A captivating, twisty, puzzle-packed thriller romp
In the event you’re a lover of cosy crime, crossword conundrums, and characters as sharp as they’re unpredictable, then Channel 5’s brand-new three-part sequence “Homicide Most Puzzling” is the cosy crime drama you didn’t know you wanted. Primarily based on Parnell Corridor’s beloved Puzzle Girl Mysteries, this delightfully twisty and gently eccentric sequence blends basic whodunit parts with whip-smart wordplay, eccentric townsfolk, and a number one woman who would possibly give Jessica Fletcher a run for her cash.
Let me say it upfront: I like an excellent cosy crime. Give me an novice sleuth, a quaint village, a suspicious councillor or two, and I’m in heaven. So after I heard that Channel 5 was adapting The Puzzle Girl Mysteries right into a three-part sequence—with Phyllis Logan no much less!—I virtually cleared my schedule.
“Homicide Most Puzzling” is cosy crime at its best: humorous, fast-paced, filled with intelligent clues, and by no means attempting to be something aside from what it’s—a captivating, twisty, puzzle-packed thriller romp. In the event you’re after realism and forensic element, look elsewhere. However in order for you a little bit of escapism with a facet of sharp-tongued sleuthing, then this one’s for you.
Episode 1: A Physique, A Crossword, and a Newcomer in City
The primary feature-length episode aired on Thursday, June 19, and it’s already clear this isn’t your common homicide thriller. Set within the fictional (and irresistibly quaint) market city of Bakerbury, “Homicide Most Puzzling” introduces us to Cora Felton, aka “The Puzzle Girl,” performed to perfection by the incomparable Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey). Cora is a crossword columnist with a messy previous, a pointy tongue, and a knack for fixing murders—so long as there’s a cryptic clue concerned. When a physique is discovered with a crossword puzzle pinned to it and the native police are stumped, DCI Derek Hooper (Adam Finest) begrudgingly turns to Cora for assist. However right here’s the catch: Cora isn’t fairly who she says she is. And as she digs deeper into the homicide—and a potential hyperlink to a chilly case—she finds herself edging nearer to a harmful fact. All whereas balancing nosy neighbours, dodgy city officers, and an ever-growing checklist of frenemies.
The primary episode is a good, two-hour joyride of puzzles, puns, and plot twists, with simply the correct quantity of cheek and appeal. It ends, satisfyingly, with a solved case—however leaves us realizing Bakerbury is way from completed with its secrets and techniques.
Credit score: Channel 5
A Cosy Deal with with Chunk
Let’s get one thing out of the way in which: cosy crime isn’t attempting to be Silent Witness. It doesn’t want gritty realism or buckets of blood to be efficient. What it does want is appeal, cleverness, and characters that really feel like outdated associates inside minutes—and “Homicide Most Puzzling” ticks each field. Cora is a standout sleuth: equal elements sensible and brash, with a penchant for cocktails, chaos, and informal lawbreaking. Phyllis Logan’s efficiency is a pleasure to look at as Cora Felton, delivering a efficiency that’s equal elements sharp, chaotic, and utterly magnetic. Recognized to many because the stoic Mrs. Hughes from Downton Abbey, Logan flips the script right here—taking part in Cora with a gleeful irreverence that makes her not possible to not root for. She’s brash, unpredictable, and hides a susceptible edge beneath her crossword-solving bravado. There’s a twinkle in her eye that tells you she’s three steps forward of everybody within the room, even when she’s inflicting utter chaos. Logan brings the proper vitality to the function: cosy sufficient for a Sunday afternoon thriller binge, however with simply the best dose of mischief to maintain issues contemporary. If Cora’s a little bit bit Miss Marple, a little bit bit Jessica Fletcher, and only a contact unhinged? Effectively, that’s precisely what makes her—and Logan’s efficiency—such a standout, snooping, quipping, and bulldozing her approach by Bakerbury’s well mannered society.
The ensemble forged delivers throughout the board. Charlotte Hope is splendidly grounded as Cora’s nerdy however succesful niece, Sherry Carter. Alistair Brammer brings appeal and chemistry as roving journalist Anton Grant, particularly as sparks fly between him and Sherry. In the meantime, Yasmin Seky as morally ambiguous lawyer Becky Baidwan steals each scene she’s in with a gleefully slippery efficiency that retains you guessing the place her loyalties lie.
Credit score: Channel 5
A City Filled with Secrets and techniques and Suspects
Bakerbury, fairly actually, is a comfy crime lover’s dream. The sort of fictional English city that instantly makes you wish to pack a weekend bag, seize a thermos, and go snooping across the village inexperienced. It’s sleepy, sure—however there’s a simmering rigidity underneath the bunting, and everybody appears to be hiding one thing. You get the sense that in the event you turned over the best cobblestone, you’d discover a long-forgotten scandal or a lacking will. It’s the sort of delightfully odd little city that feels prefer it’s been plucked straight out of an Aardman movie—assume Wallace and Gromit meets Midsomer Murders, with a beneficiant sprinkle of crossword clues. It’s all bunting-lined streets, twitching curtains, and suspiciously over-friendly neighbours, the place everybody appears to have an uncommon interest or a vaguely incriminating previous. The locals are a riot of eccentricity, every another peculiar than the final, and all brimming with secrets and techniques they’d slightly not share. There’s one thing so endearing about this place, even because the our bodies pile up. It’s that excellent cosy crime stability: charming and cartoonish on the floor, however with a satisfyingly sinister undertone effervescent simply beneath.
The mayor (performed to thunderous perfection by Richard Croxford) is an absolute shouty nightmare—a bully in a blazer, stomping in regards to the station demanding outcomes. I knew from the second he stomped onscreen that he was as much as no good. He’s as sleazy as they arrive: barking orders, dodging accountability, and virtually dripping with corruption. There’s one thing deeply fishy about him, and never simply due to his relentless shouting. In the event you ask me, he’s the sort of character who is aware of precisely what skeletons are buried the place—and doubtless helped bury a number of himself.
Credit score: Channel 5
Each single native is both splendidly eccentric or suspiciously obscure—or each. There are such a lot of pink herrings on this city, it’s a surprise the fish market hasn’t seen. It’s all very Agatha Christie and Homicide She Wrote with a barely sharper, cheekier edge. However what I cherished is how Cora, with zero subtlety and most chaos, begins assembling her little crew of unintentional investigators. You’ll be able to inform they didn’t join this, and but they’re all drawn in by her sheer power of persona (or simply dragged alongside in her wake). Sherry’s hesitant however sensible, Anton’s nosy however helpful, and even Becky Baidwan, who may go both approach morally, add an excellent layer of unpredictability.
They’re not professionals, removed from it—however that’s what makes it a lot enjoyable. They bicker, make errors, get distracted, and sometimes uncover game-changing clues utterly by chance. I discovered myself rooting for them like I’d identified them for years. And that, to me, is without doubt one of the best joys of a correct cosy thriller: that sense of a small, imperfect crew taking up an enormous thriller, with loads of tea and tonic breaks alongside the way in which.
Credit score: Channel 5
Episode 2: Birthday Blues and One other Physique
By the point Episode 2 rolled round, I used to be totally on board. It’s Cora’s birthday, and naturally, she’s grumpy—it’s been “too quiet” for the reason that Graveyard Killer case. After all, that quiet doesn’t final lengthy within the fantastically batty world of Bakerbury, the place even birthdays don’t come with out buried secrets and techniques.
Cora, naturally, isn’t one to sit down round blowing out candles when there’s a contemporary thriller to sink her enamel into. This time, she’s requested to revisit an outdated homicide conviction, and from the second she steps by the gates of Bakerbury Jail, it’s clear this case is something however easy. One of many highlights for me was assembly new characters just like the no-nonsense Governor Peacock—a person who clearly is aware of greater than he lets on, and who would possibly simply be one other rigorously positioned pawn in Mayor Firth’s ever-widening net of secrets and techniques. As Cora follows a path of cryptic clues and suspicious silences, I discovered myself eagerly attempting to attach the dots alongside her. It’s additionally clear that DCI Hooper is beginning to lose persistence with Cora’s off-book antics, and their friction provides a enjoyable edge, particularly as Cora finds herself in sizzling water greater than as soon as. Nonetheless, watching her bulldoze by paperwork with crossword clues in a single hand and sarcasm within the different is endlessly entertaining.
Credit score: Channel 5
The second feature-length episode kicks issues up a notch, and I used to be utterly glued from the get-go. Cora could be celebrating a birthday, however in fact, in true Puzzle Girl vogue, she’d slightly be unravelling a homicide than unwrapping presents. This episode leans into one among my favorite cosy crime tropes—the chilly case that refuses to remain buried—and delivers loads of twists, shady characters, and suspicious coincidences that had me side-eyeing everybody. Bakerbury’s not simply hiding secrets and techniques underneath its bunting—it’s virtually constructed on them. I cherished how the story gave Cora much more house to fire up hassle, particularly as her investigation begins ruffling all of the flawed feathers.
This episode deepens each the thriller and the characters. We get a extra layered take a look at Bakerbury’s tangled net of corruption, with conmen and crooked officers lurking simply beneath the floor of village life. This episode took issues a bit darker, and I appreciated that shift in tone. One thing is compelling about how this sequence retains a light-weight, witty tone whereas nonetheless giving its characters emotional weight. Cora, for all her swagger, is carrying some severe baggage—and Logan performs that fantastically.
I additionally cherished that the supporting forged will get extra time to shine right here. Sherry (Charlotte Hope) is popping into an actual asset, and the chemistry between her and Anton (Alistair Brammer) is giving robust “will-they-won’t-they” vitality. And sure, I’m totally invested in them now.
A Love Letter to Cosy Crime
I can’t for the lifetime of me perceive the vital bashing this sequence has acquired. Maybe it’s as a result of some critics nonetheless don’t “get” cosy crime. They overlook that not all detective dramas should be hard-boiled or blood-soaked. Cosy mysteries are supposed to be enjoyable, character-driven, and intelligent—extra puzzle than procedural. “Homicide Most Puzzling” is all of that after which some.
Dominique Moloney, the author behind Homicide Most Puzzling, brings a pointy, affectionate eye to the cosy crime style, delivering a script that’s as witty and characterful as it’s cleverly plotted. Moloney has an actual knack for balancing intrigue with humour—and right here, she crafts a world that’s each charmingly eccentric and deceptively layered. Her adaptation of Parnell Corridor’s Puzzle Girl novels looks like a heartfelt homage to basic thriller storytelling, whereas additionally giving it a contemporary, mischievous twist. With quippy dialogue, wealthy character dynamics, and puzzles woven seamlessly into the plot, Moloney’s writing is a big a part of what makes “Homicide Most Puzzling” such a comfy, compelling pleasure to look at.
Her writing is elevated additional by Tom Dalton’s playful and pacey path, which retains the thriller tight and the tone mild, and Andrew Simon McAllister’s rating, which provides simply the best mix of appeal and suspense. Collectively, they’ve crafted a sequence that looks like a heat hug with a depraved grin—a real love letter to cosy crime.
This sequence understands the project: tea (or a Bloody Mary), a biscuit (ideally formed like a crossword), and a satisfying thriller solved simply in dinner time. It wears its style proudly, by no means attempting to be something it’s not—and in doing so, turns into one thing slightly sensible. Phyllis Logan’s Cora Felton is a stunning addition to Channel 5’s rising roster of cosy crime heroines, taking her place alongside the likes of The Marlow Homicide Membership, The Madame Blanc Mysteries, and The Good Ship Homicide. And with over 20 novels within the authentic Puzzle Girl sequence, there’s loads of potential for extra episodes to come back.
Credit score: Channel 5
Remaining Ideas: My Cosy Crime Consolation Watch of the 12 months
As each a critic and a lifelong fan of cosy crime—particularly the sort that comes with a facet of wordplay—”Homicide Most Puzzling” felt tailored for me. I grew up devouring Agatha Christie novels and sharpening my thoughts with cryptic crosswords, so watching a present that cleverly combines the 2 felt like pure indulgence. My love of crosswords stems from Thursday night calls with my late grandmother, whom I cherished dearly and miss day by day. We had been a puzzling pair—she’d sit with the newspaper, pen in hand, and I’d be on the opposite finish of the road, serving to her crack the clues. Watching this sequence introduced a wave of nostalgia and heat; she would have adored Cora Felton, along with her wit, cussed streak, and mischief. It’s this private connection—wrapped in appeal, cleverness, and a shared love of puzzles—that made “Homicide Most Puzzling” really feel like greater than only a present. It felt like coming house.
In the event you couldn’t inform by now, I adored this sequence. Sure, it’s a bit foolish. Sure, it leans into cliché. However that’s precisely what I needed from it. “Homicide Most Puzzling” is humorous, sharp, and delightfully foolish—every part a comfy crime sequence ought to be. Its puzzles are genuinely intelligent, its characters are likeable in all their eccentricity, and its tone strikes that excellent stability between light-hearted enjoyable and thriller intrigue. Phyllis Logan is the present’s not-so-secret weapon: her Cora Felton is sophisticated, hilarious, and utterly fascinating. It is a present that is aware of what it’s and embraces it: cosy crime, achieved proper. Truthfully, that is the sort of present I wish to watch curled up with a cuppa and a plate of Crossword Girl biscuits, which, by the way in which, completely must exist. It’s intelligent, a little bit cheeky, and the proper mix of consolation and suspense.
Cora Felton is now firmly on my checklist of favorite fictional sleuths. And with over 20 books within the authentic sequence, I’m hoping Channel 5 offers us extra. That is simply the following massive cosy franchise in the event that they play their playing cards (or crossword clues) proper.
With two tantalising instances already underneath her belt, Cora Felton is closing in on the ultimate, most cryptic puzzle of all of them. The third and closing feature-length episode guarantees to tie collectively the free threads which were quietly weaving their approach by Bakerbury’s bunting-draped streets. Secrets and techniques are simmering simply beneath the floor, alliances are shifting, and one final twist might change every part we thought we knew. Cora’s bought another thriller to unravel—and if the previous two episodes are something to go by, it’ll be filled with intelligent clues, sharp wit, and various surprises. Keep tuned till subsequent Thursday, when Homicide Most Puzzling returns with its thrilling conclusion. All will likely be revealed… simply don’t anticipate it to be neatly wrapped up and not using a few crossed phrases first, in any case, it’s not over till the Puzzle Girl Sings.
Credit score: Channel 5
Homicide Most Puzzling continues with episode 3 on Thursday, July third, 2025, at 8 pm on Channel 5.