This was a cozy mystery book with a fun mismatched pair of sleuths. This made for a fun read that was very entertaining. I enjoyed this book, and I can't wait to see more from this author. I do recommend this to those cozy murder mystery fans out there.

Thank you Net Galley ARC

I don't understand why the age gap needed to be so large. It felt creepy and so much of the dialogue was discussing whether it was appropriate or not and how he needed to end the dating but then it was such a waste as he didn't.

I hadn't read the other two books so wasn't sure what to expect. It was an easy read, cosy mystery but it seemed very outdated and not just because of when it was set.

Thanks for the arc.

Christmastime Fatality..
The third outing in the One Man and his Dog series of mysteries and Christmastime finds former police inspector Tom Ramsay off on a festive hotel break with his dog, his assistant and her parents. Things are soon to turn less than festive when, following arrival, his assistants mother is discovered knife in hand, a corpse at her feet. With the hotel snowbound, Ramsay has no option but to investigate. Another delightful cosy mystery in this series with an endearing cast of characters, a sprinkling of gentle humour, a well imagined setting and a solid mystery at its heart.

I love a cosy murder, and one set at Christmas should be a winner, but I could not get into the story, and I couldn't have cared less about the characters if I had tried. This is why this was a DNF for me at about 25%.

I found the relationship (whether romantic or otherwise) between Eliza and Ramsey bizarre, and the constant speculation abut who would be killed before it happened really irritating. Maybe if I had read the others in the series it wouldn't have been quite so grating.

I wanted to enjoy it, but I found myself dreading picking it up to read.

This was a lovely book, the mismatched pair of sleuths and an entertaining mystery, which needs solving to make sure the innocent are not wrongly accused.

Thank you NetGalley for the free Arc. This does not influence my review of course.

It’s the Christmas of 1964 and we are in the car with our protagonist, Ramsay, his dog, his girlfrie- sorry, assistant Eliza and her parents. They are on their way to a small hotel filled with colourful guests during the white holiday. The story started off strong, with the characters having a dynamic relationship straight off the bat. Obviously, Eliza’s parents are uncomfortable with her infatuation with Ramsay who is only a few years younger than them. Meanwhile Ramsay, while flattered, is also apprehensive. She is, as the book made abundantly clear, only 19. She is also super annoying but I will not get into that quite yet.

On this holiday, Eliza’s mother is found holding a knife, shocked over the dead body of a very evil man. She is then the prime suspect. Our duo is on the case to prove the mother’s innocence! The cast of suspects include a group of young free couples, some old judgemental women, the wife and son of the evil man who hate him, two men who hate him from the past and of course, Eliza’s mother. I will now explain why I had some issues with this mystery. I felt like a lot of it was fluff, and red herrings. The actual explanation was based on something we found out in the very beginning and honestly came out of nowhere with no other hints given. I only had my suspicion because Ramsay kept giving small comments about this. But there was no development! Rather, they pursued something else entirely and in fact, Eliza had no clue about this until the very end. How are they partners if she contributes nothing to the case solving?

This would be a solid 4 star mystery but -1 star for saying Scandinavians use saunas and not Nordics. It's a Finnish invention!! Just kidding it was actually because of Eliza. I felt a bit uncomfortable about this so-called non-romance. I think if she was intellectually in the same league it would be a bit better. If she would also help with the investigation in the sense she would actually help catching the culprit; I definitely think I would like her better. Also if she was 22 or something and not literally barely 18. I am not against age gaps and I understand even the characters themselves have said this is inappropriate and it is not being pursued however, there are hints of it maybe actually working out. And I do not like that at all.

Anyway a solid short mystery. Wish it was developed a little more though.

I haven't read the previous titles in the series, so perhaps I am missing something, but I really struggled with the premise that a nineteen year old and a 55 year old are romantically linked. Although Ramsey is the perfect gentleman and doesn't act on his feelings or encourage Eliza's it still feels very wrong, considering it was written in the spirit of classic crime, nit contemporaneously. The mystery itself is mildly engaging with an interesting conclusion but the characters all feel very two dimensional and stereotyped. I'm afraid that I won't be seeking out the previous titles in the series.

Former Detective Tom Ramsey is supposed to be retired, but cases seem to pop up every where he and his dog Bracken go. On his last "holiday" he met Eliza Danesdale and her parents. Eliza was very helpful in that case, but she then decided that Ramsey should marry her (She's 19 and he 's in his 50s!) and they should have a detective agency.
Eliza amuses Tom and he is sure she will get over her infatuation eventually. As he enjoys Eliza and her family, they decide to visit Harkness Manor for their Christmas Celebration. It begins to snow on the way and gets worse later that night, but the hotel is warm, the food is good, and entertainment is available. Only the odd assortment of other guests is a possible annoyance. There is a quarrelsome family. three "hooray Henry" couples, a pair of censorious spinsters, an ill looking older gentleman, and another man who asks to be seated far from Paul Chambers of the warring family.
As Chambers irks everyone in the hotel, it should surprise no one that he is murdered. The problem came when Eliza's mother, Doris discovers the body and tries to help him by pulling out the knife. As she was alone with him and covered in blood, she becomes the prime suspect. Ramsey and Eliza are VERY motivated to find the right culprit. It seems that most of the people present, including Doris, had prior history with the victim, but even as they share what they learn with Inspector Baldock, Doris remains the most likely.
Ramsey eventually figures out who, with some not-so-advisable help from Eliza. and confronts the actual murderer and gets the confession.
The May-December romance is fun. Ramsey and the Danesdales are becoming almost friends. Can't wait to see if Ramsey will try to find happiness for himself for the first time since he lost his wife and children in the London Blitz more than twenty years ago.
This series is recommended for anyone who likes the Golden Age mysteries. It is well written and very readable.

Third book of the series but the first for me. Good murder mystery. Variety of suspects all snowed in together.

The third book in the One Man and his Dog series and the first I have read. I didn't feel this hindered my reading of the book at all as it can be read as a standalone. This story is very well written so stands up well on it's own and is enjoyable with likeable character's. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read "Dark Deeds On A White Christmas" in exchange for my honest review.

This is the third book in the "One Man And His Dog Cozy Mysteries" and it has gone straight to the top of my favourite books of this year. I was hooked on the very first page and could not wait to find out who the culprit was. I would love to give this book more than 5 stars!

Retired Inspector Tom Ramsey and his dog Bracken are spending the Christmas break with his young assistant Eliza and her parents Doris and Colin Danesdale at the Harkness Manor Hotel. While the weather keeps some guests from arriving there is an interesting assortment of people who do arrive. The Chambers - a family of 3 who always seem to be arguing, 3 young couples, 2 elderly ladies, a couple and a single man. The group of young people are quickly named the 'Hooray Harry's' and the older crowd seem to find their boisterous mood a bit much.

Bracken has to be my favourite character. He makes friends with Larry, Barry and Harry - the hotel dogs.

One final guest arrives - a Mr. Redhill who seems incredibly frail and ill.

Christmas Eve starts with a hypnotist, the Lord of Misrule and games. This pretty much continues the following day except on Christmas day the body of one of the guests is found and Eliza's mother becomes the prime suspect. Ramsay and Eliza set out to clear her name, as neither really trust Inspector Baldoak who is quiet obnoxious through the entire story. There are plenty of suspects as no one was able to leave because of the weather, the police themselves were not able to arrive at the hotel. The Inspector decides that Doris is the culprit and doesn't even want to entertain any other suspects. Everyone has an interesting story, everyone has a link to the deceased. But as every suspect is also cleared will Eliza's mother hang. Bracken has all the answers but no one understands him. Everyone misses the "Rosebud" clue until the very end.

Eliza wants to open a detective agency with Tom and she's sure they will marry - he's convinced she will grow out of her infatuation - after all he's 55 and she's only 19.

This story is very well crafted, a joy to read and try to figure out the clues with Ramsay and Eliza. The author created characters that are likeable and you want to know what will happen next in the series.