Another intriguing cozy mystery in the setting of Christmas time on the Isle of Wight. This is the 3rd book in the series, but can be read as a standalone. Susan is looking forward to some alone time over the holidays, but when Robert, her friend asks if she could help out at the Manor, turned hotel. The reason being Meera the manager had an accident and needed help with VIP’s who also happened to be her first guests. Being a small group of guests and room and board included, Susan agrees. Finding Duncan, the Patriarch of the family a bully and obnoxious, but also dead has her wondering if he died naturally or was murdered. There are many reasons that every single person staying there would have reason to want him dead. And Susan seems to be the only one who believes that he was murdered.
One by one Susan finds reasons to believe the person had reasons to want Duncan dead. Glad it was a small cast of characters and each seems to have secrets. Love the twist and turns, once again the author keeps you guessing till the end. Thank you #NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own. #AChristmasMurder #BoldwoodBooks

The characters were very realistic and had a great personality and depth to them which made it interesting. The plot was quite suspenseful and filled with numerous plot twists that kept me guessing the whole time and putting the pieces of the puzzle together. This is my first experience diving into a book by Mary Grand, and I enjoyed it immensely. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Thank you to @rachelsrandomresources for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the previous murder mystery I read by this author so had to catch up with Susan and her dogs in this Christmas instalment. She’s called in to help Meera at the new hotel that has opened up the road, hosting a famous journalist and his family for Christmas, but not long after they arrive a death happens.

Even though the police are content the death is of natural causes, Susan senses something else has taken place and starts checking things out. Someone doesn’t take kindly to this and a couple of people think she should keep her nose out, but Susan can’t let the feeling go.

Well written and full of secrets, there are a couple of storylines throughout this one that keep you guessing what is going on. I changed my mind at least twice! A great Christmassy murder perfect for cosy nights in.

Trapped at the inn at Christmas. Then murders begin taking place. Police can’t get there right away. Part of the Isle of Wight series. Can read alone. Susan must jump in to see if she can help.

⭐⭐⭐
A Christmas Murder by Mary Grand is a cosy Christmas mystery set on the Isle of Wight.
First, I did not know this was the 3rd book in the Isle of Wight Mysteries series. This is why I think I didn't understand Susan well enough! Probably in the first two books, readers get to know Susen's character, behaviours and actions so it's easier to understand why she is doing what she is doing.

For me, this book is a bit slow. It took a while to go through all the guests and their background stories. It was hard to remember all the involved parties and their connections. There were so many side stories that by the point the twists came in I already didn't care who is the killer. It could be anyone, I was happy we landed at the end land.

Susan hoped for a quiet Christmas when she was asked to help out at a local hotel with their first high-profile guests. When one of the guests is murdered, Susan uses her skills to help solve the murder mystery because she doesn't believe this is a simple heart attack. She didn't realise that the guilty one would do everything to cover his track so naturally Susan puts herself in real danger.

I believe that every murder mystery fan will love this as it is claustrophobic and full of danger.

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this copy!

A Christmas Murder by Mary Grand is a fantastic cosy mystery set at Christmas in an English manor turned hotel, and is part of her Isle of Wight Killings series.

Susan is called upon to assist at Bishopstone Manor when the owner is injured. An important family has booked the hotel for the holidays, and Meera, the owner is determined to show them a fantastic time, as they are the first visitors to the recently renovated manor.

Soon after arriving, it becomes obvious that there are tensions amongst the family members, and the next morning the patriarch is found dead. The police believe the death is not suspicious, but Susan suspects otherwise, and begins to investigate.

The author did a great job making almost every character both likeable, and a viable suspect in the murder. It really kept me guessing who the culprit was, as well as their possible motivation.

In addition to solving the mystery, I enjoyed seeing bits of Susan’s personal life, as she dealt with her recent divorce and mixed feelings towards Robert, a widower and friend who has shown interest in dating her.

A Christmas Murder was an enjoyable cosy read, perfect for any time of year.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Duncan Fern is bringing his family back to where he spent many childhood holidays. Susan agrees to help Meera as she opens the new Bishopstone Manor over the holidays. She’s not expecting to get caught up in another mystery.
It was a well written thought out mystery. It was suspenseful with some twists and turns. I was kept guessing to the end. It’s a very good murder mystery

Susan is a newly divorced woman with 2 dogs living on an island. She is asked by her potential love interest Robert to help out at the newly renovated manor he works at over the Christmas holidays. They are expecting a famous family of guests. Immediately the weather becomes an issue as the island receives a heavy snowfall that slows the island to a halt and makes cellphones difficult to use. Then the unthinkable happens a death. Are they trapped with a murderer?
The author Mary Grand does a great job of keeping us guessing with lots of twists and turns. I thought I had it figured out and I was wrong. The characters are quirky and unique and the descriptions of the island are wonderful. I honestly could envision being there. This will be a great holiday read and the perfect Christmas time gift.

I liked the mystery in this book, It didn’t have the humor and whimsy I enjoy in cozies. I didn’t like the characters—the amateur sleuth is a busybody who goes around tampering with evidence instead of reporting it to the police. This is the only book I’ve read in the series, which didn’t interfere with my ability to understand the story.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Since I was new to author Mary Grand, I took the time to read the first two books, Death at Castle Cove and Death at St. Jude, before I dove into this holiday book. While it would have worked as a standalone, it is always more fun to meet the characters in the beginning of a series. Set on the Isle of Wright in the English Channel, the author introduces us to her characters with descriptive detail that brings them to life in your mind. It is always fun to read a British series and this one did not disappoint. Reading a Christmas novel in the summer was even more enjoyable than watching the Christmas in July movies on TV. Susan, our main character, is recently divorced and has relocated to a new house on the island. She is looking forward to a calm holiday season when her friend Robert asks her to help out at a local hotel. The proprietor has fallen and her injuries preclude her from taking care of a rich family that is coming for the holiday. So, Susan, along with her two cocker spaniels heads, over to help. A snowstorm threatens to trap them in the Lodge but they have plenty of provisions so they are not worried. While Susan finds the guests demanding and borderline rude, she does her best to accommodate them. The sudden death of one of the guests and the promised storm happen simultaneously. While the death could be natural, Susan becomes suspicious and starts investigating. She heads down a few wrong paths and puts herself in harms way multiple times, but she eventually finds the killer. I enjoyed this book very much. NetGalley provided me with an early copy but the opinion is my own.

I enjoyed this book, and have not read the previous ones in the series. Susan makes a steady, likeable amateur detective, though she did some things (which I can’t say exactly or it’d be too many spoilers) which I thought were unrealistic and could jeopardise the police work. The Christmas setting in a Manor House hotel is wonderful, the food and clothes are beautifully described. This would be a good read in the run up to Christmas.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

I really enjoyed this story. I had not read anything by Mary Grand before, and I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to explore a new author with this advance copy, in exchange for an honest review. There were so many twists and turns with the plot and suspects and I was entertained from start to finish! Every time I thought I figured out who-done-it, another clue presented itself to change my mind! I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to Boldwood Books & NetGalley for providing me with this free ARC in return for my honest review.

It has been a very warm summer, and I can think of no better way to cool down than with a good Christmas mystery, and that was provided to me by Mary Grand in her new book "A Christmas Murder." I had never read any of this authors books prior to this, and you never know what to expect in that instance. I was happily impressed with the book as well as the setting. You see this book is set on the Isle of Wight, and it takes place over the Christmas holiday season. Not only that, a blizzard has now descended upon the Isle and so when Duncan Fern and his family arrive at the Manor for a Christmas holiday, everyone is snowed in and after one day a murder occurs. Yes Duncan Fern is killed, and we know that from the very first pages of the book, but who is the Killer? Everyone there is basically one of the family. Our narrator and reluctant sleuth, Susan, has been asked to help at the Manor where the Fern family is staying, and so she and a few other workers are also snowbound with the Fern's. You might think this is a cozy mystery, but it's not quite that since nothing is syrupy sweet. Duncan Fern is the owner of a newspaper conglomerate and is not exactly the most warm and fuzzy individual, as a matter of fact, he's downright mean and nasty and constantly uses threats against his family to get his way. The author has a plausible setting and very well defined characters, as we get to know Duncan's second wife, Kristen; his son, Bryson, and his wife, Victoria; his daughter, Haley, and her boyfriend, Lewis, and finally the number two man at the newspaper, Antoine, who is there at Duncan's behest. The interaction between family members is strained at times, even before Duncan is killed, and Susan is witness to all of this because she is basically the person in charge of the gathering because the owner of the property is laid up with a foot and shoulder injury. Even if you're a reluctant sleuth, what are you supposed to do when things don't make sense? When family members make threats against other family members, when people sneak around in the middle of the night and tread through mountains of snow for secret rendezvous. It's all quite suspicious. And over period of three or four days we follow this family, Susan, and some of the other workers at the Manor and even get to experience some of the horror that is directed at Susan because someone feels that she is getting too close to uncovering the murderer. This is the authors fifth book set on the Isle of Wight and I must admit I really want to go back and read her other works. I found it compulsively readable! It is filled with plausible plot twists and delightful red herrings which will keep you guessing as to the killers identity! If are on the look for a wonderful Christmas murder mystery, then this book is for you. 4.5****

I quite enjoyed this book. However, unknown to me, it's the 3rd in a series, and I felt lost in places due to me not reading the first 2.

The story was a cosy little Christmas mystery, and as a lover of the Isle of Wight, the scenery was perfect. I would suggest that the books are read in order to fully appreciate the storyline.

The third in a series set on the Isle of Wight. Susan helps out at a local boutique hotel on the verge of opening and welcoming its first guests, a family with a lot of secrets and dysfunction. When the head of the family dies, Susan thinks there is more to his death than a heart attack and starts to investigate. The pacing was a bit slow, and I did some skimming and jumping ahead. Susan puts herself into dangerous situations without much thought to the possible consequences. I hadn't read the first two books in the series, so there were some details about Susan's past and relationships that were unclear. Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Sorry but this wasn’t my cup of tea and I did not finish.
Pacing was poky and the writing was kind of dull. Too”cozyish” for me

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this one.

A cozy murder mystery set at Christmas time what’s not enjoy! Full of secrets, lies and solving a murder, I couldn’t put this one down. I really enjoyed it.

All set for a quiet Christmas alone, Susan finds herself taking care of guests and solving a murder instead. While that might not have been the Christmas she was dreaming of, it certainly made for an excellent read!

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There’s just something absolutely better about British Cozy mysteries and this one did not disappoint

This was a good mystery. A wealthy newspaper man and his family are spending the holidays together in a newly opened inn on an English isle. They will be the only guests for Christmas week. A local woman, Susan, is asked to help out with taking care of this wealthy entitled group. Emotions run high and things get tense at the first family dinner. When the patriarch is found dead the next morning, Susan gets suspicious.