1937 Christmas Eve and a house party at Westbury Manor and all the guests have arrived. But by Christmas morning one of them will be dead. Neighbour and guest Hugh Gaveston, reader of mystery novels, is not totally convinced that it is suicide. So he starts his investigation. Can he find the murderer and motive before they all depart on the 27th.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its varied cast of characters, very few actually likeable
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas Eve - 1938

Westbury Manor home of Lord and Lady Westbury in Little Bourton is bustling with Christmas preparations. Lady Westbury has invited even more guests this year.

Daughter Lydia, 32, is busy arguing with Stephen, her brother and spoiled heir. Their younger brother, Edward, is always being beaten down by Stephen. Lydia has decided she prefers being a spinster, as well as a vegetarian. Stephen works in banking and enjoys sending his nasty verbal volleys at everyone. Edward also works but is determined to help those who have little in life, earning more sneers from Stephen.

Hugh Gaveston, an old friend of Lydia’s, has arrived. He enjoys taxidermy and considers himself an amateur sleuth. Lydia’s godfather, David Campbell-Scott, is an old friend of the family and Lydia is set to inherit his vast wealth. Next is Freddie Rampling, a wealthy young man determined to drink himself to death. Lady Westbury has invited her old friend, Rosalind and husband William Ashwell. Rosalind is a fluffy woman and her husband is an old stuffed-shirt. Lady Westbury is excited that MP Anthony de Havilland was able to accept her invitation to join them as well. He is known for his heroism during the war.

The group has a nice Christmas Eve but the next morning is marred when they wake to find David Campbell-Scott dead in the snow outside with a rifle by his side. How could this man have committed suicide? After the constable arrives and removes the body, the group tries to carry on with their Christmas activities wondering if perhaps that had not been suicide, but murder. Could one of them be next? That’s when Hugh dons his sleuth hat and tries to solve the murder mystery.

I liked how the book in the fashion of an Agatha Christie novel. The characters were well-developed and the clues were leaked in a timely manner. Some humor made this a fun read. My favorite characters were Lord and Lady Westbury because they are a solid, loving couple. A fun whodunit. Enjoy!

Copy provided by the NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A golden-age style Christmas mystery set in an isolated country house with an affable, upper-crust amateur detective is one of my favorite things. This has all the expected tropes, but they are tropes that I love and make the golden-age mysteries so much fun.

However, this had a few issues. The third person narrator was a bit annoying times with comments directing the reader to observe this and that. It came off as pretentious, to me, instead of clever. The MP was addressed in an incorrect manner a few times (something obvious that you don’t have to be an expert to know). Then, to my mind, the most severe issue was that the solving of the crime depended on information that was not given to the reader at the time it was given to the amateur detective. This would not be considered a fair play mystery. Now, all of these issues don’t even fill a page in the entire book. So in the grand scheme of the story, they aren’t something that dominates throughout the book. It just diminished my pleasure.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I typically enjoy historical mysteries so this one, set in 1938 should have been perfect but I found the writing so bad that I just rushed to complete it without really getting the opportunity to enjoy it.

In MURDER MOST FESTIVE by Ada Moncrieff, a group of well-to-do guests arrives at Westbury Manor for the Christmas in the year 1938 only to be shocked by the sudden death of one of their number. Luckily, Hugh, a young man who's been a longtime friend of the family, has a penchant from crime stories and a keen mind; he's eager to solve the mysterious death. But he's in for a challenge as all of the guests' secrets come to light, and nearly all of them have a motive for murder.

This is a very charming and stylized cozy mystery. It reads like an Agatha Christie novel but with more tongue-in-cheek humor. Thankfully, it's a short read, because the writing style is over-the-top stylized, and the characters are one-dimensional in the way that cozy mystery characters tend to be. Due to these factors, the book was not my cup of tea, but some readers might find it charming and refreshing.

I also want to point out that this book contains some oblique references to queer London, and about half the characters read as queer-coded. Perhaps the author intended to stay authentic to the time period by keeping these identities hush-hush, but in the year of our lord 2021, I wish the narrative, if not the dialogue, would have been more open about it.

This was a mixed bag for me, but if you're looking for a whimsically historical cozy mystery for the holidays, this is a solid choice.

My attention is alway caught with a mystery book blurb that includes a Golden Age time period and a manor house setting. Set in 1938 Sussex at Christmas time Lady Westbury, her husband and three adult children have gathered with some friends at Westbury Manor. It should be a festive time but it all hits a snag when one of their guests is found shot to death. The kicker is he lies in the snow and there is only one set of footprints. A classic locked room mystery, written by many authors over the decades and they are always fun as is this one.
The standard characters are present - the Upper Crust and the rest, the local police (for netter or worse) and the amateur ready to suss out the killer. All good fun with a nice puzzle to get the reader in the holiday mood. I have added A Stage for Death (October 2022) to my very long TBR list.
My thanks to the publisher Poisoned Pen Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Golden Age, a secluded estate, a house full of guests for the holidays, and murder...it's the perfect cozy mystery to read while snuggly under the blanket. I enjoyed it very much.


Many thanks to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

This is a perfect cozy read for this Christmas. It mixes all things I love to read about, England, mysteries, the 30’s & everyone stuck in a location due to bad weather. The writing is rich & flows really well & kept my interest. I loved the setting & there’s enough suspects/characters to keep you guessing. It may not be all that original in it’s plotting but I read it for it’s familiar story vibes & I definitely got them. On a cold night, make a tea, grab a blanket & cozy up with this book! Loved it 😊

This is a good mystery that uses a classic set-up of a group of people stuck in a house for Christmas as one of them ends up dead. The author is good at creating believable characters that each have flaws, and the diverse group means it’s not clear who the killer is.

I especially liked the character of Hugh, a kind of bumbling amateur detective who tries to get to the bottom of the killing.

The wintery setting adds to the atmosphere and it’s a great book to curl up with on a cold day.

I was looking forward to this cosy mystery but sadly the style of writing jarred from the start. The characters also came across as larger than life and I just could not relate. I skipped a lot and yes, I was even correct about the murderer.

I am sure (I checked a couple of other reviews) that there are many who will enjoy this style and series but it's just not my cup of tea.

With thanks to #Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Publishers and the author for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. What a fun read. I highly recommend reading this the week between Christmas and the New Year. It's a nice, neat, conventional romp through all the tropes you'd want in a country house murder: local village, houseguests, bickering siblings, the holidays, upstairs/downstairs, the amateur detective, bad weather, blackmail, and betrayal. Lydia, set to inherit a fortune from her godfather is horrified when he is found dead on Christmas Day. Everyone believes it's a suicide but Lydia persuades Hugh Gaveston otherwise. It's a fun read for those who love English country villages, the Golden Age of detective work, and murder mysteries!

The perfect cozy mystery for the winter season! I loved the spooky atmosphere of the secluded house and the search for the elusive killer! Will definitely be re-reading this for Christmas!

Sigh, It's Christmas 1938 and there's a house party at Westbury Manor. Someone has murdered David Campbell Scott,. who made his fortune off the backs of rubber workers and others- and made it look like suicide. Hugh, another guest, decides to investigate using knowledge he's gained from reading magazines, This had potential- the setting, the time frame, the guests, the mystery- but it fell flat for me. It's arch, which is usually ok, but it also is a tad overwritten. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

A well developed story and plot. Interesting characters. This book reminded me of an Agatha Christie novel. Enjoyed it! Thanks #netgalley and #PoisonedPenPress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.
#MurderMostFestive
#AdaMoncrieff

I started reading this as soon as i got approved for the arc, but unfortunately it was a dnf for me. I found the prose to be very unnecessarily difficult, almost as if it was trying to sound smart and that got me a bit annoyed. I think many people would love this story, it's a great concept, it just wasn't for me.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

What a fun festive murder! I think this is a stand alone but I didn't mind it was a great story.

"The perfect cozy Christmas murder mystery.

Imagine being stuck indoors with your family, waiting for something to happen... and then disaster strikes.

Christmas 1938. The Westbury family and assorted friends have gathered together for another legendary Christmas at their Sussex mansion. As family tensions simmer on Christmas Eve, the champagne flows, the silver sparkles and upstairs the bedrooms are made up ready for their occupants. But one bed will lie empty that night...

Come Christmas morning, guest David Campbell-Scott is found lying dead in the snow, with only a hunting rifle lying beside him and one set of footprints leading to the body. But something doesn't seem right to amateur sleuth Hugh Gaveston. Campbell-Scott had just returned from the East with untold wealth - why would he kill himself? Hugh sets out to investigate... and what he finds is more shocking than he ever could have expected."

Sigh, I love me some murder for the holiday season...

Squabbling siblings and close family friends desend on the family manor for Christmas celebration in 1939. One of the honored guests, recently returned from overseas, takse his own life on Christmas morning. But why, he is rich and happy to be back. Perhaps we have a murder to solve? It is quite the cast of characters and the are overtones of P.G. Woodhouse.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advanced reader's copy of this title.

I thoroughly enjoyed Murder Most Festive! Hugh Gaveston prefers science to socializing but joins his neighbors, the Westbury's, for the Christmas holiday. A fellow guest who has just returned to England with a fortune is found dead and at first glance appears to be suicide. But that doesn't make any sense to Hugh so he decides to investigate himself. The characters were interesting and the plot well done. I will be keeping an eye out for future books from Ada Moncrieff. Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of #MurderMostFestive.

I cozy Agatha Christie styled murder in Murder Most Festive by Ada Moncrieff. It is so much fun, so much mystery, and a blast to read!