4.5 ⭐ rounded up.

This was a fun, cozy, locked door murder mystery set in 20th century Britain. I loved this book. Seldom do I not enjoy murder mysteries, especially set in this era and, this book was no different.

I loved the atmospheric and cozy feel of the book. The characters were so fun, even the not so likeable ones. I loved the pacing, the mystery and the dialogue between the characters. The book at times took on a pretentious sort of chaos that I found quite humorous.

I also appreciated how it highlighted topics such as shell shock, prejudice and miscarriages of justice. Though, they didn't overshadow the plot as subjects such as these sometimes can.
Overall, a very quick, easy and fun murder mystery. Perfect for this time of year. I am now mildly obsessed with Aunt Violet and Miss Merrell.

Thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Anita Davidson for my eARC of this book. All opinions are my own and I am leaving my review voluntarily.
Pub Date: September 10th, 2024

The next installment of Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet and another fantastic book in the series. The funny antidotes and coziness keep you turning the pages and not wanting to stop. It’s a wonderful story for the holiday coming up.

DNF. Pokey pacing. Uninteresting characters. And too many of them! I was one-third of the way through and still hadn’t sorted them all out!

Hannah, Mr Bartleby, the cat and her aunt Violet, are going to Hannah's sister Iris's house for Christmas. Everyone is feeling the festive cheer until a fellow guest is found murdered in the library, and another guest has their precious ruby stolen. The local police are quick to jump to conclusions, so it is down Hannah and Violet to find out whodunnit.
The plot moved at a gentle pace while subtly suggesting culprits for both the murder and the theft! When I first started reading this book and I found out about the theft, I hoped it wasn't going to follow a similar format to previous books I read about a jewel theft. However, I was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong.
I did not guess who had stolen the ruby or who the murderer was. The ending felt a bit rushed and didn't take many turns. I was expecting a big twist at the end and for the sleuths to be proven wrong, but this didn't happen as Hannah and her family's suspicions seemed to fall too neatly into place. I also didn't fully understand what made Hannah undertake a search for the missing item, the link to earlier seemed a bit tenuous. I enjoyed the romance element to the book and I would have liked to learn more about Hannah and Aunt Violet's previous sleuthing adventures as this was book three. In this book, I felt Hannah did more of the sleuthing and her aunt was a little in the background. There was some good historical knowledge displayed, and the book did well to incorporate some of the issues of the day into the narrative. What a cute name for a cat too! 3.5 stars

A fantastic period mystery, with interesting characters and a great wartime setting. It felt accurate and was engaging. The Mystery itself was clever although slightly slow paced which felt a little frustrating.
I hadn't read any other books in the series but I will be going back and reading the first couple of books, it wasn't necessary to have read the earlier stories as any references were explained, it can be read as a standalone. However I think reading the earlier ones would help with background to the characters.

Hannah and her aunt head to her sister Iris' place for Christmas. Set in England around the time of WWI, there are hints of spies and war details. When forged documents are found and a murder too, she steps in with her family and friends to solve the clues they find. Good story and enjoyed this one. Think it may be book 3, but wasn't lost. Would recommend.

I am really enjoying this series. It’s fun to see Hannah and Aunt Violet with their boyfriends work together to track down the murderer. It’s very Agatha Christie-like with the suspects all the inhabitants of a fancy aristocratic mansion snowed in together. There is the bumbling police inspector who keeps jumping to the wrong conclusions until our group of detectives can figure things out.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Murder at Midwinter Manor by Anita Davis is the latest cozy mystery in the series. I loved it. Definitely read this one.

'Murder at Midwinter Manor' by Anita Davison.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A really enjoyable cosy crime story'

1916, Midwinter Manor: Desperate for a Christmas weekend break from war-torn London, Hannah Merrill and her Aunt Violet take Bartleby the cat and themselves off to visit Hannah’s sister, in her beautiful country estate, deep in the English countryside.
The huge house is full of relatives, friends and merrymakers, and everyone’s excited to have a Christmas to remember.
But then, when a fellow-guest’s body is found in the library – apparently bludgeoned to death – and a precious ruby is stolen from another guest, it appears that it’s going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons.
With the house snowed in, and the rural police force completely incapable of finding a single credible suspect, Hannah and Aunt Violet realise that once again it’s going to be down to them to get to the bottom of it.
Because whoever’s behind the crimes must be at Midwinter Manor… And if they’re not found, who knows what their next ‘gift’ will be?

I really enjoyed this book. Its full of great characters. Particularly love Aunt Violet.
I did guess a big part of the story but it didn't put me off. Infact I'm made up I guessed correctly.
This is a really enjoyable series. If you're a fan of cozy crime then give this series a go.
Thanks to NetGallery UK, the publishers and the author for letting me read a copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Anita Davison for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Murder at Midwinter Manor coming out September 10, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really love this series! Hannah Merrilland her Aunt Violet are really fun characters for me. I’m obsessed with historical cozy mysteries and I loved this one was set during Christmas in a manor. 1916 was an important year and I love books set during WWI. I love locked room mysteries, so this was just perfect for me. The mystery was really fun. I would definitely read more books by this author!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical cozy mysteries!

Thank you to @rachelsrandomresources for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another Christmas story in August - who am I?! I do love a cosy mystery and as I’d read the previous ones in the series, couldn’t miss out on this just because it was still summer.

Set in the time of war, a murder takes place during a family get together at Hannah’s sister’s house. Then a family heirloom goes missing, and everyone wonders who or what is next. As usual, Hannah and Aunt Violet start to investigate but a rude detective appears and takes over. No one seems to be off his radar so it’s down to the ladies to find out who the real culprit is.

The writing as ever is great, full of humour and sarcasm as well as seriousness and twists that keep on coming. I really enjoyed this one, just as much as the previous books in the series and very much hope there will be more.

"Murder at Midwinter Manor (Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet Mystery #3)" by Anita Davison is like Christmas at Downton Abbey mixed with Agatha Christie, though that's pretty much just a Christmas time Agatha Christie.

Miss Hannah Merrill is visiting family for the Christmas season when one of the guests is found dead in the study. Is it natural causes or something more? Especially with a valuable ruby also missing.

I had one particular suspect in mind. However, there was a second person I was thinking would have been a good suspect but was never really a suspect. My primary suspect ended up being the culprit.

I was excited to accept this book! I just finished this one also and half the day is gone lol!
I love love a good murder mystery.
Seems like Aunt Violet never wants to listen to anyone wow! She's definitely hardheaded but I still liked her. She's what made the story interesting and fun lol
All the characters were delightful, charming, and mysterious all of those things.
I simply couldn't put the book down it was sooooo good!
The description of Midwinter Manor made me feel like I was there and helping to solve this mystery. Wow! I enjoyed every minute of it. I hated to say goodbye.
5 stars from me for keeping me invested right up until the end. A great guess whodunit book. I highly recommend!
My thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for an amazing adventure! I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

Hannah and Aunt Violet are back with another adventure. This time, their desire to solve the crime is even more personal, as this is very much a family affair. The duo are staying with Hannah's sister, Iris, when one of their fellow guests is murdered. Keen to help Iris save her house party from complete disaster, Hannah and Aunt Violet are soon on the trail of the killer. However, it soon becomes clear that this is no straightforward murder case. Trouble is definitely brewing at Midwinter Manor.

One of the things I love about reading a series is the extra character development it allows for. In this book, by meeting Hannah's family, not only do we learn more about her and her relationship with them, but through her eyes we also learn that perhaps her view of them has been a little skewed. I know from my own experiences that I viewed my relationship with my mum very differently when I had children of my own. Although Hannah's situation isn't quite the same, observing how her mother copes with the crisis the family find themselves in makes Hannah re-evaluate her judgements about her. She comes to a new understanding as a result and it will be interesting to see how this develops as the series progresses.

The extra characters were an interesting bunch, each with their own backstory and reason for wanting to stay at Midwinter Manor and it was educational to see the varying reactions to shellshock and its effectsm as the war continues to add extra depth to the series.

I'm very much looking forward to Book 4!

A real romp for fans of Agatha Christie or Downton Abbey.
A Christmas house party turns ugly when one of the guests is murdered, as well as a theft.
Several people could have a motive, lots of them have secrets, and not all relationships are what they seem.
All of which is set very ,much in its time, early in WWI.
There are men with shell shock, the beginnings of MI5, women with short hair (because maids are hard to come by when they can work in a factory instead), some novelty motorvehicles, and a real sense of times that are changing.

There is nothing I love more than a mystery taking place at an out of the way locale with lots of different suspects. This was another delightful entry in this cozy mystery series. There were two mysteries to be solved, and one thinks they are connected, but were they? Hannah and her Aunt Violet find themselves drawn back in to another captivating mystery.

My favorite character, Aunt Violet, is back! This was my favorite so far of this series because it was fun with some fun twists. If you love amateur sleuths and cozy reads, definitely pick up this series!

The third in the series of "Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet', 'Murder at Midwinter Manor' is a light, easy-to-read murder mystery. A theft and a murder just days before Christmas. The houseguests for the holiday party are mostly family. So are the theft and murder related or totally separate crimes? A classic case of whodunit.

Releases Sep. 10th. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

It took me a little while to warm up to the characters, which I believe is due to this being the third book in the series. This is my first experience with this author, and I found it to be an enjoyable, cozy, historical read. Now, I'm eager to go back and check out the first two books in the series!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This was my first Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet mystery but won’t be my last. A fast paced cosy mystery set in a Manor House in the golden age. What’s not to like? Throw in a good dose of Christmas and you have the perfect read.