Christmas crime books to read in 2026

Reading lists

12 Christmas murder mystery books to get you feeling festive

Murder at Mistletoe Manor

‘Tis the season for murder. . . Curl up with the perfect cosy Christmas crime novel for the festive season, a locked-room murder mystery perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Robert Thorogood and Rev Richard Coles. 
 
‘With echoes of the golden age of crime fiction … very entertainingly done’ The Times 
 
‘Brilliant …A perfect contemporary whodunnit.' Ian Moore, bestselling author of Death and Croissants 
 
 
Four days before Christmas, twelve stranded strangers gather round a crackling fire, sheltering from the raging storm outside. . . 
 
But their relief is short-lived: as the snow deepens, the tree-lined avenue winding through the hotel’s parkland becomes impassable. Their isolation is complete. 
 
The next morning, a body is found in one of the luxurious four-poster beds. 
 
As twelve strangers become eleven suspects, who among them has checked in with murder in mind? 
 
And will any of them live to see another Christmas. . .? 
 
 
PRAISE FOR MURDER AT MISTLETOE MANOR: 
 
'Brilliantly festive and utterly gripping . . . A whodunnit that’s perfect for armchair detectives.' Yours Magazine 
 
'This yule-fuelled mystery is the perfect read with a glass of mulled wine in front of a roaring fire.' Candis Magazine 
 
'Agatha Christie for a new generation' The Herald 
 
'Murder in a snowed-in country hotel - and a killer with a grudge against the season of goodwill. What could be better?' Faith Martin, bestselling author of The Last Word is Death 
 
'A festive mystery to read by the fire with a glass of mulled wine... brilliantly inventive... will keep you turning the pages well into the night. Loved it.' Catherine Cooper, bestselling author of The Chalet 
 
‘A contemporary locked in whodunnit that pairs well with mulled wine and candlelight.' Woman & Home 
 
'I loved it... a perfect festive read.' Andreina Cordani, author of Murder at the Christmas Emporium 
 
'The perfect whodunnit.' Scottish Field 
 
‘Gripping and atmospheric . . . A killer Christmas read.' Psychologies

[An] engaging novel with echoes of the golden age of crime fiction … very entertainingly done.

Brilliantly festive and utterly gripping . . . A whodunnit that’s perfect for armchair detectives.

With well-drawn relatable characters, this yule-fuelled mystery is the perfect read with a glass of mulled wine in front of a roaring fire.

Murder in a snowed-in country hotel - and a killer with a grudge against the season of goodwill. What could be better?

A festive mystery to read by the fire with a glass of mulled wine . . . brilliantly inventive . . . will keep you turning the pages well into the night. Loved it.

A brilliant premise with thoroughly believable characters. A perfect contemporary whodunnit.

A contemporary locked in whodunnit that pairs well with mulled wine and candlelight.

Gripping and atmospheric . . .A killer Christmas read.

Flic Everett lives in rural Scotland with her husband, two spaniels and one black cat, in a very small cottage between a forest and a loch. As well as being an author of fiction and non-fiction, including her cozy mystery series Edie York, Flic has experience working as a journalist, broadcaster, agony aunt, vintage shop owner and as a tarot reader. 
 
Flic’s favourite things are reading, animals, very hot baths, cooking and buying clothes that are hopelessly unsuitable for her life. She also has a never-ending appetite for rummaging in charity shops.

Welcome to Mistletoe Manor Hotel. Four days before Christmas, twelve stranded strangers gather round a crackling fire… 
 
They are sheltering from the storm raging outside. But their relief is short-lived: as the snow deepens, the tree-lined avenue winding through the hotel’s parkland becomes impassable. Their isolation is complete. 
 
The next morning, a body is found in one of the luxurious four-poster beds. 
 
As twelve strangers become eleven suspects, who among them has checked in with murder in mind? 
 
And will any of them live to see another Christmas…? 
 
'Murder in a snowed-in country hotel - and a killer with a grudge against the season of goodwill. What could be better?' Faith Martin 
 
'A brilliant premise with thoroughly believable characters. A perfect contemporary whodunnit.' Ian Moore 
 
'A festive mystery to read by the fire with a glass of mulled wine... brilliantly inventive... will keep you turning the pages well into the night. Loved it.' Catherine Cooper 
 
'I loved it... a perfect festive read.' Andreina Cordani 
 
'A twisty mystery that's festive, cosy and chilling in equal measure.' JD Brinkworth

F. L. Everett

'Great fun... packed with Flic's wintry wit, twisty word-play and feuding authors trapped on a freezing island with a psychopath. If Traitors were rewritten by Richard Osman, Simon Brett and Agatha Christie they might have come up with this.' Amanda Craig 
 
 
A Christmas crime festival on a remote Scottish island. 
A crumbling Victorian hotel. 
Eight authors . . . and a ruthless killer. 
 
Welcome to Holly Island, where the annual Christmas crime-writing festival is about to begin. 
 
Eight writers are already in residence at the island’s solitary hotel. But before the audience can arrive by boat, the island is cut off by blizzards – and a famous author is found murdered. 
 
With the killer still among them, podcaster Jenna is forced to turn detective. Can she track down the murderer before it’s too late – or will she become the next chapter in this deadly tale? 
 
‘The clue is in chapter one . . .’ 
_____________________ 
 
PRAISE FOR F. L. EVERETT . . . 
 
‘With echoes of the golden age of crime fiction … very entertainingly done’ The Times 
 
‘Brilliant …A perfect contemporary whodunnit.' Ian Moore, bestselling author of Death and Croissants 
 
'Brilliantly festive and utterly gripping . . . A whodunnit that’s perfect for armchair detectives.' Yours Magazine 
 
'This yule-fuelled mystery is the perfect read with a glass of mulled wine in front of a roaring fire.' Candis Magazine 
 
'Agatha Christie for a new generation' The Herald 
 
'Murder in a snowed-in country hotel - and a killer with a grudge against the season of goodwill. What could be better?' Faith Martin, bestselling author of The Last Word is Death 
 
'A festive mystery to read by the fire with a glass of mulled wine... brilliantly inventive... will keep you turning the pages well into the night. Loved it.' Catherine Cooper, bestselling author of The Chalet 
 
‘A contemporary locked in whodunnit that pairs well with mulled wine and candlelight.' Woman & Home 
 
'I loved it... a perfect festive read.' Andreina Cordani, author of Murder at the Christmas Emporium 
 
'The perfect whodunnit.' Scottish Field 
 
‘Gripping and atmospheric . . . A killer Christmas read.' Psychologies

F. L. Everett

Books by F. L. Everett

Articles featuring F. L. Everett

12 Christmas murder mystery books to get you feeling festive

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