Review: Murder at Midwinter Manor by Anita Davison

September 15, 2024

Review: Murder at Midwinter Manor by Anita Davison

Today, I'm delighted to welcome back author Anita Davison, with Murder at Midwinter Manor, the new instalment in her fabulously murderous mystery series featuring Hannah Merrill and her eccentric Aunt Violet.

I'm thrilled to share my review. Read on!

Murder at Midwinter Manor is currently on blog tour with Rachel's Random Resources. My thanks to Rachel, and Anita's publisher, for a copy.

Murder at Midwinter Manor

Anita Davison

We're going full Agatha Christie in Murder at Midwinter Manor – a remote manor house, a snow storm, a valuable jewel, Christmas – and a murder!

This delightful story takes us to Hannah's sister's new home, Midwinter Manor. Set in sweeping English countryside, it's the perfect getaway from the city. But it's not only the adverse weather and her usual family issues Hannah has to worry about – such as, will her mother accept her fabulous new bob hair cut? But when a member of the small group of guests is found dead in the study, who could have done the deed? One of them? Or a stranger who found his / her way across snow drifts?

The murder certainly puts a damper on Iris' Christmas party plans, and when it transpired that a valuable jewel went missing the same night Mr Ellis was murdered, the case becomes more complicated.

For local Detective Sergeant Roper, the case is soon clear, and he is convinced he has his culprit. But Hannah, Iris, Darius, and the newly arrived paramour of Aunt Iris, Detective Inspector Aidan Farrell, are not so sure. They keep digging, and soon, they have found another suspect.

But will that be the end of it? And where is the missing jewel? And will Hannah and Darius finally announce their engagement? Well, read this fabulous novel to find out!

Murder at Midwinter Manor is the new instalment in this riveting series. The characters are wonderfully drawn, with their hidden secrets and personal agendas. The setting is perfect. And Aunt Violet is her usual, irreverent self. She is fast turning into one of my favourite sleuths.

Hannah is torn between her love and loyalty to Darius, but still worries about losing her independence. Her sister, Iris, has her own problems. With four young children, she barely finds time to look after the estate – a task she loves and which exasperates her in equal measure. I feel for Iris, as she has a real dilemma.

Their parents, Hector and Madeleine, are perfectly of their own social background, but here, Madeleine's actions surprise Hannah at times. A nice development.

As for the secondary characters, they are as sweet as they are shifty. As you can expect, not everything is as it seems, and the quartet of Hannah, Darius, Violet and Aidan make for a great investigative team. The lack of condescension from the men towards the women – still deemed delicate enough not to hear the cruel realities of war, even though Hannah volunteers in a hospital – is refreshing, and indicative of the slow social change that happened as a result of WWI.

Murder in Midwinter Manor is another delightful whodunit with all the right ingredients: a lingering sense of suspense, a plethora of suspects, and some intriguing, illegal shenanigans. Well worth checking out!

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Blurb:

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.

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/midwintermanorsocial

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About the Author:

Anita Davison

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