Fun, Golden age cosy mystery with humorous narration, a good selection of suspects and an ending I did not see coming.

An easy to read festive cosy crime book perfect for over the Christmas period. I enjoyed this book, the characters were great, the setting beautifully described and it did keep me guessing until the end.

I really enjoyed this. A fun murder mystery set at Christmas time, although it definitely felt a bit formulaic at points despite its charm.

I found this story entertaining and engrossing. I'm a fan of Golden Age mystery and appreciated how the author recreated the atmosphere of those mysteries and that age.
The mystery is solid and kept me guessing, the character are interesting and I liked the atmosphere.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Being a dedicated Christmas crime fan, I really wanted to love this book. Unfortunately, I found myself struggling with the over flowery sentences from the beginning. It did get easier to read as I got used to the style of writing but not enough for me to want to devour every page. I think the plot was quite enjoyable , but the vast array of similar characters were confusing, to say the least. I'm afraid that I did something that I rarely ever do, and skipped to the last chapter.

A very enjoyable, if not very original, English country house murder mystery and just the thing for the post-Christmas dip. The setting is familiar, as are the characters including the ooh aars that belong to the local village. There are several red herrings and several possible suspects but it’s not too difficult to guess which one was the murderer. Getting to that point is good fun though and the ending, set in the drawing room with all present and the amateur sleuth holding court while he carefully details why and how he has come to his conclusion (in true Christie style), is satisfying.

I’d read more by this author as it’s good light entertainment. There are a couple of disappointing anachronisms, however. The phrase ‘blah de blah blah’, as far as I know, was not in use in the 1930s and ‘yadda yadda’ certainly wasn’t.

A lovely little murder mystery set at Christmas in 1938, it kept my attention and was a nice little read after a difficult year. I liked the characters, they each had a distinctive personality, my favourites being Hugh and Lydia. There were a few twists along the way but I had a pretty good idea of who it could be but I didn't know the reason. I recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a murder mystery that also still manages to catch a bit of the Christmas spirit. There is plenty of drama throughout and you will want to read it all in one go!

A Christmas Murder was an absolute hoot. Moncrieff has created a deliciously fun, at times awful array of characters who have all arrived to celebrate Christmas in the family seat of Westbourne Manor with Lord and Lady Westbury hosting. On Christmas morning family friend David Campbell Scott is found dead from a bullet shot wound in the gardens. Was it self inflicted or is one of Lady Westbury’s wonderfully snobby guests a murderer? Over the following 48 hours we found out. I loved this comedy of manners set in 1938. The dialogue is very Bertie Wooster and the writing respects the era with a fabulous Agatha Christie style ending...I loved it!

This is a great book to read over the winter or in the run-up to Christmas - a nice way to pass the time when tucked up somewhere warm on a cold day. It's a classic country house murder mystery with a cast including a wealthy family and various visitors who may or may not be quite what they seem.

When I first started reading I was worried that I wasn't interested enough in the book, perhaps because it seemed such a "typical" setting for a murder mystery. But this is actually part of its charm. It knows the format and uses it well to create an entertaining, easy to read story.

The Westbury family and their Christmas visitors are thrown into chaos when a body is discovered on Christmas morning. One of their guests appears to have shot himself. There are great descriptions of some of the ridiculousness of the lives of the rich and privileged, as Lady Westbury panics about what this will mean for her family's reputation and whether it's best to try and carry on with a "normal" Christmas day or find some alternative.

There are lots of good characters. Lydia, the Westbury's daughter, is great as an independent and strong-willed woman resisting the path her parents hoped she would follow. Lots of people will recognise the squabbles and problems she has with her brothers - Stephen, an over-confident attention-seeker and Eddy, a passionate campaigner for social justice.

Despite the fact that lots of crime readers will recognise the format of this book, I think there's enough in the characters and the story to keep readers' interest. The characters aren't one-dimensional and even those who at times come across as highly irritating have redeeming qualities.

Even the servants get a look in, and we get some sense of their characters. And there are also more common worries for the characters that don't always get a look in in these types of books, such as older people's health problems.

The one issue is that the death occurs very early, and we don't really have time to get to know much about the victim. But this is a minor point really, in what is a well-written and well thought out mystery.

Murder Most Festive by Ada Moncrieff is a wonderful, historical murder mystery set in 1938 with WW2 looming. Based in a large country manor in Sussex with a houseful of suspects, it centres around Hugh Gaveston, a dogged and determined amateur sleuth who is investigating a killing. On Christmas morning David Campbell-Scott has been found lying in the fresh snow, his crimson blood staining the sparkling whiteness all around him. As the plot ticks off all the suspects, offering different motives and opportunities from a range of likelihoods, the case unveils betrayal and fraud. With occasional touches of humour, this is a compelling and engaging Christmas historical crime novel that I enjoyed immensely.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Random House Vintage via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

While this was an interesting premise and fit for the season, i won't give it more than 3 stars. While i didn't dnf the book and was able to complete it, i don't think i will remember it in a few month's time because the plot and the characters were not extraordinary. I would recommend it only if you want to get into the spirit of the season and are looking forward to reafung a mystery set around it. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an arc in return of an honest review.

My thanks to the publishers for a review copy of this story of trouble at the Westbury’s Christmas do in 1938. It is a sort of pastiche of golden age murder mysteries with elements of mildly amusing farce. I finished reading it but it’s difficult to care what happens to the obnoxious cartoon characters and the writing is nothing special either. It would not be possible, I think, for the reader to resolve whodunnit from the text. I’ve been trying to think of something positive to say and, should you find yourself snowed in or facing a Beast from the East over the festive period, you could do worse than curl up in front of the fire with this. You could do a lot better though.

What would Advent be without a Christmas mystery and this is a brand new one, published a few weeks ago. Set in 1938 and a debut mystery, set up in such a way that I believe other ones might be coming. Sort of a bit Allingham meets Heyer, although I do prefer the snark of the originals. The mystery had its length and I knew pretty much all along who did it. Still, it’s not a bad one and does fairly well what it says on the tin. And hey, a murder mystery never fails to make me feel all festive ;)

Murder Most Festive was a fun whodunnit style murder mystery, complete with house party, murdered guest, a full house of suspects with various motives and means to commit murder, and a would-be detective determined to get to the bottom of things.

I found the narrative voice to be quite distracting, unfortunately, it felt too laboured and I found it made reading hard work. However I enjoyed the characters and their interactions and the dialogue was witty and natural. The denouement was perfect, I had guessed the killer but I hadn't figured out his motive so I enjoyed the reveal very much.

Overall a fun, slightly different style of Christmas novel!

Thank you to the publishers & author for a free ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked certain aspects of this book - the country house setting, the myriad of suspects, the festive atmosphere, the narrator and the timing just before WWII.

I especially loved the amateur detective Hugh, his method, determination and character in general.

I have a degree in English Literature but I found myself looking up the definitions of words so often, it felt like every other page. I'm undecided whether that affected my enjoyment of the book.

This is a light, easy read, a little predictable in terms of murderer & motive, but still enjoyable.

A Christmas Murder (Murder Most Festive) - Ada Moncrieff

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Vintage and Netgalley.

Christmas 1938. The Westbury family and assorted friends have gathered together for another legendary Christmas at the family seat in Sussex. The champagne flows, the family silver sparkles and upstairs the bedrooms are made up ready for their occupants. But one bed will lie empty that night…

I enjoy reading mysteries as I like trying to figure out who the murderer is, but this book was just missing the vital attention grabbing characteristics that are required for a mystery.

I didn’t warm to the characters in this book as much as I usually do and I sometimes found the story lacking depth.

Rating: 3/5

Rather ridiculous 'over the top' countryhouse murder involving a lot of snow. Every character seems to be rather exaggerated; the sort of thing one might expect from an am-dram company playing it for laughs. Thanks to Netgalley.

A lovely way to get in the mood for Christmas...
The year is 1938. On the brink of WW2 the British elite are determined to celebrate in the usual way and we join the Westbury family and friends as they prepare to enjoy the holiday with sumptuous food and hunting. However a body in the snow on Christmas morning puts a damper on the festivities.
I enjoyed the rather old-fashioned yet whimsical style of writing that gently drew me into the story. The amateur detective in this case was Hugh Gaveston who had an endearingly charming approach to investigation. The verbose Constable Jones was a laugh and the depiction of the aristocracy as dim and witless added to the satirical undertone of the story.
Unfortunately I was disappointed with the ending - the murderer turned out to be exactly whom I had suspected from the beginning!
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fairly formulaic murder mystery - the historical setting adds a bit of interest, and there were moments I did enjoy, but I'm afraid I felt the writing was a bit clunky and I wasn't sure I would read until the end. I did, but the resolution didn't feel particularly special.
It felt a bit like the author wanted to create a sort of Wodehouse atmosphere, but the dialogue felt stilted, and unfortunately I didn't like any of the characters except Hugh! I'd have been quite happy had any of the rest of them been the murderer!

This is exactly the sort of book that I normally love but there was something missing here. I finished it but the ending didn’t come as a huge surprise and there was just something a bit “thin” about it. I can’t quite point to what except that unusually for a murder mystery nothing much happens. There are some nice bits of writing and some wry turns of phrase, but it wasn’t quite enough to keep me truly interested.

In short it was just a bit flat.