A cosy mystery, this is set in a small seaside town and revolves around three women in their sixties and seventies who run a charity shop for a charity that rehomes dogs. The main character, Fiona, has a dog herself. The three friends form the Charity Shop Detective Agency when one of their customers, Sarah Brown, is found stabbed. Sarah, who lived nearby, was a regular attendee of weekly coffee mornings which the shop has hosted since the scrapping of a mini bus that used to take her and other older people at this side of town to the community centre.

During the course of their investigation, the women pursue various lines of enquiry, sometimes clashing with the amazingly tolerant police inspector who is heading the investigation. They are often reluctant to pass information on to her, not wanting to point the finger at certain people without proof, but often, their endeavours to get that proof makes matters worse.

I did guess quite early on who the perpetrator was though found this person's motive totally unbelievable when they were finally uncovered. The book is a bit slow moving at times with rather too much repetitive detail about tea and cake. A pleasant read but I wouldn't bother with the others in the series. Overall, three stars. ( )

The Charity Shop Detective Agency is a light, pleasant read-- a relaxing way to spend a rainy afternoon. I've long been intrigued by the plethora of charity shops in the UK. With much fewer storage unit facilities there, the British must use charity shops to prevent the build-up of all the "stuff" that we Americans can't seem to turn loose of. I did learn quite a bit about the routine in these shops, and how the people running them work to fit into the community as well as entice potential customers.

Seventy-six-year-old Fiona is the woman who loves to read crime novels, and she is responsible for the best two parts of the book. So many cozy mysteries seem to have amateur sleuths who tackle an investigation and don't seem to have too much trouble "getting the job done." You and I both know that that wouldn't happen in the real world. Author Peter Boland does an excellent job showing how Fiona finds out she isn't as smart as she thinks. She makes mistakes and often makes things worse. She realizes this, and seeing how her investigative skills improve as the series progresses will be interesting.

On a more light-hearted note, the scenes I enjoyed the most involved a novel by Val McDermid and how Fiona used it as a bargaining chip to get some needed information. Only diehard readers would understand how this could easily happen.

The Charity Shop Detective Agency is a light, pleasant read with interesting characters. I just may find myself visiting Dogs Need Nice Homes again. ( )

A simply delightful read if a bit longwinded at times. I’m definitely on board to see what the future has in store for the ladies! ( )

 Three women who volunteer in a charity shop named ‘Dogs Need Nice Homes‘ decide to take on a bit of amateur sleuthing when an elderly lady is found murdered in her home, stabbed in the back. Have they taken on more than they can chew? No pun intended! 🐶

This is a fun and entertaining read. It is written with a great sense of humour and has a whole cast of quirky characters. The ‘detectives’ put me in mind of the ‘Golden Girls’! The pace rattles along nicely and there are plenty of twists, turns and red herrings during the journey. I thought I had the killer worked out but I was wrong! It definitely kept me guessing until the end. I really enjoyed this cosy murder mystery, it’s tongue in cheek, and I look forward to further adventures with the trusty trio. 🕵️🕵️🕵️ ( )