cozy-mystery, England, small-town, investigations, friends, friendship, verbal-humor, situational-humor, new-series, first-in-series, murder, relationships****

The characters are delightful, but I got lost in the plot and local interests. I feel certain that the target audience will love it. Unfortunately that does not include this Midwesterner. But it does seem to be a lot of fun.
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected digital galley from Boldwood Books via NetGalley. Thanks, anyway.
#TheVillageDetectivesBk1 #BritishCozyMystery #Humorous #TheArtOfMurder

"Welcome to the beautiful English village of Inkbury. Tucked deep in the North Wessex Downs, it's only claim to fame is the picturesque riverside that once appeared in a Richard Curtis movie. That is, until the murder...

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.

An utterly gripping cozy crime mystery, from million-copy bestselling Fiona Walker, guaranteed to absolutely delight fans of Richard Osman, Janet Evanovich and the Reverend Richard Coles."

The Richard Curtis reference made me snort laugh.

The Art of Murder is a smart, contemporary mystery. Friends Phoebe and Juno are unwittingly sucked into the death of an acquaintance, but quickly determine that it was actually murder. Along the way, you find some awesome character development, an engaging story, all while set in the countryside of England. What more could you ask?

I heartily enjoyed this book. The characters have some flaws, but I was willing to overlook these. There are some immoral behaviors, but nothing graphic so I was able to ignore it. Some of the main characters are gender bending but it seems like every single book has to have their token character these days.

I did guess who the murderer was by the middle of the book but I had no idea about their motive so it was still a satisfying read for me. I really enjoyed the unique voices of the main characters. This book is told from multiple perspectives and the author did a great job of differentiating the characters unique way of communication. The two main characters are absolutely loveable and you are rooting for them the whole time.

I am getting so tired of all new books having to include a token LGBTQ character. I wish this fad would end.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and will watch for more works from this author. I recommend this book.

3.5/5

I loved our main two characters, Juno and Phoebe, and found their story incredibly compelling and engaging from day one. The opening chapter also hooked me! I was anticipating a bit of a faster pace, as is more common with a cozy mystery. Similar to other cozies I’ve read, this really focused on niche topics that will inevitably allow for differentiation throughout the series but I wasn’t really interested in the art and music storyline

This is my first Fiona Walker read. I had a really hard time getting into this book. There was nothing gripping to pull me in immediately. I am not sure if it was me or because of the English humor, etc. Juno and Phoebe were likable enough I just felt the story was missing things. Maybe it's because it's a series and more will be revealed in future books. It was good just not my cup of tea. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

This is a British slice-of life book that pays a lot of attention to everyday events (for example, there’s an entire chapter devoted to the heroine walking her dog). The pace is on the slow side, and the book didn’t engage my interest. I’m sure others will enjoy the book, but I’m not the target audience. DNF ~25%.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

This was really great.
I woke up early to read it and I struggled to put it down.
The best book I’ve read this year.
The characters were great, I got really invested in them and the story line was gripping.
Please write more.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book was not my cup of tea. I couldn’t connect to the characters and the mystery didn’t have me invested. There was something lacking in the story which I can’t put my finger on

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of "The Art of Murder" by Fiona Walker in exchange for my review.

I had to try a few times to get into the book. I got to a point where I couldn't not finish it and while I am glad I stuck with it to the end I can't say I particularly enjoy this story. The main issue for me were the characters - I didn't connect with the two main ladies Phoebe or Juno.

Phoebe is a murder mystery writer who earlier in life had a successful public career before being 'cancelled" shortly after recovering from cancer. She is living in the kitchen of a large mansion with her two dogs. Her husband, a former model, is away shooting a film in Hungary (or Bulgaria, I forget which). She is unsociable and a bit crotchety. She has made little effort to become a part of her new community but has a budding friendship with a pub owner who constantly turns up in various murder poses to make her laugh. Also she seems to be mad at her absent husband for interacting with younger women and then when he gets home they have a 24 hour sex session. That seemed really misplaced and out of character.

Juno is a former comedian (but at the end of the book she is also a performing singer although this is never brought up). She has just moved back to the UK from the States to be closer to her mother who, she is convinced, is in danger of being murdered by her new boyfriend whose three previous wives died in unusual circumstances. (This belief seems to be based on very little evidence but it is the idea that drives her character through the book). Juno is loud and too talkative. Her mother is straight up cringy. They have icky nicknames for each other - Juno is called Pusscat! Ugh.

When Phoebe and Juno stumble upon a man on the cusp of death (he dies) Juno is determined that she, Phoebe and their pub friend should investigate and solve the murder. Phoebe is not convinced it is murder and just wants to be left alone to write her book. Juno sets up a WhatsApp group called 'Merde' to sharing their findings.

All in all, it was alright but I felt the book was too long, it could bogged down by unnecessary diversions, and the characters were hard to connect with.

The Art of Murder is the first book in Fiona Walker's Village Detectives series. I love a cozy mystery and had a pretty good time with this one. The lead characters Juno and Phoebe were both great and had interesting back stories. I did feel like something was lacking with the mystery itself. But I would still be interesting in checking out the next book in the series. I haven't read Fiona Walker before but was glad to see she has an extensive catalog for me to explore in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first time reading a book from the author but I am delighted to say I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I look forward to reading more books from the writer in the future.

The me to Inkbury and leave me wander. This is the first story in the Village detective series and I am so excited to see where we will go next, this group will keep you on your toes. Phoebe will keep you guessing, what’s going on there, something old or something new? Her husband Felix rubbed me the wrong way for chunks of the story. Juno will captivate you and the story will keep you going, it does wobble in a couple of spots as it gets a little long, but honestly the overall was worth it, when everything falls together, you are left like aaagghhh fair enough. There is a great world building aspect to this, and you know the second story will be stronger as you already know everyone. This is going to be a great series, as it’s a great author who keeps everything together.

I've read nearly every Fiona Walker book over the last 20 odd years and I really enjoy her characters. This is her first foray into cosy crime and it's a reasonable murder mystery, it's her fabulous characters that makes this such a great read. The relationships and interactions are just great, especially between Juno and Phoebe, two people who are destined to be the best of friends. Both of them were just so much fun and well described. I loved the Venn diagram overlaps of all the different characters, it made for a very entertaining read.

While a super cozy mystery, this book was a rough start to finish for me and I was close to not finishing. I am just getting into the more English style writing and humor, but this one felt dryer then they usually have at first. While the start was slow, I will say it did start to pick up tremendously and I was able to really sink into finding out who the killer was.

My biggest problem with this book was the lack of closure and information on the character's backgrounds. I know there will be future books, and this may be explained later but I was not happy finishing and not knowing the secrets that Phoebe is keeping. I also couldn't stand that she talked so much about how awful her husband was with other women, yet she accepted it. Maybe this was normal for the time or something, but if my man was off with some hot little thing and knew funny business was going down, you'd bet there'd be war. But alas, some people are okay with this and I'm a very jealous creature. Oh well!

Overall though, after the first couple chapters I did become curious about the details and even though some were missing at the end, it was still a good read.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC read. <3

This has all the ingredients of a book I would enjoy - small English town, cast of colorful characters, and two women / soon -to-be-friends who end up in the middle of what could be a simple accident - or murder.

I'm not sure why but this one didn't do much for me. It felt really long and took me more than a week to get through. Maybe because the chapters felt long? There was a lot revolving around the pop art movement and rock bands that didn't click for me - not to mention, it included real with made-up, which was more confusing than anything to me.

I liked Phoebe a lot in terms of her inner rage and need for solitude, and I liked Juno okay. It didn't help that Juno's mother was named Judy, and I would end up realizing I'd mixed them up. Also, for the first 80% of the book, I thought Phoebe was really mad at her husband and then everything is hunky-dory at the end, or so it felt to me. I just felt like I'd misunderstood her emotions for a while.

The ending would have been really clever had I not felt like the middle 3rd of the book was so slow. Also what DID Si say when he died? Was it merde or murder or something else? That piece wasn't answered, and I was left wishing it had been.

The Art of Murder by Fiona Walker is a lively, smoothly written cozy mystery. It takes place, as any good English mystery should, in a small English village. Not a very rural locale: it has been gentrified almost out of recognition. So while the river and the land and some of the old (now highly prized) houses look the same, there are no upscale cafés selling pricey brioches and cappucinos.

Our detectives are a pair of middle-aged women (moving rapidly toward what is euphemistically referred to as "older"). Phoebe Fredericks lives with her film director (indie art films that of course don't make a profit) is a former glamor celebrity who has, for reasons undisclosed been "cancelled" and is struggling to support herself (and her husband) writing murder mysteries under the nom de plume "Dorothy De'ath." She is a grouchy, quick-tempered woman who has survived not only the loss of fame but also cancer and worries about her husband's many attractive assistance. Said husband, Felix, is currently way filming while Phoebe attempts to churn out another mystery. She finds plotting various deaths and creating killers a welcome distraction from her loneliness and anxiety. Her daughters, available via Zoom, are her other great joy.

Enter Juno Mulligan, former stand up comedian who has also faded from her brief moment of success and (also former) acquaintance of Phoebe. Plump and jolly, she is a striking contrast to taciturn Phoebe and of course the two become partners in solving a village murder that happens soon after the book begins.

There were many charming moments in this book. I found the writing uneven but always serviceable and often enjoyable. There were moments when I had to push myself to continue, dry patches, but not too many and I was drawn into the story and solving the crime. The end was satisfying--I didn't guess the killer but couldn't complain of any deception on the part of the author. It made sense. And that's something I like in a mystery.

So: the characters are on the stereotyped side but I became very fond of them. And while I found the book over cute at first, I became involved and grew to like the characters and enjoy the style.

Altogether, a fun experience.

Set in the village of Inkbury, Juno moves back to keep an eye on her elderly Mother.
Soon things take a dramatic turn with a murder and Juno begins to investigate with her friend Phoebe.
I enjoyed the setting of the book and I found the characters quite interesting.
I just found this book a bit slow and I wasn’t rushing to read it like other books I have recently read. However this is the first book in the series and I think as the series continues it will get better.
I did not work out the murderer until it was revealed in the book which I found a positive as sometimes if I guess too early it spoils the book.
Thanks to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Fiona Walker for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Reviewed on GR:

The characters in this are fun, and I’d pick up a second book.

I am docking a few stars simply because the plot/murder aspect didn’t make a ton of sense in the end, and the murderer/reveal was not one the reader could have picked up on based on the clues laid out.

Also, this is a pet peeve I see in too many books - fentanyl doesn't actually kill you due to toxicity, it stops you from breathing. Based on the description of the murder, the victim likely could have died, but likely from a combination of drowning and cardiac arrest due to lack of respiration, not from toxicity.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy.

Enjoyed this very much - kind of a crossover between a witty romcom and a cosy crime. Stand-up comic Juno comes to live in a picturesque village (partly to keep an eye on her former TV chef mother) and ends up helping novelist Phoebe (who really reminded me of Fleabag) solve the murder of the local art dealer.

A good mix of characters (Mil was my favourite), witty dialogue, and a plot to get your teeth into. Could've done with the murder occurring a little earlier (and possibly a bit less of the luvvie nicknames - Juno's mum and Dennis were both quite annoying), but I'm definitely looking forward to the second book.

Recently widowed Juno Mulligan is reluctantly returning to her childhood home in the village of Inkbury from New York. A stand-up comic in her former life she is about to become far more intimately involved in her mother's life than she's ever wanted to be!  Also now living in the small village is novelist Phoebe Fredericks who, Juno is absolutely sure, can help solve all her problems!

When a local resident is murdered almost under their noses they recruit local publican and Phoebe’s devoted friend Mil to help them discover whodunnit. As they both enthusiastically and reluctantly begin to investigate Juno has to face another loss while Phoebe battles with her latest novel and other equally confusing matters. Can they also work together to solve this murder or will the killer strike again before that can happen?

This is the first outing for the Village Detectives in Fiona Walker's new series and overall I enjoyed it. Not quite a cosy but also not a thriller it straddles the two sub-genres throughout and although Juno took a bit of getting used to, especially as she cries alot about inconsequential things, I was cheering for her by the end. The mystery itself was entertaining and moved at a fair pace but the subplot with Juno’s mother grated on me I'm afraid. Phoebe I loved and for me she made the book along with Mil's reactions to her writing crime fiction, and they are the main reasons for my rating and why I will be on the lookout for the second book.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Boldwood Books, but the opinions expressed are my own. A good series starter which is definitely worth giving a chance. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.