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Murder at Christmas: You Solve the Crime: A cosy crime mystery in the style of a Choose Your Own Adventure
Sharpen your sleuthing skills and have your magnifying glass at the ready for this interactive festive mystery that casts YOU in the role of the detective – perfect for fans of
Murdle
looking for their next clever crime fix!
The year is 1932. You are Dr Kinn Tenor, a Scotland Yard pathologist with a sideline in private detection when the boys in blue are stumped. You’re celebrated in the newspapers, but you tend to get the official police’s backs up – they don’t take kindly to being upstaged.
Two days before Christmas, you attend the opening of your friend Johnny McAlister’s ritzy new nightclub, the Golden Star. There you meet his cousin, Melissa Thresh – she is being followed and would like you to identify the culprit. But you have also promised your friend Algy Hurley to visit his family seat in Kent, where some poison-pen letters have been causing unrest.
? If you travel to Yorkshire with Melissa, you’re caught up in a locked-room murder mystery featuring a cast of dubious friends, relatives and business associates
? If it’s Hurley Court, you’re embroiled in a country house whodunnit involving an old family ritual and generations of hidden secrets
This is just the first of many choices you must will you pursue this thread? Chase the mysterious stranger? Lay a trap for the guilty party? The decisions you make will take you on your own path to the final unmasking of the villain – or failure.
What will you choose? And can you unravel the mystery without losing your festive spirit, your reputation… or your life?
MAKE YOUR CHOICE
TURN THE PAGE
SOLVE THE CRIME!
‘100% Christmas gift in the making’ The i
The year is 1932. You are Dr Kinn Tenor, a Scotland Yard pathologist with a sideline in private detection when the boys in blue are stumped. You’re celebrated in the newspapers, but you tend to get the official police’s backs up – they don’t take kindly to being upstaged.
Two days before Christmas, you attend the opening of your friend Johnny McAlister’s ritzy new nightclub, the Golden Star. There you meet his cousin, Melissa Thresh – she is being followed and would like you to identify the culprit. But you have also promised your friend Algy Hurley to visit his family seat in Kent, where some poison-pen letters have been causing unrest.
? If you travel to Yorkshire with Melissa, you’re caught up in a locked-room murder mystery featuring a cast of dubious friends, relatives and business associates
? If it’s Hurley Court, you’re embroiled in a country house whodunnit involving an old family ritual and generations of hidden secrets
This is just the first of many choices you must will you pursue this thread? Chase the mysterious stranger? Lay a trap for the guilty party? The decisions you make will take you on your own path to the final unmasking of the villain – or failure.
What will you choose? And can you unravel the mystery without losing your festive spirit, your reputation… or your life?
MAKE YOUR CHOICE
TURN THE PAGE
SOLVE THE CRIME!
‘100% Christmas gift in the making’ The i
- GenresMystery
320 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 20, 2025
29 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
December 22, 2025
I enjoyed and didn't enjoy this book at the same time. I really loved the fact it had two murder stories, and that you get to choose options to solve the mysteries.
but what I didn't like is that I had to track the choices I made, so I can ensure I can come back to them and also (this is a me problem) - I had to ensure I have explored ALL the options and closed all loops, so the book caused extra workload aside from the reading part.
I really enjoyed parts of it, but it took me twice as long to read everything, and I started to forget what all the characters are up to, focusing on the options I have been making.
As for the stories themselves, I quite liked both stories and the Agatha Christie spirit in them with the closed murder mysteries.
but what I didn't like is that I had to track the choices I made, so I can ensure I can come back to them and also (this is a me problem) - I had to ensure I have explored ALL the options and closed all loops, so the book caused extra workload aside from the reading part.
I really enjoyed parts of it, but it took me twice as long to read everything, and I started to forget what all the characters are up to, focusing on the options I have been making.
As for the stories themselves, I quite liked both stories and the Agatha Christie spirit in them with the closed murder mysteries.
November 23, 2025
Is there anything this man can't do? I loved The Turnglass, Rubin's topsy-turvy book. Then he delighted with The Waterfall, a story about stories in a story, and now this...a choose your own direction story!
Just when I really thought I'd cracked it, I took a jab to the neck and darkness was forever more. However, I'm not finished with the story just yet and will be revisiting it very soon with the hope that I make the right choices next time.
It was a great way to while away a cold wet Sunday afternoon and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's fun, immersive, and my choices albeit the wrong ones took me on a great locked room mystery adventure.
Just when I really thought I'd cracked it, I took a jab to the neck and darkness was forever more. However, I'm not finished with the story just yet and will be revisiting it very soon with the hope that I make the right choices next time.
It was a great way to while away a cold wet Sunday afternoon and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's fun, immersive, and my choices albeit the wrong ones took me on a great locked room mystery adventure.
December 12, 2025
The story:
It is 1932, and you are Dr Kinn Tenor – a Scotland Yard pathologist well-known for solving crimes that baffle the regular police. Your friends are well aware of your skills, so when you attend a pre-Christmas party at the opening of a new nightclub, you’re soon introduced to someone who may need your help…
The beautiful and vivacious Melissa Thresh believes someone is trying to kill her… Could it be linked to the imminent bankruptcy of her company? You are keen to help, but you’ve already made plans to spend Christmas with old friend Algy Hurley at his family’s country house; and they have a pressing problem of their own – a nasty case of poison pen letters. Which mystery will you choose to investigate? It’s entirely up to you!
My thoughts:
I always loved ‘choose your own adventure’ stories as a child, so was delighted to hear I’d now have a chance to read one as a grown-up! And in my favourite genre of golden age murder mystery, no less.
In this story we take on the role of the detective, and our first choice is over which mystery to investigate – one leading to a country house with a case of poison pen letters, and the other that will see us whisked away on a train to York with someone whose life may be in danger.
I’m very fond of a country house murder, so I chose this for my first read through. There I met the Hurley family, where family traditions and secrets are at the heart of a dastardly murder.
And once I’d enjoyed that story, I got to go again, this time to enjoy a locked room-style murder in a train carriage, where only one of my travelling companions could possibly have committed the crime…
The chances to make a decision come thick and fast (the author does a great job of keeping all the strands engaging), and you can take the story in the direction you think best – do you want to tail a suspect, or interrogate the locals? Will you investigate that creak in the attic alone, or wake the household?
Unfortunately not every decision I made turned out well for Dr Tenor… at various points I had him humiliated, arrested or even another murder victim! But I also made some very good deductions, if I say so myself!
Overall, this book was such good fun, and the perfect read for this time of year – I can imagine dipping in and out of it to test the little grey cells amongst the Christmas chaos! A great present for the whodunnit fan in your life, or a festive treat for yourself!
It is 1932, and you are Dr Kinn Tenor – a Scotland Yard pathologist well-known for solving crimes that baffle the regular police. Your friends are well aware of your skills, so when you attend a pre-Christmas party at the opening of a new nightclub, you’re soon introduced to someone who may need your help…
The beautiful and vivacious Melissa Thresh believes someone is trying to kill her… Could it be linked to the imminent bankruptcy of her company? You are keen to help, but you’ve already made plans to spend Christmas with old friend Algy Hurley at his family’s country house; and they have a pressing problem of their own – a nasty case of poison pen letters. Which mystery will you choose to investigate? It’s entirely up to you!
My thoughts:
I always loved ‘choose your own adventure’ stories as a child, so was delighted to hear I’d now have a chance to read one as a grown-up! And in my favourite genre of golden age murder mystery, no less.
In this story we take on the role of the detective, and our first choice is over which mystery to investigate – one leading to a country house with a case of poison pen letters, and the other that will see us whisked away on a train to York with someone whose life may be in danger.
I’m very fond of a country house murder, so I chose this for my first read through. There I met the Hurley family, where family traditions and secrets are at the heart of a dastardly murder.
And once I’d enjoyed that story, I got to go again, this time to enjoy a locked room-style murder in a train carriage, where only one of my travelling companions could possibly have committed the crime…
The chances to make a decision come thick and fast (the author does a great job of keeping all the strands engaging), and you can take the story in the direction you think best – do you want to tail a suspect, or interrogate the locals? Will you investigate that creak in the attic alone, or wake the household?
Unfortunately not every decision I made turned out well for Dr Tenor… at various points I had him humiliated, arrested or even another murder victim! But I also made some very good deductions, if I say so myself!
Overall, this book was such good fun, and the perfect read for this time of year – I can imagine dipping in and out of it to test the little grey cells amongst the Christmas chaos! A great present for the whodunnit fan in your life, or a festive treat for yourself!
November 24, 2025
My gosh what a twisty, turny mystery - or rather a double mystery.
This is one clever read and must have taken some ingenuity to write as each section leads first one way and then another depending on the choices made.
I’m so glad I kept notes as I made my choices as I was, more than once, sent back to the beginning to try again.
Each thread links so cleverly together and I was fascinated by how it all wove together. At times I was rather frustrated but persevered and found the endings for both mysteries most satisfying.
There are quite a few characters to keep track of as the two stories simultaneously flow alongside one another, but each thread is carefully set in very separate settings and it’s easy to follow who’s who. I had my suspicions in both the stories but was sent astray with the little red herrings time and time again. Thoroughly enjoyable and I devoured it in one sitting.
This is one clever read and must have taken some ingenuity to write as each section leads first one way and then another depending on the choices made.
I’m so glad I kept notes as I made my choices as I was, more than once, sent back to the beginning to try again.
Each thread links so cleverly together and I was fascinated by how it all wove together. At times I was rather frustrated but persevered and found the endings for both mysteries most satisfying.
There are quite a few characters to keep track of as the two stories simultaneously flow alongside one another, but each thread is carefully set in very separate settings and it’s easy to follow who’s who. I had my suspicions in both the stories but was sent astray with the little red herrings time and time again. Thoroughly enjoyable and I devoured it in one sitting.
December 8, 2025
Overall, the interactive concept of the book is a great idea and I will look for something similar. I would prefer to be able to make more of evidence-based decisions, but I understand that the format has its limits. I also very much preferred one of the cases (Hurley Court) over the other (Yorkshire).
December 27, 2025
3.5 ⭐
Enjoyed this but I "died" about 4 times 😂 Cleverly written with two murder story lines to choose from, but the story lacked the depth of a full murder mystery (I guess because the book would need to be massive to go into the same depth). You have to flick between the chapters a lot too so it's hard to go back to the previous chapter if you get the decision wrong. Will read the other story line next Christmas!
Enjoyed this but I "died" about 4 times 😂 Cleverly written with two murder story lines to choose from, but the story lacked the depth of a full murder mystery (I guess because the book would need to be massive to go into the same depth). You have to flick between the chapters a lot too so it's hard to go back to the previous chapter if you get the decision wrong. Will read the other story line next Christmas!
December 26, 2025
A very cool concept, but I've realised it is not really for me - too stressful, and unsatisfying to not know about the storylines that I didn't choose unless I go back and start from the beginning many more times.
December 30, 2025
I thought this was absolutely terrific. Brilliant storytelling, and lots of twists and turns! I loved both avenues to the story, and I very much look forward to any future ones.
Tremendous read!
Tremendous read!
December 30, 2025
A fun Christmas read with my partner.
December 27, 2025
Christmas is made for a Golden Age-style festive murder mystery but Gareth Rubin (writing here as G.B. Rubin) ups the nostalgia stakes still further with Murder at Christmas, a choose your own adventure style story which is bound to appeal to those of us who loved reading role-playing books years ago.
For those not familiar with the format, the premise is simple enough but risks being deliciously frustrating should you (the reader) make the wrong choices. Written in the second person, present tense, you learn at the start of the book that your role is that of Dr Kinn Tenor, police pathologist and celebrated amateur sleuth and you will decide on the course of the investigation throughout. Your first decision comes quickly as you have to choose between accepting a request from an old friend, Algy, to attend a house party at his family home in order to look into a case of poison pen letters, or to stay in London to talk to Melissa Thresh who is apparently being followed. Murder at Christmas isn't written in a linear style and so at the end of each chapter you will be presented with either an explicit direction or at least two choices compelling you to turn to a clearly numbered section either later or earlier in the book. Eventually you might successfully solve the case or alternatively find yourself shamed or worse, a victim of the killer yourself, with the ignominious instruction; 'Now, go back to the beginning at start again.'
I chose to investigate Melissa's case first and was soon caught up in this mystery set aboard a train she has specially chartered to take her and a group of her friends and associates to Yorkshire. With his atmospheric sense of place and pitch-perfect characterisation, G.B. Rubin does a fine job of evoking a party hosted by a pleasure-seeking socialite. However, it's quickly obvious that Melissa and her guests all have secrets and so when one of the party is murdered, anybody on board becomes a potential suspect. I managed to negotiate most of the choices successfully and was feeling quite smug until I steered Kinn Tenor the wrong way and so it was back to the beginning! From here, I decided to take the same steps until I reached the point where I'd made my fatal mistake but the beauty of this book is that it's possible to take a slightly different route to unmask the killer.
After solving the first case, I embarked on the investigation into the poison pen letters at Hurley Court and again was treated to another thoroughly satisfying mystery. This time, a decidedly creepy old family ritual, some dark secrets from the past herald a Christmas morning murder. However, despite the red herrings and list of likely suspects, I avoided the pratfalls this time and solved the murder without having to go back to the start.
Murder at Christmas is such a fun book to read and the cleverly structured stories mean it can be enjoyed more than once. It will undoubtedly appeal to those with fond memories of choosing their own adventures and readers who love a festive puzzle to solve but will also be an original choice of gift for Golden Age crime fiction lovers. Highly recommended as a treat for a loved one or to yourself – go on, it's Christmas and you deserve it!
For those not familiar with the format, the premise is simple enough but risks being deliciously frustrating should you (the reader) make the wrong choices. Written in the second person, present tense, you learn at the start of the book that your role is that of Dr Kinn Tenor, police pathologist and celebrated amateur sleuth and you will decide on the course of the investigation throughout. Your first decision comes quickly as you have to choose between accepting a request from an old friend, Algy, to attend a house party at his family home in order to look into a case of poison pen letters, or to stay in London to talk to Melissa Thresh who is apparently being followed. Murder at Christmas isn't written in a linear style and so at the end of each chapter you will be presented with either an explicit direction or at least two choices compelling you to turn to a clearly numbered section either later or earlier in the book. Eventually you might successfully solve the case or alternatively find yourself shamed or worse, a victim of the killer yourself, with the ignominious instruction; 'Now, go back to the beginning at start again.'
I chose to investigate Melissa's case first and was soon caught up in this mystery set aboard a train she has specially chartered to take her and a group of her friends and associates to Yorkshire. With his atmospheric sense of place and pitch-perfect characterisation, G.B. Rubin does a fine job of evoking a party hosted by a pleasure-seeking socialite. However, it's quickly obvious that Melissa and her guests all have secrets and so when one of the party is murdered, anybody on board becomes a potential suspect. I managed to negotiate most of the choices successfully and was feeling quite smug until I steered Kinn Tenor the wrong way and so it was back to the beginning! From here, I decided to take the same steps until I reached the point where I'd made my fatal mistake but the beauty of this book is that it's possible to take a slightly different route to unmask the killer.
After solving the first case, I embarked on the investigation into the poison pen letters at Hurley Court and again was treated to another thoroughly satisfying mystery. This time, a decidedly creepy old family ritual, some dark secrets from the past herald a Christmas morning murder. However, despite the red herrings and list of likely suspects, I avoided the pratfalls this time and solved the murder without having to go back to the start.
Murder at Christmas is such a fun book to read and the cleverly structured stories mean it can be enjoyed more than once. It will undoubtedly appeal to those with fond memories of choosing their own adventures and readers who love a festive puzzle to solve but will also be an original choice of gift for Golden Age crime fiction lovers. Highly recommended as a treat for a loved one or to yourself – go on, it's Christmas and you deserve it!
December 31, 2025
The book is written from the second person point of view, it's rarely used and I think it is the most difficult to write well in, but here the author has done a great job. It must be this POV because the reader essentially steps into the shoes of the protagonist, Dr Kinn Tenor. The author will guide you around like a stage director and at regular intervals present you with options as to where to go next, like a kind of interactive armchair sleuthing. From the very start you are presented with following one of two story threads; the country house investigation with Algy Hurley or join Melissa on her train journey to Yorkshire.
The book cannot be read in the conventional manner, it would make no sense, instead you jump from section to section (which stand instead of chapters) as directed. I found it a little disorienting moving forward and then back through the text as you progress and there is no sense that you are a quarter or halfway through. Each section starts with a drawing of either a steam locomotive or a country house to keep you on track.
The protagonist is perfect, well he thinks so, in that slightly pompous self-regarding style of the period. After all Poirot was never a man to sell himself short. The remaining characters are in keeping with the period, the upper classes, majors and of course their long suffering but loyal servants. It all feels right and you get the sense of the fondness the author has for the works from this period.
How the two plots are fitted together with all the twists and options is simply amazing. This is one incredible feat of planning and construction. Its clever and enjoyable, I have never read a book like this one before. I confess to finding it a touch frustrating too, as like a game of snakes and ladders you make progress and are then sent back to the start, but that is all part of the fun I gather.
Having negotiated the pitfalls, my tip would be to note down the path you have travelled, unless you are a supersleuth. I didn’t and at times felt like I was lost in the literal equivalent of Daedalus’ Labyrinth but without Theseus’ thread. This is a book that I will be returning to simply because I have not trodden every single path and don’t like the idea of missing out on anything.
The book cannot be read in the conventional manner, it would make no sense, instead you jump from section to section (which stand instead of chapters) as directed. I found it a little disorienting moving forward and then back through the text as you progress and there is no sense that you are a quarter or halfway through. Each section starts with a drawing of either a steam locomotive or a country house to keep you on track.
The protagonist is perfect, well he thinks so, in that slightly pompous self-regarding style of the period. After all Poirot was never a man to sell himself short. The remaining characters are in keeping with the period, the upper classes, majors and of course their long suffering but loyal servants. It all feels right and you get the sense of the fondness the author has for the works from this period.
How the two plots are fitted together with all the twists and options is simply amazing. This is one incredible feat of planning and construction. Its clever and enjoyable, I have never read a book like this one before. I confess to finding it a touch frustrating too, as like a game of snakes and ladders you make progress and are then sent back to the start, but that is all part of the fun I gather.
Having negotiated the pitfalls, my tip would be to note down the path you have travelled, unless you are a supersleuth. I didn’t and at times felt like I was lost in the literal equivalent of Daedalus’ Labyrinth but without Theseus’ thread. This is a book that I will be returning to simply because I have not trodden every single path and don’t like the idea of missing out on anything.
December 7, 2025
Murder at Christmas by G.B Rubin is cozy crime with a bit of a difference as you get to play armchair detective and determine how the investigation progresses. Dr Kinn Tenor is a Scotland Yard pathologist who likes to solve crimes when others are struggling to find the answers, and you become Kinn Tenor. At a Christmas party you meet Melissa Thresh who wants you to find out who is following her, but you have also promised Algy Hurley to find out who has been sending poison pen letters. This is your first choice, which case do you take on? Once the decision has been made you then follow the case based on the events that happen and the choices you made.
I loved this book as it challenged and frustrated me in equal measure. It took me back to my childhood when these types of books were about and it sparked your imagination and natural inquisitiveness. I chose to take on the case of Melissa Thresh. The characters all had their own quirks and one or two of them had secrets that depending on how successful you are in following the correct path are revealed over time. There are plenty of rabbit holes to go down and I think that I must have gone down most of them and even if I had my suspicions on who was responsible then it was not long before I was proved wrong and ended back up at the start of the book and just hoping that the next set of choices I made were the correct ones (and that my memory was good enough not to pick the same wrong ones again). The beauty of this is that each time you start again and make a different choice the story also becomes that little bit different.
Having read Turnglass, Holmes and Moriarty and The Waterfall also by this author, Murder at Christmas is not what you would expect but even authors like a change of pace and direction once in a while and letting the reader determine how the investigation goes is a bit of fun for Christmas. If you have a friend that is sure that they know who dunnit on every crime show they watch or every crime book they read, then this may be a fantastic present for them. All I know is that I am off now to see if I am a little bit more successful in working out Algy Hurleys issues with the poison pen letters.
I loved this book as it challenged and frustrated me in equal measure. It took me back to my childhood when these types of books were about and it sparked your imagination and natural inquisitiveness. I chose to take on the case of Melissa Thresh. The characters all had their own quirks and one or two of them had secrets that depending on how successful you are in following the correct path are revealed over time. There are plenty of rabbit holes to go down and I think that I must have gone down most of them and even if I had my suspicions on who was responsible then it was not long before I was proved wrong and ended back up at the start of the book and just hoping that the next set of choices I made were the correct ones (and that my memory was good enough not to pick the same wrong ones again). The beauty of this is that each time you start again and make a different choice the story also becomes that little bit different.
Having read Turnglass, Holmes and Moriarty and The Waterfall also by this author, Murder at Christmas is not what you would expect but even authors like a change of pace and direction once in a while and letting the reader determine how the investigation goes is a bit of fun for Christmas. If you have a friend that is sure that they know who dunnit on every crime show they watch or every crime book they read, then this may be a fantastic present for them. All I know is that I am off now to see if I am a little bit more successful in working out Algy Hurleys issues with the poison pen letters.
December 9, 2025
This author seems to have an endless list of clever twisted plots in his head and here’s another one! An interactive cosy Christmas mystery where you, the reader, choose the path the story takes. It’s 1932 and two days before Christmas you, Dr Kinn Tenor, a Scotland Yard pathologist, are attending the opening of the Golden Star nightclub. This is an ingenious little book and at just over 300 pages I was expecting a quick read. How wrong was I.
Briefly, Melissa Thresh is being stalked and she asks you (Dr Kinn Tenor) to find out who it is but you have already agreed to help another friend whose family have been receiving poison pen letters. Your decision will determine the case for you to solve! or not! Along the way there are many decisions to be made but make the wrong one and you could be sent back to the start!
This is such a clever, devious and at times frustrating book. There are quite a few characters to keep track of and I found a notebook and pen quite handy. I’m usually quite a quick reader so having to go back to the beginning of the book a couple of times had me tearing my hair out, but in a good way! It’s ingenious how all the threads work together so seamlessly, or not if you pick the wrong one. If you enjoy a Christieesque style mystery you will love this. Would make a great Christmas gift. I’m planning a re-read over Christmas to see if I can get through it a bit quicker. Brilliant concept and perfectly executed.
Briefly, Melissa Thresh is being stalked and she asks you (Dr Kinn Tenor) to find out who it is but you have already agreed to help another friend whose family have been receiving poison pen letters. Your decision will determine the case for you to solve! or not! Along the way there are many decisions to be made but make the wrong one and you could be sent back to the start!
This is such a clever, devious and at times frustrating book. There are quite a few characters to keep track of and I found a notebook and pen quite handy. I’m usually quite a quick reader so having to go back to the beginning of the book a couple of times had me tearing my hair out, but in a good way! It’s ingenious how all the threads work together so seamlessly, or not if you pick the wrong one. If you enjoy a Christieesque style mystery you will love this. Would make a great Christmas gift. I’m planning a re-read over Christmas to see if I can get through it a bit quicker. Brilliant concept and perfectly executed.
December 10, 2025
Christmas, 1932.
The book is written in the first person, and you’re Dr Kinn Tenor, police pathologist and an amateur sleuth.
Your friend, Algy, invites you to spend Christmas at Hurley Court, because the family has been receiving threatening and malicious letters.
However, you’re also invited to help out a young lady in distress. Melissa Thresh, who inherited a small pharmaceutical company, tells you that someone has been following her.
What will you do? Will you go to Algy’s or will you help Melissa?
I loved this book from start to finish!
My first instinct was to help Melissa and I found myself on a train to York, where a magic trick went wrong and someone ended up dead… I must admit that I’ve made some wrong decisions and ended up dead many times!
However, I enjoyed going back to the beginning and starting all over.
When I finished helping Melissa, I then focused on Algy’s case and that went a lot better. I was more cautious and I managed to solve the mystery.
I received a pdf copy and I must admit I found it extremely tricky to find the right passages, so I bought myself an actual copy and what a difference that has made. I’m not sure what the Kindle version of this book is like, but the pdf was tricky to navigate and I didn’t enjoy it as much (hence I bought a proper book – it’s a stunning book by the way).
This would be an excellent Christmas present for anyone who loves puzzles and mysteries. Not to be missed.
The book is written in the first person, and you’re Dr Kinn Tenor, police pathologist and an amateur sleuth.
Your friend, Algy, invites you to spend Christmas at Hurley Court, because the family has been receiving threatening and malicious letters.
However, you’re also invited to help out a young lady in distress. Melissa Thresh, who inherited a small pharmaceutical company, tells you that someone has been following her.
What will you do? Will you go to Algy’s or will you help Melissa?
I loved this book from start to finish!
My first instinct was to help Melissa and I found myself on a train to York, where a magic trick went wrong and someone ended up dead… I must admit that I’ve made some wrong decisions and ended up dead many times!
However, I enjoyed going back to the beginning and starting all over.
When I finished helping Melissa, I then focused on Algy’s case and that went a lot better. I was more cautious and I managed to solve the mystery.
I received a pdf copy and I must admit I found it extremely tricky to find the right passages, so I bought myself an actual copy and what a difference that has made. I’m not sure what the Kindle version of this book is like, but the pdf was tricky to navigate and I didn’t enjoy it as much (hence I bought a proper book – it’s a stunning book by the way).
This would be an excellent Christmas present for anyone who loves puzzles and mysteries. Not to be missed.
December 7, 2025
Murder at Christmas casts the reader as Dr Kinn Tenor, a Scotland Yard pathologist with a talent for solving the tricky cases. Set in 1932, this interactive mystery begins on the glittering dance floor of the Golden Star nightclub before splitting into two distinct paths: readers can choose to follow Melissa Thresh to Yorkshire and unravel a locked-room murder, or head to Hurley Court for a classic country-house whodunnit full of secrets, rituals, and poison-pen letters. From there, the story branches again and again, depending on the choices the reader makes.
I really enjoyed the immersive, old-school detective feel of this book. The 1930s atmosphere is spot on along with the exciting sense that everyone is hiding something. The interactive format works well, and the storylines are engaging enough that it genuinely feels like you’re stepping into a Christie-style mystery.
That said, I did find myself wishing for more choice points. There are points where you go from one section to the next without making any decisions for several sections in a row.The branching structure is clever, though and does encourage another read to follow the second story. I will admit, I'm absolutely the type of reader who keeps my thumb on the last decision page so I don’t have to start from the beginning each time (don't judge me!) so although I “died” a few times, I managed to make it to the end of the story!
Overall, it’s a fun concept and a great way to spend a winter evening.
A recommended read for fans of Murdle and Poirot-style puzzles.
Thank you to Simon Schuster UK and Random Things Tours for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the immersive, old-school detective feel of this book. The 1930s atmosphere is spot on along with the exciting sense that everyone is hiding something. The interactive format works well, and the storylines are engaging enough that it genuinely feels like you’re stepping into a Christie-style mystery.
That said, I did find myself wishing for more choice points. There are points where you go from one section to the next without making any decisions for several sections in a row.The branching structure is clever, though and does encourage another read to follow the second story. I will admit, I'm absolutely the type of reader who keeps my thumb on the last decision page so I don’t have to start from the beginning each time (don't judge me!) so although I “died” a few times, I managed to make it to the end of the story!
Overall, it’s a fun concept and a great way to spend a winter evening.
A recommended read for fans of Murdle and Poirot-style puzzles.
Thank you to Simon Schuster UK and Random Things Tours for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 29, 2025
2.5 🌟 - read the Hurley Court story
I was excited for a little christmassy murder mystery, and I've always loved a choose your own adventure (I've never read a choose your own adventure book but I've done games of it), but alas I was a tad disappointed.
The main problem with a choose your own adventure firstly is that when I flick through the book to get to the next part of the story I kept getting spoilers as I tried to find the correct chapter (Although Goodreads said I read the kindle edition I did read a physical book). Secondly, if you make the wrong choice they expect you to start from the beginning. If I've just spent the last hour reading do you really expect me to go from the start again?! The author could've just given me a chapter to pick back up from. I had to start remembering chapters so that if I made the wrong choice I had somewhere to pick back up from again.
Things I didn't like:
- Not a fan of the writing style
- Ending was abrupt and came out of nowhere
- Lots of characters were introduced that added nothing to the plot e.g. the maid Rebecca etc.
Things I did like:
- Choosing my own adventure
I was excited for a little christmassy murder mystery, and I've always loved a choose your own adventure (I've never read a choose your own adventure book but I've done games of it), but alas I was a tad disappointed.
The main problem with a choose your own adventure firstly is that when I flick through the book to get to the next part of the story I kept getting spoilers as I tried to find the correct chapter (Although Goodreads said I read the kindle edition I did read a physical book). Secondly, if you make the wrong choice they expect you to start from the beginning. If I've just spent the last hour reading do you really expect me to go from the start again?! The author could've just given me a chapter to pick back up from. I had to start remembering chapters so that if I made the wrong choice I had somewhere to pick back up from again.
Things I didn't like:
- Not a fan of the writing style
- Ending was abrupt and came out of nowhere
- Lots of characters were introduced that added nothing to the plot e.g. the maid Rebecca etc.
Things I did like:
- Choosing my own adventure
December 21, 2025
This was a brilliant read and I very much loved taking on the role of Dr Kim Tenor as I read.
I grew up reading choose your own adventure books so when I saw that this was something similar I knew I wanted to read it right away. Essentially this is a choose your own investigation book where you as the reader are investigating two different crimes and crime scenes. It's your decisions and choices that define whether or not the case is solved.
I spent hours going through this book as it was so much fun. I investigated the mystery on the train which involved Melissa Thresh who was being followed by a stranger and at Hurley Court I investigated who was sending poison pen letters to its residents. Both stories were intriguing, unique and I found myself fully immersed in both. Depending on my choice I found myself either progressing the story or having to start again from the beginning. There were some red herrings along the way including some suspicious characters so be on guard and choose wisely.
This is perfect for anyone who enjoys thrillers and puzzles.
I grew up reading choose your own adventure books so when I saw that this was something similar I knew I wanted to read it right away. Essentially this is a choose your own investigation book where you as the reader are investigating two different crimes and crime scenes. It's your decisions and choices that define whether or not the case is solved.
I spent hours going through this book as it was so much fun. I investigated the mystery on the train which involved Melissa Thresh who was being followed by a stranger and at Hurley Court I investigated who was sending poison pen letters to its residents. Both stories were intriguing, unique and I found myself fully immersed in both. Depending on my choice I found myself either progressing the story or having to start again from the beginning. There were some red herrings along the way including some suspicious characters so be on guard and choose wisely.
This is perfect for anyone who enjoys thrillers and puzzles.
December 31, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a really fun book, I haven’t read a book like this before. You pick your own journey…. It may lead to the ending, it may not. My gamer heart was very happy with this, felt like a fantastic combination of gaming and reading. I absolutely loved it, it made me feel like I was playing a Telltale game.
My only gripe was that if you failed, died, etc it says you need to start over again… I don’t have time for that, so I went back a few steps and changed what I did. Other than that I really enjoyed it, super quick and easy to read, incredibly short “chapters” as well as some fun, quirky and potentially not so nice characters that I enjoy reading and seeing what happens with/to them because of my choices.
2 stories, you pick your path. If you travel to Yorkshire with Melissa, you’re caught up in a locked-room murder mystery featuring a cast of dubious friends, relatives and business associates.
If it’s Hurley Court, you’ve embroiled in a country house whodunnit involving an old family ritual and generations of hidden secrets.
You’ve got to do both though so you get both stories!
This was a really fun book, I haven’t read a book like this before. You pick your own journey…. It may lead to the ending, it may not. My gamer heart was very happy with this, felt like a fantastic combination of gaming and reading. I absolutely loved it, it made me feel like I was playing a Telltale game.
My only gripe was that if you failed, died, etc it says you need to start over again… I don’t have time for that, so I went back a few steps and changed what I did. Other than that I really enjoyed it, super quick and easy to read, incredibly short “chapters” as well as some fun, quirky and potentially not so nice characters that I enjoy reading and seeing what happens with/to them because of my choices.
2 stories, you pick your path. If you travel to Yorkshire with Melissa, you’re caught up in a locked-room murder mystery featuring a cast of dubious friends, relatives and business associates.
If it’s Hurley Court, you’ve embroiled in a country house whodunnit involving an old family ritual and generations of hidden secrets.
You’ve got to do both though so you get both stories!
December 3, 2025
Goodness me this was fun!!! I absolutely loved playing out my inner Poirot, trying to piece together the clues without getting into trouble along the way!
Finding out you were on the wrong thread or that you’d put yourself in danger with your snooping was frustrating but hilarious, my detective fell into all sorts of traps from death to being booted out the investigation!
Thoroughly recommend for festive fun murder mystery puzzling fun. Huge thanks to the likely suspects for my copy.
Finding out you were on the wrong thread or that you’d put yourself in danger with your snooping was frustrating but hilarious, my detective fell into all sorts of traps from death to being booted out the investigation!
Thoroughly recommend for festive fun murder mystery puzzling fun. Huge thanks to the likely suspects for my copy.
December 6, 2025
I have had loads of fun with this book flicking back and forward following different options, in fact I’m still doing it. I love the fact that some options get you to start again, others giving you more information or different information.
It reminds me of the fun I had with my kids and the beast quest books they had, only this one is a cosy murder mystery, like a grown quest book.
Great fun and with a cracking storyline
It reminds me of the fun I had with my kids and the beast quest books they had, only this one is a cosy murder mystery, like a grown quest book.
Great fun and with a cracking storyline
December 15, 2025
This is starting to sound alarming”
GB Rubin is a new author for me and I definitely think I’d be having a look for more by this author. It was an enjoyable read.
Told in the second person “you”, in which you follow clues to solve the murder. Very similar to the Can You Solve the Murder; when you get to the end of a section you have a choice to make and this leads you on the path you follow.
This is kinda more unique though as there’s two possible options. You attend a Christmas Eve party at your friends night club, but you receive a proposition from two different people:
If you decide to head to Hurley Court you get involved in a family drama complete with traditions, rituals and hidden secrets
If you decide to head to Yorkshire with Melissa there’s a locked room mystery to solve.
I done both stories and somehow I either got very lucky and got both stories correct first time or I just read a lot of crime books 😂😂 maybe both 🤔😂
I enjoy these types of books and it makes me consider if I could change my career to be a detective 🙄😂😂
GB Rubin is a new author for me and I definitely think I’d be having a look for more by this author. It was an enjoyable read.
Told in the second person “you”, in which you follow clues to solve the murder. Very similar to the Can You Solve the Murder; when you get to the end of a section you have a choice to make and this leads you on the path you follow.
This is kinda more unique though as there’s two possible options. You attend a Christmas Eve party at your friends night club, but you receive a proposition from two different people:
If you decide to head to Hurley Court you get involved in a family drama complete with traditions, rituals and hidden secrets
If you decide to head to Yorkshire with Melissa there’s a locked room mystery to solve.
I done both stories and somehow I either got very lucky and got both stories correct first time or I just read a lot of crime books 😂😂 maybe both 🤔😂
I enjoy these types of books and it makes me consider if I could change my career to be a detective 🙄😂😂
December 11, 2025
This is such a fun idea, literally you read a chapter and then make a decision and it tells you which page to turn to depending on the decision. I also loved that everyone's reading experience would be different as everyone will make different choices.
I can't imagine how difficult this was to write and pull off considering how complex it must be with all the jumps. But it was extremely well done. A great Christmas gift
I can't imagine how difficult this was to write and pull off considering how complex it must be with all the jumps. But it was extremely well done. A great Christmas gift
December 15, 2025
Eeek! It’s like a goosebumps but for adults!!!
Choose your own story as you go through a mystery in 1932 with ritzy parties and train trips!
What else could you want in a murder mystery, oh yes - you get to pick the story and the outcomes yourself!
I went through a few times and then picked extra options and it all flowed perfectly, how much dedication has been spent on the seamless story whatever option you choose! I loved the ends you came too, very dramatic!
Choose your own story as you go through a mystery in 1932 with ritzy parties and train trips!
What else could you want in a murder mystery, oh yes - you get to pick the story and the outcomes yourself!
I went through a few times and then picked extra options and it all flowed perfectly, how much dedication has been spent on the seamless story whatever option you choose! I loved the ends you came too, very dramatic!
December 28, 2025
I really enjoyed reading this cosy murder mystery. This book was so well planned out although I ended up frustrated many times being sent back to the beginning. 😂
The book is written in first person and you, the reader become Kinn Tenor, a pathologist who likes to solve crimes.
I’m pretty sure I ended up taking most of the wrong routes before finally solving the mystery! I’ll be definitely be having a reread of this one to see if I manage to be anymore successful next time.
The book is written in first person and you, the reader become Kinn Tenor, a pathologist who likes to solve crimes.
I’m pretty sure I ended up taking most of the wrong routes before finally solving the mystery! I’ll be definitely be having a reread of this one to see if I manage to be anymore successful next time.
November 30, 2025
This was such a fun read, I absolutely love books like this. Even if I did have to go back to the beginning a few times.
I think these sorts of books must be so hard to write.
It's one of those books that you can go back to and get a different story each time. I think I need to make a note of my choices next time I read it.
I think these sorts of books must be so hard to write.
It's one of those books that you can go back to and get a different story each time. I think I need to make a note of my choices next time I read it.
December 14, 2025
I enjoyed the chose your own adventure element a lot for the mystery aspect. It is the most interactive and fun concept for a mystery I've seen in a long time.
Unfortunately, it just wasn't very Christmassy, in my opinion! I wanted more Christmas. And if I'm honest, I kept getting things wrong and getting annoyed starting over!
But it's a really fun time!
Unfortunately, it just wasn't very Christmassy, in my opinion! I wanted more Christmas. And if I'm honest, I kept getting things wrong and getting annoyed starting over!
But it's a really fun time!
December 28, 2025
Good fun, two mysteries to choose from, old fashioned whodunnits where you get to make certain decisions. I got killed a few times on the train mystery and had to restart but I got the country manor one right first time!
November 19, 2025
A very unusable book did enjoy but having to keep going back to the beginning was strange but was a different sort of book that l haven't read before
December 16, 2025
Really fun! Enjoyed reading this - two stories in one. The endings were far fetched but that added to the charm. Lovely festive reading
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2025
A choose-your-own-adventure for grown-ups.
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