I love everything by Heather Redmond, especially a murder mystery during Christmas! I make certain to have a mystery during the holidays I may reread this one again this Christmas. After all, we have Charles Dickens, what's not to love? Walking home in the snow, caroling, laughter ringing out until a body comes flying out of a second-story window, then things get serious in a hurry! I love this series.
Thank you #Netgalley #HeatherRedmond #KensingtonBooks
carolintallahassee

This book was such a delightful read. Any fan of A Christmas Carol can appreciate it, especially if they also enjoy a good Agatha Christie whodunnit! In it, Charles Dickens is a journalist and amateur sleuth who witnesses the gruesome death of Jacob Harley; the business partner of the unpleasant curmudgeon, Emmanuel Screws. Throughout the tale, author Heather Redmond, cleverly weaves a story full of characters and events that clearly inspire book’s the main character, Charles Dickens, to write the “future” classic, Christmas novel we all know and love.

This was good, but extremely long in some parts. I wouldn't say it's my favorite telling of A Christmas Carol.

I really enjoyed the connections to the classic 'A Christmas Carol'.

The characters names were a brilliant nod to the classic.

It was an unusual book for me because I love Christmas and all that it entails but I usually read chick lit or women's fiction Christmas books, but this was the excitement of Christmas mixed with murders and it was really interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story line was good, discovering who did the murders and all the other bits Charles Dickens was going through. I felt sorry for Charles in parts because noone was believing in about certain situations and he was just trying to do his best.

I thought the book club questions at the end were a great idea.

I am grateful to Partners in Crime Tours for bringing this book and series to my attention. A mystery novel set early 19th century with Charles Dickens as a journalist who solves murders? That sounded like something I would really enjoy.

It is time for Christmas, and Charles Dickens is out with friends and family for caroling. But there good times are interrupted as they witness a man being thrown off out a window. Ofcourse, having witnessed it first hand, our protagonist could not NOT investigate the matter - especially when he is 'visited by the dead man's spirit'. The victim in this case is Jacob Harley, co-owner of a dodgy counting house. The mystery thickens as the body goes missing and the prime suspect seems too frail of a man to have done the deed. To complicate things in Charles's life, a orphan boy with questionable parentage is thrust into his life. Will Kate find out about her fiancé's secret? And will Charles be able to navigate the dangers involved or does he have one too many balls in the air?

There is something very charming about a mystery set in 19th century London. The city's charm, even with the dark underbellies of that time, has always been undeniable. The author has captured the background and setting quite well in the book. It was quite easy to imagine the city in my mind's eye as I read about the streets that Charles Dickens prowled about in the book. With the Christmas spirit added in, it was quite enjoyable. I liked how the author has kept the societal norms almost authentic to the times. The hierarchies and the basic politics was interesting to read about. As for the character of Charles Dickens himself, I found it to be exactly what I personally feel about the original author's books - frustrating but enlightening at the same time. As such I ended up liking the character even with my misgivings about the way he handles the personal conflict and the way he treats Kate. As for Kate, she comes off as someone I would have liked to have known had I been born in that era. I hoped for a bigger role for her in the story.

I enjoyed the references to Christmas Carol - some very evident and some cleverly inserted in this book. The parallel story lines that run through the book, each handle a different theme. The way the author has maintained a balance between them as the story unfurls needs to be appreciated. They provide the right amount of drama and mystery in the story to keep the readers going - especially at the few places where the story seems to drag a bit. The book could have easily been shorter and quicker. Another gripe I have with the book is that while the author has done an admirable job of setting up the story in a completely different era with her treatment of the place and characters, the dialogues stand out in contrast and doesn't fit at all.

Overall, I would still say that I did enjoy the book for most parts - enough to want to go back and read the first 2 books in the series. Giving this one a 3.5 Stars.

This series only gets better with each volume. Maybe it is because A Christmas Carol is one Dickens novel that I really know both from the book and various adaptions, but this was fantastic. Also, part of me hopes that Charles and Kate keep getting prevented from wedding, as the current state of their relationship is fun for this reader.

A Christmas Carol Murder by Heather Redmond is the first book I have read by the author. I was so intrigued by the title of the book so I knew I needed to read it! This was such an interesting take on Charles Dickens, instead of just being the writer of the story, Charles Dickens is a character within the story as a Journalist. In this particular novel, it is a take on a Christmas Carol murder mystery style. It seriously is a fantastic concept and I will be looking into the other two books in the series!

Another murder to solve for our pal Mr. Charles Dickens. Poor Charles got picked on for trying to do his best when saddled with an infant. He does his best to do right by Kate. I hope she appreciates all his efforts. Nice continuation in series.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

It was not what I was expecting and I end up not finishing it. From what I read it seems well written and it has an interesting plot. Maybe at another time would grab my attention enough to go until the end.

I don't normally read this kind of book, but I loved it! It's a quick read, and really enjoyable. Thanks for the opportunity to read this book!

An entertaining holiday read with a stunning cover! An interesting look at a favourite Christmas tale.

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this title.

A quick holiday read by the tree. This isn’t my normal type of genre but I really enjoyed this one.

This Christmas mystery is actually Book #3 in "A Dickens of a Crime Series." Although I never read the other two books, this one can definitely be enjoyed as a standalone mystery.

Set in 1835 London, this one had the feeling of a retelling of the original Christmas Carol many of us have read and enjoyed. There are actually a couple of mysteries going on here. Charles is working as a journalist and amateur detective. As he is covering the story of a fire in which a woman has lost her life, her sister claims that Charles is the father of the newborn baby boy. He is mystified and since he works for his soon to be father-in-law and doesn't want to upset his fiancee Kate, he must find someone to care for the baby while he gets to the bottom of this potential scandal.

The second mystery happens when Charles and fiancee Kate are out for a walk and they witness the body of Jacob Harley tumbling out of a second floor window. He is also wrapped in chains. Harley, has a "counting house business" (think loan and mortgage company) with his partner Mr. Screws in the same building. Their relationship has been strained but, Harley had some enemies as well. But, when the body seems to vanish and the ghost of Harley visits Charles or is he just seeing things?

I really thought this was well done, an old fashioned story with a somewhat modern feel as well. Although I liked this one, the modern feel at times felt off. I liked the Charles character, he was a good journalist and detective who had a way of getting to the truth in a nice sort of way. The descriptions of old London's Victorian era was also great. I thought this was a nice change from Christmas romance fiction.

Rating - 4/5 stars

This was such a fun story! Firstly, I would like to state that I loved the references to the original A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. The fact that this book was sort of posed as the inspiration for it, made it everything so much more interesting. The plot itself was interesting enough, the mystery might not have been exactly for me (I won't spoil anything don't worry), but I still think it was really well done.

I personally enjoyed the main character, but I can't say I really loved Charles. I felt like a he was a little naive at times and was missing the point quite a fiew times. I feel like I was better at figuring out what was happening, which is strange consider I'm the reader and not the main protagonist.

This book was very interesting and I really enjoyed it, though I do think it is flawed.

This was a fun little caper of a book. A historical fiction casting Charles Dickens as a bit of an amateur sleuth, planting inspiration for his most famous story along the way. Charles finds himself in the midst of a mystery when he witnesses the death of Jacob Harley outside the home of Marley's business partner, Emmanuel Screws. Added to the murder mystery is a case of mistaken identity concerning the father of a sickly infant named Timothy, and a bit of tension between Dickens and his fiancee, Kate Hogarth.
.
The mystery was intriguing, and the historical facts mixed with bits and pieces of Dickens novels made me smile.
.
This is the third book in the Dickens of a Crime series and now I want to read the first two! Perfect books for cold winter days.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A fun holiday read!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Here I’m reading a book about Charles Dickens for the first time. I was given the opportunity to read this book by the author thanks to Partner in Crime Tour and I have to say that I’m discovering a new way of writing mysteries that I like.

We’re following the adventure of Charles Dickens and this book tries to solve a mystery of a fallen body, a dropping baby and ghostly appearances. In fact just like the famous Dickens’s book we have a scroodge, ghosts and a christmas tale. I do know Charles Dickens’ book, I haven’t read it because of the language which is quite old and it is difficult for me reading it in English but I do know the tale and I did find lots of common representations here.


What I think
I did enjoyed the book so much that I’ve already borrowed the first book in the series from the library. You will see (or have already seen) the first book review first than this. Anyway. I loved the mystery, I loved Dickens (a little less Kate) and I really enjoyed finding out the similarities with A Christmas Carol.

Style
Since I am Italian, I find the English a little bit difficult for me. I did understand everything but sometimes there were “strange” words (or old ones) that interrupted the flow since I had to stop the narration to find the meaning. On the other hand, I liked this fact because it allowed me to find some new words (thank you Kindle which accelerated the process). So please don’t take this as a critique to the style. I’m pretty sure that for an English speaker everything was fine and easy to understand.

Characters
I loved Charles. What he did for the baby was admirable. I didn’t like Kate’s family BUT I did understand why the family behave that way.

Conclusion no spoilers
So I think I will read the rest of the series and will start reading the first two books soon (well as I said most probably I’ve already published the review of the first book) and I’m going to suggest to pick up the series (and translate it in other languages) because it is worth it.

Discussion (with small spoilers)
I did enjoyed the inspiration of this book, and I have to say that that made me want to read Dickens’ work. I do have it on my TBR since my friend gave me the book. I liked that the author gave an actual explanation to the ghost mystery and it isn’t really paranormal (because the trope “ghosts exist” doesn’t suit well with me).

By the way. I was totally on Dickens’ side, as I explained I didn’t like the Hogarthts’ behaviour but I do understand where they come from (seeing when this is set). I am happy to see that even men were judged upon knowing that they fathered a child out of wedlock and not only women. But my mind is too modern to accept the family’s behaviour and in fact I wanted Dickens’ to tell the father to shove his job offer up where the sun doesn’t shine :D Too blunt? Sorry. But you get the gist.

I think Kate’s behaviour is right. At first. But when Charles swore the baby wasn’t his I wanted to beat her with a pettycoat. I mean, I do understand her (not well because I was never in that situation) but, I don’t know… maybe because I loved Charles so much and I actually knew the story from the beginning so I couldn’t fault him.

First sentence: They hadn’t found the body yet. Old Sal was surely dead. Feathers had caught on candles, igniting the blaze. Maybe a yipping dog had some part in the fiery disaster. The marchioness’s advanced age had surely contributed to the fatal misadventure.

Premise/plot: A Christmas Carol Murder is the third book in Heather Redmond's mystery series starring Charles Dickens as an amateur detective. This one opens in December 1835; Dickens is engaged to be married but not yet married. Soon after the novel opens, a baby is thrust into Dickens' arms--the woman is claiming that the babe is Charles' son. The mother (the woman's sister) is dead--or so it's thought--in a recent fire. Dickens feels sorry for the poor looking baby who'll surely starve without some intervention and care. So Timothy, the baby, is taken back to London and given to some of Dickens' friends. (Characters from earlier books, I'm presuming.) A few days later--or maybe just the next day--Dickens is out Christmas caroling with his friends--including his fiancee--when a DEAD BODY falls from an upstairs window. Thus the caroling gang meets Emmanuel Screws and household. Screws and the dead man--a Mr. Harley--were business partners. Catherine, Charles' fiancee, feels that Mr. Screws though a bit cranky--okay a LOT cranky--is no murderer. Can Dickens solve the murder before another occurs???

My thoughts: I knew this was part of a series, but, I didn't realize it was the third. (The previous books are A Tale of Two Murders and Grave Expectations.) I liked it. I did. I know that I'm missing out on some of the characterization by starting with the third book. But it was easy enough to follow *this* story and focus on this mystery. Dickens is 'Boz' at this point--he's writing and publishing sketches of London life. He has not begun writing (proper) novels just yet. He's also a parliamentary reporter/journalist in this one. I know little enough about this period in Dickens' life so I'm not sure how historically accurate the books may be. (I'm assuming/presuming that a lot of liberties are being taken even if real names are used. I'm relatively sure his wife, for example, didn't get special thrills from coming across dead bodies and working up murder cases.)

I like this series because the stories are always enjoyable and entertaining. All the books can be read as a standalone even if they’re more enjoyable if you read them in order. This one was inspired by Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and it was a lot of fun trying to identify the references. I think it’s an excellent historical cozy mystery. I like the well researched and vivid historical background that makes you travel to Fiction London and does not spare details about how the poorest people lived. Dickens is quite a likeable and fleshed out characters and I love both Kate and Julie. I missed Kate in this book as she’s the real sleuth even if the historical moment force her a bit in the background. The plot was well developed even if a bit too slow in the middle. I loved the Timothy subplot and despised Kate’s family for being such bigots. The mystery is full of twists and turns and even if I guessed the culprit I had a lot of fun at identifying the clues. I look forward to reading further stories in this series, this one is recommended. Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A Christmas Carol Murder is the third book in A Dickens of a Crime series and I regret to say I did not read the first two novels with curious titles: A Tale of Two Murders and Grave Expectations. So if you’re a Dickens fan, you should definitely check them out.
As you can guess, the main protagonist in the series is Charles Dickens and his fiancee Catherine Hogarth. The murder mystery series has a balanced combination of facts and fiction but as I’m not familiar with the life of Dickens, it was a little difficult for me to figure where facts ended and fiction started. However, I loved the idea of Dickens coming to life, solving mysteries while trying to focus on his work and publish books. I decided to save this novel for this Christmas season but I have to say I could not find much of the seasonal spirit in here. The story is intriguing but a little slow-paced and there were too many people to keep track of, most of whom obviously come from the prequels of the book, which were unfamiliar to me. I felt like I was missing something but enjoyed the overall concept. Definitely recommended for Dickens fans, literary-fiction and historical fiction lovers; a cozy book with lovable characters.