Murder Most Festive by Ada Moncrieff
Ada Moncrieff brings us a quiet “step-back-in-time” Christmas mystery. Murder Most Festive opens on Christmas Eve 1938 in Little Bourton, England.
Lord and Lady Westbury decided to invite some of their special acquaintances to spend the holidays in their glorious mansion. The house is filled with over-the-top festive décor, including a lush 7-foot tree heavily laden with tinsel and baubles. Three turkeys are being prepped in the kitchen and the drinks will be flowing in the drawing room. Snow has fallen softly on the ground – it’s the perfect holiday setting.
Lydia Westbury is their resident thirty something unmarried daughter. Their other two other adult children, Edward and Stephen, have traveled home from London for the occasion. Edward is a do gooder: a true friend to the needy and less fortunate. Stephen is an arrogant, self-centered troublemaker who loves to incite arguments whenever he can. But now the whole family is back together and anxiously awaiting the arrival of their guests – and one by one they filter in.
Add to the haughty Westbury family a guest list that fits a superb picturesque setting, and there you have it – a most delectable holiday mystery. The guests include: Successful businessman Mr. Campbell-Scott, an old family friend as well as Lydia’s godfather. The prestigious Anthony de Havilland is a war hero and parliamentary official. Hugh Gaveston, an old childhood friend of Lydia’s, is now a taxidermist and armchair sleuth. Rosalind Ashwell is one of Lady Westbury’s oldest friends and she’s here with her stuffy, complaining husband, William. Freddie Rampling comes from old money – and he’s turned into a booze sodden jester who has managed to rip through his inheritance.
Everyone is looking forward to the great food, drinks and the festivities which, in those days, included Christmas games such as Charades and the traditional pheasant shoot. But on Christmas morning, there’s one person who doesn’t show up for the lavish breakfast buffet – they are outside lying in the pristine white snow, now stained in an outline of blood.
The shock and horror of discovering the body, especially on Christmas morning, is unimaginable. The local Constable and his men check out the scene and deem it an obvious suicide by handgun. But after they leave, several folks at the Westbury mansion are beginning to wonder if the Constable got it “right” – and he “didn’t.”
As Lady Westbury tries her best to keep everyone calm and maintain a civil atmosphere, one of the guests starts conducting their own secret investigation. They soon realize that someone among them is a cold-blooded killer. The motive is quite elusive. But as the story evolves, hidden agendas slowly seep through the pages and not everyone is who they appear to be.
The clues and the killer totally got by me on this one – you’re going to need to be a super sleuth to crack this case – are you up to it? If so, grab a copy of Murder Most Festive by Ada Moncrieff, a new release from Poisoned Pen Press – it’s a holiday treat!
A complimentary copy of this book/photo was provided by the publisher. Publishers and authors can contact me at: ann@wonderwomensixty.com