly dead in the village’s famous river. His lover is in the frame, but Juno and Phoebe suspect that there is a deeper secret… One that relates to Phoebe’s own past and Juno’s present.

Will the unofficial Village Detective Agency solve the mystery before the killer strikes again? In sleepy Inkbury, as they soon discover, living one’s best midlife can be murder.

©2024 Fiona Walker (P)2024 Boldwood Books Crime Thrillers Genre Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Small Town & Rural Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Crime Village Murder Comedy Detective
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Great story, loved how the author weaved the back story of the main protagonists in…. Shame I figured out who the killer was just a little too quickly. Looking forward to the next one now.

Great story

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I read the author’s romantic novels back in the day - the early ones I enjoyed although less so when they were churned out every year…. This new “detective” book was on sale, so I thought I’d give it a go, but with hindsight, I probably wouldn’t have bothered. It was okay to listen to in the background, but I wouldn’t read / listen to any more of the series as the characters didn’t really appeal (especially the strong taciturn author with the philandering husband who she forgave time after time - yawn) and the plot line was not gripping, and was frequently questionable (Why didn’t they retrieve the artwork from the charity shop? Why didn’t they open the hidden bin bag?)…. It wasn’t terrible, but it certainly wasn’t on a level with Richard Osman etc - more like a lightweight magazine version.

A bit twee

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Fiona Walker never disppoints yhough, despite her experience in well-known acting roles, I didn't rate the reader. She was too low-key for me - a little almost monosyllabic. Could we please have someone sparkier next time?

I rated the story...

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I was unsure about reading/listening to this book given that “Freddie” and Felix are one of my favourite book couples and I’ve read Kiss Chase numerous times over the years. I didn’t want to get into this and find that something had gone very wrong between them as it would have broken my heart. Although I’ve read Snap Happy a few times I wasn’t as invested in Juno and Jay. Anyway, spoilers …… I needn’t have worried as although they are no longer loves young dream, and although things are a bit shaky, they are still very much Freddie and Felix.

So onto the actual book. I loved the various characters, some old and some new. Juno was irritating and tbh a bit stupid, but I muddled through because Phoebe is just fab, if a little darker, and Mil is a good addition. The mystery was a little bit convoluted, and at times difficult to follow, and there was a distinct lack of characters who could have been the culprit, such that for me at least it didn’t take much working out as the clues were all there. I think if Ms Walker produces another we need more suspects and perhaps less convolution, but hey what do I know? Never written a book in my life. I will still read or listen to the next, if only to indulge in Phoebe and Felix some more, and for the nostalgia factor alone!

Re the narrator I felt her voice was too old somehow. I know the main characters are in their 50s but the narrator sounded much older. She did however do a good job of the voices and her timing was good.

Overall I very much enjoyed.

Revisit.

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Lovely caracters and a great story, but the sound and production is really awful. Hope the production company use more money and time on the next books.

Bad production

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