amateur-sleuth, cozy-mystery, retired, secrets, lies, unpleasant-guests, unpleasant-victims, friendship, friends, families, family-business, family-dynamics, investigation, island-life, divorced, newspaper-owner, threats, small-town, local-gossip, local-law-enforcement, closed-circle-mystery, snow-season, inclement-weather, rivalry, entitled-attitude, friction, series****

Susan thought she'd have a quiet Christmas alone at home, but her friend Meera is in desperate need of help with the newly refurbished luxurious Bishopstone Manor as she took a fall and needs Susan to help Meera as hostess. The assembled guests are a contentious lot headed up by a nasty newspaper owner and populated by a few of the people who loathed him. But which one actually carried out the threats while stuck out on the island in bad weather with intermittent cell service and captive suspects? This is a good tale.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Boldwood Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
#TheIsleOfWightKillingsBk3 Pub Date Sep 05, 2024

I enjoyed this story - what’s not to love with a cozy set at Christmas and a snow storm!? The holidays and the weather set the scene for family togetherness whether they like it or not!
The storyline has a many layers helping to keep it interesting and not too obvious. Gotta love family drama!

Susan, an amateur sleuth despite herself, gets roped into helping host a luxurious Christmas gathering at a remote manor for a press mogul, his family, and his staff. A snowstorm isolates the group, and when a murder disrupts the festivities, Susan, with a cast of potentially dangerous characters around her, must untangle the secrets and motivations to expose the killer before another Christmas celebration turn even more deadly.

This is my first time reading a novel by Mary Grand. I had a fantastic time with A Christmas Murder. Highly recommended~

Quick read…murder and mayhem…this talented author has written a page turner. Holiday themed…red herrings and secrets…thanks Netgalley.

4.5 Stars

I was honestly slightly taken aback with how much I enjoyed this book. While I knew I would find it interesting, I didn’t realize how much I wouldn’t want to put it down. The characters were well thought out and intriguingly complex, and I absolutely adore Susan the Lead Character. There were twists and turns throughout the mystery that kept me thinking and trying to analyze clues throughout. The only thing keeping me from giving 5 stars is that there are times that feel a little bit repetitive, though it can be seen as a plus too in order to keep track of all the clues if you are not annotating as you go as I was. The novel also while having a nice Christmas feel wasn’t too Christmas themed and I really appreciated that it did not hinder the storyline. Overall I do recommend this novel for people who would like a nice murder mystery perfect for a night in with a cup of tea.

This started out perfect. Being introduced to each guest arriving for their Christmas holiday. The snowstorm blasting through. The murder. All of my favorite murder mystery tropes. We are given a long list of suspects and motives and all were entertaining to consider. Then it started to feel a little redundant at times with how it unfolded. It was as though we read a chapter as things happened. Then the following chapter would have Susan, our protagonist, sharing that information with another character. Almost like we were reading the same account twice. Not to mention that some of Susan's choices were just odd. Who gets pushed down a stairwell after a murder and instead of telling someone, anyone, they go back to their room for a hot bath?
I did find the ending quite satisfying and the solving of the murder twisty and thorough.

Thank you to the publisher for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

It’s hard to imagine that I’m already reviewing Christmas books, but here We are. I really enjoyed a Christmas Murder as Holiday murder mysteries are one of my favorite go to reads. This one did not disappoint.