The author is a genius at crafting the perfect mystery. The characters jump off the page. The clues are wonderful little found nuggets. This is a rollicking whodunit that need to be read by any mystery fan. The plot was just plain fun.

This book was so fun to read. It reminded me of Clue and I loved all the characters and the plot. Highly recommend!

Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife is pure, clever fun with a razor-sharp edge—like a cozy mystery that wandered into a dark corner and got a little blood on its hands. Martin Edwards knows exactly what he’s doing here, blending classic whodunit charm with sly literary humor and just enough bite to keep things deliciously tense.

From the moment Miss Winter arrives on the scene—cool, composed, and carrying a trail of secrets—I was hooked. This isn’t just a nod to golden-age mysteries; it’s a loving twist on the genre, full of bookish mischief, sharp dialogue, and a plot that unfolds like a puzzle box you’re dying to solve. And the setting? An old library, of course. Claustrophobic, atmospheric, and absolutely perfect.

What I loved most was how playful the tone is without ever feeling flimsy. Edwards layers in real suspense and emotional depth while still winking at the reader. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to curl up with a cup of tea… but maybe keep one eye on the door.

If you’re a fan of Agatha Christie, metafiction, or just smart, stylish mysteries with a dark twist, Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife is a killer pick. I devoured it—and I already want to go back and catch all the clues I missed.

This book was something different for me. I enjoyed every moment of it. It felt like playing a game of clue. I really enjoyed all of it. With the different puzzles that were included made it feel more real and i wanted to really solve it on my own lol.

Six down-on-their-luck people with links to the world of crime writing have been invited to play a game this Christmas by the mysterious Midwinter Trust. The challenge seems simple but exciting:

Solve the murder of a fictional crime writer in a remote but wonderfully atmospheric village in north Yorkshire to win a prize that will change your fortunes for good.

I absolutely devoured this book. It is such a unique concept and I absolutely enjoyed it. It is very much like an Agatha Christie book and I am here for it!

You will love this if you like modern spins on classic golden age mysteries. This has it all—Christmas setting at an isolated, cut off locale, multiple murders, distinctive characters, good writing. Highly enjoyable!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received an ARC of Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a very cute, cozy, atmospheric mystery that delivers exactly what it promises: a wintry whodunit full of crime writers, secrets, and snowstorms. The premise is a delightful twist on the classic “murder game gone wrong” trope—a group of six struggling crime-adjacent professionals are invited to a remote English village to play a holiday-themed murder mystery game for a shot at turning their fortunes around. Naturally, the fake murder doesn’t stay fake for long.

The structure is part of the fun: the book is composed of podcast excerpts, text messages, journal entries, and webpage excerpts, giving it a fun, multimedia feel. I read an ebook version, but I bet this conceit, as well as the Cluefinder in the back would work a lot better in a paper copy.

I loved the conceit of a murder-mystery-within-a-murder-mystery, and the cozy, slightly ominous vibe of the snowy Yorkshire setting hit all the right notes for a December cozy mystery read. The writing is smooth, and the book leans into the meta in a way that feels playful without being too on-the-nose. The multiple perspectives help round out the cast, although it's a bit odd that we only get first-person chapters from two contestants (Harry and Poppy) while the rest of the narrative is filtered through the omniscient and occasionally judgmental gaze of the Midwinter Trust staff. I would’ve liked to be more inside the heads of the other players, especially considering how much is at stake for each of them. That said, the pacing keeps you turning the pages. It’s not exactly a nailbiter, but it does keep you guessing in both layers of the mystery. I actually guessed the real-world murderer fairly early on (though not the full motive), but a well-placed red herring threw me off track just enough that the reveal still felt satisfying.

If I had one critique, it’s that some of the characters—especially the Trust staff—felt a bit more like archetypes than people, and a few scenes could have benefitted from more emotional weight. But those are minor quibbles in what is otherwise a fun, festive mystery puzzle box. I give it 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 here.

Things I loved: the dual-layer mystery, the option to “play along,” the snowy, locked-room atmosphere, and the fact that the stakes felt real without veering into overly dark or grim territory. Also, I am always here for a book that respects its readers enough to plant real clues.

Things I didn’t: Honestly, the split POV format didn’t fully work for me—either give us all six players’ inner thoughts, or stick to third-person throughout. I also didn’t love how sad-sack Harry was, tbh I would’ve preferred it if Poppy or Grace were the main POV characters.

Perfect for fans of: Cluedo, Agatha Christie, Masterpiece Theater, murder games, meta-mysteries, snowy English villages, and the kind of Christmas story where someone definitely ends up dead but everyone still gathers for cocoa after.

Definitely a favorite read of mine for this year! Martin Edwards does a clever and thoroughly enjoyable mystery that pays homage to classic whodunits I grew up reading and loving. The atmosphere is fantastic and I felt fully immersed in the story. The plot is intricate and sharp, I loved the progression of the story and enjoyed playing a long trying to guess with our protagonist. Incredible.