Making a killing at Christmastime by various authors – book reviews –

Murder at the Christmas Emporium

Andreina Cordani

Shopping can be deadly! Are you ready to rock with a not-so-merry Christmas murder extravaganza that will have you turning the pages long past the midnight hour?

Andreina Cordani – author of two dark thrillers for young adults as well as two Christmas murder mysteries for adults – brings us a fabulous, festive-flavoured crime odyssey with a rich coating of mystery and more layers to it than one of your grandma’s famous red velvet cakes.

Set against the backdrop of the delightfully named and ages-old Verity’s Emporium – the kind of traditional artisan gift shop that dates back even beyond the Victorian era – this magical mystery is the perfect gift for all cosy crime fans.

It’s Christmas Eve at the Emporium, a bespoke gift shop hidden in the depths of London’s winding streets where a select few, specially invited shoppers are browsing the handcrafted delights in its Grand Festive Display. But when they try to leave, they find the doors are locked and it isn’t long before they realise this is no innocent mix-up. The shoppers have been trapped here by someone who knows their darkest secrets, someone who will stop at nothing until they have all been unwrapped... and there is a gruesome gift waiting in Santa’s grotto. For those that survive the night, it will be a Christmas to remember.

Be prepared to have your spine tingled by this atmospheric thriller which cleverly blends Victorian-flavoured macabre with all the jollity of the Christmas season in a seductive and thoroughly entertaining twist on classic whodunits.

Featuring a cast of exquisitely drawn, eclectic characters – not least the Emporium’s sinister owner, Montagu Verity – all harbouring dark secrets, the tensions rise and the intricately crafted plot branches out to encompass the guests’ hidden stories and flashbacks to the past. A guaranteed sell-out success!

(Zaffre, hardback, £16.99)

The Christmas Eve Murders

Noelle Albright

A scavenger hunt becomes a murder hunt when one of the regulars from the Merry Monarch pub in Yorkshire is murdered in a delightfully festive whodunit that proves to be as funny as it is gripping. The Christmas Eve Murders comes from the pen of Noelle Albright, a Yorkshire-born author and poet based in the north-east of England who also writes poetry, romance novellas and the Kitt Hartley Yorkshire Mystery Series under the name of Helen Cox.

It’s Christmas Eve at the Merry Monarch. Nestled amongst the Yorkshire Dales, the pub is preparing to host its annual scavenger hunt for its rabble of regulars. There’s the landlord, Mickey, his wife Sofia and their wayward son James, local policeman Alex and his supernaturally minded deputy Don, along with Sita, Mrs Fazarkaley, the Kapoors, and Curtis who is never far from his beloved dog Barkley. Quite the crowd.

This year, they are interrupted by a knock at the door from Maddie Marlowe, a journalist who was homeward bound to Edinburgh for Christmas but has been left stranded by her car breaking down and by the snow storm that’s closing in on the village. But Maddie’s arrival won’t be the only surprise of the night. When the power is cut off and darkness descends, the hunt turns deadly. Maddie and her unexpected Christmas companions must try to find the murderer amongst them, as it seems one of the group would kill to win.

Enjoy dining out at the Merry Monarch with a veritable feast of tasty clues, fascinating characters, locked-room intrigue and Albright’s unbeatable brand of northern humour as the snow falls thick and fast and the suspense reaches boiling point. Cosy crime with a delectable Yorkshire flavour!

(Quercus, hardback, £14.99)

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

Ally Carter

Imagine the scene... the bridge is shut, the phones are down, and the most famous mystery writer in the world has just disappeared three days before Christmas. Finding the key to a locked room mystery proves to be a feast of festive fun in a cosy crime romp with a heart-fluttering rom-com twist! Ally Carter – whose claim to fame is writing books about people who fall in love (whilst trying to stay alive!) – conjures up a dazzling Christmas cracker with this wonderfully entertaining rivals-to-lovers mystery-romance.

Meet Maggie Chase – her friends tell her she needs to ‘get a life’ – and Ethan Wyatt, the man with ‘smooth perfection and effortless charm.’ She’s the new Queen of the Cosy Mystery, he’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy and they hate each other’s guts. When they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world... Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself. Then, under the cover of night, the weather turns to thick snow... and in the morning Eleanor is gone. She vanished from a locked room which makes Maggie wonder whether Eleanor is in danger or if the whole thing is some kind of test with Ethan as her competition. But is Ethan now the only person in the snowbound mansion she can trust? As the snow gets deeper, the stakes get higher and the plot thickens, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth... and to each other. This Christmas, the rivals will have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor. That’s assuming they don’t kill each other first...

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year has all the perfect Christmas cosy crime reading ingredients... an intriguing mystery set in the ever-fascinating world of book publishing, two young writers who share a sparkling line in banter and a coruscating chemistry, and all the seductive trappings of a Golden Age whodunit. Sleuthing magic!

(Pan, paperback, £9.99)

Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village

Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper

If getting through Christmas feels like murder, dive into this entertaining illustrated guide and you’re guaranteed to come up smiling! Written by Maureen Johnson, who lives in New York City (for safety’s sake!) and is the bestselling author of over a dozen novels, Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village is just what you need to prevent getting murdered in classic English crime style. Quaint English villages, as we all know, are places where danger lurks around each cobblestoned corner, and every bite of scone or sip of tea may be your last. If you absolutely insist on visiting, do yourself a favour and take along a copy of this guide book because it might just keep you alive. Taking a close look at all the traditional murder mystery characters and peering into every possible murder location – the garden, the bedrooms, the study and even the bathroom – the murderous people and places are brought to life by dozens of Jay Cooper’s Edward Gorey-esque drawings, and peppered with allusions to classic crime fiction. So if Christmas in a quaint little village is still on your festive agenda, pack this invaluable guide because it has the tools you need to stay alive. And whatever you do, don’t look in the pond, keep away from the maze and never trust the vicar. Good luck... you’re going to need it!

(Raven Books, hardback, £14.99)