The Art of Murder is a new cozy mystery series starter by Fiona Walker. Released 20th May 2024 by Boldwood Books, it's 354 (e-format) pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The second book in the series, The Poison Pen Letters, is also currently available on KU.

The author is prolific and dependably readable in the genre, and this one is happily no exception. There are already two books available in the series, making it a good choice for a binge/buddy read. It's a village mystery, full of quaint, quirky characters, a serviceable plot, and all the necessary working parts for an entertaining mystery.

There's perhaps a trifle too much witty reparteé, but overall it's a solid comfy cozy read. It leads directly into the next book in the series, so there's no waiting for the next installment.

Four stars. It's not derivative, but fans of Osman (Thursday Murder Club) and Laurien Berenson (Peg & Rose) will likely enjoy this one as well.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

The first in a new cozy series about a stand up comic who moves to the English countryside. Instead of being able to relax and grieve the loss of her love, she finds herself drawn into the murder of an art critic.

I love cozies, but this one didn't draw me in. I am not sure exactly why, but maybe it was the characters' voices? I would give the second one a try because sometimes it just takes a book or two to find the stride!

Thank you Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this brilliant book.
I really enjoyed this and it left me wanting more.
I love Fiona's other books but this was so different. Still a huge cast of characters as always, but fun and very well written.
More please and hurry!
This is a first class holiday read, although I read it when not on holiday as I couldn't wait!

Book Review: The Art of Murder by Fiona Walker

Rating: 3 Stars

I recently had the pleasure of reviewing The Art of Murder by Fiona Walker, and it was quite the cozy escape into the quaint English village of Inkbury. Now, I’ve always had a soft spot for picturesque settings, especially those that come with a hint of mystery, so I was eager to dive in.

Summary

The story revolves around Juno Mulligan, a former stand-up comic who’s left grappling with life after losing her partner. She relocates to the beautiful village of Inkbury to keep an eye on her elderly mother, who seems to have taken a fancy to a rather suspicious fiancé—an iceberg-smiled man who’s been married three times and has some serious red flags. Just as Juno is trying to figure out if her mom is falling into the arms of a potential killer, tragedy strikes and the local art dealer turns up dead in the river.

Enter Juno’s old friend, Phoebe Fredericks, a disgraced journalist-turned-novelist, and together they form an unofficial Village Detective Agency. As they dig deeper, it becomes clear that there are hidden secrets that tie into both Phoebe’s past and Juno’s present. With danger lurking around every corner, the duo must work quickly to unravel the mystery before another life is taken in sleepy Inkbury.

My Thoughts

First off, I have to mention that I absolutely adore the cover of this book. It’s whimsical and captures the essence of a cozy mystery perfectly! Now, onto the story itself—while I found it good overall, I can't say it reached great heights for me. There were definitely parts that dragged a bit, which made it feel longer than it needed to be.

However, the mystery itself was well-plotted, keeping me engaged enough to want to uncover the truth alongside Juno and Phoebe. The setting was charming, with Inkbury coming alive through Walker’s vivid descriptions. And let’s not forget about the characters—they were incredibly likable! Juno’s dry humor and Phoebe’s tenacity make for a delightful pair.

In conclusion, while The Art of Murder had its slow moments, I enjoyed the intricate mystery and lovable characters. I’m intrigued enough that I’d definitely give the next book in this series a try. If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries with a dash of humor and charming settings, this might just be your cup of tea!

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

I really enjoy when an author knows for a specific genre of books branches out and does so in such a marvellous way.

Former stand-up comic Juno Mulligan doesn’t have a lot of reasons to smile, She has lost the love of her life and has relocated to Inkbury where her elderly mother is about to get engaged to a man who has been divorced three times, and their relationship just seems a little off.
Juno and her best friend Phoebe decide to do some sleuthing into junos mother's new beaus history when the body of a local art dealer washes up in the local river! His lover might be the prime suspect, but the two friends aren’t so sure.

French Relations is one of my all time favorite rom-coms. I still have the original paperback which has been read many times by myself and some of my friends (the rest I recommend they buy a copy). It made me laugh out loud and I so wanted to be Tash.
The Art of Murder still has those laugh out loud moments but the characters are all a little older, but definitely not wiser. A couple of vintage characters from her previous books and a murder and there is an afternoon gone in my world. And time well spent. Part ‘Carry On’, part Midsummer Murders, this is small village life on overdrive.
I am now going to reread Kiss Chase and Snap Happy and going to throw in French Relations again for good measure. They are my triptych of novels.
Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC.

The Golden Girls meet Lovejoy, in this new series from Fiona Walker. Chock full of an eclectic mix of fabulous characters and containing a deliciously deceptive mystery, this is an easy summer Sunday read, for anyone who likes to smile while reading of dastardly goings on.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

📖 Book Review

The Art of Murder by Fiona Walker
Boldwood Books, 20th May 2024

The adorable Juno and her friends become amateur detectives to solve the mystery of a death that the police have written off as accidental in this cosy crime thriller.
This appealing book flows well and holds the reader's interest with twisty thrills. The red herrings were a delight - just when I thought I knew who the killer was, I was led down a completely different path.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Boldwood Books and Fiona Walker for providing an eARC via NetGalley; this is my unbiased review.

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

I love cozy crime but this book had the added sparkle of being funny too. Laugh out loud funny. I loved it. First book I have read by this author but definitely not the last. Just brilliant.

Known for her joyous Cotswold romps, best-selling author Fiona Walker turns to cozy crime with her delightful debut in the genre: The Art of Murder.

Former stand-up comic Juno Mulligan doesn’t have a lot of reasons to smile lately. She’s lost the love of her life and has had to relocate to the beautiful village of Inkbury to watch out for her elderly mother who might be about to make the biggest mistake of her life by getting engaged to a man who has been divorced three times, is far too fond of fake tan and has a rictus grin that makes Juno’s teeth stand on edge. Could her best friend Phoebe help her to discover if her soon-to-be stepfather might be hiding a murderous past?

No sooner have Juno and Phoebe decided to do some sleuthing that the body of the local art dealer washes up in the local river! His lover might be the prime suspect, but the two friends aren’t so sure. Their gut instincts are telling them that there is far more to this death than meets the eye – and the answers they seek might lie in Phoebe’s own past and Juno’s present.

Can the two friends solve this case before the killer strikes again? Or should Juno and Phoebe leave the investigating to the police?

I’ve read and enjoyed many of Fiona Walker’s previous romantic capers and I was certainly not disappointed with The Art of Murder. In her first cozy crime novel, Fiona Walker writes with all the charm, humour and mischief of her previous novels, but adds plenty of red herrings, suspense and tension to satisfy crime fiction aficionados. A fun, unpredictable and terrific mystery where the pages will just turn themselves, Fiona Walker’s The Art of Murder is a must-read for fans of Agatha Raisin and The Thursday Murder Club!

This book was so funny! I expected a cosy mystery with a couple of laughs from the cover and the blurb, but I got so much more bang for my buck than that!
The characters were such... characters! Each could not be mistaken for each other. My favourite being the ever masculine, living corpse that was Mil! They each had their own tragic/full back stories and flaws and quirks but they complemented each other magnificently.
I can see myself in parts of Juno and Phoebe, and their growth in the book was lovely to see.

I found that Phoebe's back story was quite slow to come out and I found in most of the book I was thinking that she despised her cheating, money losing husband. That was not the case and I must have read those comments differently to intended. I also didn't quite understand the leap in their thinking when they first correctly identified the killer.

The full backstory of Juno is yet to come out but I appreciate the effort and sheer research that must have gone into her song list and musical knowledge.

All in all, a first read of Fiona Walker but it definitely won't be my last!
Thank you to Netgalley, Fiona Walker and Boldwood Books for gifting me a copy of this ebook to read. This review and all of it's opinions are my own.
This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph today and will be posted on Amazon within a week.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Juno and Phoebe were friends way back when but lost touch until Juno returns home to their Wessex town because she is worried her mother is being wooed by a gigolo who might have murdered his first three wives. Phoebe is trying to finish her next book but gets drawn into a murder that they witnessed at the local pub. Along with the publican, a younger man whom Juno fancies, Mil, the three try to figure out why the young man ended up in the river and who did the deed.

It is quite a romp as they work through the various suspects, getting it wrong as often as they get it right, with a tightly woven plot, more than a little humour and lots of style. I enjoyed the book and really got into the various relationships in the lives of our two protagonists. I hope there will be further adventures as these two are highly entertaining. Five purrs and two paws up.

A delightfully cosy read, the main characters are fun and engaging. Having read the authors back catalogue to be reunited with Juno, Phoebe and Felix is absolute fabulous! The mystery at the centre of the book foxed me until the very end and unfolded in a very natural way. I really hope there is more to come from the Village Detectives. An entertaining read!

Thank you Netgalley

There is a heavy dose of quirk to this story, from its characters to the dialogue. If you don't mind that, then you'll likely enjoy this story of two women who grow to like and rely on each other over the course of this cozy mystery.

Middle-aged stand-up comic Juno Mulligan is returning to the small, picturesque village of Inkbury some years after her beloved partner's death and the atrophying of her humour. She's also concerned for her elderly mother, Judy, whom Juno is afraid is involved with a murderer, as he's a three-times-widower.

Juno hopes that disgraced journalist, old friend, and creator of multiple mystery series, Phoebe Fredericks, can help her investigate Dennis. She also enlists the help of her son, whom Juno feels is drifting through his life.

Before much looking into Dennis's life can happen, a local art dealer turns up drowned, and though his lover Oscar is suspected, Juno and eventually Phoebe agree that it seems implausible that he’s the killer, considering all the things the dead man, Silas, had been getting up to. The two, with the help of Mil Winterbourne, Phoebe's friend and pub owner, begin delving into Dennis', Silas' and Oscar's past, discovering family connections, addiction, and a stolen painting.

The writing was a little choppy, at first, but I still enjoyed this first entry in the “Village Detectives series. Juno is ebullient, and such a contrast to the much taller and world-weary Phoebe. Their different approaches to sleuthing complemented each others’ characters well, though they kind of stumbled into solving the crime. The story was still satisfying, and I liked the two main characters, so I'm looking forward to the next entry.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Boldwood Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Lots of fun characters, lots of humor mixed in with just the right amount of drama and plenty of twists and turns to keep me hooked. Cannot wait until next in this series!

Quirky, English amateur sleuths. I found this story really hard to get into. The first few chapters are very slow and have almost no bearing on the story except for a few small details that honestly could have been casually mentioned later. I wish the author had used these chapters to get me invested in the characters- I felt like I knew nothing about them and couldn't relate to them at all. I'm also very unsure what time period this is supposed to take place in? I think it is supposed to be current but at places it seems to take place in 2006, and other it could be in the late 80s? While I thought the mystery was really well plotted and the author did a good job of setting herself up for a sequel, I found that none of the characters were likable enough or felt real enough for me to really be invested in them. The only characters that I really felt were likable were Mil and Eric. Overall, strong writing and plotting but not great character building.