Last Updated on April 22, 2026
By his own admission author Peter Boland had been writing for quite some time with little success – he writes about at the end of the book.
It was only when a friend suggested that the cozy crime genre was about to go stratospheric that he decided to throw his hat in the ring and put to pen paper to create The Charity Shop Detective Agency.
So, how did his first attempt go? Not bad, actually. We have three solid characters, a serial killer who appears to be targeting their victims randomly, a healthy dose of humour, and a decent reveal at the end. What’s not to love?
It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a decent first attempt at a cozy crime novel. So, what are the problems with it?
Well, before I get to those, let me give you a quick summary of the book itself…
Fiona, Sue and Daisy
Fiona Sharp runs a local charity shop called Dogs Need Nice Homes, and she is joined by two other volunteers, Sue and Daisy.
Fiona’s arch nemesis, Sophie, runs the cat charity shop across the street and one Monday morning, while Fiona is on her way to work, she spots Sue dropping a box of unwanted donations outside Dogs Need Nice Homes.
Outraged, she checks the box to find a couple of broken items and a bloodied knife! The police collect the knife, and a little while later, the three ladies find out that their friend, Sarah Brown, has been murdered in her home.
Understandably shocked, they give their statements to the detective in charge – as they just handed in a knife – and, with nothing better to do, decide to solve the case themselves.
Armed with nothing more than knowing the killer left a domino with another name scratched into it at the scene and that a Tesco delivery driver found the body, the three ladies begin their search.
It then becomes quite clear that the killer isn’t finished yet, and as the bodies and suspects begin to pile up, the ladies start hitting one dead end after another.
That is until Fiona finds herself in the killer’s crosshairs.
So, can our sleuthing trio get to the bottom of the situation and bring the culprit to justice? Or will he get away with murder…
Pros & Cons
The first thing I am going to say is that there are an abundance of cozy crime novels with elderly ladies as central characters. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I fear that Richard Osman has started a trend that needs to be reined in a little!
I get the idea that older people sadly walk largely invisible through the world, and as such, nobody ever sees them as a threat. But the cliche is worn out now.
That’s also probably why I like The Cornish Murders and Armstrong and Oscar series a little bit more, as they offer a different kind of central detective.
That said, Fiona, Sue, and Daisy have nothing intrinsically wrong with them, and they admirably fill the roles of intrepid sleuths.
What I will say is that there is a lot of fun to be had in this book. It really is peppered with plenty of humour and laugh-out-loud moments, like Fiona’s dog, Simon le Bon, which nobody ever gets the reference to as they’re too young!
In terms of the big reveal, I felt like it dragged on a little too much and could have been wrapped up a bit sooner. The reason for the killings was daft to say the least but thankfully not enough to ruin the book.
Overall, The Charity Shop Detective Agency is exactly what you would expect from a cozy crime novel. It’s not the greatest, but it does tick a lot of boxes.
Books in the Series
I always like to know where characters and stories are going to go and fully plan to read more in this series, which are:
1. The Charity Shop Detective Agency (2022)
2. The Beach Hut Murders (2023)
3. Death at the Dog Show (2023)
And, like every cozy crime novel I read, I will post my review so you can decide whether to part with your hard-earned cash to buy it!
