Book Review: Murder at Midwinter Manor by Anita Davison

I’m pleased to be welcoming Anita Davison to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book,  Murder at Midwinter Manor – book three in the Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet Mysteries series. 

Escaping the city doesn’t mean escaping the criminals…

1916, Midwinter Manor: Desperate for a Christmas weekend break from war-torn London, Hannah Merrill and her Aunt Violet take Bartleby the cat and themselves off to visit Hannah’s sister, in her beautiful country estate, deep in the English countryside.

The huge house is full of relatives, friends and merrymakers, and everyone’s excited to have a Christmas to remember.

But then, when a fellow-guest’s body is found in the library – apparently bludgeoned to death – and a precious ruby is stolen from another guest, it appears that it’s going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons.

With the house snowed in, and the rural police force completely incapable of finding a single credible suspect, Hannah and Aunt Violet realise that once again it’s going to be down to them to get to the bottom of it.

Because whoever’s behind the crimes must be at Midwinter Manor… And if they’re not found, who knows what their next ‘gift’ will be?

A totally unforgettable Golden Age, country house, cozy crime novel, perfect for fans of Helena Dixon, Verity Bright, and Agatha Christie.

*****

It’s Christmas, 1916. Hannah Merrill and her Aunt Violet are on their way to Midwinter Manor to spend Christmas with Hannah’s sister and her family. It’s not long before a case presents itself. When a fellow guest is murdered and a ruby stolen, the ladies are in a race against time to find the person responsible.

Two things drew me to this book. First, the premise intrigued me and second, it was set at Christmas so I was excited to be invited onto the blog tour for Murder at Midwinter Manor. This was my introduction to both the author and this series. If, like me, you’ve not read the previous novels, don’t worry, this can be read as a standalone.

This is definitely my kind of mystery novel. It has a wonderful Agatha Christie vibe to it.

I love this duo too. Both Hannah and Violet are strong, independent women who don’t let expectations of the time get in their way. Oh, I also want to adopt Bartleby. I also have a soft spot for Mycroft.

The supporting characters are amazing and bring a lot to the story. Ah, it’s going to be hard to talk about this novel without giving too much away.

This book is a classic whodunnit with many twists, turns and plenty of surprises that had me guessing right up until the end. I didn’t see it coming. The setting is so vivid and I could picture myself in the house, with the Christmas tree, the snow and the grounds.

There is the right amount of humour and drama that turned one more page into one more chapter.

Above all, this was a fun story that was a really lovely way to spend a few hours. If you want to get into the festive spirit early, love puzzles and bad ass characters, I fully recommend this book. I am going to be checking out the other novels in the series whilst hoping it’s not the last we see of Hannah and Violet.

(Thank you to Boldwood Books, Netgalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.) 

About Anita Davison –

Anita Davison is the author of the successful Flora Maguire historical mystery series.

Murder at Midwinter Manor, the latest novel in the Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet Mysteries series was released by Boldwood Books on 10th September 2024. Click here to buy on Amazon and Waterstones. 

Say hello to Anita on Facebook, X, Instagram and Bookbub. Click here to sign up to her newsletter. 

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.