#Blogtour The 12 Murders of Christmas by Sarah Dunnakey

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The 12 Murders of Christmas by Sarah Dunnakey.

About the Author

When she's not writing fiction, Sarah writes and verifies questions and answers for a variety of TV quiz shows including Mastermind, University Challenge and Pointless. She has an honours degree in History and has previously worked as a librarian, an education officer in a Victorian cemetery and an oral history interviewer.

Sarah has won or been shortlisted in several short story competitions and her work has been published in anthologies and broadcast on Radio 4. She won a Northern Writer's Award, from New Writing North for her debut novel The Companion, and the NWA Arvon Award in 2019. She lives in West Yorkshire on the edge of the Pennine Moors. Follow @SarahDeeWrites on X

About the book

12 murderous mysteries to read. 19 perplexing puzzles to solve. 1 mystifying murder to crack…

Mastermind Puzzlemaster Sarah Dunnakey cordially invites you to crack the code of who killed Edward Luddenham. It’s the first anniversary of the mysterious death of Edward Luddenham, found dead at his home on the Yorkshire moors one frosty Christmas Eve.

Now twelve people gather at his manor house for the reading of the Will. Each has their own motivations for coming: curiosity, duty, unrequited love, desperation, greed. They have been instructed to bring a “festive mystery story” to share. But all you need is a pencil.

Safe from the biting cold and the relentless snowfall outside, settle in with your favourite tipple in hand, as the storytelling begins. Though you’ll need to keep your wits about you – for among the guests is Edward’s killer… Can you work out the puzzles and unmask the murderer before they strike again?

Review

In perhaps slight echoes of certain stories written by Christie, where people and their pasts are brought together to expose their secrets, in this case it is to solve the murder of Edward Luddenham, the story becomes a mystery hidden in a box full of puzzles. Each guest asked to present their own tale of murder, mayhem or mystery. Some of the stories certainly reveal a lot about the individual characters.

Each story becomes a crime scenario or a mystery to be solved by the narrator or the intent listeners. The question is where will the stories lead those looking for the answers about Luddenham. What is the point of them sharing at all? Unless of course the answer to the ultimate question is hidden in plain sight.

It's a wonderful mixture of old meets new. This homage to Christie invites readers to help solve puzzles in order to solve the crime. Such fun, and a great read - in fact it's the perfect festive gift for a fellow reader. I highly recommend it, there is something for everyone in it. Hopefully there will be more.

Buy The 12 Murders of Christmas at Amazon uk or go to Goodreads for other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Avon; pub date 7 Nov. 2024. Buy at Amazon com.