A Very Merry Murder by Kate Wells takes the reader back to Malvern Farm, and the chaos of a visiting television show in book 6 of the Malvern Mysteries series.
Jude Gray, owner of Malvern Farm has allowed a television series to be a base for filming in the weeks leading up to Christmas while also trying to assist her sister in planning her Christmas wedding. To add to the problems, the crew members seem to have some problems with each other, and when one of them dies and it’s determined that their death is suspicious, it appears that someone is attempting to do away with one of the stars.
I have not read the entire series, but I have read at least one of the previous books in this series and I really enjoy the relationships between the returning characters. I especially love the relationship between Jude, and her sister, nephew, and soon-to-be brother-in-law.
I did guess the ultimate culprit, I think it would be easy to miss if the reader isn’t paying close attention. And even though I did guess the guilty party relatively early, it didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the story. There were a number of surprising twists along the way, some of which had me scratching my head and questioning what was going on, but they served as decent red herrings which had me wondering if my initial guess was the correct one.
I think any lover of cozy mysteries, but especially of those set in the English countryside, will enjoy this book. I hope to go back and read the books I’ve missed in this series because I have enjoyed these characters and would like to get to know the characters better.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
A Very Merry Murder will be available on September 3 2025.
Life, Tea, and Everything 