Jude Gray is busy. Christmas is almost here and she’s preparing for her sister Lucy’s holiday wedding. And a film crew has descended on Malvern Farm to film a Christmas special for the popular TV series Countryside Live. On the first day of filming, a reluctant Jude is being interviewed by the beloved, married hosts Annie Bird and Simon North, when Annie has a severe allergic reaction on live TV. Because everyone on the set was aware of her peanut allergy, foul play is suspected. DS Sami Abadi leads the investigation, aided by Jude’s friend Binnie Khatri and, of course, Jude herself. There are as many possible suspects as there are motives and Jude is juggling Christmas and wedding plans, farm work, stealth visits to the film set and her suppressed feeling for handsome artist Marco.

A Very Merry Murder is the 6th in the delightful Malvern Farm mystery series. The Countryside Live filming brings a different cast of characters to Jude’s farm while the familiar Lucy, Noah, Sebbie and Granny Margot return. The plot is complicated and suspenseful until the final chapters. As usual, Malvern Farm and its named animals (Rodney Trotter, Gertie and Pancake) are the stars here. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Kate Wells for this ARC.

A TV show is coming to film at Malvern Farm. It's a Christmas special, celebrating rural living, and all of Jude's achievements.

Inevitably, one of the crew is found dead.

And what looks like an accident is anything but...

Another brilliant addition to this great series

Buckle up your seat belts. This one takes you on quite the rollercoaster ride. Not only is there a murder and long list of suspects but, well, there's a question about who was really the intended target. This was my first read of this series but it won't be my last. Jude Gray's farm has been selected as the site for a filmed Christmas special. Unfortunately, Jude is beginning to wonder if that was a good thing or bad. Sure, she likes the money she'll earn but, well, maybe she should have read the contract more closely. Even worse, the producer is arrogant and way too handy with his hands if you get my drift. Then there's a near disaster, closely followed by a murder. And that's just the beginning.

I won't detail the plot other than to say it moves along at a steady pace and is full of surprises, twists, and turns. The regulars are quite likable and even the pertinent film crew is nicely fleshed out. Note that I said fleshed out, not necessarily likable. Besides the heartless producer, there is a storm brewing amongst the crew and the outcome isn't good. Any of them or all might have a motive for murder. watching Jude and friends sort it all out is fun. Well, maybe I should say interesting as I'm sure Jude wouldn't consider it fun. She also has her animals to deal with. We even get a bit of their personalities. Rodney Trotter emerged as my favorite critter, gotta admit, though the ducks aren't really good at getting in a row.

Bottom line, I'm definitely hooked. I enjoyed the characters, with Grannie Margot, who seems to run the senior center and has a sharp analytical mind, probably being my favorite. Also, young Sebbie, who delighted in the odd places Jude hid his elf leading up to Christmas, not to mention springing it on his mother the morning of the school's holiday play that he needs a costume for it. Does that sound familiar to any parents out there? Jude's bubbling under the surface attraction to Marco is fun to watch play out, too, especially since Clara, his current girlfriend, is a friend. Who said living in a small town was simple. Kudos to Jude, btw, for sharing info she stumbles across quickly with detective friend Binnie, who is on desk assignment due to a prior incident. Thanks #BoldwoodBooks for introducing me to them all with this early peek at the current goings on. I'll definitely be catching up with the series. I thoroughly enjoyed it and, hey, we got to pet some fun animals and even take a tractor ride. Grin.