A Walking Football Murder Mystery
The perfect companion by the poolside, caravan or on the flight this upcoming holiday season!
A humorous dark comedy, murder mystery about a bunch of senior friends pulled out of their comfort zone into a world of both sporting and criminal skullduggery. Set against the parallel story of two lovers caught by menacing forces intent on destroying them both.
Walking Zeds FC, a walking football team of unfit pensioners are driven by one thing – saving their social club from being demolished by a pushy developer.
But nobody wants to see their one-time friend, Tony Ackersby, back in town. He’s fresh out of jail after serving 25 years for murdering his actress ex-girlfriend, Estelle Aurora. She’s none other than the nation’s sweetheart and a seemingly angelic TV nun to boot.
As fate conspires to bring Walking Zeds and Tony ever closer to one another, can they work together to save the club that is the heartbeat of their little community? In doing so, confronting villains ate every turn, can they finally prove Tony’s innocence?
In the small town of Slainsworth, many secrets lay buried deep.
Last update on 2026-08-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API. Walking Football Limited is also an Amazon Associate and earns a commission from qualifying purchases
Fun! Fun! Fun! and a bit dark
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 September 2025
Format: Kindle Edition
Released from prison after 25 years for a murder he may or may not have committed, Tony Ackersby just wants to make good with his wife and slip back into the community with a minimum of fuss.
Thus starts a dark comedic journey, told from three time periods, that gradually unfolds and lays bare some long buried secrets.
Michael Duffy has a real knack of creating believable characters and dropping them into some ludicrous situations. His writing reminds me of the Tom Sharpe novels I read as a teenager way back when…
Filled with some proper laugh out loud moments and some tender romantic scenes, sometimes both at the same time, this is a masterpiece of black comedy that keeps the reader on their toes and springs surprises on them at every turn. I hope I have this much fun when i eventually start drawing my pension.
I challenge you to find a better book featuring a football team consisting of wheely bins and a small dog.
A feel good tragicomedy!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 August 2025
Format: Paperback
This was a light, easy read with some big characters! There was a lot of comedy in here, some quotes really made me laugh. I found it a little slow to get into at first (although I think thats down to me mostly really fast paced thrillers) and the different timelines threw me a bit at first but I really enjoyed the different characters, felt myself really rooting for Tony, and the twist at the end was good.
This is perfect for a nice, quick, feel-good read
Perfect hat trick for the series
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 August 2025
Format: Kindle Edition
I have loved the previous books by Michael and this one did not let the team down.
A mix of comedy, drama and a little bit of lost romance. Shoot! Tackle! Murder! is a light hearted yet sadly real look at life as you get older and small communities who struggle to survive as times changes around them – although most perhaps don’t have to deal with quite soo much crime.
The characters are well written and I found myself rooting for the good guys (and those possibly wrongly accused) and wishing for the comeuppance of the bad guys. A wonderful twist nearly saw me switch side on a couple of occasions but telling would be spoiling it for others. You will just have to read it for yourself and see how you feel about the characters by the end.
I think possibly my favourite duo were Frank and Maggie – I hope my marriage lasts with the same love and sarcasm as theirs.
If you want a book that will have you laughing to yourself as you read then this is one for you.
An engaging tale about a community of lively senior citizens fighting crime
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 August 2025
Format: Kindle Edition
Shoot Tackle Murder by Michael Duffy is billed as ‘a tragi-comedic murder mystery about a bunch of senior friends pulled out of their comfort zone into a world of both sporting and criminal skullduggery. Set against the parallel story of two lovers caught by menacing forces intent on destroying them both. Walking Zeds FC, a walking football team of unfit pensioners are driven by one thing – saving their social club from being demolished by a pushy developer. But nobody wants to see their one-time friend, Tony Ackersby, back in town. He’s fresh out of jail after serving 25 years for murdering his actress ex-girlfriend, Estelle Aurora – none other than the nation’s sweetheart. As fate conspires to bring Walking Zeds and Tony ever closer to one another, can they work together to save the club that is the heartbeat of their little community? In doing so, confronting villains at every turn, can they finally prove Tony’s innocence? In the small town of Slainsworth, many secrets lay buried deep.’
Michael A Duffy was born in the industrial north of England ‘in the days of black and white tellies, cassette players and paper maps.’ His gritty sense of humour dates from this era, so it may not be appreciated by readers under fifty, but readers with a similar background to Duffy’s should enjoy it. They will certainly like his conversational style of writing and vintage vocabulary. What I admired about Shoot Tackle Murder was the realistic depiction of a small, inward-looking community where many residents live in each other’s pockets from schooldays to old age. Duffy’s storytelling makes unexpected leaps between time periods. This is slightly disconcerting, but valid, because it is like strolling around a town you have known for many years, where memories overlie each other.
A brilliant read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 August 2025
Format: Paperback
I loved this latest tragedy/comedy/mystery from the very talented Michael Duffy.
As in his previous novels, Michael builds a cast of wonderful and very distinctive characters – some endearing, some vile, some totally bonkers but all very funny. Irma, ‘former fitness coach in the Ukrainian army’ is still making me smile.
The author’s imagination knows no bounds as the story hurtles from one crazy scenario to the next. Some are rather macabre but I certainly wouldn’t describe the story as dark.
The novel focuses on a convicted murderer returning home after a long sentence and switches seamlessly between the current day and his younger years.
You get the impression that things aren’t quite as they seem with the murder conviction and the intrigue builds against a background of a community going to extreme lengths to save their run down social club. All is finally revealed in a totally crazy scenario ending with an unexpected and brilliant twist in the tale.
I loved it!
Grab Your Copy Today!
Last update on 2026-08-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API. Walking Football Limited is also an Amazon Associate and earns a commission from qualifying purchases
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