Murder at Midwinter Manor by Anita Davison is a smart golden age style whodunit. I've not yet read the earlier books in the series but there was plenty of explanation and I was able to enjoy this one without any previous knowledge. Hannah Merrill is a modern heroine, for the time, and she and Aunt Violet make an interesting pair of sleuths. Their warmth and camaraderie shine through as does their talent for detecting. The timeframe of the book is interesting, rather than having a between-the-wars timeline which I've found to be more common in golden age cozies, it features some stark references to the still-waging Great War.

The setting of the book, Midwinter Manor, is decadently described, inside and out, with the snow setting the tone and many luxurious descriptions of the grand house dressed for Christmas. There is a house full of suspects for both crimes, and there are many characters to keep track of and all their relationships to one another. Hannah and Aunt Violet find themselves up against an intransigent local policeman who doesn't appear to welcome their particular brand of assistance.

The story is an enjoyable read and the duo's investigations are very entertaining. There is also time for some romance amongst the crime and Christmas cake, with both Hannah and Violet dallying with handsome suitors. The conclusion is exciting and satisfying and leaves the path open for future instalments. I will definitely read more from Anita Davison.

With huge thanks to the publisher for my copy of Murder at Midwinter Manor and to Rachel's Random Resources for my spot on the blog tour.

Hannah Merrill, her aunt Violet and Bartleby the cat go to visit Hannah’s sister at her country estate fur a Christmas break. But a murder happens, a large ruby is stolen and the house is snowdd red in but somehow Archie manages to get through the snow to help out.
Fantastic book. I love this series and can’t wait for the next one

This is the first book by this author that I have read. Although this is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. It was a little slow to start but once the story got going, it had me turning the page to see what would happen next. The characters were well written and the story line well thought out. There was murder, mystery, suspense and a little romance. I look forward to reading more of this series. I received this as an ARC and freely give my review.

Murder at Midwinter Manor is a delightful historical whodunit set during Christmas 1916. Anita Davison creates a wonderfully atmospheric mystery as Hannah Merrill and her Aunt Violet take a break from war-torn London to the snowy English countryside, only to find themselves entangled in a murder investigation. The manor house, filled with family, friends, and festive cheer, quickly turns sinister when a guest is found dead and a priceless ruby vanishes. Davison captures the tension perfectly as the snowed-in guests become both suspects and potential victims.

Hannah and Aunt Violet make for an engaging detective duo, balancing clever sleuthing with a dash of wit and charm. The period setting, complete with historical details and the isolation of a snowbound estate, enhances the intrigue and suspense. As the clues pile up, so does the anticipation of uncovering the killer’s identity. Murder at Midwinter Manor is an enjoyable, cozy mystery perfect for fans of traditional English country house murder mysteries.

Murder at midwinter manor takes place in 1916 around Christmas at the country-estate of Hannah's sister Issy. Hannah and Violet take a break from a London where the war is everywhere around you. When they arrive the house is fully of family and friends, everybody excited for a wonderful Christmas break. Bit then one of the guests is found dead in the library (perfect setting) and a precious ruby necklace is missing. Are both the work of one person?
The local police man doesn't seem up to the task to find out, so in a by now known way Hannah and her aunt Violet decide they will have to find out what happened!
As the other stories in this wonderful series, also this one was exciting, intriguing and very well written. The characters were created perfectly and worked very well in this story and the setting. A surprise factor for me was the setting. While I got used to Hannah and Violet being more freely in the open, like in London, they were this time confined to the inside of an estate constantly surrounded by other people, never alone... which allowed you to get to know the characters much better ...and somewhere in the house was also the murderer.

Calling all fans of cozy historical mysteries! Go ahead and put Murder at Midwinter Manor (Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet Mystery #3) by Anita Davison on your November and December TBR lists – you will not be disappointed! I enjoyed this mystery set around Christmas – I saw descriptions that said it was like Agatha Christie combined with Downton Abbey and I wholeheartedly agree. Here we not only have a dead body when everyone is settled in on a snowy night, but also a missing ruby. Are the two things tied together or just a coincidence?

I loved bookseller Hannah and her suffragette Aunt Violet and found myself wishing I could simply spend time with them back in their London bookshop. Wonderful setting, solid mystery, a little romance and cozy details made this such an enjoyable read. This was my first introduction to the series and I had no issues following along. Read this as a standalone or join me in going back and reading books one and two before book four (Murder in Covent Garden) is released in February 2025. Can’t wait!

Anita Davison always writes a great book and I do love a good Christmas Theme so this one is just right for me. This book takes us to Midwinter Manor in 1916 where we find Hannah Merrill and her Aunt Violet taking a break from London and the affects of war before Christmas arrives.

Of course the manor is a thriving place filled with people, relatives, guest, holiday-makers so this d=should be a lovely time away in a wonderful and beautiful setting. What could possibly go wrong? Well murder of course! This is such a wonderful, cosy murder mystery and I immersed myself in the story, the country manor and I felt I was there with all the guest, friends and family.

A well written book that drew me in and kept me reading. The descriptions, the story and the characters all brought a different element to the story. I loved it and would highly recommend as a great holiday cosy read. Curl up with a cuppa and enjoy!

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Downtown Abbey at Christmas, with a side of murder.
I tend to enjoy a good festive murder mystery, and I certainly enjoyed Murder at Midwinter Manor. The characters were quirky and the setting was atmospheric. The mystery was intriguing, but I must say I did expect the final reveal. I wish there had been a few more twists and turns, as I felt this was lacking that surprise factor that I look for in a mystery. However, if you are looking for a cosy festive mystery with an atmospheric setting, this is a solid choice.

Do you think it’s too early to start reading Christmassy books? Well, think again! This delightful cozy mystery with a locked-room vibe will change your mind. There is snow, there is family and… there is murder. Not only a murder but a theft too. Are the two connected? Who can you trust when you know that the people you are spending the holidays with have not been able to leave the house, so the culprit(s) must be in your midst?

Hannah and her aunt Violet are two of my favourite amateur sleuths and meeting them again was a pleasure. Plus, I enjoyed getting to know their family members, who in previous books had merely been mentioned, and witnessing the development of their romantic relationships. I am all for strong, female main characters but Darius and Inspector Farrell are joining the list of my favourite characters too.

Good as a standalone novel, but amazing when considered within the series, this new mystery kept me guessing until the end and I look forward to the next murder!

Aww Anita never fails with a good read and this is no exception, wonderful characters and good storyline And great to catch up with aunty violet and Hannah I love these as they draw you in and you find yourself trying to figure out who dun it

This is the third novel in the Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet series of historical cozy mysteries; the titular Miss Merrill is one Hannah, younger daughter of fairly well-off family in the British squirearchy, from whose point of view the story is narrated.

As the series is set during Wold War I, a time of social as much as geopolitical upheaval in the Western world, I really wanted to be swept by the story. Alas, not what happened.

Beware: PTSD and attendant prejudice, fatphobia, DNF.

The book opens with our intrepid protagonist and her much-loved spinster Aunt Violet arriving in style (a convertible, with the top down) to Midwinter Manor. It's December, it's snowing, and with World War I raging, everyone of means in Britain is looking forward to a bit of wholesome escapist fun: a traditional Christmas house party, with family and close friends.

As it happens, they are the last guests to arrive, and are greeted by Hannah's older sister and hostess, Iris, with numerous complaints--the weather, their lateness, how much work the guests are, why did her husband invite so-and-so, how difficult to keep good house servants, how hard it is to get proper supplies for such a party, and so on and so on.

The immediate impression is of an unhappy woman of large privilege, and, as it turns out, that's how most every other guest comes across; the main exception is a young officer recently returned from France after surviving the fighting somewhere during the Battle of the Somme. Home on leave, he suffers from PTSD, and while some of the other people present try to be kind, others--including his own father--are dismissive and cruel.

There is quite a bit of page space devoted to the Merrills family dynamics, and about the same to those of Iris's in-laws and their in-laws, the Ellises, all exclusively from Hannah's point of view; I was mostly left with the feeling that no one likes their family members much, even though some of them purport to love each other.

By the time the body mentioned in the blurb is found, I was fairly detached from the proceedings, as I found the writing voice mildly off-putting, but it was the scene after the discovery of the corpse that signaled to me that this was going to be a DNF.

The language choices are somewhat awkward, as when people are "denuded" of their outdoor gear, or characters "respond" when no one asked them--or anyone else present--anything.

Both loathsome characters and the narrative from Hannah's perspective engage in fatphobia.

The characters move through space and time as if untethered from the laws of physics, most notable during the scene that follows the discovery of the corpse.

In the same, very long scene, one character explains that the butler has gone to telephone the local doctor; a few paragraphs later, he states that he's going to instruct the butler to call the doctor, and a few paragraphs after that, about three to five minutes into the same long-ass scene, the doctor arrives on the scene.

At the same time this is happening, a character leaves to go upstairs with the just-widowed guest, then it's back to exchange meaningful glances with Hannah without any time elapsing; in the next chapter, she has just come down for the first time.

And while an argument can be made that the chaotic goings-on that take place in the next couple of chapters are truer to what would happen in real life upon the discovery of a dead person in similar circumstances, my rebuttal is that fiction must make sense where reality doesn't. I can read the news to find out how humans screw up in times of crisis; I read genre for a sense of order and a righted universe.

I read two more chapters after that, but I could never connect wit the characters, who I found generally petulant and artificial, or the story, and finally gave up at the start of chapter 9, a full 32% into the book.

Murder at Midwinter Manor is a DNF.

The year is 1916, and Hannah and Aunt Violet are visiting Hannah’s sister for Christmas. Midwinter Manor is the perfect setting for a snowy festive season. But things don’t turn out quite as planned.

When one of the other houseguests is murdered, the local police don’t seem up to the job. If they are going to find the real culprit, Hannah and Violet must investigate- or the wrong person will end up getting accused.

I love historical mysteries, as they combine my two favourite genres. This story is set during the First World War, and the repercussions for those fighting is evident. But some would rather the men kept their suffering under wraps. They would prefer psychological trauma was hidden. The roles expected of women are also an integral part of the story.

Hannah is a clever, independent woman with ambition and ability. I enjoyed seeing her develop her investigative skills. Her character is well developed - as are all of the characters in this novel. I love that there is continuity, and that we get to spend time with her friends and family.

This story was about finding the truth and also about being true to oneself. A great mystery and one of the best I’ve read in a long time.

Had a very enjoyable time with all the characters in this cosy murderous tale. I do love a strong irreverent old broad, unafraid to break taboos and flip the bird to the societal expectations related to age.

I like this cozy mystery series. The historical setting of WW I is presented well. It was a horrible war and some who witnessed devastation were overwhelmed, as is one of the characters in this novel. Shell shock was just beginning to be recognized and Davison gives a good account of one troubled by it. Others were so intimidated by the casualty reports they would do anything to keep from being conscripted.

The characters are what make this cozy mystery so entertaining. Aunt Violet is quite the woman, especially when she is speedily driving her car. I could just see Hannah hanging on for dear life. The relatives they visit are much more of the stately upper society style. It is interesting to see how Hannah's wealthy relatives relate to their servants and their friends. There is even an incompetent policeman trying to solve the murder.

This novel reads well on its own even though it is part of a series. There are a number of characters, however, and understanding who all of them are may require reading the previous books in the series. This is a good novel for readers who love historical cozy mysteries.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

As Hannah heads to her sister’s estate in the countryside for the Christmas holiday, she never anticipates getting caught up in not one, but two mysteries: a murder and the theft of a valuable ruby. With an inept local police officer leading the investigation and a house party filled with potential suspects, an intriguing story unfolds.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an ARC of this novel for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A festive family get together
Uninhibited by snowy weather
A time for celebrating the festive season
But not when there's murder, mystery and treason!

Hannah Merrill and her Aunt Violet are going to stay
With Hannah's sister leading up to Christmas day.
Even Bartleby the cat will be going, too,
Looking forward to merry making and things to do.

What none was expecting is the untimely death of a guest
Or a rural police officer doing his truculent best.
There's a missing jewel, too, are the cases related?
With the rude officer making accusations, can the guests be placated?

With Hannah and Aunt Violet also determined to discover
Just who is the thief and the jewel to recover.
They're also looking for clues to discover just who is the killer
In this fantastic, historical cosy crime thriller.

There's family drama and characters making a brilliant cast
There's mystery, murder and romance at last.
Can this intrepid duo with the help of their beaus
Determine what happened and what everyone knows.

For my copy of this brilliant book, I say thank you
As I share with you this, my honest review.

I received this ARC and didn’t realize it was part of a series so of course I had to go and read the first two books before I even attempted this one. I am so glad this series found me! I LOVE a good early 1900’s cozy mystery! I love this series even more because it doesn’t just have the typical FMC and love interest. I mean there is that BUT this series has an eccentric aunt in the mix!

A bit about the series as a whole:

First, Aunt Violet and Hannah own and run a bookstore during WWI. Absolute perfection!

Second, there is not only a love interest for Hannah but also for her aunt!

Lastly, there is always a murder and in book three a missing family heirloom! I really enjoyed that there was more than just a murder happening.

If you love a good cozy historical holiday mystery then you’ll love this book. Think Agatha Christie meets Downtown Abby. Anita Davidson does an amazing job of bringing each character to life as well as focusing on some of the major issues during this time period. PTSD during that time being called shell shock and how families and the military handled that. There are the upper-class verses the servants of the house and how the servants are viewed by others who feel themselves above them. And of course, how men feel woman should behave and act. I particularly love the banter between characters! Several times I found myself grinning like a fool at something someone said or thought.

Murder at Midwinter Manor has Hannah and her Aunt Violet off to visit family for Christmas to escape the war-torn London and murders that seem to follow them. Alas they wake up to find someone has died. Was it murder? Accident? What about the missing family heirloom!? Are these two possible crimes connected or are there two criminals on the loose in the house. There are several twists and turns throughout this book that you will constantly change your mind on who you believe the criminal might be.

I will say, this book has a lot of characters and at times I had to go back and find who was who and who was related to whom. Other than that I adored this book and cannot wait for the next one to release in February 1, 2025.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author Anita Davison for my ARC of Murder at Midwinter Manor in exchange for an honest review.

I love holiday-themed books, so I didn't hesitate to download this one from NetGalley, especially since it's also a mystery—albeit a cozy one.

I thought I would enjoy it as a standalone, but I felt disconnected while reading, mainly because I didn't form an emotional connection with the characters, especially since there were so many. I was also expecting the two main characters, Hannah and her Aunt Violet, to take the lead in solving the mystery, but they felt more like secondary characters. I really wish there had been more sleuthing scenes.

By the halfway point, I found myself skimming the dialogue rather than fully engaging with the text, as it wasn't holding my attention.

That said, I did enjoy the mystery surrounding the guest's death and how it was wrapped up in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC.

‘Well, we did it again.’

Off to spend the Christmas holiday at her sister’s manor in the country the last thing Hannah expects is to be embroiled in not one, but two mysteries: a murder and the theft of a priceless ruby. Throw in a hapless local police officer in charge of the investigation and a house party full of suspects and you’re treated to an intriguing tale.

Today it is my turn on the blog tour for Murder at Midwinter Manor by Anita Davison

📚 Book Review 📚

Murder at Midwinter Manor by Anita Davison

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Escaping the city doesn’t mean escaping the criminals…

1916, Midwinter Manor: Desperate for a Christmas weekend break from war-torn London, Hannah Merrill and her Aunt Violet take Bartleby the cat and themselves off to visit Hannah’s sister, in her beautiful country estate, deep in the English countryside.
The huge house is full of relatives, friends and merrymakers, and everyone’s excited to have a Christmas to remember.

But then, when a fellow-guest’s body is found in the library – apparently bludgeoned to death – and a precious ruby is stolen from another guest, it appears that it’s going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons.

With the house snowed in, and the rural police force completely incapable of finding a single credible suspect, Hannah and Aunt Violet realise that once again it’s going to be down to them to get to the bottom of it.

Because whoever’s behind the crimes must be at Midwinter Manor… And if they’re not found, who knows what their next ‘gift’ will be?

My Opinion

I have actually read this series order, although each book can be read as a standalone. Aunt Violet and Hannah are visiting a manor house for Christmas. This was such a cosy festive mystery. At less than 300 pages this was a quick read and easy to finish in one evening. With plenty of twists this was an entertaining read.

Rating 4/5