I've been reading a string of amateur detective stories and most of them have been rather irritating in the way they stuck their noses in. But this series is literally called the Nosey Parker Mysteries and Jodie Parker is a former policewoman so she actually has some knowledge of solving crime. I had not read any of the other books in the series but didn't think I missed anything by not having that knowledge. Nor was there a massive info dump to try and get me caught up which was nice.
Josie, her mom, daughter, and friend are catering a charity event in a castle that is newly converted to a B&B. The event ends but Josie and her crew are stuck in the castle with an eccentric billionaire and his assistant and son, a group of Japanese tourists, the hotel staff, and two wandering people who might not be exactly who they say they are. Oh, and a VERY drunk Santa who actually ends up dead.

With a sprinkling of secret passages and the obligatory local cops who don't like Josie investigating (but her boyfriend outranks them,) this was a charming book.

Four stars
This book comes out December 9th, 2021
Follows A Sprinkle of Sabotage
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins UK and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Thank you to NetGalley, One More Chapter and Fiona Leitch for my arc of A Cornish Christmas Murder in exchange for an honest review.

Out now!

For those who regularly read my reviews, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker and the Cozy Mystery series. For a little background Jodie is an ex Met police detective who retired early after her daughter Daisy became worried about her being killed in the line of duty. Jodie retrained as a caterer and following her divorce, moved herself and Daisy, back to Cornwall where she was brought up as the daughter of the local head police officer.

I feel like you do kind of have to read the rest of the series to really get the enjoyment out of this one. Quite a lot of the 1 and 2 star reviews have based their rating on some of the oddities such as Jodie taking her dog to the catering event but it would make a lot more sense why Germaine is involved if you read the other books. Same with a lot of the relationships and jokes they fit in with what is learned about Jodie’s personality later on.

The thing I love most about this series is the easy read simplicity. Yes, there’s a murder and murders are very serious indeed, but the books are light hearted in their tone and designed around the idea of Jodie sticking her nose in where it’s not wanted and ending up solving the case to the frustration of the local police. A Cornish Christmas Murder was no different in its execution.

Jodie and her family + Debbie her best friend rock up at a local abbey in the Gimpmobile (names because it used to belong to a sex shop and has some unfortunate decals on the side). They’re catering for a children’s charity event hosted by a billionaire philanthropist. In true Christmas Murder mystery style they get snowed in and end up with a bunch of extra people arriving. A group of Japanese tourists and a couple with something to hide. This is in addition to Jodie and her bunch, the home’s owner and housekeeper, an old friend of Jodie’s and of course the billionaire, his son and his assistant and the guy who was dressing up as Santa for the charity do. During the night one of them is murdered and with the snow still thick on the ground and keeping them in, Jodie of course decides to investigate.

This was a humorous and light read that I really enjoyed. If you’re looking for something gritty that really gets into police procedure and complex detective work then this isn’t the book, or series for that matter, for you. But if you’re wanting exactly what it says on the tin, a cosy Christmas Murder then I would 100% recommend.

Another page turner from Fiona Leitch with the usual humour that you know and come to expect from this writer. I thoroughly enjoyed this whodunnit.

Another delightful adventure with Nosey Parker and her gang. Fiona Leitch is a very clever author who can write with great humour and spin a marvellous mystery at the same time.

Set again in Cornwall the descriptions are amazing and transport the reader into the story. Another murder has occurred, in this case in a soon to be hotel in the snow and the occupants are completely cut off. Queue Nosey Parker starting an impromptu investigation, this time including her mum, daughter, friend and the family dog!

Greater insight into different characters and a clever plot.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a lovely mystery. The not lovely bit is that Santa dies. Jodie and friends/family cater a kiddie Christmas party at a historic home. The kids all get away safely but the rest are stranded overnight due to a big snowstorm. The main group is joined by 4 young Japanese tourists and a husband and wife. These additions complicate the investigation at first.
Jodie gets to do some mucking about because the police are having trouble reaching the house.
Santa’s dead, there is a big old broadsword and secret passageways.
There are some humorous moments. Nathan comes to the rescue. And the death is solved the same day. It might be a bit unrealistic but it’s fun.

This was a lovely Christmas read, really fun (and funny) and sweet. It's like The Vicar of Dibley and Midsommer Murders combined, then throw in Santa and a stately home! I'd recommend it to anyone that wants something light and festive to read this Christmas. The writing is good, and the characters are well put together, meaning that even if you aren't usually a fan of this genre you might like it.

This was a sweet cozy mystery which I throughly enjoyed. The characters made me laugh and I enjoyed the setting in Cornwall. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I hadn’t noticed that “A Cornish Christmas Murder” is the fourth in Fiona Leitch’s series about the nosey ex member of the Met Police Jodie “Nosey” Parker - I requested this one on @netgalley based purely on cover and title … Yet, this cozy mystery offers enough about the backstory to simply enjoy the case as a stand-alone.
It is a classic whodunnit with a group of strangers gathering in an isolated place - Bodmin Abbey- a 13th century Abbey being converted to a high end guest house - and getting snowed in, so that the Murder must have been committed by one of the people present … Despite the unwanted stay at the abbey, the guests explore the premises and make the best of it. And the house has to offer some secret passages which open room for speculation on everyone’s alibis …

I was very drawn to this Agatha Christie-like setting and Fiona Leitch managed to emulate the British classic mystery and bring it to today’s time. A great story and so much wonderful English Christmas good …

A Cornish Christmas Murder by Fiona Veitch sees the gang together to cater a party for children, thrown by Isaac Isaac Barnes, entrepreneur and mulit-millionaire who was "giving back." With Jodie were Shirley (her mother), Daisy (her teenage daughter), Germaine (their dog), and Debbie (her actual employee). They had ridden in the glimpmobile (her name for their used van) to an abbey that was being remodeled into a hotel. Lily, someone she knew from high school, worked her, along with Trevor (the owner) and Pippa (the woman of all work). It should be fun and it was, until it wasn't. The Santa they had hired had looked good, but turned out to be less than desirable. Then he turned up dead, naked, shot through with an antique sword. Jodie's cop-radar kicked into high gear. They had all spent the night as they were in the middle of a blizzard and the phone lines were down. Of course, cell phone coverage was non-existent, and several more sets of people had shown up last night, cars broken down and such. It was basically a locked-door mystery. Who killed Santa?

This is a very cute cast of characters. Shirley was basically useless, if you didn't count speaking up at the wrong times and saying the wrong things. Daisy was a teenager (enough said). Debbie was good, and had common sense. This was all very odd. No one, apparently, knew the Santa before this party. And how he got dead in the position he was found was another good question. Where had everybody been and where were the police? Jodie had been able to text Nathan, her cop boyfriend, and he had contacted the local authorities, but he was there before they were. A good mystery. Unexpected but it made sense. Memories are long. One can never get away from wrong-doing, if they hadn't known. Interesting series. Fun.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of A Cornish Christmas Murder by Harper Collins, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #harpercollins #acornishchristmasmurder #fionaveitch

A murder on snowy Bodmin Moor. How exciting! Cornwall is an atmospheric and mysterious landscape, full of crashing rocks and smuggler's caves. Bodmin Moor is a vast and eerie place too, so the location of this cosy Christmas murder mystery is the perfect setting.

An ex-police officer, along with her daughter and mother, has set up a catering business. The children's party they put on is in an historical abbey, with ties to murderous Tudors and the ghosts and curses they left behind. All good stuff. To top it off, there is a bad snow storm and everyone has to stay the night. My idea of the perfect Christmas.

Five more people turn up at the door (a bit like the Percy the Park Keeper children's book One Snowy Night) and so the guests have to find places to sleep other than the bedrooms. Unlike the Percy book though, one of the guests ends up dead.

​This is a fun and light read and I absolutely love the setting, which was integral to the story. This book becomes better the more it goes on and it doesn't get bogged down with technical police work but maintains puzzle solving elements. The perfect Christmas murder mystery.

Fourth book in the Jodie "Nosey" Parker cosy mystery series, but can be read as a stand-alone. The title should attract people who like Cornwall, Christmas and a cosy murder. It´s set in a snowed-in house with a couple of people getting together, the murder on one of them and the probability that the murderer is amongst these people. Though there´s some humour in it and the characters are well described, the story drags till the foreseeable end. Jodie is a strong woman and former cop, but when her boyfriend arrives (also a cop) she seems to loose her self-assurance. Not a series I will further read.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.

A Cornish Christmas Murder is an amusing and challenging locked house mystery with both Clue(do) and Agatha Christie vibes.

A group of people trapped by snow and forced to spend the night in a large country house. Four lost Japanese girls with a wrecked car. A couple who also claim to be lost. A dead naked Santa found stabbed with an ancient sword. Good thing caterer Jodie was a cop for twenty years as it appears the murderer is still within the house. And the local police may not get there before he, or she, strikes again.

I adored A Cornish Christmas Murder. It has realistic characters, well-hidden clues, and an atmospheric setting. Best of all, unraveling the mystery is a fair play challenge and just plain fun! 5 stars and a favorite. No armchair detective and/or Christie fan should miss it.

Thanks to One More Chapter, HarperCollins UK, and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

A nail-biting mystery set in a centuries old abbey with suspects galore. Jodie leaves the big city and law enforcement for a new career in catering in the small English village where she grew up. She ends up dating a local DCI who hopes she doesn't go all Jodie-ish when someone ends up murdered after her current catering job. However, Jodie cannot help herself and soon begins her own investigation.

I have been hooked on this series since book 1. It is smart and funny with great characters that keep me wanting more. Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for an advanced copy. The opinions expressed are my own.

This was a cozy, super readable locked room (snowed in!) Christmas murder mystery that was a delight from start to finish. I’d never read any of the others in the series and felt like I caught up just fine with this one as a stand-alone. It was the perfect novel to breeze through in a day or two in front of the fire - and I will totally be adding this series’ backlist to my TBR!

I was looking forward to reading this but I didn’t realise that this was the 4th book in the series and I felt that I would have benefitted from reading the previous books, although some back story was explained., There was a lot of descriptive writing which I always feel is just padding. Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me I thought it was all a bit slow and I didn’t finish it.

Thank you, NetGalley, Fiona Leitch, and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to read this book! It releases tomorrow, December 9th, 2021!

So I am still trying to figure out my feelings about A Cornish Christmas Murder by Fiona Leitch. It falls into the “cozy mystery” genre. We meet Jodie “Nosey” Parker and her random catering crew. When I say random, I mean Nana, her daughter-Daisy, and their dog. They go to this billionaire’s hotel to cater a charity event for children. Yep. She brought her dog to a billionaire’s charity event. The event goes along just fine, but it is the snowstorm that keeps all of the workers at the hotel overnight. Then the next morning, there seems to have been a murder! Lo and Behold, Jodie used to be a police officer so naturally, she and her catering crew start investigating.

So I have read cozy mysteries before and I enjoy them. They are not exactly known for their realistic nature when it comes to police procedures. But this one definitely didn’t come close to being realistic. I am still pretty distracted by the fact that she brought her dog to this event when she is the caterer. I love dogs! I prefer them over people…but should the dog be there? No. It wasn’t like he is Scooby-Doo and helping solve the mystery.

Moving on. I loved the banter! I even chuckled out loud a few times. Nana was a hoot. I wish she were the main character. I could take or leave Jodie, she didn’t really interest me. But let me tell you, the murder doesn’t happen until a third of the way into the book. I can’t tell you how close I was to putting the book down because the murder took so long. So, the murder is pretty gruesome. But it was like the murder didn’t even matter! I get that some of the people weren’t close to the victim, but how could you be that…jolly at a murder scene. It reminded me of Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove.

<img src="https://amandasbookreviewsite.files.wordpress.com/2021/12/well-he-a-int-getting-any-deader-dead.gif?w=498"/>

I was more concerned about the murder than the characters. Then there is the fact that I predicted the ending. I also wasn’t a fan that three Japanese characters were brought in, but they couldn’t speak English and they weren’t even given names! If you aren’t going to have a murder take place until one-third of the way into the book, then you have time to introduce all the characters. I rate this book 2 out of 5 stars.

Adorable Christmas Cozy mystery! I just finished the ARC of this on NetGalley and I really enjoyed it! It’s a fun locked room mystery set in a big Cornish manor house, with hidden rooms and passages, where they have all been snowed in. It’s mildly madcap, and I really enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek protagonist. Its great as a stand-alone book, but it’s also book four in the Nosey Parker series, which I haven’t read, but now want to. 🙂

It’s is available in the UK (but not quite in the US), and it on sale in the UK for £0.99 in the kindle store right now. 🎄

(NOTE: I posted in a largely UK based Facebook book group I’m in, but I will add a link to my bookstagram when I post there. A large amount of my followers are US based and when I checked Amazon it wasn’t available there yet, even for pre-order.)

This brand new cozy has been my December morning read and was my first time reading Fiona Leitch's Nosey Parker mystery series. I found it to be a fun and delightful way to spend the beginning of the holiday season. Nosey, a detective turned chef is catering an event at at a 13th century abbey in Cornwall when a snowstorm hits and a murder occurs in this locked room style mystery, complete with a victim killed with a sword

I love a British style mystery and the setting of Cornwall and a centuries old abbey was exactly my cup of tea. Leitch has created a great character in Nosey and I look forward to going back and reading the early editions in the series to learn her story from the beginning. This book delivers a solid mystery and I loved that the victim was killed with a sword- such a fun touch in keeping with the medieval abbey setting. The humor with which Leitch infuses the story and characters had me chuckling all the way through. If you are looking for mystery, laughter and Christmas in jolly old England then look no further than A Cornish Christmas Murder.

Thank you to @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review

This was an OK read. Probably along the same lines as The Thursday Murder Club. It was fairly easy to read although it didnt grab me in the way I hoped it would. Jodie was a bit of an annoying main character to be honest. Some of the phrases she used made me cringe. I guessed who was responsible for the death in the last third of the book and it was quite clever how they worked it out but also a little bit disappointing. I would maybe read some more in the series if I was looking for something easy to read

A nice easy to read genuine whodunit with dead body in locked room no visible means of entry murder victim inside. Plenty of twists and turns before the remain Sherlock Holmes solves it all, well nearly
Good light Christmas time read