The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year: An Enemies-to-Lovers Christmas Romance and a Cozy Mystery Set in the English Countryside.

Agatha Christie like but with modern characters and humor! I joyed this more than I thought 💭 so many twists that kept me progressing!

This one was fun!

5⭐️

Absolutely loved this! What a gem and honestly one I would consider bringing out every year around Christmas time to read again. It was even more than I anticipated and I’m so glad I took a chance with this one- it was 100% worth it and the perfect start to my 2025 reads ❤️

When cozy crime author Maggie Chase receives a mysterious invitation to spend Christmas in the remote English countryside with a fan, she accepts despite the fact that she has no idea what – or who – might be waiting for her on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. She would've taken anything as a distraction of the realities of her own life: she's recently divorced and she didn't only lose her partner and her house, but also her best friend – and she has no one else to spend the holidays with. When she sets foot on the private jet that will get her to her mysterious destination she realises she's not the only author who has been invited: her arch nemesis Ethan Wyatt is also on the plane. Not only that, but when they finally arrive at the fan's remote manor house they discover that the invitation came from none other than Eleanor Ashby, the most powerful crime author in the world, and they're part of a select group of people invited to spend the holidays with her. When they arrive at the estate we meet an eccentric cast of characters, in addition to Maggie and Ethan, including Eleanor’s butler, James, her snobby relatives, attorney, a local police inspector, and another famous author. That night, The weather turns, the bridge closes, cell service is down and Eleanor is gone. She vanishedfrom a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust? Maggie and Ethan are worried, but Maggie is convinced this is a test by the author to find her predecessor. The duo begins to investigate and realize that odd things have been happening for months and Eleanor’s life has truly been in danger. From her falling on her stairs due to a suddenly loose rail, or from a fire that’s been set in a room full of poisonous plants, It’s now imperative that they solve this mystery as quickly as possible. As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other Ethan loved Maggie years before her ex husband left her for her best friend, and before Ethan was “the man that takes the bullet”. He will do anything to protect Maggie, after she has been shot at while trying to get cell service in the maze outside of the mansion. While doing the job of the police officer who told everyone the bridges were closed and that the storm has caused everyone to be stranded in the mansion they start to put all the clues Eleanor left to find out who is after her, and all clues point to the police officer. He had tried to kill a girl years ago who came to Eleanor for help, and at long last Eleanor was going to reveal his secret in her 100th book. He poisoned the tea and shot at Maggie, thinking she was Eleanor. When Maggie wouldn’t let it go, he tried to kill her too. Cece was a fraud. She was the girlfriend of the guy who worked for Eleanor’s law firm, and her DNA results were faked (she said she was the niece of Eleanor’s philandering brother). Eleanor suspected and got her own private test done. The following Christmas, Maggie and Ethan spent it together on a Greek island, where they find “Ellie” living her best life, alive and well with Mr. James. This book was amazing, so many twist turns and spicy moments. The authors approach to the mystery and the love connection was will definitely interesting. I will be adding it to my yearly Christmas reads.