Cosy festive crime with a great setting and lots of charm. This does everything you want from an example of the genre and adds in a few warm winter feels as well.

This novel is an addition to the ever-growing ‘cosy crime’ stable of books set in beautiful British locations. The setting is a public house in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, and the novel starts on a Christmas Eve when the worsening winter weather is threatening to cut off the roads into and out of the village. Journalist Maddie unexpectedly finds herself marooned in this bucolic setting and has to join the locals at the Merry Monarch: landlords Mickey and Sofia with son James, local policemen Alex and Don, the Kapoor family and also dog lover Curtis whose pet – perhaps a little predictably – responds to ‘Barkley’. But instead of engaging in warm and friendly Christmas games, the Merry Monarch patrons soon find themselves involved in a snowstorm, a power cut, old animosities that still rankle, and a breathtaking murder committed by one person among them …. Sympathetically written with good characterisation and setting, I enjoyed this seasonal novel and could imagine it bringing a lot of joy to readers wrapped up safely at home in more favourable conditions than the cast is experiencing. I wish to thank Netgalley and the publishers for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A fun Christmas mystery. Characters were not particularly interesting and the writing kind of pedestrian, but the mystery and the closed in setting kept me involved

Maddie Marlowe should be en route to her parents in Edinburgh for Christmas. Yet on December 24, she’s stuck in a pub, the Merry Monarch, in the Yorkshire Dales, agreeing to participate in a scavenger hunt while she waits for her car to be fixed. The weather is wicked but it’s not the only thing that’s dangerous: within moments of the hunt beginning, someone is found murdered. The pub is locked, meaning someone inside the hostelry is responsible… but everyone knows everyone else but Maddie. The journalist must turn detective to help the actual police figure out who is the culprit. Because it may be the festive period but not everyone is going to make it to December 25 alive.

This is a cosy holiday mystery that perfectly balances festive charm with chilling suspense. Set in a small town during Christmas, the story follows a determined amateur sleuth as she uncovers the truth behind a shocking murder. Albright’s engaging characters and atmospheric setting make this a delightful read for mystery lovers looking for a touch of Christmas spirit.

A Christmas murder mystery?! The Christmas Eve Murders is the perfect book for fans of Agatha Christy.

Unexpectedly snowed in at a scavenger hunt at a pub in the Yorkshire Dales, Maddie Marlowe gets more than she bargained for when her car breaks down

Maddie is on her way to Edinburgh to spend Christmas with her parents. Due to a crash on the motorway she has to divert and ends up in a remote Yorkshire village where her car breaks down in a snowstorm. Her roadside assistance says they cannot get to her due to weather conditions so she takes refuge in the local pub. After hours there is a Scavenger hunt and she reluctantly takes part. the power goes and everyone is in the dark. A cracking read, well-written, strong characters.