May 2026

This month’s meeting of the Welston Book Worms took place in the warm and slightly vinegar-scented surroundings of the Slippery Eel, where discussions of murder, serial killers and literary merit unfolded over fish suppers large enough to alarm a cardiologist. Tiny 2, the landlord’s bull mastiff, stationed himself beneath the table with the patience of a saint and the strategic instincts of a military commander. By the end of the evening, the offerings he scrounged from sympathetic members had amounted to an entire fish supper.

March’s chosen read was The Charity Shop Detective Agency, the first in Peter Boland’s series of the same name. The story begins when a delivery driver discovers the body of Sarah Brown, beloved customer of the Dogs Need Nice Homes charity shop. The shop’s manager, Fiona—accompanied almost everywhere by her terrier cross, Simon Le Bon—joins forces with Partial Sue (so named because she’s always partial to something) and Daisy to investigate. Matters soon escalate when it becomes apparent Sarah is merely the first victim of the so-called Domino Killer, whose victims are each found carrying a domino.

Proceedings opened with Joe Halton admitting he hadn’t actually read the book. Nor, unfortunately, had he listened to it. Having failed to find a television adaptation and exhausted his Audible credits, Joe instead read the blurb on the back of Gerard Savin’s copy and confidently declared the whole thing sounded “a bit like The Thursday Murder Club.”

Constance Dilmore immediately disagreed.

No one challenged her. Experience has taught the Book Worms that disagreeing with Constance only strengthens her resolve. The absence of confrontation visibly disappointed her, and she spent the next several minutes stabbing her mushy peas with unnecessary force.

Gerard Savin, meanwhile, declared he had thoroughly enjoyed the novel. Remarkably, he managed to do so without crying—a development several members quietly noted. When Sonia Featherstone asked whether he’d found anything particularly touching in the story, I suspect she intended to reference Fiona’s struggles with depression. Gerard, however, admitted he’d been deeply moved by Simon Le Bon being described as “diminutive.”

Joe later apologised for Alfred Bushwell’s absence due to illness, before producing several pages of Alfred’s notes. Twenty minutes later, Joe finally reached the conclusion, namely that Alfred had enjoyed the book immensely and “would never have pegged the killer.”

Constance announced she’d identified the murderer almost immediately.

At this point, Eleanora Reingold quoted from the club rulebook—a document she herself had written—reminding Constance that members were required to wait their turn and that she had already interrupted proceedings twice. Constance responded with the tight expression of someone considering either resignation or violence.

Eleanora then reluctantly agreed with Sonia Featherstone’s assessment that The Charity Shop Detective Agency was, in fact, “a fun and enjoyable read,” though she delivered the compliment with all the warmth of a tax reminder.

Tiny 2, for his part, appeared to enjoy the evening enormously.