Mystery author Maggie Chase finds herself snowed in an English estate with none other than the legendary author “Duchess of Death,” Eleanor Ashley and Maggie’s rival, big-shot thriller writer Ethan Wyatt. But when Eleanor mysteriously vanishes from a locked room, Maggie and Ethan must put aside their rivalry to find Eleanor before anyone else goes missing!

I really enjoyed this festive mystery! The banter between Maggie and Ethan was a fun, and their interactions had me chuckling. The romance was fun and lighthearted, though the shift from rivals to lovers happened a little too quickly for my taste. The mystery itself was engaging, but at times, it felt like an elaborate scavenger hunt requiring insider knowledge that readers weren’t fully equipped with, which took away a bit of the satisfaction of solving it alongside the characters.

That said, this was a fun, cozy mystery with holiday charm that I’d recommend for fans of locked-room mysteries with a touch of romance.

Big thanks to Ally Carter, NetGalley, and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this ARC.

THE MOST WONDERFUL CRIME OF THE YEAR by Ally Carter is a twisty, fun holiday mystery with a fantastic balance of romance and mystery-solving!

After reading a plethora of Christmas romance every year, it was fun to read a holiday book with a different spin!

I enjoyed getting to know Maggie and Ethan as they expose more of their true selves to each other and became a spicy team to help figure out what was happening at Eleanor's estate.  

The mashup of Christmas, romance, and mystery was delightful. It felt like it could’ve been a little shorter, but the chemistry between Margaret and Ethan was enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Well this was a ton of fun! 🤩 I absolutely love a locked room mystery and when you add in Christmas and romance you get such an enjoyable read!
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Maggie was maybe a little annoying but I loved Ethan and his humor and charm. I couldn’t help picturing him as Flynn Rider from Tangled even though he’s a cartoon character. 😂😂
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I loved the ode to mystery books and Clue and Agatha Christie. Trapdoors and notes in books and hidden safes and poison and disappearing from a locked room…SO FUN! I did not guess the culprit and suspected everyone. 🤪
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I gave it four stars and would love to read more of this author’s work. Thanks so much to Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc!

I usually don't enjoy holiday edition books, but this book was an exception! It can be enjoyed any time of year--don't just save it for the holiday season! It was suspenseful, the main characters had wonderful chemistry, excellent character backstories, laugh out loud situations and dialogue, and a satisfying ending. My husband was leery about reading a holiday romcom mystery, but he was surprised that he LOVED it too! It is a quick and enjoyable read--the perfect book to make any boring day a holiday!

A fresh breath for Carter, who was able to combine romance, classic missing-from-a-locked-room thrill, AND a holiday feel into one fun-to-read book.

I was hoping to get my hands on this book early, but the format downloaded to my kindle horrible. I ended up waiting to barrow it from Libby,

This was SO cute!! Enemies to lovers, cozy mystery that takes place during Christmas time. This gives Christmas ROM-COM and Netflix special movie. I would recommend this for a winter bookclub pick

Absolutely stunning. I loved everything about this book. The romance, the characters, the mystery, the writing, the pacing - all of it was so well done. I ended up binging this and finished it in one sitting cause I couldn't stand not knowing what happened next. But of course, the romance was the best thing about this and it was just so great with plenty of moments that made me melt into a puddle of goo.

Not as action/adventurey as I was hoping and it had a bit of a slow start, but once it got going, it was really hard to put it down! Overall, a fun Christmas mystery romance!

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter!

This was a cute fast paced fun book!! You have the holiday backdrop, with the suspense of a crime, and some goofy characters all rolled into one!
I enjoyed this book, and it was a quick read! I would pick more up from this author!

A fun humorous mystery set at the holiday time! Locked room mysteries are always intriguing and this story was very well done! I had a few laughs, and a few times I thought I solved it. Was enjoyable.

**Had something happen which caused me a delay in submitting a review.

This was a delightful mystery romance. Highly recommend to fans of Carters other books and fans of books like Finlay Donovan and Knives Out.

If you read and loved The Blonde Identity I think you'll love this one too. It's definitely a different story but has the same feel. This one is a locked room mystery and really feels like a bow to Agatha Christie. It definitely kept me both guessing and smiling.

3.5
What you get when you cross Agatha Christie x Knives Out x classic rom coms. A great read for the holiday season with the perfect amount of banter!
As a long time fan of Ally Carter's, this was a fun read but the mystery didn't quite live up to my expectations of her previous heist/spy books.

I had really high expectations for this book and I think that was a mistake, because it was just fine.

I didn’t dislike it, but there’s also not anything that I really loved about it either.

It was also fade to black which I wasn’t expecting so I was a little cranky about.

Thank you to Avon for the eARC in exchange for a review.

This is a fabulous Christmas time romp with fun and mysterious characters and a romance to boot! Two rival enemies to lovers romance novelist partner up to solve a mystery and a crime!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | A Festive Heist Full of Twists and Charm

Ally Carter delivers another fun and fast-paced adventure with The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year. Set against a dazzling holiday backdrop, this book combines the thrill of a heist with the warmth of a Christmas mystery, making it a perfect seasonal read. The witty banter, clever twists, and endearing characters kept me engaged from start to finish.

What I loved most was the blend of suspense and holiday magic—Carter’s signature style shines through, making the story both exciting and cozy. The pacing is quick, and the heist elements are well thought out, though at times, I wished for a bit more depth in character development. Some moments felt a little rushed, but overall, the charm of the story made up for it.

If you’re a fan of Ally Carter’s previous books or love lighthearted mysteries with a festive twist, this is a great pick. Not quite a five-star read for me, but definitely a fun and enjoyable holiday escape!

solid 3.75! Such a fun read and take on a holiday themed book, as a fan of knives out I found this to be really engaging. I did get a bit confused between characters as there were so many (but I think that is my fault not the authors!)

This was a pretty fun mix of romance and mystery. I liked the setting and I loved both of the main characters. I'd definitely read something like this again.