It's Christmas Eve and Anna Johnson has a whole list of tasks and chores to get through before her in laws descend on her for Christmas Day. She is battling a hangover from her annual Christmas house party the night before, and trying to work out how she can involve her husband and two kids in the preparations to help. There are several tasks the children can help with, but one of them is definitely NOT the removal of the dead body dressed as Father Christmas in the larder. Anna wants Christmas to be perfect, and also to find out who on earth could have killed Santa, with one of Annas best kitchen knives, when, and why.
An entertaining read, this was a fun whodunnit with some laugh out loud moments. I loved it and would thoroughly recommend it.

I actually thought this was a very well written whodunnit with a few laughs along the way and lots of witty one liners.

Anna wakes up on Christmas Eve morning with a bit of a hangover after the annual family party with a ‘to do’ list as long as her arm. But what she wasn’t expecting was to find a dead body in her larder which she desperately needs moving before her kids see it and it ruins her well planned Christmas!

Overlooking the incompetent police, I was hooked from the start of this relatable family story and chuckled more than a few times at Anna’s escapades as she becomes detective along with her decades long best friend. I nodded along with the little gems of Christmas nostalgia or the tidbits of observations that we must all go through at a busy festive time. Not only is this a nice ‘whodunnit’ that will have you scratching your head, but there is an underlying tale of the true meaning of family and self confidence which is heartwarming. Definitely one to recommend, especially for a Christmas read.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This book had me howling…

A dead Santa, a murder mystery and a Christmas get together… shouldn’t be funny but oh my!!

The characters and story were not what I expected but I loved every minute of this book!!!

It’s a fabulous, fun, and festive read with a comical twist you won’t want to put down!!!

Grab your Christmas pudding and get reading!!!!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Publisher it’s a gem of a book!!

Loved this book! Light hearted and very tongue in cheek at times. All of the characters were believable and authentic- the storyline not so much!! Not your average festive read so don't expect sugar cookies and mince pies, there may be an odd marzipan fruit in there though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC

Hilarious and fun. A christmas murder-mystery that's sure to keep entertained! I read it so quickly and had a great time. Highly recommend

Honestly, I wasn't really sure what to expect from Happy Bloody Christmas, but this was actually hilarious and I loved every quirky minute of it

It’s the day before Christmas Eve, the annual party with your friends and family is underway and everyone is in the festive spirit…. Until you wake up on Christmas Eve to find Santa Clause unalived in your larder. This is Anna’s start to the festive season… but who did it?

If you love a murder mystery, festive themes and laughing out loud, this one is for you.

Happy Bloody Christmas has everything you need, the Chaos of the festive season, hangovers and the small task of finding out who killed Santa Clause.

Thank you to @ NetGalley, @ jo Middleton and the @avon for my advanced copy. It’s safe to say I have preordered my physical copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC.

Anna has thrown a pre-Christmas party which probably wasn't her best idea ever, because she wakes up with a stonking hangover and has only a day to prepare for husband Oli's parents to arrive to a sumptuous meal she hasn't begun to prepare yet. The presents haven't been wrapped, the tablescape isn't done yet and there, between the spelt flour and the Pop Tarts, is a dead Santa in her larder. Sorry, rewind, there is what?

It is so inconvenient when you have a Christmas to-do list as long as your arm and now have to add "solve Santa's murder", "buy a replacement Sabatier knife" and "remove bloodstains in grouting with toothpaste" onto your list!

Enraged by the police's general disinterest and bumbling incompetence when securing the crime scene, Anna and Oli begin to sleuthe themselves, supported by teenage son Ben and delighted BFF Jennie who, wine glass in hand, immediately starts creating a "murder board" like in Death in Paradise, but with Pokémon characters instead of photos of the suspects.

The dead man is Anna's boss Colin, and due to him being an awful human being, it seems there are as many motives to kill him as there were guests. Luckily, Ben is a tech whizz and accesses the Ring doorbell app and the cat tracker like a pro. But that is only the beginning.

Here we have a murder mystery in a strong domestic setting with Christmas preparations - people incorporate the sleuthing into housework like discussing theories while putting on a load of washing or unloading the dishwasher. It's very relatable - of course we want to find the murderer but there is still the downstairs loo to clean and the potatoes to be prepped!

The snarky and hilarious story is told brilliantly - characters are frequently more concerned about the Sabatier knife than the knifed or what the disapproving mother -in-law will say to all this.

This is incredibly entertaining, with a fun cast of characters and a funny cover. I read it in one go and frequently laughed myself silly, especially about the keen observations of an overworked wife and mother at Christmas who needs to find ways that all this isn't noticed by the precocious 7 year old daughter, which makes this more than just a light-hearted whodunnit.

The epilogue sends strong "there'll be a sleuthing sequel" vibes and I'm all here for it. But first, another bottle of crémant, please, as the mother-in-law has just uttered a rare compliment about the gravy!

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were brilliant and the menopause issues highly relatable! A great read. Highly recommended.

I shouldn't like this book. It's not credible, it's annoying, and most of the characters are scatterbrained .... but I LOVED it.

It's funny, lighthearted, well, as lighthearted as you can get with a body in your pantry. With in the in-laws due the next day, not only has she a murder to solve, but she needs to ready herself for Christmas.

It was a really fun read that would be perfect to read over the Christmas season

A very funny mystery with an appealing amateur detective. Set at Christmas time. A woman finds a party guest dressed as Father Christmas stabbed to death in her larder. Overcoming numerous obstacles (including her mother-in-law) she solves the murder in time for a festive family Christmas. This could easily become a series

I really identify with the main character - not the murder bit but the debilitating hangover and Christmas panics. Read this in the hottest day of the year but it still made me shiver with the thought it Christmas and that work we have to do. But the story of a dead Santa made me roll over laughing. Brilliant book!

So Hugely Enjoyable!…
What a blast this is. Meet Anna, her family and friends. It’s Christmastime and Anna has thrown a party. Waking with a hangover on Christmas Eve, together with the party aftermath strewn throughout the house, may not be the best start to the day - but, it’s about to get much, much worse. With a very dead Santa in her precious larder, how on earth is Anna going to cope? As she draws upon her inner Poirot, Anna may well just find some answers. Hugely entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable lighthearted whodunnit with a keenly observed and credible cast of characters. Escapism at its finest.

A drunken house party on December 23rd isn't the best idea, especially when your in-laws are coming for Christmas. You've got a nuclear hangover, the house looks like a war zone, and then there's the small matter of a dead body in the larder. Dressed as Santa. And with one of your best knives sticking out of his chest...

This really is what Anna doesn't need, especially when the officers sent out are more concerned with getting back to the station for the Christmas knees-up than preserving the crime scene.

So it's down to Anna, aided and abetted by husband Oli, son Ben (but emphatically not seven year old daughter Lily) and best friend Jennie to get this solved before her in-laws arrive.

Brilliant