An entertaining fun read. A brilliant new edition to one of my favourite series. A cosy festive novel.

A Lively Midwinter Murder by Katy Watson is a delightful, festive addition to the Three Dahlias series that immerses readers in the eerie charm of a Scottish Highlands Christmas wedding. When Posy, Caro, and Rosalind arrive at the castle for their friend Libby's big day, they're greeted by an ominous note from the bride herself, warning that something unsettling is at play. The celebratory mood takes a dark turn when a body washes up on the shore, setting the stage for a classic closed-circle mystery filled with clever clues, red herrings, and surprising twists.

Watson’s skillful writing brings a gothic, almost haunting atmosphere to this wintery mystery, with ghost stories, a centuries-old feud, and a brewing snowstorm adding layers of suspense. The Scottish Highlands setting, complete with a remote castle and roaring hearth, perfectly captures the essence of a cozy, seasonal murder mystery with just enough festive touches to make it feel like a holiday treat.

The Three Dahlias are as engaging as ever, with their cross-generational friendship providing warmth and humor that balance the darker undertones of the plot. It was a pleasure to see the main characters’ relationships evolve, especially as their partners play more prominent roles, offering a new dynamic to the team and allowing readers to invest more deeply in their lives beyond sleuthing.

Fast-paced and full of unexpected reveals, A Lively Midwinter Murder is an entertaining and heartwarming mystery. With Watson's nod to Golden Age traditions and her own modern flair, this is a cozy seasonal read that doesn’t disappoint. Perfect for fans of atmospheric mysteries looking for a festive twist!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books for providing this advanced copy!

A very Agatha Christie type of book. Isolated house in Scotland in the winter with a murder. A great read and this time I didn't guess who did the murder. I enjoyed the characters and the interaction between them. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

The three Dahlia's are invited to the Christmas wedding of Libby and Duncan in the Scottish Highlands and, like Miss Marple or Poirot who are walking magnets for mysteries, they inevitably discover the dead body of one of the guests.

It had many interesting mysteries that all appear to occur in isolation until it all comes together at the end and the mysteries are wrapped up in a nice Christmassy bow. Setting it in an isolated castle in the Scottish Highlands at Christmas is a nice contrast and creates a sense of foreboding.

I really like that we have returning characters from previous books as I find it's a shame when we grow to like characters in one book and they never appear again. I think it adds nice layers to future books as they become more developed and not one-dimensional.

Overall, another hit by Katy Watson and I hope to read more about the exploits of the three Dahlia's very soon!

The fourth in the series, but Katy catches you up enough so that you understand who the three Dahlias are and how they work together. (I'd recommend reading the series, though, because it's very enjoyable!)

A romantic winter wedding at a remote Scottish castle turns out to be nothing of the kind - especially as the bride-to-be sends a note with the invitations saying that something isn't quite right. Ghost stories told by firelight, tales of ancient family feuds... and then in the morning they find a corpse, wearing the bride's dress and stolen family jewels. Cut off by a snowstorm, and with electricity and phone lines down, the Dahlias need to solve the murder and save their friend...

Beautifully twisty plot, lots of good misdirection, great chemistry between the sleuths (and it's lovely to see them with their partners), and a thoroughly good read.

As with pretty much all of the Three Dahlia mysteries, I find that I enjoyed 'A Lively Midwinter Murder', but in a few weeks I'll likely have forgotten all about it. Despite the author continually dropping in clunky sentences into her prose about plot points that happened in previous (just in case you decided to pick up book four on a complete whim without first readings books 1-3), it's an interesting mystery. I didn't guess who had done the murder and there were a lot of much deeper plot lines that were intriguing enough to follow. This is something of a locked-room mystery as they're stuck in this grand Scottish house during a snow storm, and Watson successfully managed to keep things intriguing without having to move the characters around a lot. Personally, I felt there were far too many supporting characters who had little to do with the overall action and weren't at all distinct from each other. I also felt as though there wasn't enough time really spent with the three central women actually solving the crime - another character is far more heavily involved and the answer seems to come to them all of a sudden, rather than through any detective work they might do.

I don't know if I'll pick up another one of these books, it's been a string of three stars for me. But if you like your murder mysteries Christie-esque, this is probably something you'll enjoy.

Amazing once again. This series is fast becoming my most looked forward to books and to have one set at Christmas is just divine. The usual characters are here again with yet another murder to solve and they do it in style.
A must buy to spend a few winter hours reading a wonderful mystery book.

What a delightful cosy mystery. My first Dahlia read but the characters came over well with enough backstory given.
This is a perfect winter read with roaring fires, snowstorms and a Scottish castle setting the scene. A Christmas wedding is planned but a dead body spoils the festive vibe and the ensuing investigation is engaging and intriguing. There are plenty of suspicions and secrets, practically a locked room mystery because of the weather and various twists and turns.
A great read, not predictable but very enjoyable.

I hadn't previously read any stories involving the three dahlias but I quickly grew to like them. All the characters were funny and interesting. It was a slight challenge to understand the relationships between all them, without previous knowledge, but not impossible. It just complicated the start of the story where we're (re)introduced to the players for this cosy murder mystery.

The story started off quite slow
A body washes up on shore bit no one seems very worried and they're just intrigued, which is kind of funny compared to other stories where a body dramatically drops and everything is go go go, but them you understand why. Once things start to pick up, it's a very entertaining read.

Having just left Scotland myself, I adored the setting. It was quite an eerie gothic feel for something set around Christmas, but that just added to the murder mystery ambiance.

It's very well written and clever. I love trying to guess twists and endings, and this had few red herings and many clues, that kept the guessing fun. I looked forward to reading a couple chapters every night. It was a great way to wind down.

Another Treat…
The fourth outing in the Three Dahlias mystery series and a delicious Christmas mystery to tickle the reading buds with a high society wedding on Christmas Eve to be held at a Scottish castle. The perfect function? Or the perfect recipe.... for murder? When a snowstorm arrives in all its fury, it’s not too long before the bodies begin to pile. Needless to say, it’s not long before our three Dahlias, as real life amateur sleuths, are once again investigating. Another hugely entertaining and enjoyable instalment to this delightful series with more than a sprinkling of a nod to the Golden Age of Crime, clever plotting, delicious characters and a narrative laced with humour. Truly a treat.

I was enticed by the premise of this book - three female amateur sleuths, a Christmas in a castle, and a wedding. I was looking forward to a simple, cosy murder mystery. However, this was a bit more complicated than I had bargained for. For me, there were too many characters (I was constantly checking the character list at the front of the book) and the solution was very complicated and the reader had no chance of guessing it. I found that the book had some charm in the three main characters and the setting, but that the plot was too convoluted to make much sense.

The Three Dahlias are my favourite cozy mystery detectives. Although it's a bit early in the year to be getting stuck into Christmas stories, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to read this as soon as it was available on netgalley.

Posy, Caro, and Rosalind attend a wedding at a remote Scottish castle. What should be a happy occasion is marred by the note the bride-to-be, Libby, included in their invitations: something isn't right in the Highlands, and she's scared. As a blizzard closes in, and tensions are palpable, the gathered guests trade ghost stories by the light of the hearth, only to find a corpse in the morning. Cut off from the nearest village by the storm, and with the electricity and communication lines down, the Dahlias must step up once again to solve a murder. And perhaps save Libby from wedding the culprit...

I would definitely recommend reading The Three Dahlias first to get up to speed with all the characters, but after that, if you're in a festive mood, you can skip straight to this one without being spoiled for previous mysteries. This had the right amount of wintery, Christmas elements to feel like a cozy seasonal read, but it wasn't so bedecked with tinsel and mistletoe as to feel gimmicky. The Three Dahlias always deliver a solid mystery with Golden Age vibes but modern sensibilities. I love the cross-generational friendship between the main characters and how they bring out the best in each other.

First on the heels of the third Dahlia mystery comes a festive dilemma. As the three Dahlias – actresses who have played or are currently playing the fictional detective – head to a Christmas wedding in a remote Scottish castle, a snowstorm hits and cuts them off from the mainland. Not to worry, there’s plenty to enjoy about the festivities… until guests find a dead body, dressed in white (yes, a wedding dress) and wearing family jewels that do not belong to them. The would-be detectives need to set aside all hopes of wrapping gifts and eating mince pies and decide which of their fellow guests – or castle inhabitants – is responsible. Find yourself a comfy chair beside the fire, a cup of tea and plenty and biscuits, and sit down and tuck in.

This book has everything you could want from a murder mystery, a castle, a Christmas wedding, family intrigue and murder. Not forgetting the castle being totally cut off by the weather.
I have not read one of the Three Dahlia mysteries before but that did not stop me from thoroughly enjoying this one. There are so many misdirections that the revealing of the killer comes as a total surprise.
Well written and this book had me gripped, so much so I was loathe to put it down.

When they arrive at the remote Scottish castle for the Christmas wedding, our three Dahlias could not foresee getting embroiled in another murder investigation. As soon as they arrive the body of an unknown man is found on the nearby beach, and as they try to find out more about him other events somewhat take over.
One of the party is discovered dead on the cliffs wearing a wedding dress and stolen diamonds. Suddenly everyone is a suspect and they need to try and establish just who might have had motive to kill her.
A cosy Christmas murder mystery. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this before publication.

What is better than a cosy murder mystery? A cosy Christmas murder mystery! Another fantastic Three Dalia’s mystery by Katy Watson, this time with a cosy festive twist. A good, intriguing murder mystery, set in a remote castle in the Scottish highlands. The three Dahlias and their partners expect a charming Christmas wedding, but things turns sinister when a body washes up on shore and the bride, their old friend Libby, warns them something more menacing is at play.

Ghost stories, a centuries old feud and a snow storm create an almost gothic backdrop to this three dahlias mystery, changing up the atmosphere from the normal charming summer countryside setting. A typical closed circle mystery, reminiscent of golden age murder mysteries with high society traditions and glamour, whilst also paying homage to traditional haunting Christmas tales.

It was really good to see the three Dahlias with their respective partners for this story. It gave more depth to their characters and it was charming seeing Kit and Annie become honorary Dahlias. I’m glad we got to see more of Posy and Kit together, seeing how much their relationship has developed from the first book. Similarly with Jack and Rosalind, who have also come along way since reuniting in the first mystery. The author has done a lovely job of conveying not just the highs but the lows of their relationship within the short time we spend in Rosalind’s pov. Managing to create three relationships that the audience can invest in as a side plot to a murder is no easy feat but Watson succeeds spectacularly.

The story has a slight lull just before the middle but otherwise is fast paced enough to keep you entertained throughout. Multiple twists kept the plot engaging and meant even if I guessed an aspect of the story, I couldn’t guess every reveal.

This book doesn’t disappoint. It delivers an easy to read, cosy, clever murder mystery.