My first novel by Fleur Hitchcock and I loved it and have bought a set for our school library. Well written, engaging and full of suspense and intrigue.

I'd purposefully saved this for half term and I'm so pleased I did. This murder mystery had me gripped from the very beginning. The complicated family dynamics, wintery weather, the discovery of a body and numerous suspects all contributed to making this an engrossing read. I've read some of Fleur's other books and will now be tracking down the ones I've missed.

This is another remarkable mystery from Fleur Hitchcock. I love these easy to read, but hard to solve mysteries for middle grade readers. They strike the right balance between adventure, mystery and mayhem.

In this tale, George and his Dad are spending Christmas with some of the family in a holiday rental. George isn’t all that keen on his cousin Isla and so dreads some of the holiday. He is looking forward to spending time with his Dad. His new step mother is heavily pregnant and staying home and George is keen to just be with his dad, granddad and uncle Edwin.

When George sees a light falling off the cliff, he is intrigued but doesn’t realise what he is witnessing. Hearing about a body washed up on the beach the next morning, he believes he saw the man fall- or was he pushed?

Clues (and bodies) keep finding George and Isla- uniting them as friends as well as family. Can they figure it all out before they find themselves in even more danger? Which also seems to find them!

Brilliantly wirrten and perfect for whiling away an evening- I was completely lost in this mystery!

A strange, motley crew in a van. A falling light out in the darkness in the direction of the cliffs…

I hurtled through this brill MG murder mystery this week. Set in such a fascinating part of the UK, on the Jurassic Coast, the nature of the mystery is perfectly in tune with the setting. The seasonal weather brings added complications and adds to the growing sense of peril.

George and his family have gathered in a coastal holiday home for Christmas and to celebrate his Grandpa’s birthday. Being reunited with his bookish cousin, Isla, is not high up on George’s Christmas list, but brought together by mysterious events, the two realise that they have much more in common than they’d realised. The cousins have great instincts for detection and they will need to use all of their wits and resources in ways they could never have imagined.

Full of intrigue from the off, it will hook in young readers and the clever plot and classic detective novel features will sustain their interest until the thrilling climax. Murder at Wintertide is brought to life by tight exposition, which makes you care about the characters without straying too far from the story. Woven with details of seaside life, fossil finds and archaeology- it’s a fab read for UKS2.

Goodness, Fleur's books are so good. I really do need to get parents reading some of our books at school so that they realise how good children's fiction is - and that they don't need the latest celeb offering just because it is cheap at the supermarket.
Previously I've read Murder at Snowfall, Mouseheart and Some of the Cillftoppers series. I also have a Y6 child reading Murder in Midwinter at the moment because after the author AM Howell visited the school recently there was a lot of interest in murder mysteries, so I recommended Fleur's books until others had finished the AMH books (she's sensible and wants to read the first book first!)

This story is pretty dark for a primary child! Y5/6 probably best. Although in Murder at Snowfall they find a body in a suitcase so...

In this George is travelling with his father to Lyme Regis to stay in a holiday cottage for the birthday of his Grandpa and Christmas. On the way they are passed by a large van that is been driven erratically, further down the road the van has had an accident with another car, for some reason George decides to take a photo of the occupants.

When they reach the house, George's Grandpa, his wife Queenie, Queenie's daughter Charlotte and her children, Storm who is a toddler and Isla who George feels is way to clever for him (she's home educated) are already there. George's beloved Uncle Edwin is yet to arrive.

When George and Queenie collect decorations from the car George sees lights on the cliff, then one seems to fall. Later a body is washed up on the beach and George thinks they have stumbled on a mystery. Is the mystery connected to the archaeological dig on the cliffs? It seems to be where they were. It is also connected to that van...the body is one of the occupants!

From this beginning George and Isla, who unknown to George loves mysteries as much as he does, pursue the idea that this is in some way connected to that dig. And those people in the van are detectorists who were searching the sight - hence the lights in the dark. But are they getting in deeper than they can cope with? Who can they trust? Suspicion lies everywhere, especially when George, Isla, Grandpa and Grandpa's friend Charlie and a dog are on a sabotaged boat that ends up being hit by another pitching them all in the water!

Treasure, murders, sabotage and families. Dark but ok for y5 plus I feel. Absolutely loved it.

I’ve never read any of these books before but I’m so glad I did. A quick and easy read with plenty of action! Perfect for reluctant readers. The story takes place over Christmas (perfect for reading on the chilly winter evenings) when the main protagonist sees a light fall off the end of a cliff…only to discover that a body has been found on the beach. A mystery follows - why was someone on the cliff near an archeological dig? - that needs to be solved! A fun read.

Peril, intrigue, and hot chocolate! Murder at Wintertide is a cosy Christmas thriller, bursting with seasonal calories.

When George Marchman sees a mysterious light falling from a cliff into the dark winter sea, he and his cousin Isla become enveloped in a dangerous plot. Has he witnessed murder? Is someone watching the house? Do the police believe him? Drawn to the mystery, George and Isla investigate. There are rumours of ancient treasure at the local archeological site and signs of recent digging... But is the treasure worth their lives?

The highlight for me was the sequence on the boat: the screaming gulls, the barking dog, the unfolding disaster . . . The verb judder in Ch 19 is a great example of the right word doing wonders in the right place. It’s also refreshing to read a children’s adventure with lots of mobile phone use and references to contemporary technology.

I totally fell for the red herring and enjoyed being hoodwinked by Fleur Hitchcock’s clever sleight of hand.

Recommended for readers aged 9-11 who like fossils, archeology, and Christmas. Notable for its portrayal of blended families and the disruption a sibling might feel when the family is expecting a baby.

Fleur Hitchcock has written another great children's mystery book. We have read all of the others in this series and the children were very excited to start a new instalment . They are such immersive engaging books and suitable for all of the family to read together.

I have read and enjoyed several of Fleur Hitchcock's books over the years and always enjoyed them. I was delighted to receive an ARC copy of 'Murder at Wintertide' (this has not affected my review). The novel is a great crime/detective novel for years 5-6. George and his Dad are off to spend a pre-Christmas break with his Dad's family to celebrate his grandad's 70th birthday, leaving his heavily pregnant stepmum at home. George has mixed feelings about attending the party - his grandad has recently remarried and some of his new wife's family will be there, too. This includes his new, sort-of cousin, Isla. On the way to the house, George and his Dad are almost involved in a car accident: a few hours later one of the other people involved in the accident is found dead, possibly murdered, and George may have seen it happen (albeit from a distance). With the police seeming to drag their feet, the danger gets closer and closer to George and Isla ... A very exciting and tightly plotted story, I will be recommending this to pupils at my school.

I already love Fleur Hitchcock murder mystery books and this one was absolutely no different. It is a perfect introduction to murder mystery for children aged 8 and older. She perfectly uses the weather, in this case the cold, snow and ice, to build up the tension and as a tool for preventing things happening such as further investigation, the police being able to attend etc. The tension really builds up and I was turning pages trying to find out what was going to happen. Definitely a thrill ride.
In this story, George and his family are meeting up pre Christmas in Lyme Regis with extended family and when a body washes up on the beach, he can't stop thinking about the mysterious people he has seen around the village, plus lights falling from the clifftop. George reluctantly works with his cousin Isla and they build a relationship together they start to unravel the mystery of why people keep dying ang what it has to do with the legend of treasure from the Anglo Saxon times. The scene out at sea with the weather, the fog, the waves and then the sabotage of the boat had my heart in my mouth.

Fantastic chilling fun!
I was new to Fleur Hitchcock's mysteries but, after reading Murder at Wintertide, I can't wait to get my hands on all the others. A perfect mix of blended families, mismatched sort-of-cousins (who discover they have a lot in common after all), a fabulously snowy seaside setting and a seriously terrifying plot. Fortunately George and Isla are up to the challenge.
Highly recommended for confident readers 10 years and up (although the number of deaths might unsettle more sensitive children).
Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced e-copy of this title.

There was nothing to not love about this children’s crime/adventure read, full of thefts, murders and two kids that solve it all. On their Christmas holidays George and Isla see lights on the cliff top, the next day a body is found on the beach below, was he pushed or did he fall? Loved the characters, they are good together and great on the little missions they go on. A great all round 5 star children’s read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

I am a fan of Fleur Hitchcock's murder mysteries as they are great stories but still suitable for my secondary age students. Murder at Wintertide did seem to be the darkest so far to me but I would still be happy for my youngest students (11) to read it.

George travels with his Dad to Lyme Regis for his Grandpa's birthday and then Christmas. His Grandpa has married a lady called Queenie and she is also there with her daughter, Charlotte, and grandchildren, young Storm and home-educated Isla. George's Uncle Erwin is also coming from New York. When snow begins to fall the family go outside to watch it, George sees two lights on the clifftop and then one falls into the sea. When a body is found on the beach, George realises he may have see a murder. He connects the dots to something he saw whilst in the car with his Dad and realises he knows who the murderer is and has evidence for the police.

I liked this story but it was the introduction of the archaeological dig and the connected mystery which really kept my interest. It was an intriguing bit of history to learn and I hope it will spark an interest in readers.

I felt this story was darker than some of Fleur Hitchcock's others as there is more than one dead body, one is killed whilst the main characters are close by and they are in real danger from the villain. Plus as an adult reading it I felt the ending would surely have a huge impact on all the characters. But it's still a good story which I will be recommending to students.

4 Stars
One Liner: Enjoy the chilly mystery!
Young George is excited to spend Christmas with his Dad and Grandpa at the rented house named Wintertide. When he sees a sudden light on the cliff and hears about a dead body found in the sea, George wonders if the events are connected. Isla, his cousin, seems to have the same doubts. Soon, the tweens band together to find out more and solve the mystery, not realizing that it could very well put their lives at risk.
The story comes in George’s first-person POV in the present tense.

My Thoughts:
The book starts with a short prologue about a body drifting in and out of the sea in the third-person POV. Then, it switches to George’s first-person narrative in the present tense. The kid and his dad are traveling to meet their family for joint celebrations (Grandpa’s birthday and Christmas).
There’s a bit of a mystery right in the beginning about some people arguing on the road. We slowly get more information about the family dynamics, new members, the boy’s favorite ones, etc. Since it is in his POV, we don’t always know much about the others. However, this slowly changes and the undercurrents become clearer.
The setting is perfect for the mystery. Lyme Regis is a coastal town, a bit away from the mainline. It has high cliffs, an extensive beach, and beautiful streets. The weather alternates between windy, rainy, snowy, and chilly. Naturally, this makes the mystery more interesting.
The other kid, Isla is sweet. George is a different kind of sweet. Both are easy to like and root for. Their contrasting personalities and the slowly budding friendship between the new cousins add a nice personal touch to the plot. Of course, there are many other personal elements since this is a family trip.
The mystery blends archeology, history, action, adventure, danger, some attempted sleuthing, and all the things children would love. As expected, the kids get into situations that could be way dangerous in real life. At least, the adults here are not fully absent. They do try to keep the children safe, and the kids also realize they are getting into tricky stuff (even if it doesn’t stop them).
The culprit is easy to guess thanks to the subtle (and not-so-subtle) clues scattered throughout. It should keep the young readers engaged and make them guess about the whos and whys.
There’s some light humor sprinkled at random, making George an entertaining narrator. I like the subtle change in him as things change towards the end.
The ending is heartwarming and sweet, just as how it should be for the target age group. There are some bittersweet moments too, but hope and love do triumph over everything else.

To summarize, Murder at Wintertide is a steady-paced mystery with young sleuths solving a crime and discovering more than what they want. This is my first book by the author, and I’m curious to read more.
Thank you, NetGalley and Nosy Crow, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I am a huge fan of Fleur Hitchcock. Her books always have the right amount of suspense without being too scary and violent that it would be unsuitable for UKS2 students. Admittedly I like some of her works more than the others. And this one is one of my favourites. George and his dad are about to spend Christmas with his step grandma. Days before their arrival, a body has washed up on the shore. Together with his cousin, they are going to solve the mystery.

If you've not read a Fleur Hitchcock, book before then you can expect a mystery that's always a little bit darker than the wonderfully vibrant covers will have you believe! It's a great mix of mystery and adventure, with plenty of perilous situations for our main characters, George and Isla. Will issue well.

I received a free copy of, Murder at Wintertide, by Fleur Hitchcock, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. George his cousin Isla, and the rest of their family are spending Christmas by the sea. A body washes up, and their holiday by the sea, is not as charming as it started out to be. This was a pleasurable Christmas mystery book.

A cottage by the sea for George and his family, snow transforming the landscape in a magical Christmas scene - this would be idyllic if, days earlier a body had not washed up on the beach. George can't help wondering if it's got anything to do with the strange light he's seen falling form the cliff top. Together with his cousin Isla, they decide to investigate but, as they come close to the truth, they also put themselves into danger. Someone is desperate to keep the truth hidden, by any means, whether George and Isla are combing the beach for fossils or taking to the sea for a fishing trip with their grandfather. And is their mysterious foe really a stranger or someone closer to them than they realise?

I absolutely LOVE Fleur Hitchcock's murder mysteries so it was a real treat to be able to read Murder at Wintertide on NetGalley. From the very first pages, Fleur's warmly drawn characters and setting pull you in and never let you go (in a very good way!). You just wish you could be part of it, danger and all, so compelling are her descriptions of family life and relationships, and the parts of England she knows so well and shares with her readers. A Christmas murder mystery to read any time of the year with a steaming hot chocolate by your side, and read again and again!

This was a really fun little murder mystery. Lots of good characters in a beautifully described wintery setting. Perfect cold weather read.
I haven't much to say other than it was really enjoyable to read and the story was really interesting, weaving some ancient history in with the modern world.