Murder at Mistletoe Manor

by F. L. Everett

Genres: Christmas, Fiction, Crime

368 pages, Paperback

Published October 9, 2025

Reviews

[Anissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This brought the atmosphere. I love a snowy read at this time of year, and this had plenty. Where it fell off a bit for me was the characters and ultimately the mystery itself. I clocked the culprit early, and the road to the revelation wasn't intriguing enough to make up for that. Still, it was a good enough read to pass Thanksgiving weekend.

YMMV.

[Calum · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5-3⭐️

I enjoyed the the overall christmas vibe and the manor setting with the locked in murder mystery. Reading this book almost felt like a game of cluedo 😅

Where I struggled with it was the characters. Alot of them just felt like caricatures rather than real people due to how exaggerated they are.
I also guessed the killer about half way through, and although the twist was a surprise, it wasn't enough to carry the lack of shock as i expected it.
Pacing also felt a bit off, very slow and descriptive for 95% of the book then all a bit of a mad rush at the end with the revelation.

[Elinor · Rating 3 out of 5]

i enjoyed it but it was a little slow at first and felt kinda choppy jumping around between suspecting everyone. there wasn't a clear logical path from suspect to suspect as they guessed and the investigation didn't progress in big steps it was lots of little stuff. overall it was enjoyable though

[Lidewij · Rating 3 out of 5]

Een prima boek, maar ook niet meer dan dat. Op het eind heb ik serieus mijn best gedaan om snel door te lezen omdat ik er wel klaar mee was. Ik had ook al vroeg in het boek de juiste verdachte dus dat maakte het niet zo spannend, hoewel ik uiteindelijk niet het hele plot goed had tot vlak van tevoren

[Violaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very enjoyable festive read. Whodunnit trapped in a massive snow storm, what could be better for the holidays? I didn’t go in with high expectations but was pleasantly surprised by a gripping murder mystery.

[Sheila Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow burner but gathered momentum. Quite a few characters all who had reason to commit the crime.

[Keybladium · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

This is everything I was expecting “Murder Under the Mistletoe” to be, a simple cozy festive themed murder mystery that was engaging even if it was pretty generic.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a murder mystery in this style (murder under the mistletoe does *not* count) so I quite enjoyed the setting, the manor made for a nice environment for there to be enough space for the murders to occur in a range of ways and have different people in separate locations to keep the theories churning.

There was a wide array of characters each unique in their own ways however they were very two dimensional and felt like exaggerated personalities filling in their roles for the genre such as the detective, crazy conspiracist, protective father etc. rather than actual people. It made it impossible to grow attached to the characters or care for any of them, so the deaths only served the purpose of feeling intrigued for the mystery instead of feeling any emotion or shock for the character. I didn’t care that any of them died nor care for who was next. That isn’t to the say I didn’t like them at all or didn’t enjoy any of their interactions, I just never grew to them or cared for them further than that. The mystery element made up for this imo but anyone reading for characters will probably not enjoy this book as much.

The murder mystery itself I really enjoyed, the festive theme was a nice touch and made for some good scenarios and crime scenes whilst having the feeling of Christmas that I was looking for. The guessing game will always be the best part of these types of books and I couldn’t figure out the killer for a while so I had lots of fun with all the clues and suspicions and eventually having everything explained.

The length of the book made this book drag on a little too much though. Whilst I was enjoying the premise and the murders, it felt like it was too far and few at times. A murder would occur and then the investigations would begin and they will last for a long time with nothing new really being fed to the reader throughout. Linking to the exaggerated generic character problem, it felt like every interaction with the characters were the same and even their dialogue felt very repetitive so when the book was in it’s “downtime”, it started to drop off a little until another murder would eventually happen and bring back the excitement again. If this book was shorter and cut out the meaningless interactions or at least developed the characters and fed even more clues that linked more to the intentions of the killer then this could’ve been one of my favourite Christmas thriller books.

Overall, it’s a nice fun festive read that will keep you guessing and entertained for most of it’s duration but it’s not flawless or anything you wouldn’t expect from this genre

[Pirate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Around Christmas every year I enjoy buying, bizarrely given it is touted as the time for 'Christmas cheer', books at Daunt involving murder mysteries around the festive season...usually they are gentle type of whodunnit set in the 1930's involving a colonel, a local magistrate, a spinster, eligible bachelor, disgruntled son/daughter, vicar etc...this though is markedly different.
Set in modern times, diverse characters end up in the Mistletoe Manor Hotel in a hellish snowstorm, some by design some by accident..then the plot thickens, a bit like the chef Colt's soup.
There is no Poirot/Maigret/Marple who by happy happenstance is amongst the gathering so detective work falls on Nick the journalist to pursue enquiries. It is not quite And Then There Were None but the numbers do come whittling down...
This is a top class whodunnit, claustrophobic increasingly paranoid atmosphere brilliantly realised and characters are all superbly drawn, and a splendid variety from across the range. The authoress says in her self deprecating bio she has a never-ending appetite for rummaging in charity shops...well it is this reader's joy she halted that habit long enough to pen this superb whodunnit that lit up Christmas and whilst one would be reluctant to kiss any of the characters under the mistletoe chapeau for dreaming them up.
A read for all seasons even if you receive quizzical looks if sitting by the pool at the hotel in 30 degrees heat....

[Mads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m new to the murder mystery genre and Christmas themed reads, and this is only the second book I read this season. I may just be enthralled by the novelty of the genre or I’ve just picked two books that I very much enjoyed. I’ll read them again once I’ve experienced more whodunnit books. But for now, this was pretty good to start with in my opinion. My head was spinning with theories, I found myself obsessed with wanting to go back into the story constantly. I developed my own theories with my husband that was just as captivated as I was, hearing the story through my eyes, but it’s true that until the last few chapters when everything started falling into place, I was still nowhere near a decision. Which means that the plot was air tight enough for me to be fooled until the end. The end was pretty well done, I’m glad they all got closure (for those who survived) and I closed the book with a sense of sadness and understanding for the perpetrator even tho they were a very twisted mind and I would like to hope I’d never become such a monster if put in such a situation. But we all have children we would do anything for, and maybe that’s what this strong sentence means.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a festive locked room murder mystery set in an isolated hotel in the middle of a huge snowstorm.
When journalist, Nick's, car breaks down in rural Yorkshire he finds himself at Mistletoe Manor with an odd selection of other guests and staff, including an American couple, a father and his 8 year old daughter, a yoga teacher, an elderly lady and the overly helpful hotel manager.
One by one, the guests meet their ends in increasingly nasty ways and its up to Nick to sort through the evidence and red herrings and unmask the culprit.
With the WiFi down though, as well as no phone signal, the inhabitants of the hotel are sitting ducks for the killer.
Overall this is a decent, uncomplicated read but there's nothing particularly original about the story.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to read Christmas books over the festive period and Murder at Mistletoe Manor really appealed to me as sometimes I like to read something a bit different between all of the lovely Romance books! Over recent years I've really started to enjoy a good whodunnit, especially when it's a locked room as it really adds to the tension; and even better that it's set at Christmas too.

I had many theories throughout this book, I was constantly changing my mind about who the murderer was as new evidence came to light; much like the characters themselves. We'd all like to believe that a group of people trapped together at Christmas would be kind to each other, but do we ever really know anyone? Especially people we've only just met?

The group know that there is safety in numbers, but sticking together also means that the murder is among them so they can only hope that the perpetrator isn't brazen enough to commit murder in a room full of people. It's not long before everybody is suspicious of each other, not trusting them to be out of their sight for even a few minutes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this festive whodunnit which was full of twists and kept me guessing right up to the last chapter. I did begin to suspect the murderer towards the end but there was still a few more little shocks right at the last minute. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a festive read with a difference.

[Kelly Steed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one dragged for me. There were a lot of characters introduced right at the start, which made it hard to keep track of who was who before I’d had a chance to settle into the story. The first murder happened before I really knew the character, so I wasn’t particularly invested, and that lack of connection lingered throughout.

A cosy mystery with a festive setting, but it didn’t quite deliver the pace or engagement I was hoping for.

[Mia-Moo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This definitely set the scene. A cold snowy night in the Yorkshire Moors and Nick finds he has a choice to make; stay in his car and freeze to death or take refuge in Mistletoe Manor.

Surely, this ‘luxury’ old fashioned hotel won’t be too bad for a nights stay. That is until a gold star is found wrapped under the tree with a point covered in blood.

This was a good story with a likeable sleuth. My only criticism was the logic of the murders and the jumps from one suspect to the next.

[Etienne Bourgoin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining but somewhat repetitive. It should of had a stronger last few chapters, then it would rise to four stars easily.

I was pleasantly surprised how the story played out. Certainly a fun Christmas murder mystery with a very likeable main character. The author does achieve transporting readers into this old Manor House, claustrophobic is a good way to describe it. Some fun little references to other great mystery characters which I also really appreciate. Good overall.

[Laura Trist · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book delivers on winter warmers with Christmas vibes throughout! I really enjoyed this book and did not guess the ending. I was pretty gripped throughout until about three quarters of the way through, where I thought it lost its pace and seemed a bit dragged out, before the ending really sped up and all of a sudden we knew everything and it was over. I'm still really glad I picked this up as a festive treat to myself over the Christmas period. Definitely worth 4 stars in my opinion!

[Sue de Boeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on the locked room. In this case a bunch of unlikely people trapped by a snowstorm in a country hotel that appears to have seen better days. Perplexing to begin with, by the time I was two thirds through I had a fairly good idea of the outcome, although I was only partially correct. I would read another book by this author.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pretty boring take on a locked room mystery, with a main character whose only character trait is that he misses his wife and child. The book constantly reminds you of the fact that people with children cannot possibly be murderers, so when the murderer turns out to be, you've guessed it, the man with the poor adorable child, it's done with the subtlety of a brick through a window.

[bryan fothergill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good little Christmas murder mystery, with a slightly locked-room take to it.
A thoroughly good read. The characters are well presented and relatable. The storyline is absorbing, I was halfway through when I had an inkling of the murderer although I was indeed surprised at the end.
I'm definitely keeping my eye out for other books by this author.

[Rachel Ault · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would pay so much money for this to be made into a film (with Celia Imrie playing Matilda)….so much money. Such a great read, not at all a corny Christmas murder mystery! Would definitely read again next year!

[Sarah Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good puzzle

[Erin Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring and slow

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cosy murder mystery for the festive period, I did think there were quite a few plot holes though.

[Kristina (Kiki) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite honestly the first crime novel I've read (that wasn't An Inspector Calls in school!)

This was a page turner and I was hooked all the way through. It has been a while since I actually couldn't put a book down and finished it in a few sittings.

First of all, the setting! Snow blizzard, Yorkshire Moors, isolated hotel days before Christmas. The cozy winter atmosphere was spot on and exactly what I was in need of.

The characters were multifaceted and it's been a while since I've read a novel with characters that felt vibrant but also complex. It was exciting to learn about each of their stories and unveil the details that connect them.

The only thing that I didn't entirely enjoy was the third person narration but it didn't take away from the experience of the story.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5* Taking half a star off for the rather constructed ending, and what exactly happened to the car battery? But otherwise, that was fun and christmassy.

[Yazmin Whyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A festive murder mystery with one mega twist at the end!

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Roseanna Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the Manor setting and the theme of a murder mystery. I really imagined the characters and really got into the story. A lovely festive read

[Gabija · Rating 2 out of 5]

🙄 dnf labai neįtraukė labai sunkiai

[Lucia K-M · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a festive cosy crime book set in a snowy Yorkshire then do yourself a favour and pick this up. It was a rollercoaster of guessing the entire time. I did guess whodunit at the end but only because some extra clues came along. You feel like a detective yourself and it’s a truly entertaining read.

[Zane · Rating 3 out of 5]

It gave me the Christmas/winter atmosphere. Had a good guessing, but I started to suspect who the killer is pretty early on. First half of the book was rather slow, the second felt going more fast.