Frantic, festive - and funny!

Christmas Eve is a hectic time for everyone but for those hosting the festive meal - and especially with the in-laws arriving - even frantic doesn't begin to cover it. Throw in a booming hangover, a 'to-do' list growing by the minute and Anna has more than enough on her plate. It can't get any worse - can it? Well, when you throw in a dead body in the larder, it definitely can ...

I'm going to be very careful not to give anything away here, but I think there's a lesson for all of us in this one. After all, it's only one day - but oh, the pressure we put upon ourselves! Anna is no different; coping with children and Christmas enters a whole new level with a thudding hangover and the laughs come thick and fast. Very funny, but those used to solving mysteries in their reading will be able to pick out all the wrong things to do - which only increased the giggles. As long as you don't take life too seriously, this is a warm and witty read. 4.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this novel via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Anna’s Christmas is not as she’d anticipated, quite different from previous years. After their annual Christmas party, hungover Anna goes downstairs the following morning to find a dead body in her larder…. From here a dark humored whodunnit 🥸 will have you laughing out loud very early on.

Not your average Christmas romance, but a definite should read this Christmas 🎄

I just loved this book so much it was so good that once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. It made me want to be friends with Anna and Jennie and spend Christmas with them. This book was an absolute hoot to read and a marvellous whodunnit, it had marvellous characters in it as well. I was just sorry when it finished as it was so good.

I would highly recommend reading this book if you love a marvellous whodunnit with a good bit of humour too and marvellous characters as well as an excellent story.

I would like to thank Avon and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early.

Happy Bloody Christmas is just brilliant, and I'm sad that I have finished it! Anna is preparing to welcome her in-laws for Christmas, and feeling the pressure of living up to her mother-in-laws standards. That would be bad enough, but stumbling into the pantry with a hangover, Anna is in for a shock - her sleazy boss Colin has been stabbed!

With the hapless police officers more interested in their Christmas party than investigating, Anna and best friend Jennie take on themselves to investigate. Whilst juggling Christmas Eve preparations, nosy neighbours and a party of suspects, Anna and Jennie attempt to get to the truth, with a whole load of revelations along the way.

What was unexpected was the sub-story running alongside, featuring Anna and her perceived expectations of Christmas with her family. Pretty much the worst has already happened in their house, so who cares if the cats eat the smoked salmon starter?! This side of the story was really heartwarming, especially the support from Anna's husband Oli and children Ben and Lily (who was scarily similar to my own daughter!)

Please please bring Anna and Jennie back for more escapades, and can I join their gang too?!

Happy Bloody Christmas was a wonderfully entertaining read. From the first page I was chuckling and the book kept up this jovial tone, despite the murder!

Anna is a relatable character who wakes up on Christmas Eve and discovers the body of her boss (dressed as Father Christmas) in her prised walk-in pantry. When the police are more interested in festive food, she takes it upon herself to unravel the mystery. With help from her family and best friend, Anna follows the evidence to discover who committed the murder at her Christmas party.

Everyone seemed to have motive and opportunity which made the book a great read and kept me guessing right to the end.

A great mixture of humour, mystery, and general Christmas-time stress!


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this novel. All opinions are my own and I am voluntarily leaving this review.

Happy Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton is a festive murder mystery with a difference. A true Christmas cracker of a read.

Anna wakes up Christmas Eve morning after their annual party with the worst hangover, a dead santa in her larder and what's worse is her in laws are coming to stay for Christmas. When the police arrive it's obvious that they are more interested in getting back to the station for their Christmas pies than solving the murder. So Anna and friend Jennie are left to solve the murder themselves. They get their murder boards out and work through their suspect list. Will they find our who stabbed Santa with a knife from Anna's sabatier set (you can't buy individual replacements you know)

This was the funniest festive book that I didn't know I needed to read. It's a brilliantly plotted whodunit, completely bonkers at times and told in a light, quirky and engaging way. Jo Middleton is an author I haven't read before but I'm looking to reading more from her soon.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I love a Christmas read and adding the element of mystery was a perfect mixture for me. Overall it was funny and compelling!

If you're a fan of Motherland and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, then Happy Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton should be on your must-read list! This clever and engaging Christmas murder mystery mixes humour with suspense, making it the perfect holiday read.

The story centres on Anna Johnson, who wakes up the morning after her Christmas party with a pounding hangover, struggling to recall foggy memories of amaretto shots and an intense game of Twister where she was determined to show she could still do a crab. As if the pressure of creating a festive tablescape for her judgmental mother-in-law's imminent arrival wasn't enough, Anna's day takes a wild turn when she discovers a dead Father Christmas in her brand-new walk-in larder.

Things go from bad to worse when the police officers on the scene are more interested in returning to the station so as not to miss out on the Christmas party turkey & cranberry pies than solving the crime. Their incompetence peaks when they destroy key evidence, trampling through the crime scene, and spilling pasta shells all over the dead body. It soon becomes evident that if this murder is to be solved, Anna will have to take charge.

What ensues is a chaotic yet hilarious adventure as Anna tries to balance holiday preparations with unravelling an unexpected murder, all while trying to keep the Christmas spirit alive for her family.

Anna is an incredibly relatable character, dealing with endless to-do lists, family pressures, and the quest for the perfect Christmas.

The story masterfully combines the dark humour and domestic mayhem of Motherland with the gripping mystery that fans of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder will love.

Anna wakes up on Christmas Eve not feeling her best after her party the night before but knows she needs to prepare for her (nightmare) in-laws who are arriving the next day. So when she finds Father Christmas murdered in her pantry it throws a real spanner in the works. Will she find out what happened and manage to save the family Christmas?

I was really drawn to the title and premise of this one as it sounded like it would be a lot of fun. After reading I can confirm that it certainly was! I really enjoyed the author’s lighthearted, humorous writing style and even though this was a murder mystery I had a smile on my face. The story flowed well and I really enjoyed getting involved in the investigation; it all came together well.

All the characters are great, as they are witty, funny and I felt I really got to know them. I loved the rapport between Anna and friend Jennie and their easy banter. I would love to read more of their antics in a second book! This is a perfect book for those looking to read a festive cosy murder mystery filled with plenty of black humour. I will be recommending! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

It took me some time to get into this book. In fact, I nearly didn't finish reading it after the first chapter as I found the humour didn't quite work for me. However, after a break, I continue reading and gradually began to enjoy the story. The lead character, Anna wakes up after a pre-Christmas drinks party at her home to find her boss, Colin, dead in the walk in larder. He has been stabbed. The police officers arrive and Anna is so unimpressed by them that she decides she must solve the murder herself with her husband's help, preferably before her mother-in-law arrives for Christmas day. The story is full of dark humour (for example, one police officer spills pasta onto the crime scene) which is sometimes amusing and sometimes just jars. The police are just a bit to cartoon comic-like and the situation just a bit too unbelievable, even for cosy crime fiction. Add to this the fact that the murderer seemed obvious to me from very early on and I can't say this would be in my top ten Christmas crime stories. I did eventually enjoy reading it and I think those who like a lot of dark humour mixed in with their cosy crime will love it.

A comedic festive story that made me.laugh in places - won't live long in the memory but is.am entertaining read.

One word.

AMAZING!!

When I first started reading i thought oh no christmas in September but actually it was so good. Althought based at christmas it wasnt heavy christmas so you could read it anytime of the year. The plot, character and story was absolutely amazing! This was a first for me reading this author but it definitely will not be the last. I have been recommending this to everyone I know who reads amazing 😍

What's the worst that could happen when you wake up with a hangover on Christmas Eve? Could it be finding Father Christmas dead in your pantry? Happy Bloody Christmas is a fun, entertaining who-dunnit with some madcap scenarios and giggles thrown in for good measure. Thank you to netgalley, author and publisher for an arc.

What a bloody brilliant story. I read this in one sitting and absolutely roared with laughter throughout. Yes, it’s a little predictable but don’t let that take away from the absolute hilarity that this truly is.
The absurdity of the whole situation, coupled with the inner thoughts of a millennial mum (speaking my language) you have got yourself a gut buster of a narrative.
Nice quick easy read, and strangely enough, rather cosy and festive 😂

What a wonderfully funny book. The sheer absurdity of the situation, set against the banality of preparing for a family Christmas with the in laws, is what makes the novel so entertaining. There are some really classic, laugh out loud, hilarious comments and moments. Although murder is clearly not a feel good theme the love and closeness of Anna, Oli and Ben is very uplifting. So, too, is Anna’s relationship with her best friend, Jennie, and with her brother his partner. In some ways, a classic whodunnit, but in others so much more. The writer has a way with words and uses them effectively. When Anna finds a body in her pantry her first thoughts are to salvage their Christmas celebrations and protect her family from unpleasantness. However, faced with the apparent incompetence of the police officers, she quickly decides to investigate and solve the crime herself, enlisting the help of husband, Oli, son, Ben and friend, Jennie. Some difficult moments follow as the team try to eliminate suspects. A refreshingly different Christmas story, which I definitely recommend.

I loved this book. Totally ridiculous but laugh out loud funny. With the most inept police officers you could ever come across; if you find a body in your larder you're going to just have to solve the murder yourself, even though it's Christmas Eve and your super critical mother in law is about to descend (and you have the worst hang-over ever)..

I think most mum's would empathise with the panic of trying to produce the perfect Christmas and being thwarted at every turn but then to discover your boss with your best Sabatier knife sticking out of his chest - you know that you've really got your work cut out

A festive murder mystery.

Highly entertaining, vaguely believable and a whole lot of ditsy - but all in a very good way!!

After the family's annual pre Christmas party, Anna is feeling worse for wear and all she wants is to finish her to-do list and finally sit down with the world’s biggest glass of wine. When she opens the larder, her plans are quickly thrown to smithereens after discovering a dead body taking up the space.
To Anna's dismay, the local police are more interested in returning to the station to eat mince pies than investigating the crime. Anna and her best friend Jennie get their thinking caps on, the murder boards out and work their way down the list of suspects.

Never waste a good knife!

PS: I loved this passage (and the Aldi instant coffee reference) in the ARC. Hopefully both make it to the published version!

"Someone should really make it much clearer to men that hearing things like ‘I’ve cleaned the toilets’ is much more attractive than a six-pack or a full head of hair. Ask any woman, especially a mother, about their preferred style of foreplay and I bet plenty of them would say ‘having my partner wash up without being asked’."

This festive cosy crime book is a great antidote to any romantic Christmas story! I love the way the myth of the perfect family Christmas is debunked. Anna is a brilliant character, many mums will surely identify with her situation in the run up to Christmas, with the imminent arrival of the in-laws. I definitely recommend this hilarious novel.

A great easy read with lots of laughs. This was just what I needed to read and bore great relevance as I hate and do not do Christmas. Full of twists and turns. Don't try to ananlyse as this is a light read! Look forward to the author's next book. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

Anna wakes up on Christmas eve morning to find Santa dead in her pantry, well obviously it's not the real Santa, but it is in fact her boss!

After calling the police, who seem more interested in getting to their Christmas party and eating their boss’s homemade pies, Anna decides to take matters into her own hands.

This book was set during a 24 hour period while Anna, her husband Oli, son Ben and best friend try to solve the murder of her boss.

I really wanted to love this book as it is exactly the kind of story I love, but I found the pace rather slow, and it wasn't as funny as I'd hoped it would be. Overall I did enjoy it and would recommend it to others but it lacked something.