It's Christmas 1936 and an eclectic list of guests and staff have gathered for the grand reopening of Maybridge castle, a newly renovated yet still crumbling hotel deep in the Cumbrian countryside. Amongst them are a doctor and his new wife, tarot readers, a journalist, an elderly amateur sleuth and her cat. By the time the first sherries have been drunk a person will be dead. An innocent game of murder-in-the-dark turns into a real game of life and death. Someone has changed the rules...but who? A fun holiday and historic mystery!

I enjoyed this book, although it wasn't the most gripping novel I've ever read. At times, I did feel that the plot wasn't quite enough to keep my interest. But the writing and the quality of the characters did.

I've read several novels by Ada Moncrieff and have generally enjoyed all of them. In this book, Daphne is among the guests invited to a castle owned by Charles, who hopes to turn it into some kind of haunted mansion that ghost hunters will visit.

Various other guests are invited - not entirely clear why these in particular. A murder takes place, and Daphne, along with another guest Mrs Thewley, set about trying to investigate who the killer is.

The plot really doesn't feel like enough to keep a reader interested to be brutally honest. Perhaps it felt a bit too similar to too many other books - random people gather in a place and the murders begin. It's a very well trodden plot, albeit with different characters and twists.

In this book, there are genuinely interesting characters. Daphne is great - very witty and resilient. I also liked the characters of Eleanor and John - a newly married couple. Eleanor at first appears quite irritating - obsessed with pointing out that she has a "hubby" and a bit of a stereotypical airhead. However, she does get a little more likeable as we get to know her more, and it's good that the author can develop characters in this way.

Similarly John at first appears either completely unlikeable, rude, uncaring or a combination of all three. But again, over time we see different aspects of his character.

I would recommend this novel for the writing and the characters, but the plot I did feel was a bit of a let down.

This is a festive murder mystery so I couldn't wait to read it. Something a little bit different yet still a cosy murder mystery which I enjoy.

It's Christmas in 1936 and the newly renovated Maybridge Castle is having its grand opening. What could possibly go wrong?! To get into the proceedings a game of Murder in the Dark is played but the results are not what was expected.

This is such a fun read, cosy, intriguing with the historical aspect as well as Christmas. What more could you want? Such an enjoyable and entertaining read, also being quick and easy to read as well as well written and the characters where perfect for this story.

I enjoyed every minute of it and would highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Ada Moncrieff's Christmas Mysteries are always quite entertaining and this is my favourite. i was glad to catch with Daphne and loved the atmosphere of the mix of guests with different stories and background.
Each of them is there because they wanted something, debunk a fraud or have a nice holiday.
It's a mix of Golden Age atmosphere with a touch of modern mysteries, a well plotted and entertaining story
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A great Christmas cosy mystery read.
It’s 1936 and a group of people have been invited to Maybridge Castle in Cumbria .
The castle is supposedly haunted and one of the invited guests is Daphne King intrepid reporter and amateur sleuth .
Once all the guests are assembled a murder soon takes place and Daphne soon gets on the case.
I enjoyed the story and the characters .
The story is very Agatha Christie in its style.
An enjoyable Christmas read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK.

What a jolly read! Prefect for fans of Agathia Christie and cosy crime. A great cast of characters have been gathered together for the first weekend in a haunted hotel in mid-December. When there is a real murder during Murder in the Dark, it could be any of the guests. So kick ass journalist/private investigator Daphne King pairs up with Mrs Thewley and her cat Duke to find out who the murderer is before the weekend ends. And everyone has a secret these which these two will discover! I read it in December so it was a great chilly christmas read. Enjoy!

Daphne King, trailblazing crime reporter and fledgling amateur sleuth, returns to tackle more Christmas chaos in Ada Moncrieff’s Murder at Maybridge Castle. It’s December 1936 and Charles Howton, black sheep of playwright Veronica Howton’s family, has invited Daphne and Veronica to spend a pre-Christmas weekend in Cumbria to witness the grand opening of his latest business venture: Maybridge Castle, England’s first haunted hotel.

With Veronica off taking Broadway by storm, Daphne has reluctantly agreed to take a break from chasing criminals across London and enjoy a sojourn in the countryside in support of Charles – phantoms and apparitions permitting, of course. And she’s not the only one Charles has convinced to make the journey north with the promise of seances, tarot readings and mince pies.

Among the motley group of guests that Charles feels sure will garner the hotel maximum publicity are Amelia Thewley, renowned sceptic and debunker (plus feline companion, Duke); newly married John and Eleanor Beaumont, subscribers to Spiritualism Now; Helena Rackham, an academic who studies the history of witchcraft; hotel correspondent Winifred Roberts; and bickering father and son Raymond and Kenneth Hammond.

Initially it seems little unites these folks beyond interest in what a weekend at a haunted hotel will entail, but the drama, insinuations and backbiting that occur over cocktails on their first evening at Maybridge Castle suggest that they all have one thing in common after all: secrets that they’ll do anything to hide.

What’s more, when Charles attempts to lighten the mood by suggesting that they play a game of murder in the dark, he unwittingly sets the scene for an actual slaying. With another ghost seemingly having been added to the castle’s resident spooks and the local constabulary ill-equipped to deal with a murder, Charles turns to Daphne to crack the case and help him avoid yet another failed business venture.

Having made her detective debut in Murder at the Theatre Royal, set in December 1935, Daphne has apparently solved several high-profile cases between then and the events at Maybridge Castle, including the Lord Marcus investigation and shenanigans involving East End gangsters. It’s no surprise then that her confidence and prowess as an investigator have grown considerably, which proves to be particularly unfortunate for the adulterous young man she encounters on the train to Cumbria.

Moreover, this time around she’s ably assisted by septuagenarian sleuth Mrs Thewley, who is a shrewd judge of character and a keen observer of behaviour, in addition to having valuable practical skills in areas such as lockpicking. The pair make a great team, serving as sounding boards for each other’s ideas and adding considerable humour to the story through their dialogue and escapades, particularly when traversing country lanes on a motorbike and sidecar.

They’re not a perfect pair of detectives, however, as they repeatedly put off sharing clues and deductions until late at night or on other occasions, which is not really a sound plan when there is a killer on the loose. In fact, Daphne and Mrs Thewley are oddly reticent about actually solving the crime until circumstances give them a shove. Plus, at one point they both seem to forget a vital piece of information and so temporarily derail their own investigation.

Nevertheless, it’s a lot of fun to follow them on the trail of the killer, especially since Moncrieff does such a good job of allowing events to unfold amid an atmosphere that reflects both the allure of a haunted castle and the forced merriment of Christmas celebrations among strangers. In fact, the partially renovated but still pretty decrepit hotel serves as an evocative backdrop to the unseasonal crime, enhancing the sense of isolation and intrigue that characterises the closed-circle mystery.

Murder at Maybridge Castle is also laced with witticisms worthy of Wodehouse, cleverly plotted twists and plausible red herrings, which ensures that the mystery remains engaging and puzzling until Daphne’s final Poirot-like denouement. Moncrieff’s approach is reminiscent of the greats from the Golden Age of Murder, particularly in terms of the social commentary, eccentricity of motives and integration of diverse human foibles into a singular and convincing murder plot.

Following Murder Most Festive, Murder at the Theatre Royal and now Murder at Maybridge Castle, a murder mystery from Ada Moncrieff is becoming quite the Christmas tradition, and long may it continue!

Murder at Maybridge Castle is a festive locked-room mystery in which a group of strangers are gathered together at the supposedly haunted Maybridge castle. A game of murder in the dark ends in an actual murder and crime reporter, Daphne King, takes it upon herself to investigate.

This book was very reminiscent of Agatha Christie's Poirot in that we jump straight into the crime, the suspects are then investigated one by one and finally everyone is gathered together for the big reveal of the murderer. I really enjoy this structure so I loved this book. The characters were all very distinct and discovering each of their secrets was very entertaining. The setting really added to the festive atmosphere and I loved the descriptions of Cumbria. I thought the plot was very fast paced and I liked that although this book is quite short (~300 pages) it never felt rushed or like we were skipping over details. The plot twist at the end got me and I thought the clues to the culprit's identity were very clever.

My only complaint is that the motives given felt slightly unrealistic and a bit far fetched. The rest of the novel felt very polished however this element of the grand reveal/confession read as if the author had decided who the murderer was for shock value and forgot to give them a viable motive for murder.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to any Agatha Christie fans looking for a festive murder mystery!

This is exactly what you need to pick up in December, preferably with snow on the ground (I did), and just grab a blanket and enjoy the story.

Who doesn’t love a good murder at Christmas?

Brilliant! Excellent plot, excellent setting, and fantastic characters!

My thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't read all the books in this series but have read one other and so knew the characters. It was a shame one of the main characters wasn't in the book but I did enjoy the new characters.

Overall a fun, cosy murder mystery with a wintery twist!

Thank you for the arc.

I loved this book! A good, traditional mystery. It’s one I regretted starting on a work night as it was difficult to put down, just one more chapter! I’ve recommended it to a few of my book friends.

I was sent this after the pub date but cannot WAIT to get stuck in!! I loved Ada’s last book so much!!

It was a very nice and hooking whodunnit, with a good pace.

I really liked our little Daphne x Mrs Threwley duo, it was nice for conferring about the investigation. I would have liked more character depth, but I know this isn't the main focus of this book, especially for how short it was.

The setting was nice with the haunted castle even if we hadn't got much of it, and as always I loved trying to find who did it. The clues were there but without making them extremely obvious and giving out the murderer(s) quickly, so it was really done well!

A Moncrieff Christmas murder novel is becoming as much a Christmas tradition as mince pies, fairy lights and a nap after dinner.
Daphne King, fledgling private investigator, is invited by her partner’s cousin, Charles, to spend a pre-Christmas weekend at his new business venture, a hotel that he claims is the most haunted in England. She finds herself surrounded by an eclectic mix of guests, all ready to experience supernatural delights in the gothic Maybridge Castle. However, as with all good murder mysteries, the guests all hide their own secrets. When one of their number is found murdered, it is up to Daphne to unravel the threads of deceit to uncover the truth before the killer can strike again.
As a fan of cosy crime, there is nothing better than snuggling up with a festive offering like this. This was a wonderful Christmassy treat of a novel.

Festive Turns Fatal..
The third in the Christmas Mystery series from this author and festive turns fatal when an innocent game of murder in the dark doesn’t go exactly to plan. 1936 and the grand re-opening of Maybridge Castle as an hotel is much anticipated but as the guests assemble, something nefarious is afoot. A cosy mystery with a golden age edge, a narrative laced with witticisms, a plot to die for and an eclectically drawn cast. Perfect Christmas fare.

Take a motley crew of people who’d never spend time together normally, trapped in a newly renovated castle for Christmas, and you’ve the recipe for a perfect festive mystery. When an innocent game of murder in the dark turns into a very real, very frightening game of trying to stay alive, the characters have to figure out who is responsible… and who has switched games. Cosy crime with a historical twist.

A good murder mystery with the usual suspects gathered at a remote stately home.
As the characters were cleared of Murder it soon became obvious by a process of elimination who was left as the guilty party. But I enjoyed the premise and characters.

Mrs Elenor Beaumont wins a stay at the MayBridge Castle after writing a piece for a magazine. It’s a haunted castle so it should be fun. Charles owns the castle and invites his cousin and friend too. When they find a dead body the mystery gets going.

It’s a good whodunit story, but wasn’t for me. I found there to be a lot of characters to remember, but I did like the setting in the castle. The writing was good and it’s a quick book to read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

A group of random people are invited to the grand reopening of Maybridge Castle but it turns deadly.

I liked the plot here, but the writing felt very wordy. It took away from the mystery because there was a lot of dialogue outside of clues even.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book, I really loved our main character Daphne king and the unsuspecting partnership with Mrs Thewley, not forgetting Duke of course!!


I thought that the setting of the ‘very’ haunted maybridge castle was a brilliant setting however, I think the weekend didn’t go as expected for any of the characters!


I loved the eclectic mix of characters that each brought something to the story. And I loved the mix of detective work and comedy that gave me some laugh out loud moments too!


A great read that was well paced and kept me turning the pages to find out who the murderer was.