The book gets off to a great seasonal start with Maddie getting stranded as her car breaks down in the snow on Christmas Eve.
I loved the Yorkshire Dales rural setting of this book, and the scavenger hunt provides an original story line. I found some of the dialogue unrealistic, which was off putting.

Book Review: The Christmas Eve Murders by Noelle Albright

The Christmas Eve Murders is a delightful blend of humor and suspense that had me hooked from the very first page. Set in the charming Merry Monarch pub nestled in the Yorkshire Dales, the story perfectly captures the cozy yet chaotic spirit of the holidays.

As the pub prepares for its annual scavenger hunt, the cast of characters comes alive. I loved getting to know Mickey, the landlord, and his wife Sofia, along with the quirky regulars who add layers of intrigue and hilarity. The unexpected arrival of Maddie, a journalist stranded by a snowstorm, injects a fresh dynamic into the mix. Her journey from an unwelcome guest to a key player in the unfolding drama was a highlight for me.

When the power goes out and the hunt turns deadly, the tension ramps up dramatically. Albright masterfully weaves together the festive atmosphere with the looming threat of murder, creating a captivating whodunnit that kept me guessing until the end. The interactions between the characters are sharp and witty, making me chuckle while also holding my breath in anticipation.

The blend of cozy vibes and murder mystery is executed flawlessly, reminiscent of classic Agatha Christie but with a modern twist. I found myself racing through the chapters, eager to uncover the culprit while enjoying the holiday setting.

Overall, The Christmas Eve Murders is a perfect festive read for mystery lovers. It's charming, funny, and delightfully suspenseful, making it a wonderful addition to my holiday reading list. I can't recommend it enough for anyone looking to get into the holiday spirit while solving a cozy mystery!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

This book was great! I loved the writing style and I loved the characters and their chemistry. I loved the Christmas vibes. Great book!! Such a good cozy mystery and it did have me guessing!

I love Christmas and I love a good murder mystery, 5 stars from me for this perfectly wrapped holiday read!

I have read this ARC with a view to providing a review
All opinions and thoughts are my own

A new author to me and the description sounded so intriguing
A fabulous read

Loved it

This was my first time reading this author, and I was quite encouraged by the description of this book being “hilarious and cozy,“ plus fact that it takes place in the Yorkshire Dales. I found “hilarious” to be quite the overstatement, and while I quite enjoyed it initially, I found that 3/4 of the way through it started to drag and become tedious. Perhaps because the action takes place in one small space that becomes dull rather quickly is the reason. At any rate, I didn’t finish it.

A story where all the suspects are trapped in one remote house by a snow storm. Two of them even happen to be policemen!
But I found the characters a little wooden, so I found it difficult to care about them.
What I really wanted to know about was Maddy's strange relationship with her parents, but we never find out.
The murderer was a bit obvious from quite early on.
I finished the book, but was a little disappointed.

An atmospheric tale set in a snow bound inn high on the Yorkshire moors. A Christmas scavenger hunt turns deadly.

Loved the idea of a Christmassy scavenger hunt for the bored and lonely in the village- less keen on the first thing found being a body!
There are some lovely characters in this book, all of whom the author manages to cast suspicion on, leaving the armchair detective in a quandary about who to trust other than Maddie, the stranger in the room!
I really needed a map of the pub to picture the hidden passages and sheer size of the property so I could track my suspects more efficiently!
A thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery for a cold dark evening read.

This is a great book, a locked room murder mystery, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It's amusing, and not too heavy - perfect for a cold winter's night.

This was a lovely cosy mystery set at Christmas time which I loved. The humour was very good and whilst the plot was a little predictable, I thoroughly enjoyed it

Cozyish Claustrophobic Christmas murder mystery. Liked the setting of the snowed in pub in the Dales, The characters felt authentic, although I didn't particularly warm to any of them which might have been why I struggled to get into the story a bit. Cover is great.

I absolutely adored this. It was an absolute joy to read! Once I started, I just didn’t want to stop. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Stranded in the Yorkshire Dales by car trouble and a blizzard, reporter Maddie takes shelter in the quaint village pub, where she's drawn into the annual Christmas Eve scavenger hunt....but a more deadly game is afoot!

It's up to her and handsome policeman Alex to piece together the clues and unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

This is my first time reading this author, and I enjoyed the setting, the cast of characters -- especially Constable Don's obsession with ghosts -- and the way the mystery unfolded. I was kept guessing the killer's identity until the very end.

The Christmas Eve Murders is a fun Christmassy cosy murder mystery book. Maddie ends up stuck in a small Yorkshire village pub after her car breaks down on the way home to Scotland. A scavenger hunt takes place and a murder occurs.
I really enjoyed this book. It was easy to read. Quite formulaic but not in a bad way. Would definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had a really hard time getting into this one. But when the plot hit it hit. The story really took off and I enjoyed it! I love Christmas and the spin of making it into a thriller was great!

3.5

It’s 6pm on Christmas Eve and Maddie Marlowe has major car trouble in the middle of the isolated Yorkshire Dales. She has breakdown cover which is useless as there’s no phone signal. To add insult to injury, it’s snowing heavily. Fret not, help is at hand at The Merry Monarch pub. Hopefully it will be as much fun as the King it’s named after - Charles II, in case you are wondering! It all seems very safe as elderly resident Curtis reassures her. However, maybe it’s the eerie silence that puts Maddie on edge or perhaps something else. Trust your instincts, girl.

This is the very epitome of cosy at the start with warming fires, delicious food and some welcoming amusing locals but there are warning shots across the boughs as they’re totally cut off. Then of course, the shenanigans and ‘fun and games’ begin. The apparent calm is shattered by feuds, a scavenger hunt, ghostly rumours, less than ghostly nefarious deeds and ghastly not ghostly murder and mayhem.

The author creates an appropriate atmosphere to accompany the storytelling especially as it’s clearly claustrophobic because they’re trapped. It’s all done in the right tone often with witty banter from characters who are well portrayed. It feels somewhat surreal on occasions and of course, the ensuing drama contrasts and clashes with the festive season with less than festive cheer. There are shocks in store, trust vanishes out the window and it becomes oppressive.

It does become a bit predictable but that does fit with this type of murder mystery. There’s a lot of dialogue that is used to tell the story which is something I’m personally not keen on, hence the three star rating rather than four. On the plus side the tone of the comments is often good with everything from Yorkshire call a spade a shovel comments to sarcasm to laugh out loud.

If you like golden age style cosy crime novels then this fits the bill and I like the good note it ends on. It’s an easy read and would make a perfect companion on a cold winter evening in front of a warm fire, a glass or mug in the other hand!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Quercus Books for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This was a fun, cozy mystery that was sort of in the vein of Agatha Christie. The characters were interesting and the setting felt immersive.

Ooh, this was such a good read. Who knew a good murder could be fun and jolly? Maddie breaks down and is led by an old man and his dog to a pub to call for the breakdown service and when that fails to get a room for the night. If only! The Christmas Eve scavenger hunt turns bloody and there is serious crime on going on amongst smouldering looks,, sarcastic comments and all out shouting matches. Everyone could have a reason to bump off the recently deceased and Maddie is the newbie to the situation trying to work out allegiances and keep herself alive. I had such a good time turning pages and rushing to the end to see it all unpicked.

I love a good locked room mystery and that combined with a Christmas Eve setting made this an enjoyable read. Maddie is on her way home to Scotland to spend Christmas with her family when her car breaks down on a snowy day outside of a small town in the Yorkshire Dales. When a stranger knocks on her window to help, she follows him to the local pub. She is stuck at the pub for the night with a group of locals who have an annual Christmas Eve scavenger hunt tradition.

As the game begins things quickly go awry and the mystery begins. I enjoyed this cozy mystery and cast of characters as Maddie tries to figure out what is going on and who the killer is. The book had a great combination of spookiness, mystery, and a fun group of characters. It was a quick an enjoyable read and would be a great book to curl up with on a winter evening.

Thank you to Quercus Books and NetGalley for the gifted digital ARC to review in exchange for my honest review.