I’ve not read any books by Kate Wells before so this introduction to her work was great and I’ll now read some of the others. I’d class this as a cosy crime novel as it’s set in a countryside farm approaching Christmas where a series of murders occur. There are country descriptions -scenery, animal care and local shop etc which set the scene very nicely. The main character, Jude is well-depicted as are the supporting characters; I especially liked her nephew, Sebbie and the older character of Granny Margot. Both old and young were equally appealing.
There are two main police characters and I felt that maybe their characters had been described more in previous novels as I didn’t get a strong sense of who they were or what motivated them, although Bonnie was referred to as a workaholic.
All in all it was a pleasant read with some good twists and clever clues. I didn’t guess who was the murderer until near the end of the story. I’d recommend this book especially as a Christmas read.

Another good read in this series. Winter on the farm is not at busy as other times of the year, but Jude is crazy busy. She's accepted a contract for a TV program to film at the farm for the three weeks leading up to Christmas, and Lucy and Noel are also getting married three days after Christmas. The director of the TV show is very demanding and also very handsy so she tries to keep away from him. She's also expected to be interviewed in one of the first episodes, and she and the two hosts, a married couple, sit on hay bales talking about life on the farm. They are served hot chocolate and the wife takes a sip and immediately goes into anaphylactic shock - peanut allergy. Then the caravan she's in gets inundated with carbon monoxide, killing the woman who was sleeping inside - an exchange of sleeping arrangements made just that evening. This woman is the target of a killer, but who is it? Jude spends a lot of time speculating with Binnie and Sami.

Loved the bit of love story as well. Looking forward to more. Thanks to Boldwood Books for an advance copy.

I hadn't realised that I'd read another of this series a while ago, but was delighted to meet the main characters again - Jude in particular, her sister and young nephew, police detective friend and the farm hands (in this story, one of whom is soon to become a brother-in-law).

I enjoyed the farm life as I live on my own (murder-less!) Devon farm, with sheep, cattle, ducks, horses etc, so expected to be critical of the depiction of daily life where livestock was concerned, but was delighted to find that the author knew her stuff.

I was especially amused by the arrival of the film crew, having also experienced this sort of thing when a well-known TV company concerned with 'Country Location Homefinding' visited us for the day. Ms Wells has captured all the faffing about with lights, sound booms and cameras very well indeed! Most authentic! (Except our film crew were wonderful people, without the obnoxious characters required for a murder mystery series LOL!)

I did guess who was going to be the murder victim, and managed to work out 'whodunit', but that isn't the point - the story was entertaining, with good characters (the nice and the nasty ones!) the 'feel' was right and it stood up perfectly well as a stand-alone read, so I'd recommend as an ideal Christmas Stocking filler if you're stuck for ideas!

I do rather envy Jude for coping so well with snow, though. I tend to want to hibernate. But how exciting for her nephew to be taken to school by tractor!

I was hooked on A Very Merry Murder from the very beginning. Jude runs the farm with her sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law and the farm has the cutest animals (especially the sheep). To help the farm stay afloat, Jude has agreed to let a TV show called Countryside Living film for 3 weeks on the farm. The show is sweetness and light, but the reality behind the scenes is the opposite. When a death occurs, there are plenty of suspects and possible motives. The story is full of lovely twists and surprises. Along with the mystery, there is also warm family and friend ties and a hint of romance to warm things up. And of course, the warmth of Christmas.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book is awesome because I really enjoyed the story and the characters in it. It wasn’t predictable. I really like the Christmas theme in it. The cover art is cute.

Welcome back to Malvern Farm where even the sheep have inventive names. The season is Advent and a wedding is in the offing, but right now there is a TV film crew cluttering up the place for three weeks filming the locals for a popular show. Wouldn't be too bad (except for Jude's stage fright) but there are some pretty awful people in the crew and murder is in someone's plans. Sneaky plot twists and situational humor infest the investigations and rescue the characters from aggravated sadness in the holiday season. Excellent addition to an addictive series. ***** #review
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from Boldwood Books via NetGalley
#AVeryMerryMurder by Kate Wells @katepoelswrites #MalvernFarmMysteriesBk6 Pub Date 03 Sep 2025 @theboldbookclub #cozymystery #Murders #Mystery #Herefordshire #farming #widow #siblings #amateursleuth #friendship #relationships #relatives #investigations #sheep #suspense #secrets #TVfilming #TVcrew #weddingmadness

The story is well written with plenty of plot twists and turns to keep you from guessing the ending!! The descriptions of the characters and locations are well written. Would recommend

Thank you to Kate Wells, Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the arc of this book.

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.