Books to get in mood for Christmas

Reading lists

Books to get you in the mood for Christmas

Vintage-14.11.221534

Powerful stories that make great gifts

Murder At Midwinter

Curl up with this cosy festive murder mystery. 
 
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… for murder. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Rev Richard Coles and other locked-room mysteries. 
 
A SCHOOL REUNION... A CHRISTMAS PARTY TO DIE FOR. 
 
December 1937. Daphne King is attending the twentieth anniversary reunion at her secondary school, Midwinter Academy, a weekend that will see resurrected rivalries and alliances amidst the Christmas festivities. But a string of peculiar incidents prompts Daphne to suspect that she and her friends are being sent messages - or threats - related to the disappearance of a classmate twenty years ago. 
 
It was a mystery which clouded their final year at the school - and one which Daphne, as a budding eighteen-year-old sleuth, solved. 
 
When, the morning after the reunion, one of Daphne's old school friends is found dead, Daphne finds herself in the role of investigator once more. Are the two cases linked? And has Daphne learned from the mistakes of her past? 
 
Readers LOVE Ada's festive romps 
'Reminds me of PG Wodehouse' 
'Compelling and engaging' 
'A modern rival to Agatha Christie' 
'A festive favourite' 
'Loved it'

Theatrical festive escapism for fans of the golden age who like their crime set firmly in that time

Ada Moncrieff is the author of Murder Most Festive, Murder at the Theatre Royale and Murder at Maybridge Castle. She lives and works in London.

**THE COSIEST OF CRIMES FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON** 
 
A SCHOOL REUNION... A PARTY TO DIE FOR. 
 
December 1937. Daphne King is attending the twentieth anniversary reunion at her secondary 
school, Midwinter Academy. It is a weekend of resurrected rivalries and alliances. A string of peculiar incidents prompts Daphne to suspect that she and her friends are being sent messages - or warnings - related to the disappearance of a classmate twenty years ago. 
 
It was a mystery which clouded their final year at the school - and one which Daphne, as a budding 
eighteen-year-old sleuth, solved. But now, the morning after the reunion, another of Daphne's old school friends is found dead; and Daphne finds herself in the role of investigator once more. Are the two cases linked? And has Daphne learned from the mistakes of her past? 
 
Readers LOVE Ada's festive romps 
'Reminds me of PG Wodehouse' 
'Compelling and engaging' 
'A modern rival to Agatha Christie' 
'A festive favourite' 
'Loved it'

Murder at Maybridge Castle

A harmless game of Murder in the Dark? Or an invitation to die for? 
 
It is Christmas 1936 and guests gather at Maybridge Castle for its grand reopening. Snow settles over the Cumbrian countryside as sherry is poured and polite conversation masks private tensions. 
 
Among the eclectic group of guests are a doctor and his new wife, tarot readers, a journalist, and an elderly amateur sleuth accompanied by her cat. When a parlour game ends with a body on the floor, the festive atmosphere fractures. 
 
Someone has changed the rules. . . but who? Suspicion moves through drawing rooms and corridors, revealing grudges, secrets, and calculated deceit. 
 
Readers love Ada Moncrieff: 
 
'An absolute delight of a book' 
'Compelling and engaging Christmas historical crime' 
‘Her prose reminds me of the brilliant PG Wodehouse.' 
'A cosy mystery with the added charm of a Christmas setting. What more could a reader want.' 
'Beautifully written, funny, and gripping. Can't wait to see what Moncrieff comes up with next.'

The perfect festive murder mystery for 2024 from 'modern rival to Agatha Christie' Ada Moncrieff 
 
It's Christmas 1937 and an eclectic list of guests and staff have gathered for the grand re-opening of Maybridge castle, a newly renovated yet still crumbling hotel deep in the Cumbrian countryside. They are: 
 
The ex-socialite owner 
The Doctor and his new wife 
The stylish journalist 
The know-all housekeepers 
The still-grieving widower and his son 
The tarot readers 
The passionate academic 
The persistent investigative reporter 
The elder amateur sleuth, and her cat 
 
An innocent game of murder-in-the-dark will turn into a real game of life and death. And by the time the first sherries have been drunk, one of these people will be dead - and one of them the killer. Someone has changed the rules, but who?

The perfect murder mystery

Murder at the Theatre Royale

It's Christmas at London's Theatre Royale and journalist Daphne King is determined to solve an extraordinary mystery... 
 
December 1935. Director Chester Harrison's production of A Christmas Carol has had a troubled run on its tour of regional theatres. With tensions amongst the cast running high, the company reach their final stop - London's Theatre Royale - a few days before Christmas. 
 
Catastrophe, however, strikes on opening night: 'Scrooge' dies on stage, seemingly due to a heart attack. But the show must go on. Until, that is, an old rival of Chester's is murdered in a dressing room. Are those associated with the production being picked off one by one? Journalist Daphne King is determined to reveal the truth... 
 
*Preorder Ada's new novel MURDER AT MIDWINTER now!* 
______________________________ 
 
Readers love Ada Moncrieff's Christmas mysteries: 
 
'Brilliant...full of twists and turns' 
 
'A modern rival to Agatha Christie' 
 
'A new festive favourite'

(Praise for Murder Most Festive) If you're a fan of historical mysteries, then Murder Most Festive should be at the top of your to-read list

A lovely stocking-filler for theatre and murder mystery enthusiasts.

A slow burner, full of red herrings and characters, and keeps you guessing till the end

Christmas 1935 at London's Theatre Royale and the drama has turned deadly... 
 
December 1935. Director Chester Harrison's production of A Christmas Carol has had a troubled run on its tour of regional theatres. With tensions amongst the cast running high, the company reach their final stop - London's Theatre Royale - a few days before Christmas. 
 
Catastrophe, however, strikes on opening night: 'Scrooge' dies on stage, seemingly due to a heart attack. But the show must go on. Until, that is, an old rival of Chester's is murdered in a dressing room. Are those associated with the production being picked off one by one? Journalist Daphne King is determined to reveal the truth... 
 
Readers love Ada Moncrieff's Christmas mysteries: 
 
'A cosy murder mystery with the added charm of a Christmas setting. What more could a reader want?!' 
 
'Brilliant...full of twists and turns' 
 
'A modern rival to Agatha Christie' 
 
'A new festive favourite' 
 
'A jolly romp through murder, mystery and mayhem'

Murder Most Festive

Downton Abbey meets Poirot in this Christmas murder mystery, perfect for fans of Gladys Mitchell and the British Library crime classics

Before the Christmas bells ring, someone at Westbury Manor will be dead. 
 
It is 1938 and the Westbury family gathers at their country estate for another lavish Christmas. Champagne flows, fires burn low, and tradition dictates that nothing will disturb the holiday calm. 
 
By morning, a man lies dead outside in the snow. A pistol rests beside him. Only one set of footprints leads to the body. 
 
Death by suicide is the cause, but amateur sleuth Hugh Gaveston knows that something doesn’t seem right. As suspicion grows between guests and servants alike, hidden resentments and carefully guarded secrets start to surface. 
 
'If you're a fan of historical mysteries, then Murder Most Festive should be at the top of your to-read list' Cultured Vultures

It's Christmas at Westbury Manor and amateur detective Hugh Gaveston must unravel a fiendish mystery... 
 
Christmas Eve, 1938. The Westbury family and assorted friends have gathered for another legendary celebration at their beautiful country house. The champagne flows, the silverware sparkles and upstairs the rooms are ready for their occupants. 
 
But one bed will lie empty that night. On Christmas morning, David Campbell-Scott is found dead in the snow. There's a pistol beside him and only one set of footprints. 
 
Yet something doesn't seem right to amateur sleuth Hugh Gaveston. Campbell-Scott had just returned from overseas with untold wealth - why would he kill himself? Hugh sets out to investigate... 
 
'If you're a fan of historical mysteries, then Murder Most Festive should be at the top of your to-read list' Cultured Vultures 
 
Wonderfully atmospheric, with charming wit and brilliant plotting, Murder Most Festive is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, M.C. Beaton and James Runcie's Grantchester series.

Ada Moncrieff

A lovely stocking-filler for theatre and murder mystery enthusiasts

If you're a fan of historical mysteries, then [this] should be at the top of your to-read list

The perfect cozy mystery to curl up with this Christmas. 
 
A luxury party sets sail on New Year's Day. But festivities will take a deadly turn…New Year’s Day 1938. The luxurious ocean liner Midnight Star is partway through its voyage from London to New York. On board is reporter Daphne King, who is drawn to the ship's most mysterious passenger – the enigmatic philanthropist Augustus Bellamy - and his exclusive circle. Once a celebrated archaeologist, Bellamy now curates not only rare artefacts but also individuals.When one of Bellamy’s guests is murdered, stabbed with a precious dagger, Daphne finds herself in the role of investigator once more. And just when she thinks she may have pieced together some vital clues … Augustus Bellamy himself falls overboard and dies.Are the two murders connected or is Daphne on the trail of two separate killers? And can she solve both cases before they arrive in New York?

Ada Moncrieff

Books by Ada Moncrieff

Series by Ada Moncrieff

A Christmas Mystery

Articles featuring Ada Moncrieff

Books to get you in the mood for Christmas

Powerful stories that make great gifts

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter