A Tail of Village Murder

The Charity and Muffin Cozy English Mysteries #1

by Lucy Emblem

A charming English village. A trail of secrets. Two determined ladies and their loyal dogs.

Charity has traded windy walks on the Malvern Hills for the quieter life of Malvern View Retirement Village. Sharing the quaint Gardener’s Cottage with her spirited friend Dorothy, three lively dogs, and three inquisitive cats, she’s looking forward to peaceful days of tea, gossip, knitting, and the occasional crossword.

But trouble arrives before they’ve even unpacked.

First come petty thefts. Then an attack. And finally – a body discovered in the carefully tended flowerbeds. Drawing on her memories of village life in the 1950s, Charity soon realises something deeply dishonest is lurking beneath the village’s polite smiles … and she may be the only one who sees the pattern.

With her fluffy dog Muffin at her heels – and Dorothy always ready with a flask of tea and a fresh theory – Charity sets out to unravel the truth. Can two senior amateur sleuths (and their furry companions) solve the mystery before the killer strikes again?

The Charity & Muffin Cozy English Mysteries begin here with a warm-hearted, gently humorous whodunit full of dogs, friendship, and village intrigue.

Perfect for fans

• Senior sleuths – female amateur detectives

• Retirement village cozy mysteries

• Dog and cat sidekicks

• English village whodunits

• Light-hearted mysteries with gentle humour

• Friendship, tea, knitting, and community secrets

• The quirky, cosy world of Malvern View Village

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Amazon

184 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 16, 2025

Reviews

[Lynn Hayward-Bisbee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read all of Lucy Emblem's Tamsin Kernick cozy mysteries in that series. And while I genuinely really like that series because I love animals, the humane way Tamsin treats and trains dogs, all the characters and the interplay between them all in small village England, as much as I wanted to like this new spin off series, I just didn't.

This spin off series features our favorite elderly lady, Charity, from Tamsin Kernick's series and her friend, Dorothy, and they have moved into a retirement village together. I don't have an objection to reading about senior citizens solving crimes. I am a big fan of Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series. And I get that this is a cozy mystery and is designed to be easy reading without any violence, swearing and sex. I get that. I like that.

What didn't I like then? I'm not even sure I can put my finger on it. I know that this retirement village is not one I would ever want to live in. There's too much activity, too many people and too many people nosing into each other's business. I don't think I'd ever make it in a retirement village because I'm just too introverted and I generally prefer all the animals on my farm more than I enjoy most people. Perhaps that's the simple reason why I can't get into this mystery set in a retirement village.

I'm also just not fond of the endless conversations and trying to keep up with all of the characters. I found a lot of the conversation to be superfluous. I honestly think that perhaps this book was just a little too extroverted for my introverted nature: too many people, too many conversations and too much gossiping (which I realize is how Charity and Dorothy find out things). I should have been able to finish this book in an hour or two, but it took me days which is a pretty good indication that I just couldn't get into it.

I really do like Lucy Emblem's work and I will absolutely continue reading the Tamsin Kernick series, but this one just wasn't for me.

I was given a free copy to give my honest opinion and I hope Lucy forgives me for not liking this one as much.

[Sue Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tail of village murder. Lucy emblem

This is the first in a new series which is a spin off of the Tamsin series. You do not need to have read the previous series to enjoy this book.

This series features charity, from the previous series, and her dog muffin. The story begins with Charity moving into her new home in a retirement village with her friend Dorothy and their dogs and cats. On a walk with the dogs they discover a bag hidden in the undergrowth.

During the book we are introduced to new characters and new places, the story continues to weave through their lives and charity and her friends investigate the mysteries.

Delightful descriptions, lovely cozy storyline, filled with interesting facts and mysteries to solve. Love it, can’t wait to read more in the series.

[Ingrid Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first novel in a new series by this author.
I had only read the first in her other series before starting this book, so some of the characters were new to me. But this book is fine to read as a stand alone if you have not read the other series.

The book has a lot of details of the various characters and flows along nicely as the mystery intersperses with the day-to-day happenings in their new lives.
There are several hints at the previous books in the Tamsin series, but nothing that you absolutely need to know to read this book.

I didn't see the big mystery reveal coming, but thought the smaller mystery explanation was a bit far fetched.

I am curious to read the next book in the series and see how it all develops!

[Gerald Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the brilliant new series. It can be read as a stand alone book.

Set in a retirement village featuring lots of different characters and features Charity, Dorothy and their furry friends. This book introduces us to new characters, another murder and all with a festive feel.

The body is discovered in the gardens of the retirement village but the man is not a resident there. What’s he doing there? Who is he? What is the link? Charity and her friends are determined to get to the bottom of it all.

Well written with a lovely storyline and a mix of characters, I am really enjoying this series of books by a talented author.

[Lavender Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fabulously fun. It is ingeniously plotted, well-crafted and thoroughly entertaining. Charity and Dorothy are very relatable and likeable, I love all the pets, and I enjoyed Tamsin’s cameo appearance. Highly recommended!

A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.

[Linda Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Tail of Village Murder is the first book in the new spin-off series by Lucy Emblem. Charity and Dorothy (the lady Tamsin Kernick lodged with when she first came to Malvern), have moved to a retirement village.
There’s mystery and murder, but Charity is on the case.
Tamsin and Jonathan make a cameo appearance too.
It’s fun and entertaining. Looking forward to Book 2.

[Marseydoats · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charity and her friend Dorothy move into a retirement community with their cats and dogs, and almost immediately find a bag of stolen electronics. Then another of the residents is murdered, and they have two mysteries to solve. Tamsin, Jonathon, and her dogs have a minor role in this, and it was nice to see them again.
I really enjoyed this, and look forward to the next one!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Cozy Indeed

Dogs, cats, and chirpy old ladies — what’s not to like? For the die-hard Miss Marple fan, not a thing. Sadly, I’m not a die-hard Miss Marple fan. For me, it’s too cozy and the little old ladies are too chirpy. However, the writing and editing are good and the plot is solid if somewhat simplistic.

[Martine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well you don't have to be young to solve crimes. Dorothy can prove that. This is a nice spin-off of the Tamsin Kernick series. You don't have to have read them prior to reading this series.
I received an advance review copy and I'm leaving a voluntary and honest review.

[Alayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new series by Lucy Emblem, and it's just as good as the Tamsin stories. These feature Charity and Muffin, the elderly lady and her dog who are friends with Tamsin. I found it highly enjoyable, and quite mysterious. Very highly recommended.

[JoAn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charity and Dorothy are mature women who have decided to move into a retirement village. They were likable ladies and I enjoyed meeting their menagerie of pets. There was more than one mystery to keep the story moving along as the ladies got to know their new neighbors. Enjoyable afternoon read.

[Laurel Kristick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pets were the best part of this cozy mystery - the two senior sleuths, who have just moved into a retirement village, were just too cutesy for me. I think I would have liked them better as the side characters they apparently were in another series by this author.

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this

[Dar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story!
A good read with great characters. Liked the dogs and their help in solving the murder.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book about Chary and Dorothy. And there pets. A cricket match and a murder. Must read this book

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful!

I have read all of the books in Lucy Emblem’s other series and I was thrilled to see this new series. I wasn’t disappointed in it, it was wonderful to read.