The Garden Centre Murder - Peter Boland

 

Description

A body in the begonias — and a tricksy killer who knows just how to disappear into the foliage.
It sounds like a case for the Charity Shop Detective Agency!

When word of Arthur Oliver’s murder reaches Dogs Need Nice Homes Charity Shop, Fiona, Daisy and Partial Sue — the retired trio behind the till — are aghast.

They all loved the handsome retired doctor and his swoon-worthy fitness videos. But someone in the sleepy little seaside town of Southbourne is not a fan . . .

Arthur is found dead at the local garden centre. Stabbed in the back with a pair of designer shears.

The police don’t have a clue whodunit. So now Fiona, Daisy and Partial Sue are on the case — their adorably scruffy terrier Simon le Bon trotting closely behind.

The deeper they dig into Arthur’s secrets, the more they realize that no one in this case is quite what they seem.

From jilted exes to bitter rivals, the ladies’ list of suspects is growing by the minute.

The clock is ticking for our sleuths to crack the case.

Before the killer returns for a final round of dead-heading . . .

Fans of Richard Osman, Robert Thorogood, Janice Hallett, Simon Brett, Ian Moore and Sarah Yarwood-Lovett will adore this exciting new talent in cozy crime

Review

I was absolutely delighted to receive an early copy of this book ahead of publication. As a huge fan of The Charity Shop Detective Agency series, I have been eagerly awaiting the next instalment, and it did not disappoint. Having read every single book in this series, I can safely say that Peter Boland consistently delivers a thoroughly entertaining and comforting read. 

There is a wonderful, nostalgic charm to these stories. They are particularly brilliant if you are of a certain age and fondly remember classic television programmes like Dad's Army or spending Saturday afternoons watching the wrestling. That distinctively British sense of humour and community spirit shines through every page.

In this latest outing, we are reunited with our favourite trio of amateur sleuths volunteering at the "Dogs Need Nice Homes" charity shop: the level-headed Fiona, the tech-savvy Daisy, and, of course, the strong-willed Partial Sue. Catching up with them felt exactly like catching up with old friends, especially with their essential supply of tea and cake always on standby. While this series shares a sub-genre with several other popular cosy mysteries on the market, it stands out to me as the most authentic, witty, and deeply relatable. 

This time around, the ladies are faced with a particularly tricky conundrum: uncovering who murdered a local YouTuber. The victim was a retired doctor and a bit of a "silver fox" who left behind an extensive circle of lady friends. But who would want him dead? Peter Boland serves up a fantastic cast of suspects and a web of clever red herrings. In fact, the case was so intricately plotted and hard to figure out that, for a moment, I wasn't entirely sure the trio would be able to crack it this time!

I am happily giving this book a well-deserved 5 out of 5 stars. The ending leaves us with a brilliant little clue that suggests another adventure is on the horizon—hurrah! I already cannot wait to see what Fiona, Daisy, and Sue get up to next.

My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review. This books is published on 22 October 2026.

As We Fall Through Time - Claire North

Description

'WONDERFUL - A PROFOUND ACCOMPLISHMENT' Max Gladstone
'AN ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE' Adrian Tchaikovsky
'ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR' Kate Quinn

From the multi-award-winning Claire North comes an extraordinary and epic tale of time travel, betrayal and a love that echoes through the centuries.

In the beginning, the world will end. This is the story of what happens next.

When Cal meets a soldier of the French Revolution, he knows his lover is destined to die. But what is the point of being a time traveller if you can't make a few small tweaks to the course of history? A little paradox here, an alteration there - nothing Cal can't fix, to save the man he loves.

When Fadimatu walks into a museum in 2018, she stumbles upon her own mummified corpse, setting her on the path to a betrayal that has already killed her, and a murder that has not yet come to pass.

And when a sudden rupture in the fabric of history rips through the lives these travellers have built, breaking both past and future, they must reckon with death foretold, love forsaken, and a secret that will shatter time itself.

Fall through history on a thrilling journey of shattered time, broken futures and a love that can never be erased.

'A wonderful book . . .It's a rare treat to read a novel with such scope and depth. A profound accomplishment. I loved it' Max Gladstone, co-author of This is How You Lose the Time War

'Absolutely, impossibly brilliant: at once epic and intimate, emotionally devastating and intellectually dazzling . . . I can't imagine reading a better book this year' H. G. Parry, author of The Magician's Daughter

'Casually brilliant, flippantly funny, deeply philosophical, and achingly tender, As We Fall Through Time is one of the best books of the year' Kate Quinn, author of The Alice Network

'An absolute masterpiece of a book: ingenious, touching, sharp-edged. North is one of the imaginative greats' Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time

'Poignant, propulsive and glorious' M. R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts

'North's talent shines out' Sunday Times

'Claire North goes from strength to strength' Guardian

Review

Although I’m a big fan of time-travel fiction, and I’m always excited to discover a new take on the genre, this novel unfortunately didn’t quite work for me.

There is no denying that it is well written, with some amusing moments and lots of big, bold ideas.  I can appreciate the creativity and ambition that has gone into crafting this story.

Unfortunately, I struggled to keep up with the rapid shifts through time, along with the various parallel storylines. Just when I felt I was getting to grips with what was happening, the narrative would move on again, leaving me feeling a little lost. I found it difficult to stay fully engaged with the characters and their individual journeys when I was spending so much time trying figure out how everything fitted together.

I suspect this is one of those books that will appeal enormously to readers who enjoy complex, thought-provoking stories that challenge their understanding of time, reality and the possibilities that lie beyond our everyday experience. I can certainly appreciate what the author was trying to achieve, and there were moments when the sheer scale of the ideas was impressive. However, for me, the complexity sometimes got in the way of my enjoyment rather than adding to it.

Sadly, despite my love of time-travel fiction and my admiration for the writing and imagination on display, this novel just wasn’t for me. I wanted to love it, but I never quite found myself connecting with the story in the way I had hoped. It’s always disappointing when a book has so much going for it on paper but ultimately leaves you feeling a little underwhelmed. Sorry, this one simply didn’t hit the mark for me!

Life Out Of Order - Audrey Niffenegger

 

Description

Two great loves. A world in chaos. And a life that never lands in order.

'Graceful... Satisfying... It takes on the biggest issues of our times without a flinch' BONNIE GARMUS

'Wonderfully enigmatic' TRACY CHEVALIER

'A marvel... Something I won't stop thinking about' CLAIRE DAVERLEY

Alba DeTamble is a time traveler, slipping unpredictably through decades like her father before her. But the hardest thing she carries isn’t the burden of futures she can’t understand, or pasts she cannot change – it’s a secret: she is in love with two different people.

Each of them offers a different life. Zach lives in the present and can’t follow her when she disappears. Oliver can travel through time, just like she can.

As Alba careens from time to time, moving from the riot-torn Chicago streets of her present to the eerie, timeless Yellow House, and into the digital corridors of the Museum of Lost Souls and a flooded future London, she must face a question she can no longer avoid: how is it possible to love, and live a meaningful life, in an increasingly troubled, fractured world?

Intimate and expansive, Life Out of Order is a kaleidoscopic story of love, resilience and hope when time is running out.

Review

Where do I even begin with this review? Reading this book was a true roller coaster for me: I went from not knowing what was happening, to wanting to give up, to absolutely loving it, and finally landing somewhere in the middle, feeling a bit indifferent.
A lot of this inconsistency came down to the book's pacing. For me, it felt significantly overlong. Because of the jumping timelines, I expected the narrative to be a little jumbled, but it ultimately became too much to keep track of. The sheer number of characters didn't help either; many of them simply dropped into the dialogue with no introduction, making it hard to stay oriented.
However, everything changed when I reached 75% through the book. Oliver’s story completely gripped me, pulling me back in and getting me fully reinvested. I also connected with the AI elements of the plot. While the final stretch redeemed the book for me, the many character introductions and over long length kept it from being 5 star review.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.