The Christmas Guide to Family and Murder ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Christmas Guide to Family and Murder by Dianne Freeman


NetGalley About Summary

A country Christmas in Victorian England takes a murderous turn in Agatha and Lefty Award–winning author Dianne Freeman’s delightful mystery featuring Frances Hazelton, the former Countess of Harleigh, and her husband, George.

Frances and George are looking forward to a Christmas season enlivened by all the diversions London can provide. But family comes first, and George’s sister Fiona and her husband persuade everyone to gather at their Norfolk estate for the holiday. The weather will be chilly, but the prospect of snow delights the youngsters. And with blazing fires and invigorating country walks in store, Frances envisions a peaceful, jolly Christmas.

Instead of a picturesque snowfall, however, Norfolk is hit by pounding rainfall and high winds. In the aftermath of the storm, Frances, Fiona, and the children make an unpleasant discovery in a nearby field—the body of their neighbor, dead in suspicious circumstances. Joshua Penhollow was the local doctor, though not a well-respected one. Indeed, most viewed him as a quack, and even his own stepdaughter held a grudge against him.

With the menfolk gone to help clear a blocked road, the investigation falls to Frances and Fiona, who must also curb the young people’s excitement at encountering a real-life murder. Combing through a village full of colorful characters and more than a few suspects, Frances feels any hope of a quiet Christmas slipping away. But more pressing is the need to stop a killer whose heart is as cold as the season …

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers
Goodreads added: Christmas, Cozy

The How/Why: NetGalley Facebook group page, plus Historical Fiction, Mystery, AND Christmas. 🎵These are few of my favorite things.🎵 

Actually I had just picked a Spy story up next and then two Christmas ALCs that I had requested were approved within a few minutes of each other. Spy got bumped and then I decided on this one since it's getting published before the other one, which will be up next. Spy guy will need to wait while I'm enjoying Christmas MŪrdɇr stories! 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

🎉🎊 Overall Storytelling? TBD

  • Setting the stage. Atmosphere, Vibe  🎉🎉🎉🎉
  • Likeable Characters: Protagonist, Supporting Cast, Extras  🎉🎉🎉🎉
  • Unlikeable Antagonist 🎉🎉🎉
  • Executing the premise 🎉🎉🎉🎉
  • Lives up to the promise 🎉🎉🎉🎉

 🎣🎏 Did it grab and keep my attention? 🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣

 🗣️Would I recommend it to anyone? Yes ➕ If you enjoy a Cozy Mystery

 🕮 Would I want a sequel? No ➖

 📚 Would I want to read more books by this author? Maybe 🤷 
This is actually Book 9 in A Countess of Harleigh Mystery. I haven't read/listened to the others however they can be read as standalones. They are self-contained stories. 

 ⚠️💣💥 📢 Content Warnings? MŪrdɇr & DɇaṪh, Ǥriɇf & LoŞŞ

 🌶️🫑Spice? No

 🌪 Plot Twist? Yes if yes, Predictable? Let's just say the culprit was on my radar.

 👟 Pace? Good

 💻 Tidbits ~ This is a cute cozy mystery with a side of Christmas. 
First the Character Cheat Sheet ~ because there are a lot of them:
Frances Hazelton - American-born heiress and former Countess.
George Hazelton - Frances's clever husband. 
Fiona Nash - George's Sister, host of the family Christmas gathering.
Sir Robert Nash - Fiona's husband and owner of the estate.
Aunt Hetty - Family member with a secret about her man friend.
The Kids (Rose 10, Gregory 10, Grace 9) - Amateur junior sleuths. 
Dr. Joshua Penhollow - local unpopular doctor and coroner found 𖤀ɇɐd.
Gilliam - Aunt Hetty's lover.
Plus: A suspicious wife, stepdaughter, the house staff, the 𖤀ɇɐd man's snow boot!

The family is ready for a Country Christmas until... 🎵[insert mysterious music]🎵while taking a walk in a nearby snow-filled field, they stumble upon a 𖤀ɇɐd body. 🤔 Turns out its the very unpopular town's doctor and coroner. Some even say he was a quack. With no coroner to figure out how the man met his end of life, Frances and Fiona assign themselves the task of figuring out whodunit. 🕵️‍♂️🕵️‍♂️

Meanwhile the kids have a holiday break assignment to write their own Christmas Story. They have decided on A Christmas Carol with the twist that Scrooge is found 𖤀ɇɐd. That increases their curiosity of Dr. Penhollow's mysterious death - for the sake of research of course. 🔍🔍🔍

Frances and Fiona have the knack of getting townspeople to spill the tea - and the eggnog. They even fake a little Christmas Caroling just to get someone to open their door. Sneaky Sleuths!

I enjoyed the cozy mystery pieces of the puzzle coming together. The plot goes from everyone is a suspect ➡️ everyone has an alibi ➡️ mystery solved ➡️ no it wasn't ➡️ coercing a confession. Sneaky Sleuths again!

Highlight: The kids' Junior Super Sleuthing Shenanigans writing a Christmas Classic Reimagined.

Lowlight: Not very Christmassy. I felt the Christmas vibe was overshadowed by mystery. If the children weren't writing a Christmas story and the caroling was removed, the title could be The Winter Guide to Family and Murder. (Thus the one star deduction)

Favorite Character: Aunt Hetty. Energetic, uplifting, and believes every day is a blessing and should be lived to the fullest. She's also holding a bit of a secret.

This Historical Fiction part of the story:
The Era, turn of the century England including clothing, language, etc.
The Great Storm that hit Britain during the timeframe.
Social Norms such as the local doctor, household staff for their status.

🎧 Narrator: Sarah Zimmerman - Fantastic. She matched the cozy, historical tone and made it entertaining to listen to.

🎧8.21 hours (Listened on: NetGalley) 🕮 304 pages

Not yet published. Expected 9-29-2026

Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia for the free ALC in exchange for my honest review.

37 and counting


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