Rival writers Maggie and Ethan are invited to legendary author Eleanor Ashley’s home for Christmas. Set in a recluse mansion in England, they unsure why they are there. That is until Eleanor suddenly vanishes shortly after their arrival, and the two realize they have a locked-in case to solve.

This was a unique and fun holiday read with equal parts mystery and romance. Everything came together perfectly and at only ~300 pages the pacing was great.

Read if you like:
-Holiday reads
-Rom-com mystery
-Rivals to lovers
-He falls first
-Books about authors
-Locked in stories
-Agatha Christie
-England setting

Thank you Avon for the early copy!

Thanks to Avon for the ARC!

In an absolutely perfect mashup of romance and mystery, Ally Carter nailed the holiday book genre with THE MOST WONDERFUL CRIME OF THE YEAR.

Mystery authors Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt find themselves at the estate of Eleanor Ashley, acclaimed author, with her family. When Eleanor goes missing a few days before Christmas, a real-life mystery ensues.

This is one of the most enjoyable holiday books I’ve ever read. It was a great locked room mystery with action and so much banter and cute romance. Everything came together perfectly and I just had such a fun time with it. Five easy stars!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love Ally Carter and I love Knives Out, so what more could I want? This was such a fun book, especially interesting because it was a spookyish holiday mystery for Christmas and not Halloween. Pick up a copy and curl up for a good time!

This was just the perfect mystery romance ever! A wonderful mystery at a distant estate featuring two writers who find themselves at a reclusive authors estate in time for Christmas and her disappearance. The chemistry between Maggie and Ethan grows throughout the book as tension surrounding Eleanor's simmers among the family.
Overall, a great locked room, romantic mystery giving the best Christmas and Agatha Christie vibes. Ally Carter's latest foray into adult fiction is quite the success.

What a fun read! We have a mystery-frenemy rom-com with a little bit of everything - suspense, banter and even a bit of introspection.

Mystery writers and long time rivals Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt receive a mysterious invitation to attend a Christmas celebration at a British estate. It turns out the hostess is someone they both admire and whose books they have emotional ties to, The Duchess of Death Eleanor Ashley.

Maggie and Ethan have been thrown together over the years at various author events and while Ethan is secretly smitten, Maggie loathes him and assumes he is a macho thriller stereotype.

Of course, the country house weekend gets snowed in, communications get cut off, there is a near murder and a disappearance and a cast of characters with motives and grievances. Recommended. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Fun holiday romp but also maybe confirms that I’m not sure Ally Carter’s writing style is for me. Would definitely still recommend to patrons who are fans of Carter’s previous works or a modern Agatha Christie/Knives Out with romantic themes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the DRC!

This book is pure Christmas magic. I think this book actually had all the things and tropes I love with almost all the genres I love as well so basically Ally Carter is a writing wizard who can read her audience's mind to write the perfect book. Let me go on waxing poetic so she continues to write and bless us with her stories.
I really enjoyed how Maggie and Ethan's backstories were revealed. It was fun to not only be getting clues for the overall mystery, but then given these glimpses of Maggie's past, of Ethan's past, and how all those things fit together in the end. I enjoyed trying to guess whodunnit (not gonna lie - I did have my suspicions, but the why of it was definitely surprising) and now I'm wishing I could jet off to an English manor at Christmas for sitting by a fire with some tea and scones, wrapped in a cozy blanket, while reading a cozy mystery (well, rereading this actually).
Overall, both die hard Gallagher Girls and new-to-Ally Carter readers are going to love this high stakes, yet still somehow cozy mystery!

P.S. The elevator scene? Someone send me a mop because I am a puddle.

5 Stars.

🎄 The vibes:
- she hates him
- mysterious MMC
- Humor
- Romance
- Christmas murder mystery
- Dual timeline
- closed door

🎄 My thoughts:
Well this was an absolute joy. This book is advertised as Knives Out meets holiday romcom and I think it completely delivered on those claims.

🎄 Two authors are invited to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan who turns out to be the most powerful author in the world- Eleanor Ashley. We have Maggie Chase- the queen of Cozy Mystery and Ethan Wyatt- Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy. She hates his guts. When Eleanor goes missing during the party- all will wonder if this was planned or if a horrible crime has occurred.

🎄 With short chapters, a dual timeline, and a thrilling romance, this book was a page-turner. This was a delicious slow burn (my favorite); the romance wasn’t the entire plot- but it was so in depth that I found myself so into it.

🎄 The backstories of both Maggie and Ethan felt unique and gave me the final cherry on top of this read. It’s not super christmassy- and for me it leaned more towards winter- but I didn’t mind and if anything, I think it proves to be an enjoyable read for any time of year if Christmas isn’t your level ten jam all year (like it is for me).

🎄 Are there some questions I have after- yes. But for a romance murder mystery- I think this was flawless. So I’m giving it 5 stars for the absolute joy I felt while reading it. The tattoo. The ending. Everything in between. I really think the author delivered on her claims with this one, and it’ll definitely be one I reread.

🖤 Similar to Inheritance Games and The Christmas Murder Game (riddles/games/clues); Knives Out (plot type); and The Mysterious Affair at Styles (cozy mystery).

Note- closed door
Release date: September 24, 2024.

Thank you so much to Ally Carter, Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon and NetGalley for the gifted copy.

ADDITIONAL NOTE FOR NETGALLEY SUBMISSION - EDIT ACCORDING TO WHAT I REVIEWED ON

*note- posted on bookbub, Instagram (on feed and a reel), goodreads, Storygraph, and barnes and noble. Links provided. Will be posted on Amazon after release date when Amazon allows me to.

I am actually incapable of expressing with my words the amount of fun that I had while reading this novel. I have a soft spot in my heart for Ally Carter from my days of reading Gallagher Girls books under the cover past my bedtime in middle school, so I was more than happy to see her take her first steps into the Adult space.

I marked when I requested this book that the cover stood out to me, and I want to say, on the other end of things, that I think the cover is absolutely perfect. I think it captures the fun, the romance, and the vintage crime aspects of the plot.

I adore a "He fell first, he fell harder" romance as well as any book where the man is, rightfully, enamored with the main character. I went into this book excited for the promise of a Knives Out-esque holiday mystery, and was pleasantly surprised by how much I cared about the romance. I will be insufferable when this book comes out, recommending it to everyone I know. I can't think of anything I would rather read, curled up by the fireplace on the last week of December.

If you love Clue then this book is for you. A ally Carter writes the most lovable characters. And I devoured this on an international flight.

Ally Carter never misses! This was even better than The Blonde Identity. The mix of mystery along with pining and love was fantastic!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review. While I grew up reading Ally Carter's YA novels, this one...fell a bit flat to me. If you liked "The Blonde Identity", then this one'll be a bit off (I think I just prefer reading Carter's spies, honestly). But don't let that fool you: this is still a fun read!

All the stars! All the hearts!
This might be my favorite book of the year. I would give it ten stars if I could.
It felt like Knives Out/Agatha Christie but with a closed door romance. And not just a flimsy romance, but a really-good-squeal-and-giggle romance with depth and wonderful characters.
I 200% recommend this to everyone that likes mystery and romance.

Ally Carter is a top tier author and this marvel of a book proves it - the tension, the banter, the mystery all 10/10.
This book is if Knives Out was a 90s rom-com with enemies to lovers. Ethan Wyatt is a walking green flag, swoon worthy hero.
Utterly obsessed. I was laughing and swooning the whole way through. Definitely a top read of the year.

Such a fun, clever mystery rom-com! I'm an absolute sucker for author main characters, and the disappearance of Agatha Christie has always intrigued me - so I was always going to grab this book as soon as I read the summary. But it absolutely lived up to my hopes, all the way to the epilogue. Delightful!

SO GOOD! The banter between the main characters was top notch! The more you learn about Ethan, the more you want Maggie to end up with him! I was *almost* more invested in their budding relationship than in solving the mystery!! Loaded with fun dialogue, twists and turns, and a happy ending—it would be a crime to leave this book unread!

The Most Wonderful Crime Of The Year by @theallycarter

I enjoyed the HELL out of this book friends! It was incredibly fun, super romantic, and full of mystery. Also, gotta love the Christmas vibes! Trust me, you’ll want to read this one for a spin on a Christmas romance this holiday season! I really could not figure out the ending! 🎄🗡️🔎🕵️‍♀️

Thank you to @netgalley and @avonbooks for the arc!
Pub date: 9/24/24

4.5 stars!

Wow! A bit ridiculous, a whole lotta fun, and a little bit swoony! I adored this book. The mystery aspect itself was fun and a bit predictable, but everything else that tied into it, made it such an enjoyable read. I loved Maggie and Ethan and their backstories, and how they tied back Eleanor and the whole reason they were there to begin with. Adding all those extra aspects, like a rom-com aspect, really helped to take the sort of predictable mystery to the next level.

I don't read a lot of mysteries, so that may have helped with my overall enjoyment of this novel, but I really, really, really, enjoyed it!
Thank you Avon/Harper Voyager and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot believe this was written by the same author of The Blonde Identity (which I LOVED).

From start to finish, this was just… bad. I didn’t like any of the characters, the dialogue had me constantly cringing, I’m still confused about the mystery resolution, and more than anything, this felt like it was just trying too hard.

I truly can’t believe I was able to finish this. The only reason I did was because I got the ARC but, even then, it took a lot of pushing myself to get through.

2 stars.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC :)

Awesome!! I loved it!!! It was hallmark movie meets sarcastic older sister, I loved it!! Such a unique twist on a rom com and cozie mystery. The characters were relateable, it stayed (mostly) clean and kept me captivated and in suspense throughout. I really enjoyed the ride!!!