Note: This copy of Murder on Friday Street was provided by NetGalley.

Murder on Friday Street by Russell Cooper is a charming cosy murder-mystery set in an idyllic village in England around the early 2000s. The plot follows a now 28 year old woman, Charlie, who had lost her father over a decade before in a mugging gone wrong. Having been taken in by two eccentric retired twins, who were close friends with her late father, Charlie has been cared for and doted on, but the lingering loss of her father never faded, and something about the mugging never sat right with her. It also didn’t help that her father was a former MI6 operative, along with the twins Cedric and Ambrose, so a mugging just seemed a bit far-fetched. When she learns that one of the purported suspects was another MI6 agent, and friend of theirs, the mystery as to why her father was murdered had to be looked into. The story revolves around how Charlie, and the dynamic duo of Cedric and Ambrose, go about trying to solve the decade old murder of their friend, while picking along a ragtag group of people that help them along the way.

First things first, this book will remind anyone of the Thursday Murder Club; but in a good way. I quite enjoyed the diverse and eccentric cast of characters we stumble upon, and occasionally found myself chuckling at the absurdity of their antics. The plot was more fast paced than I expected for a cosy murder-mystery but still easy to follow. There is significant plot armour, especially around Charlie who in my opinion, was a very disappointingly written character. Her behaviour was more akin to an 18 year old than a 28 year old and this is my main gripe with this book, as I just couldn’t come to terms with her immature behaviour. Outside of Charlie, the characters just worked so well for me.

I quite enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to what the schenanigans the group finds themselves embroiled in next. Unfortunately, I sincerely hope Charlie isn’t featured much in the next one, and we can just enjoy the retired old coots solving crime. Definitely recommended for fans of the cosy murder-mystery genre.

Links:

• Goodreads: Murder on Friday Street – Russell Cooper