This is a good cosy murder mystery. Initially I found it difficult to navigate through the sizeable cast of characters, (and I have read the previous book in the series), but soon got into it and then the action flowed. At times the book is hilarious but at others the pace slows so only 4 stars.

Delightful …
The second outing in The Village Detectives series of mysteries, from this accomplished author now turning her hand to cosy crime, set in the village of Inkbury and featuring former stand up comic Juno. Relegated to the village to keep an eye on her mother, who may just be about to marry a serial wife killer, Juno and friend Phoebe are no strangers to conducting covert investigations - however, when crime novelist Phoebe opens an invitation to her own funeral due to take place the very next day horror soon sets in. With the post soon becoming ever more concerning, the sleuthing pair need to up their game to discover what on earth is going on in the village. A wholly enjoyable and entertaining next in series with an eccentric and eclectic cast of characters in a delightful and well imagined setting and with a fun and frothy plot laced with lashings of humour. Delightful.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed this book.

As the postman is delivering a parcel to Phoebe at her door, she drops down dead. She’s already had invites to her own funeral, being an author she’s received threats over the internet, it all seems a lot for one person to deal with.

She’s not sure who they’re from or why. So then her friend Jono and her husband decide to do some investigations and find. They travel to different places in England, as well as France to find out who in their list of suspects wants Phoebe dead and the reason.

I loved the characters and the mystery of whodunnit,

I recommend this book.

The Poison Pen Letters is book 2 in Fiona Walker's The Village Detectives series, a cozy mystery series featuring a group of amateur sleuths in the village of Inkbury in England.

Phoebe, an author and one of the members of the Village Detectives, receives a notice of her own death, followed soon after by the death of her postman while delivering a package to her. Juno, another member of the Village Detectives, is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, with the assistance of the other members, Felix and Mils.

I found the book a bit confusing at first, not having read the first in the series, but I was soon caught up on all the characters and their relationships, so if you haven't read the first book I think you'll be okay jumping into this one. The mystery itself is self contained, so in that aspect the book may be read as a standalone.

The mystery was interesting, especially as it came out that Phoebe had a bit of a mysterious past and we learned more about that past as the story progressed.

As usual in a cozy mystery, there are a number of suspects, and quirky characters (personally I loved Juno's mom and her fiance, Dennis), and lots of red herrings to confuse the reader. I really enjoyed the relationships between the characters in the book. I especially found the relationship between Felix and Phoebe to be realistic since it was not always perfect and rosy.

Getting to know the characters in this book has made me want to go back to read the previous book in the series, and I will be looking to see what the Village Detectives are up to in the next book. I think anyone who enjoys a good cozy mystery will enjoy reading The Poison Pen Letters.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Juno and co are back for some more mystery solving. This time one of their own is being targeted - Phoebe received an invitation to her own funeral! Then the poor postman is killed when someone sends her a letterbomb!

Juno continues to pine/lust after her new friend Mil. She thinks he's too young for a widow like her, but I say let Mil decide who he wants to date! The flirty banter between them is escalating - she just needs a little prod.

I love a great amateur sleuth mystery and this team are growing on me. Juno is a great leader of the pack, even though she may dispute that herself. Phoebe and Felix would be couple goals if Phoebe could rid herself of her mental health battles, which causes rifts between them. Felix is no angel but it is clear that he loves his wife. Learning more about their life prior to the village really filled in some gaps.

There are plenty of suspects to choose from and the plot twists a few times, skewing the favour to one suspect or another. I really struggled to have any empathy for Penny at all, she was such a vicious madam.

I have to admit I was completely hoodwinked at the reveal - I did not see that coming at all! There are lots of laughs from the supporting characters of Juno‘s mum and her boyfriend Dennis. Juno's son also makes a wee appearance, dealing with a dilemma of his own.

Can you imagine opening a letter only to find it’s an invitation to your own funeral? That’s what happens to mystery writer Phoebe (Freddie) one day at home in a quiet English village, and this is where the fun begins as her friends and husband band together again as the Village Detectives to find out who is behind the letter and other unfortunate incidents that follow. Quirky characters kept me laughing as the crew dig into Phoebe’s traumatic past to see if the clues to solve her present problems can be found there. The ties of friendship are important to the story line, I enjoyed how they played out, I also enjoyed how Phoebe and her husband’s story about how they got to where they are currently at in their lives and relationship was slowly explained.
If you’re looking for a funny cozy full of red herrings and a look at small village life this is for you, I’ll be looking for the next one (this can be read as a stand alone with out having read the first one). Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy.

I did enjoy the poison pen letters by Fiona Walker but glad that I had read the previous book as then I had a good grounding in the characters in the book before I started. Just the sort of book you want to read on an autumn day with a cup of coffee and your feet up. Very entertaining.

The poison pin letters is the second book in the village detective book series by Fiona Walker, The Book starts with phoebe getting an invitation to her own funeral that according to the missive is going to happen in a Fortnite. Juno is settling in with her cat Kevin bacon in the flat above the curio shop and she’s still looking for love even though Milt would love to date her she keeps him at a distance due to his age and he’s also one of the fellow village detectives. He even gets her to host trivia night at the pub and it’s all fun and games until the next day when postman Craig gets blown up by a poison pen Letterbomb. I love that the author describes Craig is looking like a pink balloon with eyes a nose in the mouth I thought that was so funny but regardless for a while Craig had been the vein of Phoebe‘s existence because he bought her box set of Debbbie Death murder mysteries, he was obsessed with letting her know things she got wrong from punctuation to spelling to even whether her murderous plots were possible. When the police get involved all they do is double down on how strange Craig actually was but he isn’t the last one to be murdered and that is in phoebes only problem she’s also being stalked by Ohfeelya The person who stalked her right out of her journalism job with the help of one of her coworkers. Which cause her to be canceled. Not to mention lady smoke a lot “Penny “still wrinkles Phoebe‘s day and makes no secret of the fact she wants Felix and Phoebe out of Boosie‘s house. We also learn whether or not Felix would cheat on Phoebe a great aggravation and fear of hers but before we learned that Juno and Felix go on an overnight trip together and have to share a room and JUNOs inner thoughts during that adventure made me laugh out loud so much my husband thought something was wrong with me. From being Crockett and Tubbs to fatal attraction Juno cannot decide which way she should feel but definitely know she wants no part of her best friends husband… Well she does but would never. This book is so funny so adult what always amazes me is I never guess who did it this is the second book in the second time well because two perpetrators were unmasked in this book I will say it is the third time Fiona walker has made me sit back and say WTF! All that and there’s so much I haven’t mentioned including Juno‘s mom and Dennis who are going hot and heavy literally her son Eric who got his boss pregnant and now June knows going to be a grandmother but doesn’t know how Eric feels about it it’s so much more there’s so much to this book I would definitely read both books in order but they can’t be read as a standalone I just think you would find so much of it funnier with the full story as opposed to just reading this as a standalone I love this book so much and absolutely 100% recommend them.#NetGalley,#BoldwoodBooks, #FionaWalker, #TheVillageDetectives, #ThePoisonPenLetters,

3.5 stars rounded up to 4
This is the second book in the "Village Detectives" series but it van be read as a stand-alone.
I enjoyed reading this small-town cozy mystery but it took me a while to figure out who was who in the Inkbury community. There were just so many minor characters with similar names I had a hard time remembering who they were. The mystery was intriguing but I felt there were rather too many red herrings and not everything made sense in the end. Still an entertaining book featuring characters from Fiona Walkers earlier romcoms now in their middle age.

The Poison Pen Letters by Fiona Walker is a charming escape to beat doldrums of any description. Grab a cup of tea, hunker down and enjoy the wit, antics and humour of English village life, murder included. Figure out who dun it with crime writer Phoebe and her husband Felix.

Amongst others in the village are Juno and her mother and grammar-loving postmaster Craig. When a unique death occurs, suspicions are cast. Enter inveigling and detecting.

Aside from the wit, I enjoyed the competitive spirit, pranks, games, and eccentricity.

My sincere thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this rollicking novel, the second in the Village Detective Cozy Mystery series.

It was hard to stay focused while reading. The writing isn't interesting at all, the sentences don't flow... I'm really sorry I didn't like it, I had high expectations.

A fun mystery with a unique twist! Phoebe, a crime novelist, and her husband Felix make an interesting sleuthing duo. The story dragged a bit in the middle, but once it picked up, it flew by. There are great red herrings, some obvious and others more clever. The Poison Pen Letters were a nice creepy touch, and Phoebe's quirky friends added a lot of humor. Even if you missed the first book, you’ll enjoy this one, but reading it gives more depth to the characters—especially Felix. I’m excited to see what’s next for the Village Detectives!

A fun little mystery, nothing new in the fact of someone mysterious says you are going to d— But it is different in the fact that a husband is along for the ride instead of a single character. It’s easier to do sleuthing when someone has your back. But there were plenty of times I wondered why Phoebe and Felix were even together. Just out if a comfort level im assuming. The story slowed in places but once I was halfway it flew by. I will read the next one.

An entertaining English village mystery with engaging characters. It suffers a bit in comparison with the Osman mysteries and is about 75 pages too long. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable read.

A really good cosy crime novel! Well written, this book kept me guessing until the end. I did guess part of whodunnit, but could never have guessed the other half, though it did make sense. It was slightly humorous in parts, and would be appreciated by fans of Richard Osman

Second book in this warm cozy series.Well written characters great setting fun activities enjoyed from first to last page.# netgalley #boldwoodbooks

Fiona Walker does write in a lovely funny way and I always enjoy her books. This new venture into cosy crime works well and the story is fun, engaging and warm in equal measures! Recommend for some light escapism.

The Poison Pen Letters is the second book in The Village Detective Series (or the VDs, as Juno somewhat unwittingly terms them). I've read book one and really enjoyed it. Book two is even stronger, perhaps because I know the characters, but also, I think because the plotting is even more secure. I genuinely had no idea who the real culprit was, which was fabulous.

Book 2 sees our intrepid foursome tackling the problem of who murdered the local postie on Phoebe's doorstep with the use of a poison pen letter - a crime that, even though you know it's coming at some point, is still quite shocking. While Pheobe's husband is determined it's someone outside the village from their past, Pheobe has other ideas. But of course, she is once more penning one of her crime novels (the little additions of that novel are delicious) and has no real time to focus on what's happening. Juno is as outrageous as ever, and her mother is such a fun character as she dips in and out of the narrative, as does her creaky car.

The personalities of a small village are lovingly brought to life, and I appreciated all the N gauge model railway comments, as I once spent some time selling off a set. It was also good to see @VeryBritishProblems mentioned as part of the social media universe that makes up a large part of the novel.

The Poison Pen Letters is brimming with fabulous characters and a perplexing crime, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy.

"We regret to announce the tragic death of Phoebe Fredericks...

When crime novelist Phoebe opens the post and receives an invitation to her own funeral, she's horrified. Not least because the date of her death is marked as tomorrow.

Deciding it's nothing more than a prank from an enemy from her past, she determines to put it to the back of her mind.

But the next morning, when her completely infuriating postman (who likes to think himself her no.1 literary critic) rings her doorbell, a parcel of poisoned pen-nibs explodes in his face. Forced to confront the fact her correspondence is more RIP than RSVP, Phoebe realises someone must want her dead.

Together with the newly-formed Village Detectives - Juno, Mil and Felix - Phoebe resolves to find out who is behind the poison pen letters before they strike again and her fate is signed, sealed and delivered!

An totally hilarious, modern cozy crime mystery, from million-copy bestselling author Fiona Walker, perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Janet Evanovich and Janice Hallett."

Did the poor postman die for being her no. 1 critic!?!

The Poison Pen Letters by Fiona Walker the 2nd instalment in the Village Detectives Cozy Mystery Series. I thoroughly enjoyed this engaging read and appreciated the author's writing style, which skillfully weaves a captivating mystery that keeps readers enthralled until the very end. We regret to announce the tragic death of Phoebe Fredericks… Together with the newly-formed Village Detectives – Juno, Mil and Felix – Phoebe resolves to find out who is behind the poison pen letters before they strike again and her fate is signed, sealed and delivered!

The story introduces a delightful ensemble of amateur sleuths, whose unlikely friendships are forged in the midst of murder and mystery.

The plot is engaging, with numerous twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. I appreciated the author's skillful pacing and character development, which made it easy to become invested in the lives of the protagonists. The novel's conclusion was satisfying, and I am eager to see how the series evolves in the third instalment.

I highly recommend the Village Detectives to fans of cozy mysteries and amateur sleuth stories. Overall, I am excited to continue following this series and seeing where the author takes these intriguing characters next.

requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Boldwood Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.