Alice Carroll is getting ready for the traditional Christmas Fair and Santa Run held in the Cotswald
Village. When a visitor to the fair steals a scarf from Alice's booth and ends up dead, she begins to
wonder if it has anything to do with the buttons she's purchased from residents to sell as it turns out
that the bear shaped button stitched onto the scarf is a valuable Netsuke appealing to collectors. As
Alice and her neighbor Robert look into the dead man's background and his job at a museum, the
man's employer and a former co-worker who is now employed at the museum. Charming
installment to this cozy mystery series.
#DeathattheVillageChristmasFair #BoldwoodBooks #NetGalley

Alice Carroll is looking forward to her first Christmas in the Cotswolds, but when a scarf stolen from her mother’s market stall turns up at the scene of a murder, the festive spirit is swiftly overshadowed by suspicion. Determined to uncover the truth, Alice teams up with her charming neighbour to solve the mystery.

Death at the Village Christmas Fair is the third book in Debbie Young’s Cotswold Curiosity Shop Mysteries, and the first I’ve read in the series. It stands comfortably on its own, with just enough backstory to feel grounded while still inviting newcomers in.

This is a story that leans fully into its cozy credentials—low stakes, a picturesque village, and endearing characters who feel like old friends. Alice’s background as a museum curator makes her an ideal proprietor for a curiosity shop, and the little details of her personal journey—especially her reflections on her mother—add a welcome layer of emotional depth.

While I did piece together part of the mystery early on, there were still several surprises in store, and I thoroughly enjoyed the gentle pacing and satisfying resolution. A particular highlight was learning about netsuke – intricate Japanese miniature sculptures – which added a touch of historical intrigue.

This is a light, comforting read, best enjoyed curled up with a blanket and a steaming mug of hot chocolate.

Thank you to Debbie Young, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for the advance review copy.

Death At The Christmas Village Fair is the third book in the Cotswaldb Curiosity Shop Mysteries by Debbie Young, Alice’s mom called to tell her a beloved friend from her hometown Mrs. Hardy has died and left the inventory of her knitting shop to her mom so this means more crochet treasures for Alice’s little shop she also gets her own collection of strangeness with an abundance of buttons this is her first year living in the village for the Christmas fair and everyone keeps telling Alice how much fun she’s going to have but it is also at the Christmas fair where one of the marathon Santa Claus is murdered. The suspects prove worthy of suspicion until one of them is also found dead Alice is spending more time with ROBERT the popular author she’s dating and he is also her investigation partner in her amateur sluething mystery solving venture. I have really started loving cozy mysteries and although this one was OK I found Alice to be a tad bit fanciful not to mention I found more than one character had the tendency to use the same phrases which for some reason really irritates me in a book. Although I appreciated the Christmas theme and all the great descriptions I only found this book OK some may love it but I myself took a while to finish it.#NutGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #DebbieYoung, #DeathAtTheChristmasVillageFair,

This is the pinnacle of cosy crime. There's knitting, there's a charity Santa Run and there's even a quirky craft shop! Alice and Robert are bumbling along quite nicely in Little Pride, when the death of a Santa shakes the village. What's the connection between Clive, the grass green scarf and the missing bear button?

Alice leads the charge to find the culprit, with a few misproven theories and plenty of cups of tea along the way. Whilst there's not as much sleuthing to be done as with other others, it's still a (holly) jolly good read!

This was a fun Christmas book to read in July. The vibes were on point with a nice, cozy atmosphere and as soon as I picked it up, I could picture the book as a Miss Marple movie. The female main character was a bit dumber than Miss Marple, but the intention was there. I liked the mystery aspect to it, but I mostly picked it up for the Christmas theme, and I was pleasantly surprised by it. It was the perfect book for my mood.

I definitely recommend this book, as I truly enjoyed it, but don't go into it expecting a complicated mystery. It's quite easy to figure out the plot/ culprit, but it's fun to read for the vibes.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC. Needless to say, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Well, it's a Debbie Young, so of course I'm going to love it. (I devour all Debbie's cosy mysteries.) I admit the Sophie Sayers series are my favorites ... but ... The Cotswold Curiosity Shop Mysteries are rapidly becoming joint favourite! I'm becoming as fond of Alice Carroll and the inhabitants of Little Pride as I am of those at nearby Wendlebury Barrow.

No spoilers regarding the cunning plot, but suffice to say that the characters are delightful, the plot engrossing, entertaining and enjoyable, the location enviable (who wouldn't want to live in such a lovely village - despite its regular murders! :-).The writing is superb - as it always is - and the entire book (actually, the entire series!) is an absolute joy to read.

This one also evoked some very nostalgic memories... I wonder what happened to my mum's biscuit tin of buttons? As I read, I vividly remembered playing with all those lovely buttons... sadly, a button box is something very few of us have today.What a shame!

Settle down in a comfortable chair, turn off the phone, tea and biscuits to hand (or a delicious Pimms) and enjoy the well-crafted absorbing cosy mystery.

This one can be read as a standalone, although for full pleasure do start at the first book .

I have read a few of Debbie Young's cozy mysteries and enjoyed them, but this one wasn't for me. I found the protagonist frankly irritating and not nearly clever enough. She finally works out what has happened right at the end, when it was obvious to me from the beginning. Her "investigation" is just laughable. She stumbles around with no logic and even when she decides she has to look into something, she doesn't follow up. The village atmosphere is cozy and there are some sweet moments, but it isn't nearly enough to carrry the book. Disappointed.

The otherwise peaceful Cotswold village of Little Pride has yet another murder mystery to solve in the third in the series.

An enjoyable return to the Cotswold village of Little Pride where there is always at least one dead body and a mystery to be solved! The relationship between Alice and her mother was satisfying. I hope to see her move to Little Pride in a future installment.

"For the first time in years, I was really looking forward to the festive season. Somehow, I already knew that my first Christmas in Little Pride would be like no other I’d ever experienced."

"At least I’d been there long enough to know that NULPY meant Not Unusual for Little Pride. Being able now to translate some of the local shorthand gave me a pleasant frisson of belonging."

"And why all this fuss over a single piece of netsuke? I know the finer antique ones can change hands for thousands, but they’re hardly priceless. We’re not talking about an audacious heist of high art. It’s hardly lifting the Mona Lisa from the Louvre."

"That’s one reason why Suki’s gossip is always such fun – it’s a heady blend of fact and fiction, and not to be taken seriously without a fact check."

I’ve always loved knitting from a young age so I was hooked from the opening chapter of this book. My grandma used to have a large tin full of buttons and this was passed down as a family heirloom. Bearing this in mind you can guess that I loved this story and could relate to some of the key elements. The information about rare Japanese netsukes was fascinating and added to my enjoyment.
If you enjoy cosy crime then this is a great read. As the title suggests, it’s set at Christmas so you may wish to wait until the festive season to increase your enjoyment.
I thoroughly recommend this book. The author’s writing style makes it very easy nd enjoyable to read nd the plot is quite unusual.

Alice Carroll is the owner of The Cotswold Curiosity Shop and has recently purchased many button collections from the older residents of the town. Some she sells to an artist who makes jewelry from them, some are used by her mother on her knitting projects, and some she plans to sell in her shop. The buttons become the center of the mystery when an unpleasant stranger comes in, searching for a specific button. Later, the man is killed after the Santa Run at the village Christmas fair. Alice and her gentleman friend unravel the mystery and enjoy their time together.
This is the first book I’ve read by the author and it works great as a standalone. However, I’ve already put the first two in this series on my TBR list. The characters are well-developed and the mystery enjoyable. It is set in the Christmas season, so there is a nice holiday vibe to the story as Alice tries to decide what to give her friend (who is very rich, but doesn’t flaunt it). This cozy mystery definitely leaves you with that warm, cozy feeling.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

When's the best time to get up to no good? When you're dressed as a Santa at a Santa Run and Christmas fayre.

One of the Santas steals something from Alice Carroll's mum's knitting stall - and then he's found dead outside the village hall with the stolen item.

Alice thinks that there's more to this than meet the eye - and that the police are wrong.

Can Alice and her neighbour Robert crack this before Christmas?

Another excellent adventure in this lovely series

Alice is looking forward to Christmas in her Curiosity Shop. Her mum comes to stay and is knitting things for the fair. There's a Santa Run where anyone can enter. One of the Santa's grab a scarf from Alice's mum stall and then a Santa is found injured with the scarf round his neck

This was my first read of this series so I can vouch that it works well as a stand alone. Alice Carroll is preparing for her first Christmas in her new home, a celebration that includes not just the traditional Christmas Fair but a Santa Run. Her mother is visiting and Alice is looking forward to a peaceful holiday celebration with her relatively new beau, Robert who, as we find out, has money. Lots of it. That's beside the point, however, as he's genuinely likable and low key about his status. To be honest, though, Alice can't help but be a bit subdued by his wealth as, well, what do you buy someone who has the money to buy about anything he wants. She's also a tad uncertain about her status but they do seem to work well together, especially when it comes to sorting out whodunit in a murder.

So, who killed Clive and why? Strangled with a scarf stolen from the booth owned by Alice's mother, Alice is naturally interested. I won't spoil the plot any further except to say there's an interesting twist to the crime. If you don't know what Netsuke is, you will by the time you finish this book. It was rather fun to learn a bit about this art form as well as some aspects of museum collecting and investments/sponsors. I liked the cast if characters and you'll easily figure out who is who and the relationships they have with each other. Some are rather naive, even Alice at times, but they come across as good people that are easy to root for. Robert's granddaughter, Tilly, was a standout, and I'm guessing that Alice's mother may be sticking around based on her so easily fitting into the knitting community. She's one fast knitter, too. The village of Little Pride might be said to play a role, too, with both positives and negatives.

Bottom line, while somewhat slow in pace, I wound up enjoying the book. The characters are a real plus with them seeming to be real people prone to think the best of others. And, of course, there's that blossoming romance between Alice and Robert. Thanks #BoldwoodBooks for giving me this early peek at Alice's world and the doings of Little Pride. It was fun to imagine the Santa Race, especially the slower paced, not so athletic ones, and loved the giving spirit of the community, and the mention of Paddington Bear and toggle buttons was a bonus. Made me remember my grandmother's button jar.

Death at the Village Christmas Fair by Debbie Young is the third charming installment in the Cotswold Curiosity Shop Mysteries, and it’s a delightful blend of festive spirit, classic whodunnit structure, and sharp character work. Published by Boldwood Books, I want to thank them and NetGalley for the gifted ARC that allowed me to revisit Little Pride during one of its most festive—and most sinister—seasons yet.

Alice Carroll is trying to embrace the quiet joys of her first full countryside Christmas after a whirlwind year that involved not one, but two murders in her sleepy Cotswold village. She’s running her Curiosity Shop, preparing for the local Christmas Fair, and hosting her witty, no-nonsense mum, who has her own stall selling hand-knit scarves and winter wear. But peace in Little Pride never lasts long. When a Santa runner is caught swiping a handmade scarf from Alice’s mum’s booth and later turns up dying outside the village hall—with that same scarf, now a murder weapon—the mystery kicks off fast and doesn’t let up.

At first, it seems like a bizarre holiday mishap. But Alice quickly discovers that the scarf’s unique button isn’t just a quirky embellishment—it’s a valuable Japanese netsuke, stolen from the local museum. That revelation pulls her into a deeper investigation involving stolen antiquities, hidden identities, and some very slippery suspects. The police chalk it up to a petty thief getting what was coming to him. Alice, of course, knows better—and with her trademark persistence, plus some help from her enigmatic neighbor Robert Praed, she sets out to uncover the truth behind the crime.

Debbie Young excels at building a world that feels lived-in and authentic. Little Pride isn’t just a cozy setting—it’s a fully realized community with complex relationships, unspoken tensions, and layers of personal history that add texture to the story. The characters feel like people you might actually know: quirky, kind, occasionally irritating, but always human. Alice is a strong amateur sleuth—curious, grounded, and willing to risk her reputation to get to the truth. Her relationship with Robert continues to evolve in subtle, believable ways, avoiding overdone romance tropes in favor of something more mature and real.

The mystery itself is satisfying without being overly complicated. Young includes enough twists to keep readers guessing, but she doesn’t rely on shock for effect. Instead, she lets the clues surface naturally through character interactions, local gossip, and Alice’s own investigations. If anything, the only thing I wanted more of was the final confrontation—a bit more emotional depth or confrontation between victim and killer would’ve made the payoff stronger. But that’s a minor note in what is otherwise a very well-constructed cozy.

What makes Death at the Village Christmas Fair stand out isn’t just the murder plot—it’s how skillfully Young blends it into the rhythms of village life. There’s humor and warmth throughout, especially in the scenes with Alice’s mum, whose dry commentary is often laugh-out-loud funny. There’s a real sense of community, too—the kind where everyone knows your name, your past, and your business, whether you want them to or not. And underneath the surface of holiday lights and Santa suits, there’s always the question of what people are willing to hide—and what’s worth killing for.

Debbie Young’s writing hits that sweet spot between clever and comforting. Her mysteries never lose sight of the humanity behind the crime. And though this one leans more whimsical than dark, it still manages to touch on deeper themes like grief, legacy, and how far people will go to protect what they believe is rightfully theirs. It’s a perfect read for fans of M.C. Beaton, Jeanne M. Dams, or anyone looking to escape into a wintry English village with secrets around every corner.

“Even the jolliest Santa costume can’t hide a guilty conscience.”

Alice Carroll operates the Curiosity Shop in Little Pride and is active in the running of the annual Christmas Fair and Santa Run. Her mother is knitting up a storm making winterwear, including the scarf that had a fancy button on it and became a weapon in the murder of one of the Santas. It seems that it wasn't an old button, but an old and valuable Japanese netsuke which they later found to have been stolen from the local museum. The investigation was well done, but I was entranced by the characters and the low key humor. Loved it.
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected ebook file from Boldwood Books via NetGalley. Avail Aug 16, 2025
#DeathAttheVillageChristmasFair by @debbieyoungauthor #TheCotswoldCuriosityShopMysteriesBk3 @theboldbookclub #family #cosymystery #villagelife #NetGalley #goodreads #bookbub #family #librarythingofficial #barnesandnoble ***** Review #booksamillion #bookshop_org #relic #humor #bookshop_org_uk #kobo #Waterstones #knittingaddict #amateursleuth #theft #banter #murder

My first Debbie Young book but definitely not my last. This was a good cozy mystery. Lots of colorful characters kept me reading way past my bedtime. This was a great book to get lost in.
Thank you NetGalley, Debbie Young and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book

Another fun installment in the series following Alice and a collection of wonderful side characters discover and solve a murder. While this one is quite short it’s entertaining and had a few plot twists that were unexpected. The full explanation of the murder itself was a bit lacking, the reveal of what crime had been committed, by who, and why was decent. One more scene describing the altercation between the murderer and their victim would have added important context and concluded the story perfectly.

This book was such fun to read, I enjoyed every minute of it.
Alice is preparing for the holidays as well as having her mum to visit and to help with her curiosity shop.
When two random shoppers in her store raise suspicion, Alice soon finds herself involved in a possible murder investigation.
I liked the fast pace of the book, it kept me guessing until the end.
I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future