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The Coffee Shop Detectives

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About this listen

In the quaint streets of South-West London, four female pensioners are about to embark on the heist of a lifetime. Meet the Crones:

Delilah, the impulsive mastermind

Orla, the razor-sharp retired teacher

Maz, the anxious caterer riddled with self-doubt.

and Beth, battling a deadly brain tumour

United by forty years of friendship, and desperate to raise funds for Beth’s healthcare, the Crones set about a daring plan to steal a priceless brooch from Hawling House.

But this is no ordinary theft. It's a mission to right a decades-old wrong – the ‘death’ of their friend Ronnie at the hand of the mansion's enigmatic owner, Edgar Hawling.

As the crones navigate secret passages, outsmart security, and showcase some of the most cunning catering skills Twickenham has ever seen, they quickly find themselves in a race against time and tugging at the threads of a far more treacherous tapestry than they ever imagined.

Brought to life by legendary Alison Steadman (Gavin & Stacey, Abigail's Party), The Coffee Shop Detectives is a hilarious and heart-warming celebration of female friendship and the unbreakable spirit of women who refuse to go quietly into their golden years.

©2026 Louise Thorn (P)2026 Audible Ltd. Amateur Sleuths Friendship Genre Fiction Mystery
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Wow, wasn't really expecting much from this, good start, great middle, mind blowing ending, it was fantastic, when I clicked on the link I thought I was listening to a preview, then I noticed the preview was going on for too long, so I let it play, wow, what middle & ending, I did not now this was an 'audible original' either a very good story about friendship knows no boundaries, how this group have stayed by each other for over 40 yrs, still the best est of friends & how they try to raise money for one of their best friends urgent medical treatments, Beth has had brain surgery to remove a tumour but she needs extra treatment but the treatment is extremely expensive, so they try & find a quick way to raise a huge amount of money as time is short, well what plays out next is mind blowing, funny, tearful, loving, stress, new friends, beautiful dog, relationships - good & bad but the real beauty of this, the Cronies stick together AND always have each others backs, loved it so much, tears of joy, happiness, sadness but most important loyalty, did I say I loved it? 😂

The Cronies are THE best

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Loved the story and would like to see this made into a movie. it was humourous and sad at times but thoroughly enjoyable and couldn'tstop listening. Although I love Alison Steadman, I was disappointed with the narration at times as it felt a bit flat and some of the homour lost. Hope this is the first book in a series. Well done Louise Mumford!

Excellent story but the narration fell flat at times.

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Brilliantly narrated, wonderfully naive story about strong female friendship. I love it. And I strongly recommend.

Heartwarming story of friendship.

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Alison Steadman really brought to life with some great accents, a pleasure to listen to her.

I wondered if it would be a rip off Thursday murder club, but it had a different approach and the characters were likeable.

Enjoyable story, great narration.

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a daft but thoroughly gripping story. likeable characters, narrator wonderful. would definitely recommend perfect for a rainy day

fun

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