Unfortunately this book did not hold my interest. It dragged on and on. I became bored very quickly. This was my first time reading this author and will probably be my last.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Susan is looking forward to a quiet Christmas spent alone. She gets a call to help at a local hotel that has a couple high profile guests. When obe of the guests is murdered Susan uses her skills to help. This book kept me guessing until the very end.

A Christmas Murder was a very good book. It takes place in the town of Bishopstone on the Isle of Wight. Susan is the main character who has moved to Bishopstone after her divorce. It is Christmas time and she is planning on a nice, quiet holiday. Robert, a retired detective is working at Bishopstone Manor calls her to ask her if she can come and help the owner, Meera, who has fallen and needs help with her first quests that will be there from Christmas through New Year. Meera has just bought the manor and is restoring it into a hotel. Susan agrees to come and brings her two dogs and will be staying in Robert's quarters while there.

Duncan Fern, who is Editor of the Morning Flame has decided he would like to bring his family back to the island for the holidays. His second wife, Kristen has accompanied him. Other members of his family are Bryson his son and a crime writer, and his wife, Victoria who is a food critic and jounalist; Hayley, Duncan's daughter, a freelance editor of novels and her partner, Lewis, a personal trainer and Antoine, associate editor from the Morning Flame who arrives late as there is a hold up with the ferries. Gary Lowe is the chef at the manor who is nervous as Victoria will be eating his meals.

At the dinner Susan notices there is much tension at the table amongst the family. She reports to Meera about the tension. while watching the dogs from the patio she overhears voices. She can't tell who they are but hears Duncan's name. One of the voices says "if only he could die with such venom. The next day everyone is in the library awaiting Duncan. Kristen comes down and tells them that something is wrong with Duncan. Susan goes up and finds Duncan dead in bed. The police are called and the family goes back to the library to wait for them to come. DC Kent arrives and is surprised to see Susan there. They know each other from the from the Headmaster's murder. She questions Susan and she tells her everything she knows. DC Kent warns her to stay out of the investigation. Susan tells Robert what about her talk with DC Kent. Robert knows Susan and knows she will investigate on her own.

The next day Susan goes to see Alice, a 93 year old woman at the nursing home. Alice tells Susan that Hayley is coming to see her to talk to her about her mother. She has known the children from when she operated the store/cafe on the grounds of the manor and they came for the summer.

This is where the story takes off taking the reader on an adventure to the surprising ending to enjoy. So much is happening that the reader is held captive to the end. The murderer is awaiting trial and the others go on with their lives. Kristen offers to back Lewis with his gym and then goes back to America; Victoria writes a good report on Gary's cooking and is back at the Informer but also is doing investigative reporting; Hayley moves to Scotland to be with her cousin and plans to write books. Meera moves back to India to open another hotel. Susan goes back to her cottage. While in town she runs into Tracy who owns a store in town. Tracy tells her that two vets are taking over the empty store and she thinks Susan would be a good secretary working for them.

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

“A Christmas Murder” by Mary Grand the 3rd instalment in the "The Isle of Wight Killings" series. I enjoyed this book it’s a fun mystery. I will definitely read this author again.

I really enjoyed getting to know Susan and visiting Bishopstone Manor on the Isle of Wight .
I’m hoping Susan and Robert progress their relationship in the next book .

It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and I didn’t completely guess whodunnit until Susan did.
I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends and I can’t wait for book 4!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I requested and received an advanced readers copy from Boldwood Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

This book can be read as a standalone but I doubt it. Because while reading this book there are few plot holes regarding Susan, which I think was covered in previous books.
I did not know this was the 3rd book in the series. It was no where mentioned in NetGalley.
Coming back to this book, I think it was ok read. Not that exciting. Infact I found some plot was more confusing to understand.
I think I will give 1st 2 books from this series a try.
This book was given to me by NetGalley and the publisher in turn for an honest review.

This is the third in a series of Isle of Wight mysteries featuring sleuths Susan, her love interest, Robert, and nursing home resident, Alice. Despite planning a quiet Christmas, Susan is asked to help out new hotel owner Meera, who has had an accident and needs someone to meet and greet her Christmas guests. The guests form one extended family, headed by Duncan Fern, the editor of The Morning Flame newspaper with his son, Bryson an established author, Bryson's wife, Victoria, Duncan's wife, a restaurant critic, Bryson's sister, Hayley and newspaper employee Antoine. After one guest dies, there is no end of suspects from guests to hotel staff and Susan, once again, investigates the death which has been ruled as natural causes. I have read all 3 of this series and they all make enjoyable reading. This story continues the will they, won't they relationship between Susan and Robert and includes the usual geographic detail relating to the island. I do tire of every Xmas novel I read having a snowy setting and even the author is at pains to mention how rare a white Xmas is is on the Isle of Wight but the snow does feature in this plot. This is a good Xmas read and a worthy sequel to the other 2 stories.

Mary Grand crafts a charming yet suspenseful narrative that keeps readers engaged from start to finish. The plot is well-constructed, with just the right amount of twists and turns to keep the mystery intriguing without becoming overly complicated. The pacing is steady, balancing the development of the mystery with the cozy, festive atmosphere of the village. Grand's ability to blend the holiday spirit with a gripping murder mystery makes for a delightful read.

A Christmas Murder* is a delightful and engaging cozy mystery that is perfect for the holiday season. Mary Grand's skillful storytelling, combined with well-developed characters and a charming setting, makes this book a standout in the cozy mystery genre. It's a heartwarming and intriguing read that will leave readers both satisfied and eager for more from Grand.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

This book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery with a festive twist. Mary Grand's ability to blend suspense with holiday cheer makes * A Christmas Murder* a perfect addition to any winter reading list.

I received a free copy of, A Christmas Murder, by Mary Grand, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Susan never planned on solving murders, but that's what she does, in the beautiful setting of The Isle of Wight, at Christmas. This was a real cozy mystery that had it all, beautiful setting, the season of Christmas, and a murder. I enjoyed this book.

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

This is the first of Mary Grand's mysteries I've read, and it was very enjoyable.

While it snows outside, affairs within the restored Tudor mansion take a deadly turn. Our main character, Susan, uneasy with the police verdict, sets about trying to discover the truth. What she discovers is a web of lies and family deceit.

While yes, this is a murder mystery, I found the setting and storyline to be really enjoyable. The eventual resolution was satisfying and unexpected, although, with hindsight, there were definitely clues.

A contemporary murder mystery sure to appeal to fans of the genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

I didn't realise this was book 3 in an Isle of Wight Murder Mystery series but it reads well as a standalone.

Meera, the owner of newly refurbished Tudor-style hotel Bishopstone Manor has a small accident just before a seven strong group of guests descends on 22 December for six nights. She can't cope with a broken ankle so asks Susan, our 60-something amateur sleuth, to help out with being front of house.

The guests are newspaper mogul Duncan Fern and his second wife Kirsten, his crime writer son Bryson with restaurant critic wife Victoria and editor daughter Hayley with personal trainer partner Lewis. Colleague Antoine completes the group.

The next morning, a lot of snow has fallen, the roads are impassable, the ferries cancelled and Duncan is dead. Susan immediately springs into action, even though the police declare his death not suspicious.

It's pretty clear the local police are annoyed by her previous detective work success, but I still don't understand why she doesn't report two attempts on her life and just conceals evidence she finds in her room. That seems pretty wild to me!

I loved all the descriptions of Christmas food and walks through the snow with the four adorable dogs, two of which belong to her friend Robert who she is staying with as he lives on the manor grounds.

I found this pretty gripping with a good deal of evidence gathering, sleuthing and talking it all over with sharp as a tack Alice in the nursing home.

The story held my attention throughout as there were so many secrets and lies that came out one by one, many of them of course red herrings, but my, what a shockingly dysfunctional family!

I found this a touch above the usual cozy crime fare and would highly recommend for Christmas time.

I also adore the atmospheric cover. It manages to be pretty and menacing at the same time and that's no mean feat!

4.5 stars

Engaging Whodunnit..
A relaxing Christmas is exactly what Susan had planned, especially with her former amateur investigations having taken their toll - but plans soon go awry when she agrees to help out at the local Manor House, amidst a very seasonal snowstorm, and murder just happens to be on the menu. An engaging and enjoyable whodunnit, Isle of Wight set, with a keenly observed and well crafted cast of characters. A worthy addition to this entertaining series.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a good book!!! Loved the writing style. Cozy twisty turns book that was a quick and easy read and was hard to put down!

#AChristmasMurder #NetGalley is a fantastic book that captures the reader's attention from the beginning.
Susan isn't looking forward to a solitary Christmas, so when she's asked to help a friend over the holidays, she agrees wholeheartedly.
Susan isn't prepared for so much family drama, especially when it involves murder.
I found this story to be a perfect Sunday read, and I'm looking forward to reading other books in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

It was good to be back with Susan on the Isle of Wight.

Susan has unintentionally become something of an amateur sleuth, but she’s hoping for a quiet Christmas in the village of Bishopstone.

A local manor house has undergone a huge transformation and is now a boutique hotel. The owner, Meera, has put so much into the development and is thrilled when a newspaper mogul – Duncan – and his family book for Christmas. Susan’s good friend and ex-police officer, Robert, is staying in a flat within the manor house to do various maintenance jobs and Susan gets a call from him. Meera has had a fall and although she can still work, her damaged leg and arm are restricting her mobility, so Robert is hoping that Susan can come to the manor for Christmas and help out. Susan’s family is away so she thinks that it sounds like a good plan and moves into the spare bedroom of Robert’s flat.

The family arrives and all is going to plan until Duncan’s body is found in his bedroom. It seems as though each member of the party has a motive for wanting him dead, so Susan investigates. Then things start happening to her, so she’s desperate to find the perpetrator as quickly as possible.

Lots of secrets and lies in this book, and it was a fantastic read. I couldn’t put it down until it was finished, and I’m already looking forward to the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Mary Grand is a new author for me and I really enjoyed her writing. This book is from the series The Isle of Wight Killings. I will be looking into more from this series. The location is a lovely island in the English Channel, the Isle of Wight. Add in Susan and the rest of the interesting cast of characters plus the 4-legged kind and you have the start to a fantastic book. The book has many twists and you think I have this all figured out and something changes and you are back to trying to solve the case. I found myself having difficulty putting down the book because I wanted to know who did it.
I was given an ARC of this book and would like to thank Netgalley and Boldwood publishers for a great read.

Where to even start this book kept me on my toes the whole time. Right when you think you know what's going to happen a major twist comes in and makes you crazy reading. I loved this book and how the storyline is along with how the characters are presented.

amateur-sleuth, cozy-mystery, retired, secrets, lies, unpleasant-guests, unpleasant-victims, friendship, friends, families, family-business, family-dynamics, investigation, island-life, divorced, newspaper-owner, threats, small-town, local-gossip, local-law-enforcement, closed-circle-mystery, snow-season, inclement-weather, rivalry, entitled-attitude, friction, series****

Susan thought she'd have a quiet Christmas alone at home, but her friend Meera is in desperate need of help with the newly refurbished luxurious Bishopstone Manor as she took a fall and needs Susan to help Meera as hostess. The assembled guests are a contentious lot headed up by a nasty newspaper owner and populated by a few of the people who loathed him. But which one actually carried out the threats while stuck out on the island in bad weather with intermittent cell service and captive suspects? This is a good tale.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Boldwood Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
#TheIsleOfWightKillingsBk3 Pub Date Sep 05, 2024

I enjoyed this story - what’s not to love with a cozy set at Christmas and a snow storm!? The holidays and the weather set the scene for family togetherness whether they like it or not!
The storyline has a many layers helping to keep it interesting and not too obvious. Gotta love family drama!

Susan, an amateur sleuth despite herself, gets roped into helping host a luxurious Christmas gathering at a remote manor for a press mogul, his family, and his staff. A snowstorm isolates the group, and when a murder disrupts the festivities, Susan, with a cast of potentially dangerous characters around her, must untangle the secrets and motivations to expose the killer before another Christmas celebration turn even more deadly.

This is my first time reading a novel by Mary Grand. I had a fantastic time with A Christmas Murder. Highly recommended~