May Morrigan is in her bookshop one morning when she—and everyone else in the shop—receives an anonymous text. It contains a reference to a Shakespeare quotation—and seems to be aimed at the vicar and his partner, Juan. The next morning, one of them is dead.

I requested a copy of this book to review as I'm a sucker for cosy mysteries with cute animal sidekicks, and now I'm kicking myself very hard.

I do not know how I've missed this series. A "cosy" crime caper, heavy on the humour, some of it very dark indeed but enough to make me laugh so loud, I woke the cat up. It's exactly the book I needed to read right now. It's not a gentle cosy, it's an absolute riot.

While I hadn't read the first in the series, the novel is set up well and characters introduced and explained, so I didn't feel I was missing out having not read the first. May and co trying hard to solve the murder and the mystery of the texts everyone is receiving, trying to prevent further murder, while her own mother is trying to find ways for May to end her long life. The characters in the cast are big and loud, and I loved every one of them! I've immediately gone out and picked up the first in the series, and I can't wait for more adventures in the bookshop.

Thank you to Bloodhound Books Audio and Netgalley for this review copy.

The second in this series finds May and Fletcher investigating when mysterious text messages lead to murder and attacks. It is kind of like a modern day poison pen but with text messages - and with the person writing the poison pen being the killer, rather than being the victim!

I had not read (or listened to) the first in this series, so I was a bit confused on a few things, especially with characters. However, despite that, I still enjoyed this mystery! There were lots of funny shenanigans outside of the mystery that added a lot of humor to the book. The mystery itself was pretty good too - toward the end though, there was one line that let me figure out who it was, but not everyone will necessarily catch that. I do plan to go back and read the first one now. I also will definitely look for future ones in this series! The narrator for the audiobook was enjoyable - the character voices were over the top, but not in a bad way - it added to the overall humorous tone!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Pressing play you may instantly recognise the familiar voice of the narrator, Jonathan Keeble, as he has been in over 700 radio plays! He does a fantastic job bringing this story to life, with his performance being a definite highlight.

However, this one wasn’t quite for me. The book is labelled as a cosy crime and with two dachshunds on the cover plus the description and genre tags it has, I anticipated something different to what I got. While the tags do mention dark humour, I wasn’t expecting it to be as smutty as it is. This is, of course, personal preference. Many other readers on NetGalley have given glowing reviews, so if you enjoy your humour with a more risqué edge, this might be for you. I just found the humour a bit too crude for my own taste. If you do like this then the good news for you is that it's the second in the series!

Thank you to LBT and NetGalley for providing a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback.

It was nice to get back to May and her crew of friends (and her mother) in the village with all of it's antics. I love this cast of characters and listening to things that they get up to and how many people die in this little village especially where everyone knows each other. The audiobook was very well produced and I loved the narrator who is completing the book - especially with the different voices for the different characters. I can not wait for the next book to come out for this series .... I love this village and characters so much.

The first book in this series was great and this one is even better! Each chapter is named after a song (someone should make a Spotify playlist!) and the elderly duo are sleuthing again. Once more, things get dangerous but there are some absolutely hilarious moments. It's a delight to listen to Jonathan Keeble narrating this.

The previous book was good. This book was great! I laughed soooo much.
The characters had more attitude, it was sassy, the murder was entertaining.
Totally adored it
One of the top audiobooks I have listened to this year

This was a nice easy ready and really enjoyable.
I listened to the audiobook and Jonathon Keeble is excellent as always!

The story is the second in the series, which didn’t matter as it read well as a stand alone.
The main characters are very entertaining and the writing is witty and engaging making it a really easy quick book to read. Nothing exciting but kept me interested throughout. ⭐️⭐️⭐️3.5 for me but the narrator takes it to 4⭐️

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

"Cosy" Crime is my genre of choice, and this didn't disappoint. I haven't read book one in the series but this wasn't a huge handicap although I ended re-listening to the first 6 chapters as I wasn't really concentrating and felt a bit swamped trying to remember the characters and what was going on. BUT I have to point out that the audio narrator (Jonathan Keeble) is EXCELLENT, he really brought the story and the characters to life.
These are 'big' characters, who command the story and our attention. Minty in particular is an absolute horror, a rowdy teenager as another character calls her, at times she in vile in what she says and does but we love her for all her faults.
There is plenty of pace to the story, compelling you to carry on listening, with its twists and turns, and red herrings aplenty, keeping you guessing who the culprit and motive are.

This is the second book in the series. Having gone into this book without having read or listened to the first book in the series I wasn't sure what to expect, but it works well as a standalone. There is ample character and world development, so much so I kept forgetting it was the second book in a series.

This book falls really nicely into the cosy murder mystery category, keeping the intrigue and suspense required to create a gripping mystery while interspersing this with lighthearted, funny and heartfelt moments. You are kept guessing right up until the reveal which happens in a rather shocking and gruesome setting (I wouldn't recommend reading this book just before or just after eating, especially if you're a bit squeamish).

I enjoyed the story and mystery immensely and had this book been in a different format it may have received 5*. However I really struggled with the voices put on by the narrator and found the way the book was narrated took away from the story, hence the 4*.

I was drawn to this book by the cute dachshunds on the cover! I didn’t realise it was the second book in a series, but it was fine as a standalone. The narration is excellent and really brings the story to life, the narrator has a great voice. I’m not sure I would have enjoyed the story so much if I’d read it.

May owns a bookshop and lives with her best friend Fletcher. May’s elderly mum has recently moved in with her and can be quite tricky to live with. When everyone in the bookshop receives a mysterious Shakespeare inspired text, no one is very concerned. That is until the next day a body is found. Could the texts and death be connected? When more texts arrive, May and her friends begin to investigate what’s going on.

Despite not having read the other books in the series, I mostly liked the characters, but May was a bit irritating at times.

The story had some funny moments but overall it was a bit silly and OTT for me. I'm not sure if I would read the other books in the series.

May Morrigan is in her bookshop when she receives an anonymous text which is vindictive in its nature , also everyone in the bookshop receives the text too.
The text is aimed at the vicar and his partner and the next day one of them is dead .
The texts continue and involve other villagers , and May decides to try and found the culprit behind the messages in the hope she will find the murderer too .
The characters are likeable and funny too as well as being really cheeky .
It’s a great cosy mystery with a a bit of added sauciness .
The narration was great and brought the story to life .
A great read for all cosy mystery lovers .
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books Audio.

In the village of Blackheath, someone is sending cryptic malicious text messages, hinting at wrongdoing. When the target of one of the texts turns up dead everyone begins to wonder who the sender is and who could be the next target.

Back in September, I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to review the audiobook A Most Unusual Demise, the first in The Most Unusual Mysteries series by Katherine Black. I thoroughly enjoyed the book as it offered a slightly darker take on the cosy crime genre and was filled with wonderfully eccentric characters.

A Most Malicious Messenger is the second book in the series. The paperback and ebook were published at the start of 2024 and the audiobook has now been made available. Once again Jonathan Keeble does an incredible job as narrator.

You do not need to have read/listened to the first book in the series to enjoy A Most Malicious Messenger, however doing so will give you a greater understanding of the characters, particularly the main characters May and Fletcher. Both characters have secrets to hide, ones which we find out early in the first book, and they are desperate to keep those secrets hidden. Since the plot revolves around the uncovering of secrets the pair have a lot to contend with.

The wonderful characters from the first book put in an appearance. Bastian, who manages the bookshop for May, is the centre of gossip when a young woman appears in his life. Barb, May's novelist friend is as flamboyant and delicious as ever. To add to the mix is Minty, May's nonagenarian mother. Minty is a law unto herself with her behaviour frequently scandalous. Minty has turned up wanting May to bump her off, something May is adamant she won't do, however, her behaviour frequently gives May pause for thought.

There is a lot of very dark humour, something which raises the book above many other cosy crime novels. Minty and Barb are the stand-out characters, particularly as Minty seems to delight in taunting Barb. May refuses to see that she has the same trait as her mother as she delights in tormenting her neighbour.

Our characters contend with the usual red herrings and a race against time to uncover the person responsible for the despicable crimes. There is a particularly grisly scene towards the end and a conclusion that will elicit a little gasp, followed by a giggle and a wry smile.

A funny, cosy, twisty turning mystery. Wonderful characters and stands up on its own if you haven't read the first. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration.

4.3⭐️ May and Fletcher team up to catch
the murderer who’s sending malicious texts

✨ Read if you enjoy: hilarious seniors, saucy shenanigans, book 1 in the series
✨ Don’t read if you loathe: cozy mysteries, smut

I fell in love with May, Fletcher and the other Londoners in book 1 - if you haven’t read it, I encourage doing so before reading this. It’s easy to follow, but probably more enjoyable with the book 1 backstory

This time, someone is sending nasty texts about the Blackheath villagers and people are getting hurt

As May and Fletcher investigate, they also find themselves involved with their own dramas - May’s 94 y/o mother has returned in the hope May will kill her and Fletcher is about to be outed

I found it took a little while to get going, but once it did it was non stop lols… the emoji conversation was hilarious, though I died when Minty woke May up without her teeth in - I implore you to listen to the audiobook - the narrator is superb and I nearly wet myself a couple of times!

These seniors may appear Agatha Christie-esque, but their saucy, smutty shenanigans are a modern delight

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloodhound Books Audio for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review