It was such a mysterious book, kept me on my toes. It was a page turner for sure, was obsessed with the characters, and can we give a moment for the ending? Absoutetly amazing!

Escape to Midwinter Manor had some good elements, but it wasn’t quite my cup of tea. Set during a snowy Christmas in 1916, it features Hannah Merrill and her Aunt Violet trying to solve a murder and theft at a grand country estate. The cozy, festive setting and classic country house mystery vibes are well done, and the writing is solid.

The story kept me entertained, but the mystery itself didn’t grab me as much as I hoped. While it’s clear that Davison has crafted a charming, intricate world with some great characters, I found that the plot didn’t quite pull me in the way I expected. Fans of historical cozies and Golden Age mysteries might find more to enjoy here than I did.

Murder at Midwinter Manor is a delightful historical cozy set in 1916 England. This has all the elements of a good cozy. Murder, a missing valuable family heirloom, family dynamics, an inept policeman, lots of red herrings, and likeable characters; especially Hannah and her Aunt Violet, as well as Bartleby the cat. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Murder at Midwinter Manor is the third Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet mystery book, and I've read all of them.

This story takes us to Hannah's sister's house for a Christmas party. Some of the guests are family, and some of them are not (Oh dear for them).

While we get to know the members of the party, there are strange goings-on in the background, and when Hannah is left with not one but two mysteries to solve, things start to become more interesting.

As we watch Hannah and her aunt, alongside their two male sidekicks, at work, we're treated to everything we'd expect from a Golden Age country-house-style murder. (I was somewhat jealous about all the Afternoon Teas they managed to consume.) The mystery is intricately connected to the era of First World War Britain, and the events are believable and enjoyable to read about.

When they come, the conclusions are both satisfying after suspicion has fallen on just about everyone.

As a huge fan of this genre of fiction, I really enjoyed Murder at Midwinter Manor and the glimpse given of a divided society in a single house between servants and masters.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy. I will share it on my blog.

I love cozy murder mysteries but I enjoy the Miss Merrill ones especially! The Christmas setting made this one even more cozy and enjoyable. I love that these are sort of interconnected standalones rather than a series and they're all great fun with lots of mystery, likable characters and they're quick reads that really pull you in!

It's Christmas, 1916. Hannah Merrill and her wonderful Aunt Violet leave London (taking Bartleby the cat) to be a part of the festive house party hosted by Hannah's sister, Iris. Hannah expects some tension with her mother, because there always is, but she's looking forward to having a good time in spite of the sometimes uncomfortable family dynamics. As it turns out, she's got more than differing family attitudes to deal with when one of the guests doesn't make it to Christmas, having been murdered in the study. On the same morning the body is discovered, another guest realizes that a family heirloom is missing. Are the two related? The lone policeman who can make it through the snow doesn't inspire confidence, but luckily, Aunt Violet and Hannah are there to get to the bottom of things.

I've got quite a soft spot for good Christmas cozies, so I was excited to see this book. I love this series--Aunt Violet is particularly wonderful. I was not disappointed. The setting is classic--manor house at Christmas, snowstorm, incompetent police officer, familial discord, missing family jewel, and the murder. The historical time period, which plays a part in the mystery, is well observed and the historical note at the end fleshes out one aspect of a main character's job a bit. Once I started, I didn't want to put the book down and I read it in one sitting, thoroughly enjoying every minute. This is the third book in the series, but you don't have to have read the first two to enjoy this one. It's a great series, though, and it's definitely worth reading all three if you're a historical cozy mystery fan. I highly recommend them all.

This gentle period novel follows in the tradition of Golden Age country house mysteries and will provide an entertaining read for folks following thst genre.

The cast of characters is limited to house guests and staff and suspicion has to fall upon someone in that group. The book’s saving grace is the acerbic and somewhat flamboyant Aunt Vi….. many of the other characters just seemed a bit “flat” to me. They were fine to “ round out a party,” but weren’t entertaining enough to carry a whole book. I found myself mildly bored by all of them, and by the interminable few days it took to resolve the mystery.

Netgalley provided me a complimentary copy of this nook in exchange for a candid review.

An excellent choice if you like English historical cozy mysteries. Fully drawn characters in early twentieth century Britain win all the society and class dynamics.