I was lucky enough to receive an advanced digital ready copy of this book. The book is set in an old, well known and much loved toy store. From the opening chapter I was hooked. There was something unusual in that the book is written at Christmas time and includes all of the usual Christmassy descriptions taking me right back to being a child, but this is contrasted with the whodunnit murder mystery story. I enjoyed this juxtaposition.
The characters find out they are locked in the Emporium and sinister things begin to happen. There are many multifaceted characters in the book and as the story progresses you learn a little more about their lives and how they ended up at the Emporium.
If you are looking for a Christmas read and want something different I highly recommend this book!

This has got to be the most original, fresh and exciting book I've read this year. I love the concept of setting it in a Harry Potter like alley and peopled with characters that are a cross between Dickens and Christie characters. I love the air of magic and mystecism and the slow reveal as past and present collides. I shall watch out for this author. Highly recommend

For some reason, I was expecting this book to be a something along the lines of a cozy Christmas mystery with a bit of an edge. It's not that, but it is fabulous!

The not-very-merry Merry Clarke filches an invitation from the desk of her boss, determined to attend the VIP event at the newly re-opened Verity's Emporium. This used to be a thriving business and a destination for shoppers at Christmas--indeed, the book opens with Peg visiting this magical place with her father as a child. The book quickly turns to the present day where we meet Merry and learn that the Emporium was closed due to the death of the owner and some dispute about inheritance. It's now re-opened. Merry wants to go there to get a special gift for someone. Readers are introduced to the other invitees as they tour the facility. The book moves between Christmas Eve and the past history, with each chapter focusing primarily on one of the people in the group. It's clear that something is off at this Christmas Eve event and that each attendee has secrets. Nothing is as it seems. I don't want to go into much detail because one of the joys of reading this book is having things unfold and riding along with all the twists and turns, but you can tell from the title that not everyone is going to wake up on Christmas morning.

I loved this book. I was drawn in from the start and didn't want to put it down. It read a bit like an homage to Agatha Christie in some ways. The setting was quite well drawn and added to the feelings of disconnection between the festive atmosphere, the drab 'real world' outside, and the sinister happenings inside. The characters were multi-faceted and their thinking was evolving as they had to come to grips with some of their own issues through the course of this ordeal. The pacing is good--things never slowed down or got boring.

When I rate books, it's within their genre/category--no point comparing apples and oranges. This is an excellent, thoroughly enjoyable, well-written, beautifully plotted mystery. 5 stars

Murder at the Christmas Emporium is set in the most magical sounding Christmas shop. Honestly, I wish I could visit there myself. It sounds like the ultimate Christmas dream Emporium. Well, until the bloodshed.
Our story begins some years ago, when a young girl visits the shop with her father and the shop sounds to have a rather Dickensian appearance, in the decidedly, more 20th-century London streets surrounding it. There is no doubt, from this child's description that the shop is indeed special. The story jumps forward several months in the life of this same child and her time living in a orphanage. Then we jump straight into the present day, and our story a night of murder at the Christmas.
We have:
Fran
Merry
Benjamin
Evangeline
Barbara
Dean
Josie
as the guests for the special Christmas event and each character has their own dedicated chapter, detailing events from their past.
There is a lot of follow in this storyline and it's easy to lose track. But it is absolutely worth reading and I would suggest that you grab a hot chocolate, pop on some Christmas music and settle down for a rolicking murderous Christmassy read.