a christmas mystery with the queen of crime writing

When Maggie Chase’s editor told her that she’d been invited to spend Christmas with her biggest fan, she wasn’t sure what to expect. But it was a all-expense paid trip to England for the holidays, so that’s pretty hard to turn down. The only downside to the trip? Ethan Wyatt was going too.

Maggie had met Ethan earlier in her career. He was handsome and charming (not that she’d admit that), and his thriller books are actually well written (not that she’d admit that either). But he just seemed to materialize out of nowhere and take over the publishing world, while she’d had to work and work and work to get anywhere. He had gotten her name wrong for years, calling her Marcie. And now she had to spend Christmas with him.

But after the private plane that took them overseas and the Rolls-Royce that transported them to a 20,000 acre estate in north England, Maggie felt like it all could only mean one thing. They were at the home of international bestselling and beloved crime writer Eleanor Ashley. Ashley had written 99 crime novels, and they were the reason Maggie had started writing in the first place.

Maggie is stunned to realize that she is actually the home of Eleanor Ashley, to celebrate Christmas with the greatest living crime writer and her family and friends. At first, it seems like a miracle. Then, when someone tries to poison Ashley, it seems like a nightmare. And when Ashley goes missing, it turns into a mystery.

As Maggie and Ethan work together to try to find the famous author, they realize that the poison hadn’t been the first attempt on her life. And they need to find her fast, or she may never get a chance to finish her latest book.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year is a delightful story of classic crime, complete with a poison garden and secret passageways and family infighting. The banter is fast and witty, and the realizations build slowly, as all the puzzle pieces eventually come together in an unexpected picture. It’s big holiday fun, with a clever crime and some flirty romance, and it’s great fun for anyone wanting a cheeky cheerful mystery with mistletoe.

I listened to The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year on audio, narrated to perfection by Saskia Maarleveld and Zachary Webber. They both embodied the characters or Maggie and Ethan and brought the story to life with all its snark, flirting, red herrings, and warm feelings. I loved listening to this book. I thought it was so much fun, like a smart mystery mixed with a romance mixed with a farce. Gift it to your smartest crime novel fans this holiday season.

Egalleys for The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year were provided by Avon through NetGalley, but I bought the audio book myself through Chirp.