How Not To Murder Your Ex
(The Bad Girls Detective Agency #1)
by Katie Marsh
It is 5:30 am on Clio’s forty-fifth birthday and her hated ex is lying dead on her doorstep. Even worse, this is no accident. Someone’s killed him…
When single mum Clio’s ex Gary turns up dead on the doorstep of her caravan – the one she’s been forced to live in ever since he stole every penny she had – there’s only one suspect. Her.
What’s more, she doesn’t remember much about the night he was killed – not just because of the forgetfulness that’s been plaguing her along with the hot flushes – but because she definitely had one too many cocktails with her two best friends Amber and Jeanie.
Clio does remember them talking about how much they all hated him though. And, in the frame for murder, she has to ask herself – if she didn’t kill Gary, who did? One of his many enemies? Or someone a little closer to home? And can she and her friends find the real killer before it’s too late?
Unputdownable mystery set on the English coast – perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, Bad Sisters, and How to Kill Your Family.
Favorite Quotes:
Maybe Amber’s lethal margaritas had tipped her over the edge– cocktails mixed by someone doing the Macarena were always going to be a risk.
Clio had thought that slipping a disc while doing up her bra would go down in history as her worst birthday ever, but it appeared that life always had new treats in store.
Clio could always say anything. She specialised in speaking her truth, no matter how unwilling the world was to hear it.
It must be nice, having an inheritance. All Gary’s dad had left him were freckles and an allergy to freshly cut grass.
She was so full of aggression she had practically grown spikes.
How had Amber managed to work with him for so long? He was the kind of person who enjoyed reading instruction manuals. Out loud.
Clio wondered how science had come far enough to be able to get Richard Branson into space and yet still hadn’t solved the problem of nasal hair.
My Review:
I adored this wittily penned and vastly enjoyable read and was thrilled to realize it is the start of a new series. The writing was giggle-snort and smirk-worthy from start to finish with cunning insights and wry humor lacing it all together.
Katie Marsh is a sly storyteller who has weaved an entertaining and immersive tale with delightfully humorous observations and keenly penned descriptions that drew sharp visuals to my mind’s eye. I was thoroughly engaged, pleasantly entertained, deeply invested, and highly amused and resented any interruptions to my perusal.
The main characters were deeply flawed yet authentic and admirable as they were living their lives and still deeply bonded from childhood while now in middle age, despite their divergent paths and odd personal quirks. I can’t wait to dive into the next installment.
Katie wrote romantic fiction before turning to crime. Her debut novel was a World Book Night pick and her books are published in ten languages.
She lives in the English countryside and loves strong coffee and pretending to be in charge of her children. ‘How Not to Murder your Ex’, the first in her Bad Girls Detective Agency series is out now, published by Boldwood Books. The next instalment, ‘Murder on the Dancefloor,’ follows in March 2024.
