Still waters run deep in this baffling new case for the Charity Shop Detective Agency!

Wild swimming in February? No, thank you . . . To Fiona, Daisy and Partial Sue, the retired ladies behind the counter at Dogs Need Nice Homes charity shop, it sounds like torture.

Still, no one ever died of plunging themselves into the icy sea waters...Until now.

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When the body of Colin Barclay — retired PE master and wild-swimming fanatic — washes up in a secluded cove, the ladies begin to realize just how dicey this wellbeing trend can be. Especially when a shifty new customer comes calling at their charity shop.

Is this where you solve murders? She asks, her eyes darting wildly round the shelves of bric-a-brac. I think I have one . . .

This woman knows Colin better than most. And she’s convinced his death was no accident. It was murder. But she’ll need the ladies to dive in and help her prove it . . .

My Review

I’ve always fancied the idea of wild swimming – theoretically. Me and cold water don’t really get on though. In reality I don’t care if there is snow on the hills and it’s minus 2 degrees, so long as the water is warm – hot preferably. With steam rising off the surface.

But the ladies of the Dogs Need Nice Homes charity shop want to help new found friend Beth to solve the murder of her friend Colin Barclay. Except the police believe it was an accident, no foul play involved. The wild swimmers have a rule – never swim alone – and Colin was a stickler for the rules. So what was he doing out on his own?

This leaves the question who is going to be the main investigator? It will involve some wild swimming, so for Daisy and Partial Sue, it’s a definite no-no, but Fiona is made of sterner stuff. So off she goes with her new teal-coloured swimsuit and a flask of tea. She is introduced to Ahmed and Rani who lend her a pair of leaky neoprene boots and tell her what equipment she will need to bring next time. She even left her tea in the car.

Death Of A Wild Swimmer is a very entertaining read, with the three main characters – Fiona, Daisy and Partial Sue – being both likable, and nosy in a good way. They solve crimes in their own inimitable fashion, with the help of Fiona’s dog Simon Le Bon.

It romps along (or should it be splashes) at a cracking pace (relatively – the ladies are getting on a bit), and we meet all sorts of possible suspects along the way, like Roger from the surf shop, Ralph the surfer dude, Colin’s therapist Ted Maplin, ‘charming’ wild swimmer Will with his budgie smugglers, and a host of others.

I only have one query? Who looks after Simon Le Bon when the ladies are on holiday? Please do tell (I’m always available).

Many thanks to @ZooloosBT  for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the Author

After studying to be an architect, Peter realised he wasn’t very good at it. He liked designing buildings he just couldn’t make them stand up, which is a bit of a handicap in an industry that likes to keep things upright. So he switched to advertising, writing ads for everything from cruise lines to zombie video games.

After becoming disillusioned with working in ad agencies, he switched to writing thriller novels (or was it because he just wanted to work at home in his pyjamas?). He soon realised there’s no magic formula. You just have to put one word in front of the other (and keep doing that for about a year). It also helps if you can resist the lure of surfing, playing Nintendo Switch with his son, watching America’s Next Top Model with his daughter and drinking beer in a garden chair.

Book Links
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com
Purchase Link: www.amazon.co.uk

Peter’s Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeterBolandWriter
Twitter: https://x.com/PeterBoland19
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/peterboland.bsky.social

Joffe Books’ Social Media
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