Clio, Amber, and Jeanie are now private detectives, but have been friends for a long time. Clio is a former actress and jumps at the chance to be in a Christmas pantomime with Beatrice, an older famous actress. Beatrice is the director and is mean to one and all. The story begins with Beatrice’s murder and then the events leading up to her death are unrolled. Amber, a former police detective, and Jeanie, mother to rambunctious 3-year old twins, investigate, along with Clio. Everyone in the cast and crew is a suspect since Beatrice made them all hate her.
From the very beginning, the story is laced with humor. Clio, Amber, Jeanie, and Melissa (Amber’s newly found relative) are quirky and all very unique. Jeanie’s struggles with her twins was hilarious and relatable. I loved the humor, the characters, and the mystery.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

It's panto time. Such fun!

Clio certainly thinks so - until the director is murdered, and it's down to the Bad Girls detectives - Clio, Amber and Jean - to solve the case and save Christmas.

Another great adventure in this superb series

The Mistletoe Murder Club is an absolute festive delight with a murderous twist—and I adored every minute of it. Katie Marsh serves up a charming, cozy mystery packed with holiday cheer, small-town secrets, and a cast of amateur sleuths you’ll want to spend every December with.

The premise is irresistible: a group of women forming a murder club—not for fun, but to solve a very real (and very unexpected) Christmas crime. What unfolds is part whodunit, part warm hug, and part fierce celebration of friendship, second chances, and women taking matters into their own hands.

I was surprised by how much heart this book has. Yes, there’s a mystery to solve, but there’s also so much joy in the character dynamics and emotional arcs. It’s funny without being fluffy, heartfelt without being heavy, and it nails that perfect cozy-crime balance: low on gore, high on charm.

If you love Louise Penny, Only Murders in the Building, or just want a festive mystery that’s clever, uplifting, and packed with personality, The Mistletoe Murder Club is a holiday must-read. It made me laugh, it made me cheer, and it left me wishing I could join the club myself.

Review of ‘The Mistletoe Murder Club’ by Katie Marsh, due to be published on 5 September 2025 by Boldwood Books.

The fourth book in The Bad Girls Detective Agency series, this time set at Christmas for the town’s pantomime.

We join Clio, Jeanie, Amber and Melissa on opening night, when the announcement of a murder backstage halts the production.

Investigations lead to everyone in the cast having both motive and opportunity, with long hidden secrets and lies being exposed in the fallout.

It can be read as a standalone if you are not familiar with the series, as character descriptions are good and you soon know who everyone is and the part they will play in the storytelling.

Full of drama, twists and surprising details, this was a really fun festive read, that I really enjoyed.

Omg! I love this mystery and thriller book because the plot twist did surprised me. The story overall was awesome. I love it. I’m gonna recommend this to my followers on Instagram and Goodreads. This reminds me a bit similar to Pretty Little Liars show😍. 10/10. This is now one of my favorite mystery/thriller books.

I think I chuckled my sleuthing cap loose a few times reading. This one was a roller coaster ride with a few wild loopity-loops tossed in for good measure. This was my intro to the series and what an intro it was. Just plain fun. Beyond quirky actors, a rickety old theatre that seems to be held together as much by grime as anything, complete with a malfunctioning trapdoor and, yikes, stage lights falling from the ceiling. To top it all off, the cast members, who weirdly seem to be both hopeful and reluctant to be there, all seem to hate the director, Dame Beatrice Butler, for whom the theatre is named. Clio Lawrence is one of them. A former actress, she's now a struggling detective with her two besties, Amber and Jeanie, in the Bad Girls Detective Agency. It's her latter title that comes in handy as, not really a surprise, Beatrice is found in her dressing room murdered on opening night.

What follows isn't exactly your typical murder investigation. It somehow manages to mix murder, chaos, and humor, not to mention the endearing friendship of the three friends. I'll leave it to you to discover why Amber winds up in a cow outfit. Yes. Cow. In the meantime, Jeanie is somehow short a few pieces of clothing while pursuing her twins, twins that could easily be nicknamed Mayhem and Chaos, through the theatre and falling through a trapdoor while pursuing clues. And, that just the beginning. I'm not going to detail the plot further, but there's rarely a slow, let alone dull moment. Through it all, we get to know the characters well, even the ones that, quite frankly, aren't particularly likable. You'll even learn what a very British pantomime is, not to mention why the cast seems to so hate Beatrice, who you'll follow along on her last day. What was she up to? Nope, not telling. And....so much more. Seriously, I've barely ventured beyond the opening act here (the books chapters are set up in acts, so to speak).

Bottom line, thoroughly enjoyed this oh, so clever murder mystery. The characters come across as real people, the sort you might run into at the grocery, or more likely be run into by the twins if the twins are involved. There's even an unlikely romance, not to mention the usual twist and turns as you come to enjoy being with them all, even those wild child twins. You'll learn why they're so very, very special to Jeanie, too. Bottom line, the three Bad Girl Detectives have each other's back and are willing to take chances to protect each other, and ultimately find whodunit. Lots of Christmas-y references, too, including the reason for the title. In other words, you've got a layered plot that will keep you chuckling and guessing until the end. No, I didn't quite figure it out although it made all the sense in the end. So, kick back, be prepared for a wild ride with a visit to a lovely pub or two, some goofy friends you'll like, and lots of backstage drama, both past and present. Thanks #BoldwoodBooks for introducing me to this fun team of women with this early peek at this book. I will definitely be on the lookout for the next in this series. There are surely many, many more secrets to be discovered in this quaint village.

Book Review: The Mistletoe Murder Club by Katie Marsh
Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

This cozy mystery was an absolute delight from start to finish. Katie Marsh has created a world that’s equal parts heartwarming, hilarious, and murderously entertaining in The Mistletoe Murder Club. The moment I started reading, I knew I was in good hands. Marsh’s voice is sharp, witty, and full of affection for her quirky characters and their gloriously chaotic small-town lives. If you’re looking for a book that balances laugh-out-loud moments with a genuinely clever mystery, this one delivers with style.

Our heroine, Clio, is a former actress whose career has taken a hard left turn into private detective work. She’s talented, determined, and just disorganized enough to make you love her more. When she unexpectedly lands a part in the town’s Christmas pantomime—thanks to her dramatic flair and some creative résumé tweaking—she’s thrilled. It’s her chance to shine again, even if the role is a bit more low-budget than Broadway. But things take a sharp turn when the show’s director is murdered on opening night, and Clio finds herself juggling her onstage lines with offstage sleuthing.

Clio enlists her two best friends, Amber and Jeanie, to help her crack the case. Their bond is the real heart of the book. These three women are hilarious, loyal, and completely ride-or-die for each other, even if it means sneaking into the production dressed as a pantomime cow. Yes, that actually happens—and yes, it’s as ridiculous and perfect as it sounds. Their friendship reminded me of the very best parts of The Thursday Murder Club or Only Murders in the Building: a crew of amateurs with a lot of heart and more guts than experience.

What really makes this story shine is Marsh’s tone. She keeps the mystery tight and the pacing brisk, but never sacrifices warmth or humor. There’s something incredibly comforting about being immersed in a world where the characters are flawed but kind, where the setting sparkles with Christmas charm, and where even a murder investigation can be cozy. That balance is not easy to pull off, but Marsh nails it. You’re laughing one minute, suspicious the next, and totally invested the whole way through.

The mystery itself is layered and smart. Marsh scatters just enough clues to keep you guessing, but not so many that you feel overwhelmed. I thought I had figured it out more than once—spoiler alert: I hadn’t. The final reveal was satisfying and made complete sense, which is always the mark of a well-plotted whodunit. And through it all, Clio’s narration keeps things grounded, funny, and unexpectedly insightful. “Sometimes, the only way to see the truth is through the biggest lie,” she says at one point, and that perfectly captures the heart of the story—both the case and Clio’s own journey.

This book is more than just a seasonal treat. Yes, it’s got all the festive trappings—twinkling lights, backstage drama, cozy pubs, and a cow costume—but it’s also a story about rediscovering your confidence, trusting your instincts, and leaning on the people who know you best. I found myself smiling even when the stakes were high, and that’s the magic of a well-written cozy: it makes you feel safe, even while someone’s hiding a bloody dagger behind the curtain.

If you’re a fan of Richard Osman, Agatha Christie, or any mystery where the sleuths are loveable and the crime is clever, you’ll want The Mistletoe Murder Club on your holiday reading list. It’s the perfect blend of camp and crime, humor and heart. I sincerely hope this is just the beginning of Clio’s adventures—because I’ll be first in line to read the next one.