I enjoyed reading this quick Holiday Mystery. A group of people are sent invitations to spend the Holidays on an island in the Pacific Northwest. What is supposed to be a relaxing vacation turns into murder. There are references to And Then There Were None and House of Usher. The main character is a code breaker and she uses her skill to solve the mystery. The book is short but offers plenty of mystery. Enjoy

My three-word description of Murder for Christmas by Jo-Ann Carson is spooky, exciting and suspenseful.

Book synopsis:
Agatha Christie meets The House of Usher
When code-breaker Madison Rathborne gets an all-expense paid trip to a remote island in the Pacific Northwest the week before Christmas, she expects a peaceful getaway from the fake Santas in the city and the drama of her family’s turkey feast, but Deadman’s Island offers no such sanctuary. Trapped in a maze of secrets, scandals and murder, with a side of ghost, Maddy struggles to make sense of it all. Macabre stories of gruesome deaths on the estate go back centuries. Her logical mind refuses to believe in legends, but there’s no reasonable explanation for what’s going on around her.
Twelve strangers invited to the gathering, discover turkey is not the only thing on the menu, as one by one they meet their maker.
Will Mad Rath’s superior logician skills crack the mystery before the killer gets her? Or is there a supernatural force at work that cannot be conquered?

My musings:
I found this a really compelling and hugely entertaining story. Jo-Ann Carson delivers a strong character in Maddy, and writing the book from her point of view was an inspired choice. She was a strong character with plenty of attitude and intelligence. The author really beefed up the tension in this super mini-mystery. I liked the smart Maddy, and the other characters were all vivid and interesting in their individual ways, especially Mercedes Brown. All had their secrets to tell, and as Maddy searched for links that could explain the gruesome deaths, I found myself fascinated by her thought processes, following along with her as she attempted to pinpoint the murderer. Overall, I had no issues with Murder for Christmas except that it was too short for my tastes.

Verdict:
Very highly recommended for those who get a buzz from goth-style mysteries.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from JRT Publications via NetGalley at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this cozy mystery set on a mysterious island where guests are being murdered. Sound familiar? Yes, the author actually references Agatha Christie's <I>And Then There Were None</I> in the story. I liked the reporter who happened to go to the island because her friend was sick, and who tries to unravel the mystery. All in all a fun read and a good effort by the author.

A very interesting read . Twists and turns to keep you engrossed. Wondering which way the author is going to take it. Nice and easy to read. Flows well. Enjoyable to read. Can’t beat a good winter murder mystery book

Well aware of the genre she is working in and the books obvious influences, Jo-Ann Carson’s ‘Murder for Christmas’ is a fun read which can be finished in one sitting. Set on Deadman’s Island, Madison Rathbone’s Christmas invite to a gathering takes a sinister turn as guests start to turn up dead. Crossing a couple of genres such as crime and the supernatural, as well as a seasonal story I would definitely recommend this.

Madison is a code breaker that needs a vacation. She gets an all expensed vacation and instead of peace and quiet she finds death and murder. How will she use her code breaking skills to track down a killer? Can she?
Thank you NetrGalley for allowing me to read this and write about it.

Murder for Christmas is a wonderful page turning short story. Fabulous writing. I will read more from this author.

If you could pick one place on the entire planet, any place at all, that you could be during Christmas time where would it be?

For Madison Rathbone, it's nothing less than being as far away from her family at Christmas as she can get. Evidentially, in this story, she got her Christmas wish in the form of an all-expense paid invitation for a week get-away at a lodge on a secluded island with 12 other people.

Travelling to the island on a boat Maddy learns from the captain the glorious news about her destination. What Maddy called Puffin Island is known lovingly, or not so fondly, to the locals as Deadman's Island. That was unfavourable news indeed! That should have been her earliest clue that perhaps she should turn around and head home.

Of course, she didn't, because that would be a short book indeed.

So, finally getting to her destination, she recognizes the mistake that she made when she comes to the estate. It was right out of thing from a horror movie, in this case, a horror book. Spooky, creepy, and pretty exhausted looking. Once she meets the rest of the guests, she knew her impression wasn't right and that she wasn't' alone in her feelings.

With the scene set, what else could possibly go wrong?

The book is a page turner indeed! (Well, for me a screen tapper seeing it was on Kindle.) I found that the book was pretty exciting and suspenseful throughout. I kept on trying to guess the end of the book but just couldn't put my finger on what I thought was going to happen at the climax.

The mysterious, isolated island couldn't have been a better site for this story to take place. The solitude of no outside communication along with the eerie lodge gave the novel all that more spookiness.


Writing the book from Maddy's point of view was a great choice. She was a strong character with a lot of great character traits. Intelligent, good looking, and a bit of an attitude.

With there being 12 guests to get-a-way you could assume the time it would take for the author to come up with outstanding personalities for each of the individuals. Each one was as distinct from the next as cats are to dogs.

For instance, Mercedes Brown. What a lady! She was one of my favourites. A movie star who brought the most important person to the dinner party, herself.

Don't' get me wrong, the main character in the book, Maddy, was great! I absolutely did like her character. But Mercedes Brown took the cake! That lady, man oh man, seems like to be the most significant bi### at a dinner party. Hopefully, Jo-Ann writes a story all around her!

Here's a bit from Mercedes and one of my favourite parts in the book, although when she says this doesn't impact the storyline all, was when Mercedes Brown makes her debut to the rest of the guests.


Quote from my favourite character in the book - Mercedes Brown
“Sorry darlings, I've been drinking since dawn. My agent is giving me such a headache.” Then to mark her own self-importance she goes on to comment, “I'm pleased to be with you all and will leave you autographed photos by the front door.”

Another great quote from the book was, “We need different in this world. It's what makes life interesting”. This was said when Maddy was talking about her sister.

Now for what I didn't like about the book. Overall, I loved the book. I had absolutely no issues with it. If I had to make any suggestions to the author, I would suggest making the book a bit longer. Just so you could create more of a back story for the characters. I am sure a lot of people don't like that in books, but I for one, like a lot of detail and back story.

Another thing that would have been a great item to put in the book was a longer historical explanation about Deadman's island.

Those two things DO NOT take away from the book!

Now for my recommendation. Don't let the name of the book fool you, although it's is called Murder for Christmas, this book won't make you any colder if you read it in the winter. The island has no snow, only rain, so never fear. You do on the other hand run the risk of catching a chill during those dreary sections. In my opinion, this book is for somebody that needs a great read with a fabulous mystery and surprising ending.

Thank you NetGalley and JRT Publications for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jo-Ann Carson has written a delightful short story reminiscent of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. Eight people have been invited by an unknown person to the remote Dead Man's Island in the Pacific Northwest. Recluse Roger Reynolds has invited these "like" minded adventurers to the island. Madison Rathborne was not invited but she's looking forward to spending the week before Christmas anywhere but at home eating dead-bird. In fact her friend Reggie Thompson was the one invited but not being able to attend passed her all-expenses paid invitation on to Maddy.

Henri Larochelle, Linda Li, Dr. Charles Chamberlain Smith III, Lucy Diamond, Sam Charles, Jago James and Mercedes Brown round out the eight invited guests. Also on the island are Mr. & Mrs. Buchanon - the butler and the cook. The Captain who brought them all over to the island has left - or has he?

As one by one guests (and staff) start to disappear only to be found dead, everyone started to be suspicious of everyone else. What is going on, on this remote island, why has everyone been summoned here. Maddy works hard to solve the puzzle of how everyone is connected before it's too late.

I only wish this story was longer because it was such a great read.

It reminded me of Agatha Christie's books. I feel like this sort of story has been told over and over again. Although the ending was different. It wasn't the most exciting or thrilling but it wasn't horrible either. I wouldn't reread it though.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
3/5 stars

Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars really as it is very short. People have been invited to an old forested island for Christmas for various reasons. The final person of the group is a substitute due to illness of the expected member and she becomes the main investigator. Storms abound, no mobile coverage and no contact with anywhere. The old forest of the island seems to cause them all unease or panic for some obscure reason. Each person has guilt in their past and one by one they are murdered. The threads tie up reasonably well but the lack of length means lack of detail, context and description for me. It might have taken ideas from Agatha Christie but an Agatha "it ain't". Thanks to NetGalley and JRT Publications for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

“It was a dark and stormy night...”

Madison “Maddy” Rathborne travels to an old growth forest in the Pacific Northwest. On it is a decrepit old mansion. She is standing in for her friend who received an invitation, but was unable to attend due to illness. Ten strangers gather in the old house. They are not sure why. They all received an invitation. The come from what at first seems like unrelated fields of study and employment.

Before long people start dying. It I clear that the deaths are not accidental. What in the world is going on? One of the group must be the murderer! Maddie and some of the others try to fiigure out what they all have in common and hope to discover the murderer's identity through the process of elimination.

Enter the paranormal. Or is it?

This is a very short novel that is a page-turning treat. The reader must find out what happens to Maddie – and who will die next. The book is very well written and plotted and very reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel. Ms. Carson ratchets up the tension in this mini-mystery. I liked the smart Maddie, and the other characters were both interesting and somewhat mysterious. They all had secrets to tell. I will definitely read more of Ms. Carson's books.

I want to thank NetGalley and JRT Publications for forwarding to me a copy of this delicious mystery for me to read, enjoy and review.

An entertaining read that will not cause a headache trying to keep up with a million different characters. The main character wins a trip....along with several other people. It's supposed to be a vacation but quickly turns into trip to hell. The winners are being murdered one by one and the rest of them have to figure out why before it's their turn to die. A good mystery that made me look for more work by this author. that's the best recommendation a reader can give.

Murder for Christmas by Jo-Ann Carson – 3 Stars
Publisher: JRT Publications
ISBN: 9781989031155

I would say this book is a short story that is entertaining for the couple of hours needed to read it. Expect a tale similar to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, except for the reason why the victims are lured to the island. It was not a deep, enriching novel with well-crafted asides of moving, fulfilling literacy, nor did it yield a profound conclusion. I would classify it as an airplane or beach read to pass the time for one wanting some freedom from this complex world -- a let-me-alone-for-awhile moment. That itself provides a motive to read this.

Reviewer: Rich