Another great book and a great catch up with the charity shop ladies. This time it was great to get some more backstory on Fiona and her troubles with “it”. Glad that with the help from her friends and wild swimming she could overcome. This book was a great addition to the series and even could be read as a standalone. The charity shop ladies are funny and armed with cake and a flask of tea they are a force to be reckoned with. This time tasked with the possibility of a murder of a wild swimmer they infiltrate the group and unravel the mystery before the police even realise it was a murder. Great book. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Another great read in a fabulous series! The first hilarious and brilliant twist is in the narrator of the prologue, I laughed out loud and that was me hooked and strapped in for the ride.

When the death of a wild swimmer is ruled an accident by the police investigation, one of the members of the Wild Swimming Club approaches Fiona, Daisy and Partial Sue for help, believing her friend and fellow swimmer was murdered. Naturally, the ladies can't say no to an opportunity to investigate.

I love the setting of this series as I grew up in Southbourne, so I know all of these places well and Southbourne Grove has always had a good number of charity shops. The characters are completely brilliant and I particularly liked that we experienced some vulnerability in Fiona, with her battle with depression. There are some great red herrings and some clever twists and despite Fiona's mental health struggles, there is heaps of dry humour and some side splitting one liners to lighten the mood.

Although this is book 5 in the series, I started on book 4 and these do work well as standalone reads.

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Peter Boland and Joffe for an ARC in return for an honest review.

If you like dry British humor, you have to try this series. In this one, Fiona, Daisy & Partial Sue delve into ice water swimming, which in retrospect is such an obvious topic for a murder mystery that I can't believe I haven't read one before. The trio are their usual lovely selves: quirky quips, lots of mildly incompetent sleuthing and a dogged determination to get to the truth! The first book of this series had a scene that I still remember when I'm feeling down as it made me laugh so hard I ran out of breath. This one was just as enjoyable. I can't wait for the next Charity Shop Detectives!

** “It’s the perfect environment for covering up a murder. ‘Water blurs evidence.’ ” **

With another solved murder under their belts and continuing their own amateur detective agency, a customer asks charity shop workers Fiona, Daisy and Partial Sue to look into an accidental drowning. Beth believes her friend, Colin, was actually murdered and she’s hoping the women can figure out how and by whom.

But as they look into the death of the wild swimmer — people who attempt icy cold swimming in bodies of water — will they be able to determine who might have had it out for Colin? Will Fiona dive deep into a new hobby of wild swimming? And can they solve the mystery before disaster strikes them?

Boland does a great job of creating characters besides the plucky main characters. Once again, he also builds a fun plot filled with red herrings, misdirections and creativity that will leave the reader laughing and guessing until the end, perfectly balancing frivolity with seriousness. He also reminds us of some good themes, like dealing with and overcoming depression; kindness goes a long way; misery loves company; and the impact of generosity.

Fans of series like Richard Osman’s “The Thursday Murder Club,” Robert Thorogood’s “The Marlow Murder Club,” as well as authors like Agatha Christie, will enjoy “Death of a Wild Swimmer,” which is due out March 26 in paperback.

Five stars out of five.

Joffe Books Ltd. provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

This is the fifth outing of the charity shop detectives and this time Fiona takes up wild swimming after another wild swimmer washes up dead in suspicious circumstances.

I really enjoyed that this book was a little different to the previous outings, Daisy and Partial Sue took more of a back seat and there was none of the usual berating from the police as the women undertake their own unofficial, but ultimately successful, investigation.

I really enjoyed the mystery and I didn't work out who done it.

Once again the weather and landscapes forms a key character for the novel. This time I could feel the evocative and pervasive cold of the sea. I also really enjoyed the unashamed embrace of mental health in all our lives and how significant life charges such as retirement can have an impact. It was a nuanced and realistic portrayal.

A really enjoyable book. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review

Absolutely brilliant. Love this series and it’s such a relaxing fun read. Great characters and well written and the story is fun. I love this author now and will follow up in the next in the series!

The charity shop ladies are enthralled in a new mystery. Fiona Daisy and Partial Sue are asked by a wild swimmer to investigate the death of her swimming friend. Fiona decides the only way to get answers is to get involved so she starts every morning swimming and finds it invigorating and it’s helping with her moods to. But the other ladies feel left out.
Can the ladies change to minds of police and coroner’s and get the murderer brought to justice..
As usual funny and heartwarming as the charity shops ladies do what they do best.
Brilliant new adventure loved it.

This series is a total joy. As soon as you see the author’s name, his characters jump straight into your mind. Partial Sue is my favourite but Daisy’s malapropisms are always giggle worthy. Inventive plot as always with plenty of red herrings. A joy!!

Having read all the previous Peter Boland books in the charity shop series, I knew what I was in for, but I can honestly say this one was on another level. I found that this book kept me hooked throughout, and the mystery played out really well. This is by far the best book in the series, and one I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend

This was such a different ending than I expected! Loved the setting and the characters. I felt like they were relatable and the way it ended was just so good. Loved it!