After the last two Christmas catastrophes, Anna decides Christmas is cancelled and calls off anything festive. No turkey, no tree and no celebrating! She has however, been roped into helping out at her daughter’s school for the ‘Seasonal Community Gathering’… just don’t call it a Christmas Fair, alright? But when Anna, and her BFF Jennie, find one of the committee members dead, they are reluctantly drawn into more festive drama… again 🎄🎁🔪

The Pros:
1) Put simply, I love a Christmas holiday story and if you add a sprinkle of murder with it *chef’s kiss*
2) This is a cozy murder mystery, with an amateur sleuth - which I am such a fan of
3) The book is so readable - I read it in less than 24 hrs, which says a lot. The writing style is my perfect type
4) The friendship between Anna and Jennie is so sweet (and funny)
5) It’s a family affair! I find the fact that the whole family always get involved, so fun

The Cons:
1) Obviously there are dark (but fun!) themes

The Quotes:

1)... everyone knows that ‘working in IT’ is just a euphemism for reading Reddit threads about Star Wars and occasionally telling people to switch things off and on again.

2) Even Poirot doesn’t solve murders before he’s had his eggs.

3) I prefer it when women over forty look a bit crap like me and I can pretend that there’s no point exercising.

The Summary:
I am such a fan of Anna and her unfortunate Christmases lol. As usual she gets drawn into a possible murder, this time with her BFF by her side - which makes it extra fun. I love that the stories are always cozy, so well written and with a bit of (wonderful) silliness! Anna and Co. are really likeable, you get the Christmas holiday vibes and a whole cast of other suspects *coughs* I mean characters. If you have been a fan of Anna’s christmases so far, I think you’ll love this book - this is my favourite of the series so far. I read it in less than a day, which says a lot. I really enjoyed it! Throughly recommend if you like Christmas, humour and lovely cozy, silliness!

Summed up in a sentence?:
Anna has cancelled Christmas, then finds a body at the school fair

I rated the book 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5!

A big thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the free ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC.

This is book 3 in the Christmas Murder Mysteries and
Anna Johnson Investigations isn't really getting off the ground, with only her neighbour wanting the disappearance of her council-issued recycling box investigated. Also, traumatised by the last two Christmases that were rather bloody, Anna issues a no Christmas celebrations diktat but then misses the festivities terribly. Thank God for the school's Christmas Fair Weekend, sorry, the Seasonal Community Gathering which Anna and BFF Jennie are pressganged into helping to organise. Then head teacher Tom Prendergast dies after falling off a ladder and PC Cumberland thinks it was an accident.

This time Anna doesn't even bother correcting the police, she simply starts sleuthing, utilising distracted Jennie plus good-natured husband Oli and techy son Ben. This murder mystery farce is hilarious and entertaining, with a great cast of characters and a funny cover. The PTA politics are keenly observed, but the suspects are confessing too readily for my liking. I figured out the murderer and some clues quite early on, shouting at the book, thinking, why are they all so slow? I'm afraid this meant that the middle bit dragged a little for me and there didn't seem to be any sense of urgency. I was also missing Anna's feisty MIL Pamela. It's a great sequel but it's not my favourite in the series.

No more Christmas murders.

To try and avoid the hat-trick, Anna has banned everything festive.

Except...she has to volunteer at her daughter's "Seasonal Community Gathering". Definitely NOT a Christmas Fayre.

But Anna's out of luck.

Her and Jennie discover one of the committee dead.

Predictably, the police want to write it off as an accident. But there's far too many things not adding up...

Hilarious

This is a brilliant light hearted fun murder story. The PTA part of the story was ace and the main character husband made me laugh over the Christmas box and tree. Ben is an ace son. Pizza for breakfast is fab.. Just a great read . Loved it .

The third in the excellent series of Christmas thrillers from Jo Middleton sees Anna, fed up with dealing with murders at Christmastime, putting her foot down. There was to be no Yuletide celebration - no decorations, no turkey, no After Eights and definitely no corpses. Unfortunately, drafted in reluctantly to assist with the school's Seasonal Community Gathering, that final condition was broken, as a member of the PTA is found dead in very suspicious circumstances, and Anna, along with her friend Jennie (distracted at times), are determined to get to the bottom of things, to work out who was responsible.

Middleton has crafted some great characters in these books, and it is nice to have family involvement into the stories without it becoming sentimental. Each of the books is a hoot, with real life thoughts and reactions, along with great storylines that grip and never get too convoluted or confused.

I sincerely hope that Middleton is already starting on book four of this series as I cannot wait to hear what happens next to Anna and her family. Maybe they need to go on a Yuletide holiday abroad - Lapland?

Really enjoyed Anna’s continuing hilarious Christmas adventures.. Apart from the cake batter episode which was a bit off the wall, it was very entertaining. Long may her Christmases be fraught with suspicious people and murders.

Honestly these books just get better and better!
Was so happy I got invited to read this book!
Highly recommend

Thanks Netgalley for letting me read this book for an honest review

Anna spent her last two Christmas holidays discovering dead bodies and tracking down killers. This year she has decided that Christmas is not going to be happening in her house. She has instructed her family....no tree, no visiting relatives, no Christmas dinner, nothing.
The only fly in the ointment is that Anna's daughter has set her heart on playing the part of Nancy in the schools production of "Oliver", and so Anna feels obliged to help the PTA, as the head of the committee is the person casting the parts for this production.
Anna, and her best friend, Jennie, are therefore roped in to volunteer for a weekend helping with the schools Seasonal Community Gathering, which most people know as a Christmas Fair. Just those two days to endure, then Anna thinks everyone will be busy with their own Christmas plans, and she will be left in peace. Anna and Jennie are sorting out the tombola prizes, until they discover a member of the committee is dead.
Anna and Jennie find themselves drawn into another mystery. Could this be an accident, or is it murder. Anna is suspicious, and all the committee members appear to have something to hide.
Another festive funny from Jo Middleton, a Christmas mystery with fun and chuckles along the way. Suspicious characters kept me guessing until the end. A really enjoyable read.
Thank you for my advance copy.

Anna has spent two straight Christmases finding bodies, so she cancels Christmas completely, and murder STILL tracks her down at her daughter’s school fair like it has her location services turned on. No tree. No turkey. No tinsel. No forced cheer. She is done. December has lost visiting privileges. And yet there she is at a “Seasonal Community Gathering,” which is obviously a Christmas Fair that got called into HR, sorting tombola prizes when somebody ends up dead. At this point I think Anna could spend December 25th alone in a bunker and a corpse would slide under the door.

After "Not Another Bloody Christmas," I absolutely understood why she was done. This woman has tried festive. Festive has betrayed her repeatedly. But Lily wants a part in the school production of "Oliver!," which means Anna starts thinking maybe helping the PTA would be useful, and THAT is how they get her. One tiny volunteer commitment. One weekend. No Christmas spirit required. Famous last words from a woman whose personal holiday tradition is apparently homicide with refreshments.

Then Anna and Jennie find a dead committee member, the police start floating “accident,” and Anna barely even pretends she is going to leave this alone. There is no internal debate anymore. We have progressed past that stage of the relationship. The police say accident, Anna sees a locked office, weird little inconsistencies, off-brand bunting, a whole crowd of people carrying petty grudges like handbags, and suddenly she is investigating again. She doesn’t even need convincing. Murder has become her seasonal side hustle.

And THANK GOD Jennie is properly in the mess with her this time because the two of them together are exactly what I want. Anna is trying to work out whether someone has actually been murdered, Jennie is helping while also being distracted by her own nonsense, and somehow they keep moving through the school like two mums who were supposed to be checking raffle tickets and accidentally formed a crime unit. Oli gets dragged in because apparently marriage vows now include “for richer, for poorer, in suspicious death.” Ben helps because Ben has already accepted that his mother treats Christmas like an active investigation.

The PTA people are also exactly as terrifying as PTA people should be. Nobody is committing crimes over international espionage. These people are furious about committee decisions, food, decorations, school politics, who said what to whom three meetings ago, and the kind of microscopic power struggles that only exist when someone has been given access to a clipboard. Half the suspects seem like they would absolutely kill someone over bunting, and the other half seem offended that you would accuse them when they have a perfectly respectable grudge over the tombola.

Anna remains my favorite because she is not suddenly a genius detective. She is still just a woman who notices something weird and then physically cannot leave it alone. She pokes. She asks questions she probably should not ask. She wanders into situations that seem like a bad idea while everyone around her has accepted that this is happening again. There were places where I was ahead of her and wanted to tap the page like, Anna. Babe. We know this. Please catch up. But watching all these people volunteer deeply embarrassing information while trying to avoid looking murderous was still very much my thing.

Also, the funniest part is that Anna actually misses Christmas. Of course she does. She did not cancel Christmas because she hates it. She canceled it because Christmas has now trained her nervous system to expect homicide. She still wants the cozy family bits. She still wants traditions. She just does not want another body near the mince pies, which feels like an extremely fair boundary that nobody in this series is respecting.

And the family has become so used to this that their reactions are almost worse than the murder. Lily is getting older. Ben remains fantastic. Oli knows exactly who he married. Nobody is shocked anymore when Anna starts asking questions. Nobody is saying, “Surely this is none of our business.” They have all apparently reached the point where if Anna says, “Something’s off,” they start looking for chargers and car keys. This household has adapted to murder like other families adapt to a new recycling schedule.

"Bah Bloody Humbug" gets 4 stars from me because I am apparently fully committed to watching Anna attempt one corpse-free December and fail every single time. I guessed some of the mystery before she did, and there were moments where I wanted everyone to move it along, but I was having too much fun with Anna, Jennie, the family, and the deeply unwell social ecosystem of a school Christmas fair to care that much. Also, if there is a fourth book and Anna books a holiday abroad, somebody is absolutely dying in customs.

Merry Mayhem Prize: For Cancelling Christmas, Attending a Definitely-Not-Christmas Fair Anyway, and Still Finding a Body Before the Tombola Is Even Properly Sorted

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the ARC, and for once again inviting me into Anna’s annual attempt to survive December without becoming an unpaid consultant to the local police. Next year somebody please lock this woman in a spa on December 1st. No committees. No bunting. No ladders. No corpses. Actually, forget it. A masseuse would probably turn up dead before lunch.

Jo Middleton has done it again! A fabulous Christmas murder solved with her usual relateable sense of humour and lovable family. I especially like how the children have developed over the three years since we first met them, Lily is adorable and Ben is perfection.

I enjoyed this Christmas-themed whodunnit very much! It expanded my British-English vocabulary enormously (quavers, tuck store, pulse bakes) and made me laugh out loud. I adore my new favorite crime solver and plan to look for more.

Murder Centre Stage..
Is it possible for Anna to have a corpse free Christmas ? This year, bearing in mind her track record, she’s determined to go all out to avoid even the most basic of the festivities . Just in case. Needless to say, that is absolutely not going to happen. Best laid plans and all that. Another fun and frothy instalment to this lighthearted series with plenty of comic moments, manic mishaps and bad judgment calls as well as a murder centre stage and with a cast of well drawn and bizarrely believable characters. Very enjoyable once again.

Bah Bloody Humbug is a hilarious, fast‑paced festive mystery packed with PTA politics, petty vendettas, and one very suspicious “accident.” Anna is chaotic, sharp, and laugh‑out‑loud funny as she stumbles into yet another Christmas‑adjacent murder. Perfect for fans of comic cozy mysteries and Motherland‑style humour.

Reading a Jo Middleton book is just like unwrapping the best Christmas present you've ever had. What could be better than Christmas, a murder and a sleuth who's a normal person? I've thoroughly enjoyed the last two books featuring Anna, best friend Jennie and her wonderful family. Bah Bloody Humbug is a twist, with the murder taking place at the prep session for the school winter fair (come on, who hasn't had slightly murderous thoughts towards their PTA colleagues?)

It has just the right balance of humour and mystery, and I was utterly hooked from the first page. Trust me, you'll never look at bunting (or indeed cake batter) in the same way again!

Wow!!!! This was a superb book and a great follow on from the last one. When i saw Jo Middleton had this book on NetGalley to request I quickly ran to request it. It was an auto book for me didn’t even think twice haha. Was a quick and easy read for me, easy to follow and love love love Anna and her quirky ways and sense of humour. All the characters were quite quirky and interesting which kept me invested in the story. A fantastic book which I flew threw. Thank you NetGalley for my ARC copy♥️

Christmas is fast approaching, and Anna Johnson wants nothing to do with it after the previous two years. The less said about finding dead bodies, the better. All she needs to do is get through the school's 'Seasonal Community Gathering' that she's been roped into helping with. Surely nothing can go wrong at a primary school?

I have read and enjoyed the previous two books in the Christmas Murder Mysteries series by Jo Middleton, but I think the latest one, Bah Bloody Humbug, has to be the best.

Anna is determined that this Christmas is going to be better than the previous two. To help things along, she's eschewing most seasonal traditions; no tree, no decorations, and certainly no turkey dinner. The family is going to have to make do with poke bowls instead. It's hilarious that Anna thinks all her bad luck is connected to festive traditions.

This year it's just the immediate family, but before she can settle down to quiet family time, Anna has to help set-up and run the school Christmas Fair that is run by the PTA. Centring the story around members of the PTA makes for comedy gold. This is less about the playground mafia that is frequently envisaged when a school PTA is involved and more about some of the weird characters that make up everyday life.

It isn't long before a body is found. Initially, it's considered a tragic accident, but as Anna and her best friend, Jen, dig deeper, they begin to suspect a murder has occurred. Jen has made appearances in the previous books, but her greater role this time around was hilarious. I found her very easy to visualise, particularly her flirty nature.

Basically a locked room mystery, with blackmail at its heart, we see Anna and Jen run through the gamut of assumptions, red herrings, and ridiculous accusations, none of which lead to the identity of the killer. It is only by process of elimination and a slapstick chase that they eventually find the killer.

Another chaotic Christmas with Anna- what's not to love?
Just as I did with the other two, I raced through the story. Dead bodies aside, the PTA scenes and characters are so relatable.

Great fun.

Highly recommend

Christmas is cancelled in Anna's household, and understandably after the events of the previous two books. Two years ago, Anna found Santa dead in her pantry; last year, she discovered a body in the library during a Christmas holiday getaway. So this year, all talk of Christmas is banned.

Anna's daughter Lily is obsessed with playing the part of Nancy in the school's summer production of Oliver! So Anna, hoping to score points with the play director Susannah, who is also organising the Christmas Fete, volunteers to help with the fete.

The school fete is the focus of the story with the school providing the "locked room" for this years mystery. The volunteers for the fete are the suspects when head teacher Tom, is found dangling from reindeer bunting.

It quickly becomes clear who the likely victim will be, as Anna beautifully says "Something about Tom has always made me hate him. I say 'something' like it's a mysterious quality that's impossible to pin down, but it's because he's an arrogant prick."

The primary school is just the perfect setting and is wonderfully described. The setup works brilliantly: volunteers are assigned to different rooms to prepare their stalls, while Susannah's laminated timetable records everyone's whereabouts at specific times. Every character is distinct and larger than life, each with their own reason for wanting Tom dead. Anna's friend Jenny returns to help investigate, when she can tear herself away from flirting with the muscle-bound jock that is Gavin.

Anna and Jenny manage to blend the seriousness of the situation with comic relief, with their "precautionary wees" used as an excuse to discuss the case. The humour is spot on, with many laugh out loud moments. I found it hilarious that Lily talks in a cockney accent, practising her Nancy, "Awight, me ol' mucker".

The mystery is cleverly constructed, with plenty of suspects and motives to keep readers guessing until the final reveal.

I do love this series of books and I think this might be my favourite of the three, with the setting tipping the balance. Although part of a series, this can easily be enjoyed as a standalone novel, with only brief references to earlier events and no significant spoilers for previous books.

I would like to convey my thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the chance to review this novel. All opinions are my own.

Bah Bloody Humbug is due to be released on 22nd October 2026.

4.5 stars for the many laugh out loud moments!
These books are always enjoyable and the characters are fun to spend time with. I did miss the in-laws a bit in this one though!
If you're only reading for the mystery aspect, it will probably be fairly easy for your to work out whodunnit and why early on which is why it's not 5 stars. Read for the lols and enjoy yourself!

Brace yourself for this laugh out loud, Christmas themed mystery. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would. It was a fantastically funny read which I highly recommend.

The author guided us through the investigation using long chapters that allowed us to fully immerse ourselves before moving on to the next part. There was a good flow between the chapters and an excellent pace. I raced through, absolutely loving every minute of it. I looked forward to picking it back up at each reading session and was sad when it ended.

The characters brought the fun and laughter to this murder mystery. The humour was so relatable and felt natural. I loved the main character and all her random thoughts. You never knew what she was going to come out with, but you could guarantee that it would make you laugh. I loved the relationship that she had with her family and best friend. The closeness and intimate knowledge between all these characters made for excellent banter and interesting situations.

The surrounding cast were excellent and all had secrets that I enjoyed watching gradually come to light through sheer luck. The main character took some interesting risks in order to get the information that she needed.

Finally we come to the settings. Whilst it was a character focused story, there were enough details to ground the story and to give you the feeling that you were in a school and getting ready for the "fair".

Overall a fantastically funny read and definitely one of my favourites of the year. I highly recommend it

This author is back with another hilarious instalment in her Christmas murder series! Could Anna be lucky enough to survive just one Christmas without a murder to solve?? Maybe if she bans all things Christmas she just might?? But then she gets involved with the school PTA and everything goes wrong from there!

If ever you need an excuse to not join the school PTA this book will give you one!

All our favourite characters are back with a whole host of new ones, who very quickly turn into suspects.

The writing is funny, to the point and will have you turning the pages quickly to find out just who did it.

For me, the first book in this series will always be the best, as it introduces the type of humour and banter between the characters. However this continues through all three books.
I love the blatant lack of police help and how her family and close friend join in with solving the case.

All in all a fun, fast paced, murder mystery!

𝕀𝕥’𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕘𝕚𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕒 𝕝𝕠𝕥 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕞𝕦𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣…

Bah Bloody Humbug by Jo Middleton
Publisher ~ Avon Books UK
Publication date ~ 22nd October 2026
Pages ~ 336
Rating ~ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Christmas is cancelled. After spending the last two unmasking killers, Anna has officially banned all things festive. No turkey, no tinsel, no forced merriment of any kind 🎄

Just one tiny thing first: ughhhhhh.., she must survive a weekend volunteering at her daughter’s school ‘Seasonal Community Gathering’. And woe betide anyone who calls it a Christmas Fair… ☃️

But when Anna and her best mate Jennie discover one of the committee dead, suddenly keeping the tombola gluten free is the least of their worries 😬

The police are calling it an accident. Anna is calling it suspicious. Off-brand bunting, a locked office and far too many people with grudges mean that things just don’t add up 🤔

So Anna and Jennie set out to catch the culprit, only to end up knee-deep in mince pies, tea urns and PTA politics, untangling a web of petty vendettas that would make Santa hand in his notice…🎅

#ARC #book #bookreview #christmas #thriller

This is the third Jo Middleton book which follows a tale of murder at Christmas. It follows the same format as the others and is a light-hearted cosy crime read. Anna has cancelled Christmas at home as the past two years have led to her getting involved with a murder that she has managed to solve. This time the murder is set in a school attended by Anna's children. When her daughter wants a lead part in the school production Anna does everything she can to get her a starring role even joining the committee of the Seasonal Fair to ingratiate herself with he casting director.. When one of the committee dies in the process of putting up decorations the police are called but write the death of as an accident. Anna and her friend, Jennie think otherwise and set about solving what they think is murder. The book is light-hearted with plenty of humour and makes an easy read for a dark winter's day. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of this book.

This is one of my fave festive series, so I jumped at the chance to review this one!

It combines some of my favourite things:
🔎 Amateur sleuth
🚪 Closed-door mystery
😂 Cracking humour
❤️ Relatable characters

The mystery itself was solid, with a strong pool of suspects and plenty of red herrings. I was kept guessing, and there were enough twists to keep me turning the pages.

But what really sets these books apart for me is the characters. Their banter and behaviour are so funny and relatable. Honestly, I would LOVE to be besties with Anna and Jennie!

📚 Summary: After finding dead bodies the last two Christmases, Christmas is cancelled in Anna's house! But she's helping the school set up its Annual Winter Celebration, which is a chore in itself. And then the Head Teacher is found strangled...Suddenly, Anna has another murder to solve!

If you love cosy mysteries, amateur sleuths, Christmas chaos and characters who feel like friends, this series is definitely one to add to your TBR!

What an absolute joy it is to read another story from Jo Middleton. Just when you thought Anna could finally enjoy Christmas murder free, because she has actually banned festivities this year, a mishap at her daughter’s school (not) Christmas Fair leaves her once again with the weight of a dead body. Literally!

Anna, along with her trusted best friend Jennie are volunteering for the PTA to put on a ‘Seasonal Community Gathering’ at school. What could possibly go wrong? As someone who has been involved in a PTA in the past I could relate to so much of the goings on of the group of parents involved, albeit without a death, and found this just so funny and relevant. The author is an absolute master at comedy writing that the story is sometimes like an observational comedy routine! Such witty one liners and come-backs had me laughing out loud. Add in the eclectic cast of characters who all have a reason not to like one specific member and you have a lovely little whodunnit.

Although not essential to read the two previous books in this series, I would recommend them anyway, just because they are so much fun to read.

This is another wonderful feel good book that will leave you on a high knowing that a loving family and good friends go a long way to make an enjoyable festive period. Unless of course you do find another dead body!

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A fun, comic romp featuring s housewife who just can’t seem to escape Christmas murders. Nothing very complicated here—the sleuthing and the solution are pretty basic. But an enjoyable few hours.

𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧 𝗣𝗘𝗘𝗞
After swearing off Christmas, Anna reluctantly volunteers at her daughter’s school festive event. When the headteacher is found dead, she and her best mate Jennie investigate.

𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘
This is a very accessible, lighthearted murder mystery with a big comedy element. It’s #3 in the series, and while I’d recommend reading the other books first for context, it’s not necessary.

This time Anna and her bezzie mate (BFF) are on the scene solving a murder! It’s a fun investigation, and I found the victim fascinating and definitely worth murdering!

The suspects are fun too, especially the women, who all seem to have their own comic quirks.

There are lots of laughs. Some British jokes may go over non-UK readers’ heads, but it won’t take away from the enjoyment.

It’s a fun, slightly slapstick reveal with a satisfying whodunit payoff.

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗?
Of the three books in the series, this was my favorite case. I loved the school setting and the unhinged personalities. I think this would make a great stocking stuffer.

Thank you @AvonBooksUK and NetGalley for this gifted ARC.

🎧 Narrated by Olivia Mace
📖 Release 10•22•26 | 320 pages | 10h 14m