A Very Merry Murder is a charming and atmospheric festive mystery, with just the right balance of holiday spirit and intrigue. This has the perfect inviting small-town setting full of warmth, seasonal detail, and a cast of characters that feel both relatable and engaging. The main mystery is well-plotted, with enough twists to hold interest, and the pacing allows the story to unfold steadily without ever feeling rushed.

I feel that it was more cozy than dark, but I felt this suited the Christmas vibe and actually made it a highly enjoyable seasonal read. The resolution was perhaps a little gentler than readers of darker thrillers might expect but still an excellent read that I’d highly recommend for anyone looking to add to their Christmas tbr.

Overall, this is a delightful festive whodunnit, perfect for readers who enjoy cozy mysteries with strong characterisation and a touch of Christmas!

A Very Merry Murder is a wonderful mash-up of gentle farm romance and cosy crime! Jude Gray runs Malvern Farm and is joined by a film crew during December, who want to show farming life at it's charming best. All is going well until one of the crew members is found dead in suspicious circumstances. With a whole host of suspects and some celebrity egos, Jude and the local police detectives have their work cut out for them.

I really enjoyed A Very Merry Murder and its fresh take on the cosy crime genre. Jude as a main character is great, and much as I want her to have a quiet life, another book in a series would be awesome!

Delighted to get my hands on the new book by @katepoelswrites - thanks to Kate, @theboldbookclub and @netgalley for the ARC!

Loved this one - surprise surprise! Fun to have a festive addition to the series. This time, Kate and the gang have a film crew on site filming a country TV show. Death soon finds them and Kate has another murder to solve!

This is such a great fun cosy crime series. I love the running themes that make you feel at home each time you get a new one to read. I love the setting, and the characters. A well written series that is ligh

My sixth visit to Malvern Farm took place over the snowy month of December. Jude Gray, along with her family and friends, welcomed me like I’d never left. The most recent instalment of this mystery series took “cozy” to a whole new level—filled with fuzzy mittens, mugs of hot chocolate, and Christmas preparations.

Jude’s sister Lucy is marrying her handsome beau, the farmhand Noah, and Jude is her maid of honour. But a Christmastime wedding isn’t the only thing happening on the farm this winter. Jude has agreed to host the upcoming Countryside Live holiday special and is welcoming the cast and crew onto her farmland.

Despite the director being a real piece of work, he made Jude an offer she couldn’t resist, with three weeks of filming generating as much income as an entire lambing season on the farm. However, after some mysterious accidents and foul play, she suddenly wishes she had refused, realising that money isn’t everything and it’s no longer worth it.

I loved this book. This series holds a very special place in my heart. I was so happy for Lucy in this book, and there are some joyful moments for Jude as well. Sebbie, Jude’s nephew (Lucy’s son), is growing up and is such a delight. The farm is always a wonderful extra character in the story. I definitely recommend this book to lovers of the series, and I hope it will be a cozy holiday read for new readers as well!

Okay, who let this festive murder mystery sneak into the room wearing a Hallmark sweater but carrying a knife behind its back? Because “A Very Merry Murder” came jingling into my life like it was going to be cozy chaos and instead made me question the true danger levels of a TV presenter with a nut allergy and a fake smile.

This was my first time meeting Jude Gray, and I’m gonna be honest, I had no idea what was going on for, like, the first ten chapters. Not because the plot was confusing, but because I stumbled into book SIX like a drunk aunt showing up to a wedding reception with no idea who the bride is but very strong opinions about the cake. There were clearly layers to these relationships, and I kept trying to piece them together like it was some small-town emotional Rubik’s Cube. “Okay, so Noah is marrying Lucy who is Jude’s sister but also lives on the farm with Sebbie and... wait, is Marco the ex or the maybe-ex or the potential future maybe?” The character web felt like it needed a flipchart and a laser pointer, but eventually I gave up and just vibed.

Jude is… competent. Like, deeply competent. Farm-running, cow-wrangling, emotionally-tired-but-still-functioning competent. Which is refreshing, because we usually get cozy mystery heroines who are one decorative teacup away from a nervous breakdown. Not Jude. She’s handling a farm, a Christmas wedding, a child who thinks mischief is a personality trait, and a live countryside television special full of producers who are clearly two Christmas lights short of a full strand. Oh, and she’s also solving a murder because apparently the police are just like, “You seem bored. Go for it.”

Let’s talk about this murder plot. We’ve got a toxic TV set full of people who absolutely deserve to be murdered in that reality TV kind of way. The passive-aggressive married hosts. The sleazy director. The assistant director who’s got rage issues and an enemies list that’s just a photocopy of the crew roster. It’s like “Love Island” met “Midsomer Murders” and then got snowed in. First there’s an on-air anaphylactic shock that felt less like an accident and more like someone’s weaponized peanut butter. Then a dead body shows up, and suddenly everyone’s walking around like they’re in “Knives Out: Farm Edition.”

Do I think the mystery was perfectly paced? Ehh. It took a minute to actually get to the murder, and then it sort of wandered for a while like a sheep that got loose from the paddock. But once it found its footing, it kept the momentum going. There were just enough red herrings to make me doubt every suspect and one goose that I’m still convinced saw the killer.

Marco, the complicated maybe-love-interest, was one of those slow-burn disaster men who shows up to help shovel snow and accidentally stokes unresolved romantic tension like a professional. And I hate how much I liked him. He’s got big “emotionally repressed artist with good biceps” energy. You know he’s gonna screw it up somehow, but you also know he’d cry about it in a barn with a baby lamb in his arms.

Also? Granny Margot is an absolute menace and I love her. She’s got that chaotic senior energy that says, “Yes, I bake pies, but also I might plant evidence for fun.” More of her. Always.

This book has major “cozy Christmas chaos but make it murder” vibes. It’s not a breakneck thriller, and honestly, if you’re new to the series like I was, prepare to feel like you’ve walked into the middle of a long-running village soap opera where everyone knows each other’s secrets and passive-aggressions. But if you stick with it, the slow burn turns into a warm fire with just enough body count to keep it interesting.

Solid 3.5 stars. Slightly confusing start, fun middle, satisfying end. I might not have known what was going on all the time, but I was having a great time not knowing.

Merry Mayhem Prize: For Turning “Behind the Scenes” Into a Threat, Not a Bonus Feature

Big thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC. Nothing says holiday spirit like murder on live TV and a sheep silently judging your life choices. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go rename all my houseplants after fictional detectives and rewatch every British Christmas special with suspicion in my eyes.

The run up to Christmas is busy at the farm, along with the usual animal feeding Jude’s has her sister’s wedding to prepare for the popular countryside TV programme is based at the farm for live broadcasts in the run up to Christmas. Jude has the nerve wracking experience of a live chat with the show’s hosts, a chat that ends with a terrible accident, or is it?
Then one of the crew is discovered dead in one of the caravan’s, of course Jude’s can’t but help her friends at the police to investigate. A very good cosy murder mystery.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

If you enjoy a cozy Hallmark Mystery, you'll definitely enjoy this book. I found Jude to be a very likeable character and the writing style easy to follow. It was a little slow before the first murder but then after that it kept me interested and guessing.

*Cozy mystery
*Likeable characters
*Keeps you guessing

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

The sixth book in the Malvern mystery series can be read as a standalone. Jude Gray has leased her farm out for a television show. But right away things go awry. Lots of suspense. Great characters. Definitely want to read more of this author. Thanks #Netgalley and #BoldwoodBooks for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

Jude Gray runs Malvern Farm, she has rented out her land for a beloved tv show (think Countryfile meets Richard and Judy) to do a live broadcast over a week just before Christmas. However charming the husband and wife who present the show may seem on the small screen, in real life they seem to be at odds with each other, and he may be having an affair with one of the camera operators. The director is a sleaze who tries to take advantage of women on the crew, the assistant director is a bully, and there is clearly tension between the wife in the presenting couple and the rest of the crew.

While Jude is being interviewed live on the first day one of the presenters nearly dies from anaphylactic shock after being given a cup of coffee which contains peanuts. Days later the camerawoman is dead. Was the death a tragic accident? Was she the intended victim, or was she mistaken for the female lead whose caravan she was using?

This is the sixth book in the series, but the first one I have read. It was the epitome of a cosy read, with Jude working hand-in-glove with two local detectives to solve the case whilst also taking her nephew sledging in the snow and helping her sister plan her Boxing Day wedding. I'd say I guessed the murderer but TBH everyone came under suspicion one way or another so there was an open field.

Pleasant, cosy, small town murder mystery.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is book six in the Malvern mysteries series. It works as a stand alone if you’ve not read the previous ones.
It’s a good murder mystery with multiple likely suspects. I was a little surprised by who the murderer was. It will certainly keep you guessing and you won’t be able to put it down.

While the sixth book in this series, it's easily read as a stand-alone. Jude Gray is excited for Christmas as her half-sister is marrying the love of her life. Jude is much less excited about her farm being taken over by the cast and crew of England's most popular tv show, CountryLife Living. The beloved husband and wife duo are there and they, initially, seem just as wonderful and welcoming as they do on TV. Far less pleasant are the creepy male director, as well as a bullying female AD who bears a grudge for being passed over as the next director of the show.
When the first death occurs, Jude believes that one of the presenters is in danger but as time goes on and death comes again to Malvern Farm, Jude is determined not to let a dangerous grinch spoil Christmas.
Cleverly written, well plotted. I didn't guess the victim(s) and assumed one person would die but they didn't. And, I didn't guess the murderer either so well done by Ms. Wells.

I rarely jump into a series that has been around for a while, preferring to go back and start at the beginning. But the description of this book sounded so good I didn't want to wait until I'd read the previous five, so I decided to go ahead and read it. And I am so glad I did!

I loved the characters, especially Jude, the main character. She's such a grounded character, a widowed farmer who takes care of her animals and her family, who is involved in her small town. She takes things seriously, but also has a sense of humor and playfulness that especially comes through in the scenes with her young nephew.

In this sixth book, a popular national tv show is filming on Jude's farm--the show is there to provide programming of rural life as Christmas nears. Jude has agreed to have them there because she needs the money and while it is a bit inconvenient Jude doesn't think it will be all that bad. Right away, though, she realizes things could be bad indeed.

The producer is a horrible person, a bully and sexual predator, who uses his power and position to get his way. The married stars of the show are perhaps not as happily married in real life as they come across on the show. Then one of the stars nearly dies from an allergic reaction--was it an accident when everyone knew she couldn't even be in the room with peanuts? And then there's a murder . . .

As I mentioned before, this was the first book I'd read in the series, or by Kate Wells, but it definitely won't be the last. I loved the setting, the characters, and the believable way that Jude involved herself as an amateur sleuth. As she points out frequently, it's her farm and she has a right to be on site wherever clues might be found! Highly recommend!

I received an ARC from NetGalley.

Nothing pleases me more than picking up a book from a series (not knowing it's from a series) and enjoying it from cover to cover, which exactly what happened with A Very Merry Murder by Kate Wells.

I didn't realise that it is book 6 of the Malvern Farm Mystery series, but you can still jump right in without any confusion as to who's who.

This festive mystery has everything I love: a TV show filming at Jude’s farm brings disruption, drama, and, soon enough, a suspicious death.

There’s no shortage of motives or suspects, and the tangled web of secrets kept me guessing throughout. The mystery’s plot and pacing are spot-on, with each character feeling distinct and real.

But it’s not all crime and chaos! There's an upcoming wedding, and Jude has her own slow-burning romance with Marco, which brings just the right sparkle.

It’s a solid book with depth, never relying on clichéd festive fluff or overused tropes. Jude herself is a refreshingly smart, brave, and relatable heroine who is a risk-taker but never reckless.

If you want a cozy, cleverly-plotted holiday whodunit with a little warmth alongside the suspense, A Very Merry Murder is highly recommended. I’ll definitely be going back to book one!

With thanks to NetGalley for the early copy in return for an honest review.

A Very Merry Murder by Kate Wells ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A murder mystery caught on camera just weeks before the holidays, what's not to love.
I was captivated right from the beginning and kept my attention till the end.

Pre-order your copy today for a Sept 3rd release date.

Thank you Netgallery for the advanced copy of this book.

Jude has agreed to allow a film crew to use Malvern farm to film three weeks of a popular live tv show, leading up to Christmas. On tv, the married couple who host the show looked like they’re very happy and very much in love but it quickly becomes evident that things are definitely not what they seem. And it’s not just the couple who seem less enamoured of each other. The crew seem to dislike each other intensely, the director is a lech, and Jude learns to her dismay, she has a contractual obligation to appear on the show at least once. Things quickly start falling apart. First the leading lady has an allergic reaction to peanuts on air despite them being banned from the show. And not long after, a crew member is murdered. Jude is determined to discover who the culprit is before another murder but with so many suspects and secrets, she may be in way over her head.

A Very Merry Murder is an enjoyable cozy mystery by Kate Wells with a compelling mystery and interesting characters including Jude who makes for a very strong and resilient protagonist. There are plenty of twists and turns and red herrings to keep even the most jaded mystery reader satisfied. And as much as I enjoyed the mystery, I found the glimpses of the scenery, the animals, and Jude’s family just as interesting.This is the sixth book in the series and the first I read but I didn’t find that interfered with my reading of the story except perhaps to make me want to add the others to my ever growing tbr pile.

I received an aARC of the novel from Netgalley and Boldwood Books in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood books for the chance to read this book . This is the next instalment of Kate’s cozy murder series . I love them so easy to read and the are good books.
This instalment is set in December on the farm , getting ready for the festive season.
I love the main character Jude and I think you will too . Well worth a read.

I like this book a lot. Really like Judes relationship as an auntie and sister. The friendships were great as was the scenery too.
I dont think the fact that this was book 6 and i hadnt read any others was a problem. Jude had agreed for her farm to be featured on “countryfile” for 3 weeks until Christmas Eve. When the joint host is poisoned by a peanut live on air the scene is set and Jude looks for the guilty suspect. Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

The story was a great and nice cosy mystery, that even though my suspicious was right in the end, I enjoyed the book.
Jude, the farm owner is offered by a tv company a contract so they can film live the show. But after the first attempt to murder on Annie things start to feel suspicious and not all what it seems to be.
Of course Jude and her gut feelings hellp the detectives along their investigations.
I liked also the ideea of the romantic relashionship that ends with her toghether with Marco.

It was a good read, I liked all the characters and the plot of the story and also how it ends.

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC. This is my only and honest opinion.

Even without having read earlier books in this series, I was able to understand quickly the characters' relationships and past interactions. Jude, the cozy novel's amateur detective, allows a TV show to film on her farm, a decision she regrets when the bodies start to pile up. The pace dragged a bit for me in the middle, but the author brought together several threads at the end, and the book reached an emotionally satisfying conclusion. Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the eARC.

A film crew arrives for a three week stay at Jude’s farm. Is the money worth the trouble they brought with them? Murder, intrigue, betrayal aplenty in this novel with a goodly amount of twisty red herrings. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.