A review by booksrockcal
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is the perfect holiday mystery/romance read. Two American mystery writers (Ethan and Maggie) are invited to an English manor house for Christmas. He writes thrillers, she writes cozy mysteries, and they don’t like each other. When they arrive at the house they discover it’s the home of Eleanor Ashley, queen of mystery writers. The other guests include Eleanor’s family members including a duke and his family, another mystery writer, a lawyer and the butler is on the scene too. Soon after the guests arrive Eleanor Ashley disappears and then a massive storm cuts the house off from the nearby town just as several guests narrowly avoid being murdered. Ethan and Maggie set out to find Eleanor and solve the mystery of who is the person trying to murder the other guests and in the process realize they can’t live without each other. A really fun and light mystery-a perfect background for holiday decorating.