Sunday 10 December 2023

Death at the Dog Show by Peter Boland

 


Death at the Dog Show  by Peter Boland - Crime

Dog-lovers, please note none of our furry friends die in this book.

When a woman collapses at a dog show it is first thought that she has had a heart attack. The ladies from “Dogs Need Nice Homes” charity shop are there at their stall and soon get a visit from the local police who advise that it's looking like murder. As the ladies have rather a reputation for solving crime they set to investigating. The thing is they are better placed having been at the scene than the police as in the middle of a field there is no CCTV and little to go on, most things having been bought with cash so nothing is traceable. Who could have wanted the woman dead, how and why?

I adore this series- this book does stand alone. It's brilliantly written with wonderful characters, I can’t help but smile as I'm writing this. Peter has a special talent for making the characters leap off the page as if they are old friends. Partial Sue is a particular favourite (if you know, you know). The ladies balance each other very well, some more outgoing than others and each having different skills. To me these are far better than some more well known cozy crimes around, there’s something really special about them, I find them hugely entertaining and a real lift. A wonderfully thrilling read I can’t recommend highly enough.

For more reviews please follow me on Twitter or Threads  @nickisbookblog

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DEATH AT THE DOG SHOW (Charity Shop Detective Agency #4) by Peter Boland A brand-new cozy mystery from a bestselling author! PUT THE KETTLE ON AND DISCOVER AN UTTERLY CHARMING MURDER MYSTERY SET IN A SLEEPY ENGLISH SEASIDE TOWN. Dog-lovers, please note none of our furry friends die in this book. It’s the day of the Christchurch Dog Show. The whole town is aquiver with excitement. The ladies of the Charity Shop Detective Agency are hoping to make lots of new furry friends. After a very dramatic Best Biscuit Catcher competition, Fiona, Sue and Daisy, from the Dogs Need Nice Homes charity shop, come across a shocking scene. The dog show’s vet is performing CPR on a woman. The ladies rush over, but it’s too late. Back at the shop, the ladies are shocked to learn that the poor woman was murdered. Someone injected Sylvia Steadman with something very nasty indeed. Then our silver sleuths uncover that Sylvia was the owner of ex-Crufts-winner Charlie. She must have had lots of very jealous competitors . . .There’s barely time for elevenses. The charity shop detectives must roll up their sleeves — they have a killer to catch. Fans of The Thursday Murder Club, Janice Hallett, Simon Brett, Ian Moore and Sarah Yarwood-Lovett will adore this exciting new talent in cozy crime. THE CHARITY SHOP DETECTIVES Level-headed Fiona has found a quiet sanctuary volunteering at the local charity shop, Dogs Need Nice Homes. A charity shop that raises money for dogs in need of nice homes. And she’s found firm friendship with the strong-willed Partial Sue (she’s ever so partial to a cup of tea) and the kindly and surprisingly tech-savvy Daisy. Together, these ladies, with Simon Le Bon, Fiona’s scruffy-haired terrier cross, investigate murders as the Charity Shop Detective Agency. THE SETTING The lovely coastal town of Southbourne is, on paper, little more than a small suburb hemmed in by Bournemouth to the west and Christchurch to the north. But it’s home to the prettiest avenues lined with gorgeous Georgian homes which lead to a grass-topped cliff standing guard over a sweeping bay of blond sand, soft as Demerara sugar. Some say it’s also home to the best charity shops in the country. The ladies of the Charity Shop Detective Agency maintain that Dogs Need Nice Homes — though musty and more than a little cramped — is certainly number one. Well, they definitely solve the most crimes at least! ALSO BY PETER BOLAND THE CHARITY SHOP DETECTIVE AGENCY MYSTERIES Book 1: THE CHARITY SHOP DETECTIVE AGENCY Book 2: THE BEACH HUT MURDERS Book 3: DEATH AT THE DOG SHOW


PETER BOLAND After studying to be an architect, Pete realised he wasn’t very good at it. He liked designing buildings, he just couldn’t make them stand up — a big handicap in an industry that’s partial to keeping things upright. So he became an advertising copywriter, the highlight of which was creating an ad featuring Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman. He then tried his hand at writing his own stories and quickly realised there’s no magic formula. You just have to put one word in front of the other (and keep doing that for about six months). It also helps if you can resist the lure of surfing and drinking beer in a garden chair. The first book in his Charity Shop Detective Agency series will publish in late 2022. BOOKS BY PETER BOLAND THE CHARITY SHOP DETECTIVE AGENCY MYSTERIES SERIES: THE CHARITY SHOP DETECTIVE AGENCY THE BEACH HUT MURDERS DEATH AT THE DOG SHOW FOLLOW PETER ON: GOODREADS FACEBOOK TWITTER



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