Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

Anyone else imagine the Odd Couple? This is a decent mystery that I got partially right. I like to try and figure out who did it, I think like anyone else really, and I didn't get the killer, but I got the reason, sort of. Actually, as I'm writing this, I guess I'm hyping myself up more. This is a good mystery.

3.5 stars

English cozy series debut featuring two old actors who are a bit of an odd couple as an investigative team. John is affable, charming and upbeat. Edward is a bit of a misanthrope, cranky and suspicious.

Edward stumbles across the body of a dead young woman while on location for a TV show he is cast in. He is convinced from the first that this is no accidental death, but the local coppers don't agree. He and John start sleuthing. They find plenty of clues, but they can't seem to interest anyone in authority to pursue them except for one very junior and inexperienced young cop.

Their search leads them back in time 25 years to World War II and involves some interesting storylines. The duo grudgingly become a kind of friends as Edward softens occasionally and they get to know one another. There is some wry humor along the way and a bit of poignancy at times. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It seems like elderly sleuths are definitely having a cozy mystery moment these days. This book, about two aging actors turned sleuths, fits that bill.

I liked the book well enough. It wasn't one of my favorites, mainly because I wish it had been funnier. The cozy vibes weren't quite there either. The concept was fun though and I think there's a lot of potential for future adventures.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the arc in exchange of an honest review

What a fun start to a new cozy mystery series. The 1970 setting was a fun twist and the fact that we follow two actors were also interesting. It was a fun and witty whodunnit murder mystery which I think fans of The Thursday Murder Club would enjoy.

〝'to a return to a quiet life!' he said as the glasses clinked together.〞

★★

thank you to titan books and netgalley for providing me with this arc.

in 1970, on the set of downmarket sitcom, the leading man stumbles across the body of a woman, apparently the victim of a tragic drowning accident. but there's something about her that rings the faintest of bells in his head and, convinced the woman has been murdered, he enlists the help of his co-star to investigate further. crossing the country and back again during gaps in filming, the two men uncover both a series of murders in the modern day, and links to another unfortunate death during the war. as the body count mounts, the co-stars face a race against time to save the innocent victims of a serial killer.

I think I went into this book with the wrong expectations. the cover reminded me of the thursday murder club books which made me think this was going to be humorous. that combined with the main characters being actors in the 70s made me think this was going to be more camp, glam rocky and drug induced. Sadly, this was more in the realm of two conservative and somewhat sexist middle aged men unhappy with their careers continuously reliving their glory days during the war. the plot in itself was pretty fun and well thought out and I appreciate the layers of twists that kept surprising me but the boring main characters just dragged the whole book down with them.

overall, this is a pretty standard murder mystery with a well thought out plot but it wasn't what I was expecting and if I knew that I probably wouldn't have read it. if, however, you're more into the normal mysteries instead of the humor/ cozy mystery sub genre I would give this a try.

ig: @winterrainreads

Introduction of enoyable amateur detectives (ala Simon Brett’s Charles Paris with an appealing TV show setting
I should have liked this well-written mystery more but…
The book was too long and sluggishly paced—too many needless descriptions
The solution was quite far-fetched with dubious motivation