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The Armchair Detectives on Holiday
Not yet published
Expected 22 Jun 26Martin and Albie are jetting off for some sun and sangria. But they didn’t bank on finding a body on the beach…
Fresh from their last case at Twilight Lodge, Martin and Albie reward themselves with a relaxing trip to the sun-soaked island of Menorca.
But when they head down to breakfast one morning, they happen upon a panicked husband reporting his wife, bestselling author Karen Squires, missing. Soon afterwards they’re shocked to discover Karen’s body on the beach.
Local police call it a tragic one look at the broken safety fence on the cliffs above suggests Karen fell. But the victim’s perfectly-manicured nails tells Martin that this was no accident. She was pushed.
Back at the hotel, the duo discover that Karen was running a retreat for writers, all of whom seem shocked by her untimely passing. But which one of them may have had a motive for murder? Was a fellow writer jealous of her success? Did her devoted husband feel sidelined?
As they hunt for clues, they realise that the answer may be found in one of Karen’s bestsellers and luckily for them, Albie’s girlfriend, Barbara, is her number one fan. A killer is hiding in plain sight. But to get to them, can they separate the fact from the fiction before it’s too late?
Fresh from their last case at Twilight Lodge, Martin and Albie reward themselves with a relaxing trip to the sun-soaked island of Menorca.
But when they head down to breakfast one morning, they happen upon a panicked husband reporting his wife, bestselling author Karen Squires, missing. Soon afterwards they’re shocked to discover Karen’s body on the beach.
Local police call it a tragic one look at the broken safety fence on the cliffs above suggests Karen fell. But the victim’s perfectly-manicured nails tells Martin that this was no accident. She was pushed.
Back at the hotel, the duo discover that Karen was running a retreat for writers, all of whom seem shocked by her untimely passing. But which one of them may have had a motive for murder? Was a fellow writer jealous of her success? Did her devoted husband feel sidelined?
As they hunt for clues, they realise that the answer may be found in one of Karen’s bestsellers and luckily for them, Albie’s girlfriend, Barbara, is her number one fan. A killer is hiding in plain sight. But to get to them, can they separate the fact from the fiction before it’s too late?
369 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 22, 2026
1 person is currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Matt Dunn
24 books371 followersMatt was born in Margate, but eventually escaped to Spain to write his first novel (in between working as a newspaper columnist, and playing a lot of tennis). Previously he has been a professional lifeguard, fitness equipment salesman, and an IT head hunter, but he prefers writing for a living, so hopes people will keep buying his books.
Matt is the author of four contemporary romantic comedy novels; Best Man, The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook (which was shortlisted for both the Romantic Novel Of The Year award, as well as the Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance), From Here To Paternity, and Ex-Girlfriends United. He's also written about life, love, and relationships for various publications including The Times, Guardian, Cosmopolitan, Company, Elle, Glamour, and The Sun.
Several of Matt's novels have been translated for various European markets (he's big in the Balkans, apparently), as well as as far afield as Malaysia and Indonesia. He's a regular on the literary festival scene, and rates the recent lecturing stint he did on the Creative Writing degree course at London Metropolitan University as one of the most rewarding things he's ever done - and not only because of the number of ideas he was able to appropriate from his students for his books.
Matt is the author of four contemporary romantic comedy novels; Best Man, The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook (which was shortlisted for both the Romantic Novel Of The Year award, as well as the Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance), From Here To Paternity, and Ex-Girlfriends United. He's also written about life, love, and relationships for various publications including The Times, Guardian, Cosmopolitan, Company, Elle, Glamour, and The Sun.
Several of Matt's novels have been translated for various European markets (he's big in the Balkans, apparently), as well as as far afield as Malaysia and Indonesia. He's a regular on the literary festival scene, and rates the recent lecturing stint he did on the Creative Writing degree course at London Metropolitan University as one of the most rewarding things he's ever done - and not only because of the number of ideas he was able to appropriate from his students for his books.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
In the first book of this series, Martin and Albie went all out to catch a killer. They did it in such a way that had me laughing out loud, and I can’t help but give them a special place in my heart.
An extra fun detail was that this comedic duo wasn’t going to stop at just one adventure, but first they were ready for a week of well-deserved rest.
So we find them on a sunny Spanish island in book two, joined by Martin’s daughter — and of course, sniffer dog Custard is along for the ride. Time to relax and enjoy…
But it doesn’t take long before the two men put their detective hats back on and, in their own typical way, start piecing together a puzzle to solve the mystery.
Once again, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments thanks to the comical situations they find themselves in and the clever wordplay throughout.
Combined with a story full of twists and revealed secrets, this makes for a very enjoyable cozy mystery.
It had been quite a while since I last read a book in this genre, even though these kinds of stories are actually great fun. This series reminded me that humor and mystery can definitely go hand in hand.
For me personally, this book was just a little less funny than the first one, which is why I’m giving it 4.5 stars.
Thank you.
An extra fun detail was that this comedic duo wasn’t going to stop at just one adventure, but first they were ready for a week of well-deserved rest.
So we find them on a sunny Spanish island in book two, joined by Martin’s daughter — and of course, sniffer dog Custard is along for the ride. Time to relax and enjoy…
But it doesn’t take long before the two men put their detective hats back on and, in their own typical way, start piecing together a puzzle to solve the mystery.
Once again, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments thanks to the comical situations they find themselves in and the clever wordplay throughout.
Combined with a story full of twists and revealed secrets, this makes for a very enjoyable cozy mystery.
It had been quite a while since I last read a book in this genre, even though these kinds of stories are actually great fun. This series reminded me that humor and mystery can definitely go hand in hand.
For me personally, this book was just a little less funny than the first one, which is why I’m giving it 4.5 stars.
Thank you.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
“The Armchair Detectives” was one of my great joys in 2025. I was so excited when I saw Matt Dunn was releasing the second novel in the series. But with as good as the first book was, the question remains, can Mr. Dunn continue the momentum. The answer? Absolutely. But…
Let me just say that for the most part, the first half of the book just felt like any other cozy mystery. It was enjoyable, had several chuckle-worthy moments, but nothing really stood out to make it any better from all of the other cozies out there.
The second half of the book is where this novel really shines. Martin and Albie are at their best as things really ramp up. There were several laugh out loud moments (Albie on the cobblestone street, the gathering to name the killer that goes sideways, etc.) and as with the first book, the mystery is really good.
“The Armchair Detectives on Holiday” is a really good book. Not as good as the first novel in the series, but a worthy entry in this series. And once again, I can’t wait till Martin and Albie have another adventure.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an ARC for an unbiased review.
Let me just say that for the most part, the first half of the book just felt like any other cozy mystery. It was enjoyable, had several chuckle-worthy moments, but nothing really stood out to make it any better from all of the other cozies out there.
The second half of the book is where this novel really shines. Martin and Albie are at their best as things really ramp up. There were several laugh out loud moments (Albie on the cobblestone street, the gathering to name the killer that goes sideways, etc.) and as with the first book, the mystery is really good.
“The Armchair Detectives on Holiday” is a really good book. Not as good as the first novel in the series, but a worthy entry in this series. And once again, I can’t wait till Martin and Albie have another adventure.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an ARC for an unbiased review.
May 1, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Armchair Detectives on Holiday by Matt Dunn in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun, cosy, light-hearted mystery with just the right holiday feel. The amateur sleuthing was entertaining, the characters were charming, and the story had plenty of gentle humour to keep things moving. It’s the kind of book that’s easy to settle into.
Matt Dunn does a lovely job balancing the humour, the setting, and the mystery, making this an enjoyable escape from start to finish.
Martin and Albie’s supposedly relaxing trip to Menorca quickly turns into another investigation when a bestselling author disappears and is later found dead on the beach. I liked the way the mystery tied into the writers’ retreat at the hotel, giving the story a neat circle of suspects without ever feeling very heavy.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Armchair Detectives on Holiday by Matt Dunn in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun, cosy, light-hearted mystery with just the right holiday feel. The amateur sleuthing was entertaining, the characters were charming, and the story had plenty of gentle humour to keep things moving. It’s the kind of book that’s easy to settle into.
Matt Dunn does a lovely job balancing the humour, the setting, and the mystery, making this an enjoyable escape from start to finish.
Martin and Albie’s supposedly relaxing trip to Menorca quickly turns into another investigation when a bestselling author disappears and is later found dead on the beach. I liked the way the mystery tied into the writers’ retreat at the hotel, giving the story a neat circle of suspects without ever feeling very heavy.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews