This was a charming locked-room mystery with a few compelling twists - the reveal of the true antagonist at the end felt like a strong choice, and the various pivots and reveals felt very aligned with Agatha Christie's methods. The choice to have the narrator be the chef was a wonderful way to orchestrate the story, and the writing and dialogue were strong. I will admit, for a moment it seemed that the grandson was in fact interested in killing his grandfather for the purpose of gaining the throne rather than avoiding the throne. However, the author pulled off the character turns well.

It did feel a little on the nose with references to a show like The Crown and allusions to a scandal like Prince Andrew's, but all in all it was a fun mystery read for the holidays.

I really enjoyed this book! It's a great pick for anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery or reading about the royals. It felt like a good book to read during the holidays!

In an alternate timeline, the royals are having a secluded family holiday dinner with just a chef and security man present. When the king dies, this closed door murder mystery must be solved. I love a closed door or secluded murder mystery, but this one was just okay. I did enjoy the back story of the chef, but that storyline fizzled. The royal family was certainly an interesting bunch, but we didn't really learn enough about them or get to know them well enough. The twist was fairly standard and didn't shock me. It was a fast read but isn't a book I'm likely to remember or recommend.

Just couldn’t get into this book for some reason. I really wanted to like it but I just couldn’t get into it. I couldn’t relate to the characters or the scenario. I was definitely disappointed

A locked room mystery with the detective chef. I loved reading about the dysfunctional royal family and the reveals about their personal drama were fun to come across. The mystery itself fell secondary at times but it was a good story overall.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The royal family is at a Christmas retreat that is no different than in past years, except this time, the King has dismissed all staff except the cook and security guard. After Christmas dinner, the king mysteriously dies, and the search is one for whodunnit.

This book's description sounded so much like a quirky Clue-type read or a humorous Agatha Christie type murder mystery, but I was disappointed. I wanted so badly to like it, but it just dragged on for me. I loved the concept and story idea.

As a mystery books lover I was excited when given a chance to spend time with this one. Unfortunately, this book was a big disappointment for me. The summary of my opinion will be - Ridiculous plot with a very slow pase, unlikable characters and horrible ending. The political opinions expressed in this book also were "no" to me.
I am very sad that I have to give this book a one star.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the copy.

DNF. I wanted to love this story but honestly it was throwing me into a book slump so I had to abandon ship. I just didn't find the characters engaging enough to get attached, but I can see how this book would be great for other readers. Just wasn't my cup of tea.

This was a nice surprise of a mystery. Imagine the royal family sending away most of the staff while celebrating Christmas at Balmoral, save for the head of security and a chef. Then imagine the blizzard that turns the castle into a locked room mystery. And in another fun twist, these Windsors are the line that would have occurred if Edward had not been able to abdicate. Chef Jonathan Alleyne is tapped by the Royal Family to discover who may have killed beloved King Eric as he toasted the family with the beginning of his Christmas speech. It's already explained that he has changed the rules for succession, so the twists and red herrings to discover how the murder happened were numerous and not always easy to guess.

I thought I was going to read a cute mystery caper, but this was downright depressing. That ending was the worst.

I'm going to be honest - when I first requested this book, I was nervous the plot might be a little too... cheesy. Then with the passing of the actual queen AT Balmoral, I kept putting this off because then it felt a bit on the nose. However, when I finally picked this one up, I'm SO glad that I did. I raced through these pages, following the twists and turns through all of their unpredictability. The mark of a good thriller or mystery is one where you never see the ending coming, and this one hit the mark. Will recommend this one to anyone, especially those who love the royal family!

A Murder at Balmoral is a locked room mystery that takes place at Balmoral with a fictional royal family. This book was interesting but slow in places. Overall, I would read it again, it is a good cozy mystery for the holidays!

It’s Christmas at Balmoral castle. The king has requested that it just be the family plus the chef and the head of security to be in attendance. It promises to be a Christmas to remember. Everyone in the royal family is speculating that the king is going to step aside and announce who will be his successor. All of that comes to a crashing halt when the king falls over dead after drinking some whiskey. Was it poisoned? And if it was, who did? Who killed the king? The chef must play detective since the head of security is missing and everyone is stuck in the castle due to a massive blizzard raging outside. Will he find out who the killer is before anyone else dies?

I really enjoyed this royal whodunit! It kept me guessing right up to the end. I enjoyed seeing the dynamic of each member of the family play out. Seeing what their motives were. Towards the end of the book, it was evident that a couple of characters were suspicious and possibly involved. I think it would have been just a tad more interesting if these characters weren’t so obvious. I also would have liked the ending to be a little more final. The author leaves it open to the possibility of a sequel or for the reader’s imagination. I will definitely read this author again!

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!

A Murder at Balmoral is a quirky locked room mystery with an alternate history timeline plot element by Chris McGeorge. Released 25th Oct 2022 by Penguin Random House on their Putnam imprint, it's 384 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.

The blurb describes this as Clue meets The Crown, and that is not an inappropriate description. There's a fair bit of fast-and-loose with actual history (in this timeline, Edward VIII didn't abdicate to marry Wallis Simpson), and all that has followed that wrinkle has led to a locked room setting for Christmas murder at Balmoral.

The dramatis personae are muzzily defined, although the author has provided a list of the principal players. The setting itself is wonderful and the author has a readable and engaging writing style. The mystery is a trifle contrived (but par for the course of the genre), and the ending was odd, but overall, it's a worthwhile and interesting read. Probably mostly of interest to readers who are especially fascinated by the British royals; it will be lost on most who aren't already familiar with some of the Windsor back-history.

Three stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I excited to read this book when I saw it, but it didn’t turn out, as well as I thought it would. The book is slow in places, and I found myself skipping pages, which is never good. 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.
I loved the book and was astounded to see so many 3 star and under reviews. It is a closed box mystery that involves a fictitious royal family that gets the details of royal life pretty spot on. It was not a cozy mystery not was it a quick read. It kept me guessing until the end and had me on the edge of my seat many times. Characters were interesting and mostly well developed. Though not the central focus of the book, consideration was given to the monarchy and its place in modern times. A great read.

I loved the plot summary of this book and I hoped that I would like this as much as The Windsor Knot, but it was not meant to be. I found there to be too many characters and I tried and tried to read this book and it just wouldn't take. Unfortunately, this one was not for me and I'm moving on.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

A locked door mystery, set in a most famous place, full of intriguing suspects--the British Royal Family (in a parallel timeline), and investigated by a most sympathetic amateur sleuth: the royal chef. Perfect for lovers of Royals and mysteries alike.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is available now!

I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and have been trying to figure out how I feel about it. What I can say is this: I definitely didn't hate it, but it's not a favorite. I enjoyed the alternate timeline/alternate family tree concept for the British royal family, and I always love a "closed door" mystery. However, I found the book difficult to get into, and while the very last bit felt satisfying, overall the end felt like a let-down.

I think this story had some interesting things to say on the institution of the monarchy, and it did keep me guessing...so I guess this one is just okay for me! If you enjoy alternate histories, locked room mysteries, and the British monarchy, you might enjoy this one!

A cozy, timely, and twisty novel that will appeal to any reader who enjoys a locked-room mystery. A steadily accelerating plot, gradual reveals, and some big twists toward the end make this a very enjoyable holiday mystery for Agatha Christie fans and royal watchers alike.