What could be more fun than a murder mystery holiday? Six people have been invited by the Midwinter Trust to compete in a contest to solve the murder of an author over the Christmas holiday. The six contestants have one thing in common: they all have ties to crime writing. The remote Yorkshire village of Midwinter sets the perfect Christmas scene. As the game starts, the six employees of the Midwinter Trust try to make sure that every guest follows the rules and has a good time. Soon however, this changes from a game to a real murder mystery. As people start being found dead in the village, the guests start to try to figure out the actual deaths (murder or misadventure) on top of the fictional one. A cozy mystery and an enjoyable holiday novel.

A great traditional locked-room whodunnit with post-modern twists! I absolutely adore mysteries with strong Puzzlemaster elements, and this one leaves the clues and quizzes front and center. The addition of an old-fashioned Cluefinder at the end was excellent for those of us entrenched in the genre. I didn't guess the big world "twist," but everything made perfect sense once the big reveal scenes were triggered. Just a great way to spend a few hours, a new classic in a well-worn genre.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for giving me access to this book, this doesn’t influence my opinion in any way.

I had so much fun reading Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife. It’s one of those mystery novels that completely pulls you in with its snowy, closed-in atmosphere and that mix of playfulness and tension. The idea of a murder game turning real isn’t new, but here it felt fresh, clever, and full of little twists that kept me guessing.

I really enjoyed the mixed formats, journal entries, letters, transcripts… it made the experience more immersive and interactive. I loved trying to figure things out on my own with all the clues scattered around. Some characters felt more developed than others, but honestly, I didn’t mind too much because the vibe and the pacing made up for it.

It’s the kind of book that makes you want to reread it just to catch everything you missed the first time. Super fun, smart, and perfect for mystery lovers looking for something that plays with the genre in a really entertaining way.

* I want to start by thanking the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced release copy of this book. I really liked this book and would highly recommend!

2.5 roinded ip because I really enjoyed the clues given so I could play along. I didn't like any of the characters, which means I didn't care what happened to them. The book dragged a lot. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I enjoyed this atmospheric cozy that an Agatha Christie vibe. The mystery within a mystery was good fun as well. Like a good Agatha Christie mystery this had plenty of characters to keep track of and plenty of red herrings as well. Nice Christmas time read with lots of snow and puzzles galore.

Miss Winter in the library with a knife, was an interesting book. I was looking forward to this book with the puzzles and solving some of the mysteries myself. However I did not find it accessible in that way. I found the story to lag in many places and confusing in others. I started and stopped reading the book several times. I would get interested and then lose interest again. The book didn’t do it for me, too much lag time between plot points. I’m sure this may be a good fit for some, but not me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife is not your typical thriller. It is not one that you will sit down and fly through, while knowing who did it the whole time. Instead, this mystery novel is a genius work of writing with mysterious characters, and layered secrets all set in the icy, stormed in setting of Midwinter Retreat.

The novel has the fun option of being able to play along to try and solve the mystery yourself, complete with a clue finder in the back. While I personally did not take this route just due to time's sake, I loved looking at the cluefinder at the end to confirm any suspicious I had while reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! As a big fan of Clue this book immediately stuck out with me. The plot was fun and very interesting. Bringing six contestants to one location to solve the murder of a fictional crime writer was such a great set up. Add in the remote snowbound location that really sets the stage.

The mystery is obviously the best part. Throughout the whole book I tried to solve it right alongside the characters. The mystery and puzzles were excellent and the secrets kept me constantly guessing what came next. What is so good about this book is that it's set up for you to play the game right alongside the competitors. It's almost like you are part of the game! You get the rules, clues, and puzzles so the story is very interactive. I loved this since I'm a big fan of games and puzzles! Again I thought this was a fun murder mystery and would recommend if you love a good mystery!

I have mixed feelings about this story. The way it's written is unique and new to me, which I liked. Although it was mentioned at the end that this type of writing was seen before, I never read one of that type.
The game plot was interesting and made it to seem like the foreground for the plot. The first 50% felt like the story would be casual mystery, until the murders started. I wasn't sure what to make of all the characters. I kept thinking that someone from the trust was behind it but never thought 'That person' is behind it.
Second half went so smooth. Mystery revelation, connecting the dots and links. Although at first, it felt too much for linking agencies but I understood that it is somewhat closer to real operations.
It's either I missed it or I didn't still get why Harry was invited. All other dots are connected for me. Also I didn't pick if the people invited for the game were actually invited as they were connected to Baz and the intention was to kill all of them. I think it is discussed among the players but I didn't get the answer at last.

Martin Edwards is the current President of the Detection Club and, as such, I revere him like the Pope. This charming whodunit has all the ingredients of the best classic mysteries, including twists recovered from Dame Agatha and a Cluefinder that would make Ellery Queen jealous. The Midwinter Trust is a secretive organization that invited six strangers to solve a fictional murder. Readers are given the same clues as the characters, which was fun. But that part was almost unimportant compared to the bulk of the book, the inexplicable deaths plaguing the group. In the best classic tradition, they are all isolated by a snowstorm, can’t ask for help and it’s not clear who’s the baddie. All that said: I really, really, really wanted to love this read with a passion. I thoroughly enjoyed many parts but, sacrilegious as this next sentence is, “the whole didn’t work for me.” There is a big reveal that left me cold, not because it wasn’t masterfully foreshadowed but because it changed the tone of the novel in a way that felt contrived. The game was fun at first, but I eventually lost interest in it, wanting to know what was happening in the characters’ “real life.” The plot spends too long getting all the elements in place, only to rush to resolve the story. It is a fun book that fans of the Golden Age will appreciate, but nothing to write home about.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Poisoned Pen Press.

If you're looking for an easy read this isn't for you. I understand books are usually subjective but a pet peeve of mine is when books get undeserved bad reviews. Because this book is going to be a nocturnal emission ( Google it 🫶🏻) for most.

This isn't just a book, it's a work of art, it's an entire experience! You aren't just a reader, you're a participant.

Also, if you find yourself finding this book "cliche" please try and remember it's literally supposed to be! For many of us this will be as close to a murder mystery weekend we can get. This author knows what they are doing though because even with all the needed cliche, there is strong originality!

This isnt the book you take on a busy family beach day or a quick commute. This is the kind of book you block out a night, grab a notebook & pen, and get to work! After all, YOU have a case to solve!

I love, love, LOVEEEEEEEEEEEE that the author included cluefinders at the end!!

Making for a second read to be an entirely different experience

If you take And Then There Were None and plunk it down instead into a snowy, remote Yorkshire village, you wouldn’t be far off from the plot of this mystery.

When six people connected with the crime-writing industry are invited to travel to Midwinter for the exclusive opportunity to solve a murder mystery game with a healthy prize for the winner, they all jump at it. All expenses paid Christmas? Check. A chance at professional redemption? Also check. Because each one has suffered a substantial setback, whether professionally, personally, or both. Coincidentally (or is it?) none of them have close family ties and not a lot to lose should things take a sinister turn…

Snowed in and truly cut off from the rest of the world — other than the enigmatic Midwinter Trust members hosting the event — the six find themselves scrambling to solve both fictitious and very real murders. With alternating POV chapters and the invitation for the reader to play along and solve the crimes themselves, it’s an engaging read.

I enjoyed it and will definitely check out Martin Edwards’ other books, but I felt the ending and solution to the mystery were a bit on the implausible side. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

(Contains spoilers!) The book was slow to start, but definitely hooked you. I'd say maybe 50 pages in and I wanted to know more. There were quite a few twists and turns that in retrospect I can see where the groundwork was lain, but didn't see coming. I do feel like the book concluded too rapidly. From the SPOILER [discovery of the murderer, we flash forward significantly]. I feel like more time spent exploring the direct aftermath would have been beneficial. SPOILER[Less so in a 'what happened?' exposition way, but in a how did the characters react way. I wanted to know what Jeremy and Daisy said when they came to, how the other contestants reacted, how Jeremy tried to explain away the events.] It felt like the first 75% of the book dragged - in a good way - and then the last 25% was a hurry to make it over the finish line.

That said, I really liked the book. I liked the groundwork it laid in the early plot and I'm likely to re-read it solely to see which clues I can pick up on.

All in all, a very enjoyable read!

I wasn’t sure this book was one I would enjoy. It started off very slowly but once I was about 1/3 through the story the pace picked up along with my interest. I loved the characters, who were a mixed bag of personalities and the Dame Agatha vibe the storyline projected. There were several surprising twists sprinkled throughout the pages. The book also gives the opportunity to the reader to look at the clues along with the characters and try to solve the murders.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a fun read! I had no idea who was guilty in both the actual mystery or the game they were playing but I loved that. The twist got me, but in a good way. It kept me turning pages the whole time. My only “negative” is that some of the British slang threw me off (I am American, so a few things had me googling), but it didn’t take away from the book. It was worth the read if you like mysteries that keep you guessing! Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

This was such a fun read! I unfortunately was not lucky enough to solve the murder myself although I did have an idea and I was way WAY off lol. This one definitely keeps you on your toes

This was a fun read by prolific British mystery writer Martin Edwards. Six people with various connections to the world of crime writing have been invited to a lavish retreat in a remote Yorkshire village to play a murder mystery game. Each of the contestants has suffered from professional setbacks, and each hopes to win the substantial cash prize and reignite their careers. Shortly after the guests arrive, they become snowed in, and suspicious deaths begin to occur.

The author invites the reader to solve the fictional murder along with the contestants, and there are plenty of clues along the way to solve the real crimes that occur. The book plays with a lot of traditional mystery tropes in an entertaining way. I didn't like most of the characters, but I don't think I was supposed to.

Overall, an enjoyable, if light, read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Six people, with several similarities in their background, have received the opportunity to solve a mystery and win a significant prize. But in order to do so, they must come to a small town in the most remote area of England. And, as they arrive in the town, they are subjected to a huge blizzard. They are cut off to the rest of the world.

As the mystery game begins, things begin to go wrong. First, one of the contestants is found dead. Then, one of the members of the staff is found dead. Was it two fatal accidents? Or was it murder? The third death has no such suspense. The second member of the staff to die was clearly murdered. Not only do the contestants have to solve their murder in the game, they have to solve the murder(s) that are taking place around them.

It is easy to see why Martin Edwards is an award-winning author. The story is extremely well crafted. The characters are well-developed with flaws and endearing features. I highly recommend this book.

A modern Christmas mystery with Agatha Christie vibes? Sign me up!

When six people are invited to spend their Christmas solving a fictional mystery in the English countryside, with the winner getting a substantial prize, what's to stop them from saying no? Especially when the Midwinter Trust is the organizer, and no one fully understands its true history. The novel that follows will have readers feverishly flipping their pages to find out what happens next.

Miss. Winter in the Library with a Knife reminded me of why I fell in love with Agatha Christie's writing; the mystery is fantastic, the characters all have interesting backstories, and the suspense keeps the book glued to your hands.

This brilliant book will delight any type of reader, challenging you to solve the mystery along the way as well (spoiler alert: I did not solve the mystery, and am an active puzzler). The mix of contestant accounts with the history of the Midwinter Trust makes the story richer, fully immersing you in the book's world.

I cannot wait to buy a print copy of this book to share with others!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for my honest review.