A Murder at Balmoral by Chris McGeorge is a great murder/mystery set in the infamous Balmoral castle.

This is a great murder/mystery set up in the classic who-dunnit style. It is Christmas, and a blizzard has stranded and isolated the Royal family (an alternative royal family with a few notes of similarity in family structure only) and King Eric has requested the family and personal chef, Jon, be the only remaining inhabitants. The King is enigmatic on why he has requested this arrangement, but before all secrets can be revealed, the King dies in a mysterious death. Now going back over the day in reflection, Jon is tasked with solving the murder, revealing the culprit, and getting out alive.

Moderate pacing, a few surprises, and a very intriguing ending. Very enjoyable read that I recommend.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and G. P. Putnam’s Sons for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 10/25/22.

A fun engaging mystery with a hero easy to root for in the midst of a truly foul bunch of royals.

The conceit of a snowed in royal family, each with a motive to kill the king was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed the book although I am not sure it quite meets the requirements of fair play in the end. Overall, I would recommend it to other mystery lovers as a good vacation read.