Denzil Meyrick’s The Christmas Stocking Murders is a cosy yet complex Christmas mystery set in the bleak, snow-covered seaside village of Uthley’s Bay in 1953. The story follows the delightfully inept Inspector Frank Grasby and his boss, Superintendent Juggers, as they try to solve the murder of a fisherman found with a stocking around his neck. What begins as a simple inquiry takes on darker tones as a violent storm traps the detectives in the remote village and the body count starts to rise. Despite the dire circumstances, the book brims with Meyrick’s signature humour, largely from Grasby’s sardonic observations. His clumsy but well-meaning investigative style makes him a charming and relatable detective, offering not only apprehension but also moments of levity amidst the tension.

Meyrick crafts a sense of isolation, leveraging the brutal winter storm and small-town secrets to ramp up the suspense. As Grasby and Juggers encounter the strangely sinister villagers, including a bespectacled fellow who seems too interested in their investigation, the atmosphere becomes ever more claustrophobic and eerie. The interplay between Grasby and Juggers, along with Grasby’s strained relationship with his father, adds depth and humour to the narrative, emphasizing Grasby’s hapless yet intuitive personality. As stockings mysteriously wash ashore and the village’s obsession with fine hosiery takes on increasingly ominous significance, The Christmas Stocking Murders skilfully blends a festive mystery, com and even a dash of romance.

I haven’t read the previous book in this series but I was extremely interested in this book from the very start! It is set in the early 1950’s in a quaint North Yorkshire fishing village & features Inspector Grasby as the narrator. Now I don’t think this book will be for everyone as he does sound a bit like a cross between Bertie Wooster & Captain Hastings from Poirot & is written in this manner, but it’s certainly a good romp!

It’s a slow story but it doesn’t matter as it is so descriptive & humorous. Inspector Grasby & his superior Juggers have to investigate a strange murder in the village of Uthley Bay, a small fishing village.
There’s murder, snow, twins, guns, missing police constables, smugglers, Americans, a vicar & his seemingly inappropriate companion & Christmas!

All in all a throughly enjoyable story.

Christmas is fast approaching and Frank Grasby and his boss visit the Yorkshire coast to investigate the death of fisherman .
The fisherman is found with a stocking wound tightly around his neck .
There are a number of secrets and lies being told and plenty of suspects to choose from which makes the case challenging.
Grasby and Juggers make a great duo they are like chalk and cheese and this makes an entertaining read.
I enjoy the writing style of Denzil Meyrick , an easy read with added humour which is dark at times .
Plenty of red herrings to keep the readers interest and plenty of different characters.
A great addition to the series .
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers.

Firstly, I want to thank the author @denzil_meyrick the publishers @randomhouse and @netgalley for allowing me to read an arc of this book.

Ok, I'll be honest, I really struggled to finish this book. I probably gave up 4 times, but there was just something that kept drawing me back, I had to know how the story ended. Don't get me wrong, it's a great story, I just struggled with the language used. No, I don’t mean the Yorkshire accent as I lived up there for a while, more the use of it I think, due to when the story is meant to be set.

#TheChristmasStockingMurders #denzilmeyrick #NetGalley #frankgrasbymystery #arc #ebook #bookreview

This was my first introduction to Inspector Frank Grasby and whilst I don't normally read cosy crime I found this one to be a really engaging one.

As it not only delivered on the crime but the dark humour and the characters too.

Not to mention it had plenty of Christmas cheer and the period detail and setting was spot on and all together it made for a really enjoyable murder mystery. That I would happily recommend to others.

I was given an e-book copy of The Christmas Stocking Murders by Denzil Meyrick from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review of the book.

I really wanted to read this book after enjoying the first book in this series, Murder at Holly House last year.

Inspector Frank Grasby is despatched to the Yorkshire Village of Uthley Bay a few days before Christmas 1953 to investigate the murder of a local fisherman who has been found on the beach with a stocking wound tightly round his neck. This time he is accompanied by his Superintendent, Juggers who brings much humour to proceedings.

After checking into the only local hotel in the village which is filling up with Christmas tourists both officers set about trying to solve the murder. However, another murder is committed the day after their arrival and it becomes apparent that there is something pretty sinister going on in the village and the police (as well as the reader) just don't know who they can trust.

Plenty red herrings mean that the real culprits are not revealed until very near the end of the book which added to my enjoyment of the book.

This book could be read as a standalone but I would
recommend reading Murder at Hollt House first due to several recurring characters appearing in this second book.

I really enjoyed the pairing of Grasby and Juggers in this book and I hope that this duo will return in any future books in this series.

A thoroughly enjoyable cosy crime book and a great Christmas read.

I found this an easy-to-read, fairly light-hearted cosy crime that overall I enjoyed reading. But it didn't score higher for me as I felt it was trying really hard to be a bit Bertie Wooster and just couldn't hit the spot. I liked Grasby well enough, and perhaps if I already knew him from the first book I would like him more? But I wasn't entirely sure who he was, and whether he had any skills as a police detective, or if he just stumbled into solutions by accident a lot of the time. And the language is definitely on a Wodehouse incline, but it just lacked a bit of spark.

There are a lots of intriguing characters, and I wondered what was going on & so kept on reading, and then reading a bit more, to try to discover the ending. I liked the post WW2 setting too, so it had lots of good elements.

The second Frank Grasby mystery finds him investigating another mystery around Christmas, this time of a fisherman who was strangled with a stocking.

I thought the first Grasby mystery was ok, but I like giving series at least 2-3 books to see if I get more into the writing. Unfortunately, I just think the writing style here is not for me. I would recommend a reader read the first in the series first, just because they do reference the previous mystery.

I haven't read the first book in the series so started at a slight disadvantage but it did work as a standalone despite the references to previous events.
It is a humorous and entertaining book with good descriptions of people and places. It is obviously well written but the style is not what I am used to. It is set in the 1950s and narrated by Grasby himself with many wry asides. It is quite slow paced but the great detail makes up for that. Overall it's a decent read with quirky elements but not really my cup of tea.

Post war rationing is still prevalent so when a body is washed ashore with a stocking around the neck it is time to investigate. Frank and Juggers are sent, they are like chalk and cheese, (Laurel and Hardy). A remote village in Yorkshire cut off by heavy snow, a hotel that is of dubious quality and staff that are not quite what they seem the investigation into why there are suddenly so many pairs of stockings being washed ashore needs to be dealt with quickly. Another death doesn't help, but can it make things cleared in the end? Help arrives from unexpected quarters, but being kidnapped is unexpected. Is the whole village involved in the smuggling or is it maybe just the fishermen? Frank soon has it sorted but of course Juggers, his superior officer has to take the credit. A mystery with several false clues will keep you guessing, a very enjoyable read with wonderful characters.

The year is 1953, some rationing is still in place and there are restrictions on foreign imports, all as a result of the war. It’s a strange new case for DI Frank Grasby but at least it means not having to endure Christmas with his father, the retired Reverend Cyril Grasby, even though the downside is having to share a room (and maybe even a bed!) with Superintendent Arthur Juggers! A fisherman called Jack Wardle has been found dead on the beach at the little Yorkshire village of Uthley Bay and the two detectives from York Central head off through the falling snow to investigate. Juggers’ plans to pose undercover as birdwatchers are soon scuppered. Wardle has been strangled by a ladies stocking but soon Juggers and Grasby are inundated with the things when over five dozen packets of stockings are later found washed up on the beach. When the landlord of the Skipper pub (and identical twin to one of the local fishermen) is then found dead, strangled with a stocking pulled over his head, it seems there are definitely dark deeds afoot in the village. And that’s without the addition of a couple of very surprising, not to say unwanted guests for Grasby at their hotel. Cut off by the snow, it’s down to just Grasby, Juggers and three constables from Filey to solve the case before anyone else dies but where to start when everyone’s a suspect and none of the odd inhabitants are telling the truth?
There is so much humour in this beautifully written tale, I was literally laughing all the way through as Grasby puts his witty thoughts down about the stocking murders of Uthley Bay and his larger than life boss. In fact, the image of Juggers rising from the sea in all his glory will stay with me for a long time! Full of murder and mayhem and with lots of twists and turns for the reader, it’s a perfect Christmas comic cracker for the festive season!

Perfect for fans of christmas mysteries and works of Agatha Christie! A beautifully written, compelling atmospheric mystery with just the right amount of flair! Absolutely loved the 1950's setting and the contrast between our 2 mcs Juggers and Grasby made the story so much more dynamic.
I still would have loved to see a little more suspense because it was very predictable for me but it's a cozy Christmas mystery so I really can't complain much!

I hadn't read the first book, Murder at the Holly House so it took some time to get into the book for me and to get to know the characters but once I was in, I really had fun. The slower pacing of the book added to the investigation especially in this setting.

Overall a really fun and cozy Christmas read!!

The second in series, readable as a stand alone - and even better than the first!

As Christmas approaches, Frank Grasby and his senior officer, Juggers, are sent to the remote fishing village of Uthley Bay to investigate the murder of a fisherman whose body was found on the beach with a stocking wound around his neck. Before long, the beach is littered with hundreds of pairs of stockings brought in on the tide and a local innkeeper is murdered. Cut off from summoning help by a fearsome blizzard, Frank and Juggers just have to muddle through as best they can . . .

I loved the first book in this series and would say that this one is even better! Whilst creating a very involved crime mystery, Denzil Meyrick never misses the opportunity to introduce a bit of humour and I was back to trying to giggle silently while reading in bed. With it's beautiful cover, this will make a truly lovely gift. It's fair to say I found delight in everything in this one; highly recommended and definitely worth all five sparkling stars!

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

I found this a difficult book to get into...it's the second in Denzil Meyrick's Frank Grasby detective series set in an early 1950's Yorkshire. The opening chapters reference, and seem to rely on, an understanding of what went before in the previous novel (Murder At Holly House). The writing style seems dated to a period even earlier than this ..."Dear old pater...not a negative trait I recognise in my sire...Gosh yes sir"...all from Chapter 1...

Chapter 3 contains an irritating inconsistency - Grasby's father throws an overcoat "in the back of the car" BUT then we have a ridiculous exchange whilst the old boy gropes about his son's trouser pockets to get the keys to unlock the door on that same vehicle...eh?

As the book progresses through to Chapter 8 the level of absurdity (a trunk full of rifles carried in an old Oxford, a hard drinking policeman ordering a Pimm's) , coupled with the writing style lost my interest - I got the feeling that this should be described as a "comic novel" but I didn't find it funny...I couldn't warm to either Grasby or his improbably unfit, incomprehensible, infuriating superior "Juggers" and was skimming pages to try and find something positive to say about the book...I've got to be honest it proved to be a real struggle as every time I slowed down I found more to annoy me...whether it be dialogue, descriptive or situation (I don't want to give any spoilers so I'll not detail events as they unfold but I found "I can bally well...", "jolly japes" and the like too idiosyncratic for my liking.

Sadly after a totally unbelievable mistaken identity sequence, ending in a nonsense departure from a wife at the end of Chapter 14, about a third of the way in, I felt like I couldn't give the book any more of my time as I was not enjoying the experience.

There may be a market out there for the characters and/or the author but I'm afraid I'm not going to be included in any fan club on this experience.

I am a huge fan of this author's DCI Daley series (there's a new one coming - yay) and I also really enjoyed Frank Grasby's series opener - Murder at Holly House - when I read it last year. So much so that I totally pounced on this book as soon as I saw it available. And it was everything I thought it would be and more...
Ok so the actual crime being committed does rather take second place to all the rest of the shenanigans that surround Frank in this book. His relationship with his boss, his father and soon to be probably step-mother. His unrequited love for DeeDee, and his own musings. But you know, it takes a village and all that!
So... Christmas 1953 and Frank and his boss Juggers are hot footing it to Uthley's Bay where a fisherman as been found dead on the beach, strangled by a stocking. More stockings, still in their packaging, soon wash up on shore. Frank's father turns up at the inn along with Hetty Gaunt (remember her from book one) causing a bit of a to do between them and Frank. There's also shocking weather and the village is soon cut off.
In amongst all this Frank and Juggers have the murder to investigate, until that is they have two, and a disappearance... The stakes have got much higher and time is running out. And then there's an enormous curve ball which turns everything on its head...
One of the best things about this book is the way the author references the future in a very tongue in cheek way. You'll know when you see it! Genius!
Aside from that, it has everything else I need to make a book a great read. Brilliant, often larger than life characters, with some excellent dialogue and banter, playing out an intricate and well executed plot which gets on with itself very well. culminating in a wholly satisfying ending.
All in all, a cracking follow up to what is shaping up to being a series to watch. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

In this festive mystery set in 1953, Grasby and Juggers are investigating a murder of a fisherman who has a stocking tied around his neck. Soon more stockings wash ashore and the villagers are secretive and refuse to talk, meanwhile blizzards cuts them off from help. Will they beat the elements and work out who they can trust?

This was a fun festive read filled with plenty of humour. I liked the way the main characters are written as you can really get a feel for their quirks and personality, however I struggled to connect to them on a personal level. Although I think this was a well written story with an interesting premise , I found I could not get fully into the story at the time of reading. This was mainly due to the slow pacing and the feeling that the book was very long, I also feel that I should have read the first book prior to this one.

This is no means a bad story and even though this wasn’t 100% for me, I would certainly recommend it to those looking for a quirky, comedic cosy crime mystery and I would be interested to explore other books he has written that I haven’t read yet. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Thanks to #NetGalley and @RandomHouseGroup for the advance copy.

Frank Grasby is back! It’s Christmas and once again it looks like the hapless - or is he a brave genius? - Grasby Jnr is about to swerve Christmas with his father again as Superintendent Juggers needs him to help investigate a mysterious death at a coastal village where it’s clear that Juggers knows a little more than he’s letting on. Inspector Grasby is still glowing from the praise lavished on him as a result of the Holly House escapade - although his father remains perennially unimpressed.

The Superintendent and Grasby are checked into the local hotel a tad too cosily for Grasby’s liking but it is Christmas and the hotel is to be full of those seeking to celebrate the festive by the seaside,

Bodies and intrigue starts to pile up and the villagers are something of an enigma. When the pub landlord is murdered, it’s clear there’s very dirty work afoot. Add to these general woes the appearance of his father and fathers paramour to the same hotel, prebooked as a Christmas getaway he neglected to tell Frank about and we are set for a serious murder riven farce. The case, of course, turns out to be more cloak and dagger than it first appears and clearly there are greater authorities in play - and a need to know ethos.

Grasby’s narrative is illuminating, chuckle worthy and conveys both the sense of menace and the sense of the absurd as the take unfolds. No one is above suspicion and that’s probably just as well.

A few characters from the first book make an appearance, most notably Grasby Snr and his lady friend, Hetty, in a few frankly unbecoming scenes.

I enjoyed this second Christmas adventure in the life of the young, but aging and still unmarried, Frank Grasby. It is a bit of a ripping yarn with seagoing adventures, bad guys, bad gals, and guns as well as, well, quite a lot of stockings. It is the post war period of course and the black market still plays a role in the procurement of luxury goods. There’s plenty of action, plenty of zippy dialogue and plenty of intrigue to keep you happy as you digest your Turkey dinner by an open fire……

"I'm deep in thought as we head back down Kissing Lane. Everyone appears a bit shifty, yet ready with an excuse. Still, two men have been found murdered in the village in a week and even given the fact that one of them may have been killed out at sea, he was still a local man.
And what about all the stockings washed up last night? Could that really have been used to divert our attention?...My, it's turning into a right can of worms."

Book two of the Detective Inspector Frank Grasby series sees the Yorkshireman stranded in a coastal fishing village with his boss, after a body turns up and they get snowed in. As ever, nothing is as it seems! Frank is brilliant and always underestimated. I enjoy the 1950s setting, language and humour, hoping the series will continue.

My thanks to Random House and NetGalley for a copy of “ The Christmas Stocking Murders” for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the previous book by Denzil Meyrick “ Murder At Holly House “ also set at Christmas , so I was delighted to get a chance to read this new release.I love the the characters of much maligned Frank Grasby , and his pompous boss Juggers., The book is full of humour and strange situations that they get themselves into while investigating the murders
This is a perfect nostalgic and entertaining “cosy” crime book , and I can’t wait to see how things continue in the next in the series .

Very enjoyable. The two main characters work well as a team and are written with a good helping of humour and sarcasm. The plot works well with a few twists and turns and the background storyline with Grasby and his father adds an extra layer for the reader. A good read and recommended.